Budgets/Taxes/Economics

Marijuana policy reform questions are on the ballot in Colorado, a trio of Michigan localities, and Portland, Maine, tomorrow.

The big news today is yesterday's surprising appeals court ruling allowing the NYPD to continue stop-and-frisk searches, but there's more as well on marijuana reform, drug testing, and a conference in New Zealand.

California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom will lead a high-powered panel of experts on a mission to study the best way to legalize marijuana in California. They're aiming at 2016.

Marijuana legalization could bring billions to the British government, two studies show. But there is little political will to move in that direction.

Sens. Patrick Leahy and Rand Paul led the charge for mandatory minimum sentencing reform at a Judiciary Committee hearing last week. The adminstration and the federal judiciary are already on board; now, it's time for Congress to step up to the plate.

Comments in the Senate Judiciary Committee provided hope that medical marijuana's banking problems may be ending, California communities continue to tussle over the issue, and a New Jersey bill is signed into law. There's more, too.

A bill that would turn felony drug possession cases into "wobblers," meaning they could be charged as either felonies or misdemeanors, is one housekeeping vote away from heading to the governor's desk.

Utah is finding there's not much there there when it comes to drug-abusing welfare applicants, and it's paying good money to do so.

The North Carolina legislature is about to pass a welfare drug testing bill. At least they took out the part where county employees had to tell people they wouldn't be tested if they didn't apply for benefits.

Colorado has taken another giant step toward establishing a legal, regulated marijuana market for adults as Gov. John Hickenlooper signed into law a package of bills designed to implement the will of the voters.