Drug War Chronicle

In an interview with the The New Yorker's David Remnick, President Obama said marijuana was safer than alcohol and that state-level experiments with legalization were "important," but that he thought it was a bad habit.

Washington's attorney general has dealt a body blow to the statewide legalization of marijuana commerce there, medical marijuana continues to keep state legislatures busy, a New Mexico town and county pay out big time for a horrid anal search, heroin legislation is moving in Kentucky, and more.

While the DC city council is moving on decriminalization, local activists aren't waiting to take the next step: a marijuana legalization initiative.

US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has come around on medical marijuana, and he thinks cops waste too much time arresting pot smokers, too.

Florida's medical marijuana initiative appears poised to qualify for the ballot (if it survives a challenge in the state Supreme Court), a new pot poll finds the country evenly split, Afghanistan was on the agenda in the Senate yesterday, and more.

As attitudes in America begin to shift in favor of marijuana legalization, it increasingly seems possible that more states -- and eventually the entire country -- might follow. What does this mean south of the border, where Mexican cartels make enormous profits by trafficking this illegal commodity?

A marijuana legalization bill has passed the New Hampshire House, but not with enough votes to overcome a promised gubernatorial veto. It still faces more votes in the House and Senate, too.

Action is really picking up as state legislatures get back into session. Meanwhile, the long battle over regulating medical marijuana in California continues.

As the legislative season gets underway, bills are being introduced all over the place -- good, bad, and ugly. And there's trouble in Mexico, there are peace talks in Colombia, and more.

The Washington, DC, city council has advanced a decriminalization bill with a unanimous committee vote. It now heads for the full council.