Experts Bolster Calls for Jail Needle Exchange
A string of academics, health experts and former politicians have lent their names in support of a trial of a needle and syringe program in Australian correctional facilities.
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N.J. Health Department Releases Revised Rules on Regulating Medical Marijuana
The state health department released a set of revised rules governing New Jerseyâs medical marijuana program, despite the Legislatureâs intent to repeal them. The new rules reflect an agreement Gov. Chris Christie reached with the lawâs Assembly sponsor, Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer), that allow for six dispensaries to operate, instead of the four the administration initially sought.
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Still legal under federal law -- at least for now. (image via Wikimedia)
DEA Emergency Ban on Synthetic Marijuana NOT in Effect
That Christmas Eve DEA ban on synthetic cannabinoids? Didn't happen -- at least, not yet. Action has been delayed by challenges from retailers.
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Did You Know? Increasing Prison Costs and Overcrowding, 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 over the next several weeks, and we encourage you to check it out.
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Feds Fail to Protect Witness in Major Drug Case, Killed Hours Before Entering Protection Program
Prohibitionist drug policies did not help thirty-four-year-old Corry Thomas who was shot and killed in front of his sister's home. His plea deal was supposed to place him in witness protection, but he was murdered before he ever got the chance to testify. Sources say his testimony could have helped put high-level drug dealers in prison and the drive-by shooters knew that the clock was ticking.
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This Week in History
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.
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This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
A campus cop, an auxiliary cop, and a sheriff's deputy all go down.
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Texas Man Allegedly Kills Self During Drug Raid
The year's second death during a drug law enforcement operation occurred Tuesday in Corpus Christi. Police said it was a suicide, but some local observers are assuming the worst.
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Talking to Your Kids About Drugs: Four Healthy Concepts to Consider
Carole Bennett, a substance abuse counselor and activist who has lectured at a number of rehabilitation centers as well as schools and universities, offers four healthy concepts to consider when talking to children about substance use.
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Michigan Woman with Fibromyalgia Evicted from Federally Subsidized Apartment for Using Medical Marijuana
At 25 years old, Shannon Sterner lives with pain. The Leoni Township resident has tried medications to manage the effects of fibromyalgia and reactive arthritis brought on by an infection. For the last nine months, she has been using a new method to deal with the discomfort caused by her conditions: medical marijuana. But her use of the drug, allowed under Michiganâs medical marijuana law, resulted in eviction from her federally subsidized apartment this week.
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N.J. Senator Scutari Schedules Hearing to Void Proposed Medical Marijuana Rules
New Jersey's state senator Scutari said he's taking the next step toward voiding Gov. Chris Christie's proposed strict medical marijuana regulations after the Christie administration missed a Wednesday deadline to submit a new version. A hearing on the issue has been scheduled for Jan. 20 before the state Senate's health committee.
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Montana: Republican Senator Introduces Second Major Medical Marijuana Bill
A Helena lawmaker has introduced a bill to license and regulate the growing and selling of medical marijuana in Montana and to impose a 10 percent tax on the growers' sales to pay for the cost of regulation and go for other uses. Senator Dave Lewis, R-Helena, is the sponsor of Senate Bill 154, the second major bill intended to impose some regulations on the industry.
Chronicle
Going, going, gone in Louisiana. Who's next?
Meet Mephedrone, the Latest "Drug Menace" [FEATURE]
A new designer drug is generating the same old knee-jerk prohibitionist responses. Be scared, very scared!
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Police Can Kick Down Doors in Drug Searches, Some Justices Say
Police officers who smell marijuana coming from an apartment can break down the door and burst in if they have reason to believe this evidence might be destroyed, several Supreme Court's justices suggested Wednesday. In the past, the high court has said police usually cannot enter a home or apartment without a search warrant because of the 4th Amendment's ban on "unreasonable searches and seizures."
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War on Marijuana Grow-Ops in British Columbia Has Unexpected Casualties
In the war on marijuana grow-ops, municipalities across the Lower Mainland are slapping homeowners â including those with no link to illegal drugs â with a hefty bill for an inspection of their property, saying the fees cover the costs involved. Critics say the safety inspections are a substitute for police raids of suspected grow-ops. Police cannot enter a home without reasonable grounds for believing that they will find illegal activity. However, safety inspectors can just go in and look around. If they find a grow-op, they call police, who are usually waiting at the curb.
In The Trenches
Canada: Voice Your Opposition to Costly Mandatory Minimum Sentencing for Drug-Related Offenses (Action Alert)
The federal government of Canada is currently considering Bill S-10, which proposes legislative amendments that, among other things, would introduce mandatory minimum prison sentences for certain drug-related offenses. Research clearly demonstrates that mandatory minimum sentences are extremely expensive to the taxpayer and do not meaningfully improve public health and safety nor reduce drug use or crime in communities.
The Urban Health Research Initiative is inviting concerned health practitioners, scientists, researchers and academics in Canada to join it in supporting evidence-based drug prevention and treatment initiatives and opposing the introduction of costly and ineffective mandatory minimum sentencing legislation. Please see the sign-on letter at http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6452/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4894.
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Prohibition-Created Drug Trafficking Organizations Intensify Attacks in Mexico's Richest City
Drug trafficking organizations fighting over Mexico's richest city have launched a wave of attacks against police and rivals since New Year's Eve, crushing hopes of a fall in violence and alarming business leaders.
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Medical Marijuana Bills Introduced in Washington
Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, and Rep. Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver, announced Tuesday that they had introduced House and Senate bills to clarify the state's medical marijuana regulation.
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John Stossel Debates Drug Legalization with Ann Coulter
I enjoyed watching this, although what we get from Ann Coulter here is pretty much what you'd expect from your average kneejerk drug-hating authoritarian. Though obnoxious at times, keep in mind that you're watching a perfectly civil conversation about legalizing drugs on a FOX program. That's awesome.