A series of high-profile murders of U.S. citizens along the border with Mexico has raised fears about drug prohibition violence spilling over into the United States.

On a recent chilly morning, Fort Lauderdale stockbroker Irvin Rosenfeld interrupted his client calls for a quick medical marijuana cigarette in the company parking lot. Then he went back to work. The cigarette perfectly legal for him was one of about 120,000 the federal government has provided to him at taxpayer expense for the past 29 years. He's one of only four people who remain in a now-closed compassionate drug program.

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said that a showdown with drug trafficking organizations is just around the corner. "We're going out to directly meet these cartels. We're saying this is coming through our county and we've had enough," he said. The sheriff has recently purchased 130 new semi-automatic rifles and night vision goggles. In Pinal County, they're holding an offensive position to counter the members of drug trafficking organizations and the bandits looking to steal drugs in the desert.

The Oakland City Council is talking about sanctioned medical marijuana cultivation again after some legal scares put the issue on ice late last year, and a new policy could be in place within two weeks. The council voted in December to hold off implementing its program to permit and tax industrial-sized medical marijuana cultivation businesses. The proposal, which would also double the number of permitted dispensaries, was delayed until the new cultivation law could be revised to address some legal concerns that local prosecutors said could land the council members in jail.

Suspected drug trafficking organization gunmen hurled grenades, burned vehicles and blocked streets in a rapid series of attacks in Mexico's second-largest city. The seven attacks within two hours appear to have been coordinated. A policeman and two transportation workers were injured in the attacks.