Drug War Chronicle

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"NJ Medical Marijuana Patient Not Guilty on First-Degree Felony Charges," "There's No Economic Crisis for the Drug Cartels," "Another Crazy Medical Marijuana Lie from the Drug Czar," "NJ Medical Marijuana Trial Takes an Interesting Turn," "'No One Threw Bong Water At Me, But It Came Pretty Close'," "Latest Drug War Lie: Debating Medical Marijuana Causes More Kids to Smoke Pot," "Man Gets Tased and Dies After Trying to Swallow Marijuana During Police Encounter."

The war in Afghanistan, the rising tide of drug reform in Latin America, and battles over drug policies in European countries are among the dominant international drug policy stories of 2009. (Next issue we'll review the top domestic stories.)

Will 2010 be the year the first state legalizes marijuana? If California Assemblyman Tom Ammiano and Washington Representative Roger Goodman have their way, two states will do so.

A quiet week -- perhaps it's the holidays -- yields a Carolina two-fer of corrupt cops.

Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.

New Jersey medical marijuana patient John Ray Wilson was found guilty of marijuana manufacture yesterday, but the jury refused to convict him on the most serious charge. The verdict came after the trial judge partially reversed himself and allowed Wilson to utter one sentence to the jury about his illness and his use of medical marijuana. Supporters are seeking a pardon from outgoing Gov. Jon Corzine.

Congressional budget negotiators have approved a conference committee bill that ends the ban on federal funding of needle exchange programs, ends the ban on the District of Columbia funding of needle exchange programs, and ends the ban on the District enacting a medical marijuana law approved by voters a decade ago. Oh, and it also slashes funding for the drug czar's ineffective youth anti-drug media campaign.

Unprecedented developments have us more optimistic than ever before at the prospects for significant change in drug policy.

A rare window of opportunity has opened for addressing one of the drug war's most glaring injustices.