Drug War Chronicle

There's something fishy in a Virginia evidence room, a Louisiana deputy gets in trouble for peddling fake weed, three suburban Chicago cops were running a dirty racket, an NYPD cop gets himself arrested, and a Miami cop gets himself convicted.

Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT), head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has said he wants to abolish mandatory minimum sentences, and he hopes the federal government doesn't spend a lot of money enforcing marijuana laws in states where it is legal.

A half-dozen states are expected to see marijuana legalization bills filed this year, but Hawaii is first out the gate after the House speaker filed a bill on Friday.

A young Orlando man has died after being shot by police during a drug investigation Wednesday night. He becomes the year's second drug war fatality.

Acting on a tip, DEA agents went on rural property without a warrant, set up surveillance cameras, and used the evidence obtained to get a search warrant and convict the property owners for growing marijuana. And a US district court judge said that was okay. Is it?

Opium -- boon, bane, or both? We review three recent books on various aspects of the poppy and its derivatives.

New state medical marijuana bills are starting to roll out as the legislative season gets underway, progress comes in Arizona, and San Diego's mayor steps up for medical marijuana.

MedicalMarijuana.ProCon.org, part of the ProCon.org family, is an in-depth web site presenting information and views from a variety of perspectives on the medical marijuana issue. The Chronicle is running a six-part series of info items from ProCon.org, of which this week's is the second.

Corrupt cops are headed to prison in Honolulu, Chicago, and Bridgeport, Connecticut, and one in Houston will be joining them soon.

The New Jersey legislature has taken a step toward passing a bill that would expand access to the anti-overdose drug naloxone. The bill now heads for a Senate floor vote, but awaits action in the House.