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Drug War Chronicle #740 - June 28, 2012

Phillip S. Smith, Editor - David Borden, Executive Director
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Supreme Court Grants Lesser Sentences in "Pipeline" Crack Cocaine Cases

The Supreme Court has held that people "in the pipeline" -- convicted but not yet sentenced when Fair Sentencing Act reforms took effect -- on federal crack cocaine charges are entitled to be sentenced under the lesser penalties created by the act. Thousands could get sentence cuts.
The winds of change are blowing in the Windy City (wikimedia.org)
The winds of change are blowing in the Windy City (wikimedia.org)

Chicago Decriminalizes Marijuana Possession

Following the lead of some of its suburbs, Chicago has decriminalized the possession of less than 15 grams of marijuana for adults.
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nypd_badge_2.jpg

NYPD Sued Over Stop and Frisk Marijuana Arrests

NYPD refuses to stop charging people with misdemeanor marijuana possession after stopping and frisking them and forcing them to empty their pockets so they can be charged with "public possession," so now the Legal Aid Society is suing to make them knock it off.
the supervised injection site in Vancouver (vch.ca)
the supervised injection site in Vancouver (vch.ca)

Danish Parliament Okays Drug Consumption Rooms

Supervised injection sites are coming to Denmark, and so are broader "drug consumption rooms" where heroin and cocaine can be smoked or snorted. A new law takes effect July 1.
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Did You Know? Portugal's Decriminalization Record, on DrugWarFacts.org

DrugWarFacts.org, a publication of Common Sense for Drug Policy, is an in-depth compilation of key facts, stats and quotes on the full range of drug policy issues, excerpted from expert publications on the subjects. The Chronicle is running a series of info items from DrugWarFacts.org, and we encourage you to check it out.
Gov. John Lynch's medical marijuana veto will stand -- again. (wikimedia.org)
Gov. John Lynch's medical marijuana veto will stand -- again. (wikimedia.org)

New Hampshire Medical Marijuana Veto Stands

An effort to override Gov. John Lynch's veto of a medical marijuana bill succeeded in the House but fell short in the Senate.
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MMJ leaf and stethoscope KY ODCP_38.jpg

Medical Marijuana Update

The feds continue to play hardball in California and local elected officials across the state are grappling with the issues. Meanwhile, Vermont moves ahead on dispensaries while New Hampshire's medical marijuana bill can't overcome a gubernatorial veto, and that's not all.
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This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

A scandal that keeps on giving in Florida, a pair of bad apple deputies in LA get their just rewards, a crooked NYPD cop gets his, too, and much, much more.
Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.