State & Local Executive Branches

Prison reform comes to Oklahoma!

The biggest medical marijuana news this week has to be the Oregon election that saw a pro-medical marijuana attorney general candidate win against a former interim US Attorney, but there was plenty of other news, as well.

A bill awaiting the Kansas governor's signature would increase judges' discretion in sentencing small-time drug offenders, although it increases penalties for some major drug offenses.

A bill that will revive and strengthen Connecticut's largely dormant racial profiling law has passed the legislature, and Gov. Malloy says he will sign it into law.

Connecticut is about to join the ranks of the medical marijuana states, but in a bid to fend off the feds, its new law is one of the most tightly-drawn yet.

The national battle over medical marijuana is heating up, Connecticut is about to become the 17th medical marijuana state, and state and local battles continue. And so do the DEA raids. Busy, busy, busy.

The city council in the Virginia college town of Charlottesville had adopted a resolution calling on the state to consider decriminalizing or regulating marijuana, but balked at adding lowest law enforcement priority language.

Faced with a veto threat from Gov. John Lynch (D), the New Hampshire Senate voted Wednesday to kill a marijuana decriminalization bill that had already passed the House.

President Obama is taking flak from comedians and politicians alike over the federal crackdown on dispensaries. Meanwhile, raids and legal battles continue to rage across the country.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott campaign to force drug tests on state workers got slapped down by a federal judge Wednesday, on fourth amendment grounds.