Executive Branch

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.

Attorney General Holder Thursday announced that his directive to federal prosecutors to not seek mandatory minimum sentences against most drug offenders will also apply to those already charged but not yet imprisoned.

Hemp advocates are emboldened by last month's Justice Department guidance on marijuana reform in the states and are moving forward, both on Capitol Hill and in the states.

In its annual exercise in arrogance, the US government last Friday released its report on who is and isn't complying with our drug war demands. Bolivia and Venezuela were singled out, and they're not happy.

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.

Private plane pilots across the country are reporting that they are being subjected to warrantless drug searches by Customs and local police, even when they haven't left the country. And especially if they've been flying in marijuana-friendly states.

A clamor is growing for congressional hearings on the DEA. Recent revelations of the DEA's use of NSA and AT&T spy data provided the catalyst, but concern has been festering for years.

Federal prosecutors speak out on how the Justice Department's new stance on legalization will affect their medical marijuana prosecutions (not much), an initiative's language gets rejected for a second time in Arkansas, and much, much more.

The Justice Department will not -- at least for now -- try to block implementation of marijuana legalization in Colorado and Washington, AG Holder said today. And there's a new memo instructing federal prosecutors how to respond.