Court Rulings

There is action in various state houses, Michiganders continue to tussle over their medical marijuana law, and there's an investigation going on in Maine.

In a case that could have important implications for US drug war tactics abroad, a federal appeals court has thrown out the convictions of four Panamanians tried in the US after being seized on Panamanian territory.

The US 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a preliminary injunction blocking the state of Florida from implementing its welfare drug testing law. The law violates the Fourth Amendment's proscription against warrantless searches, the court found.

Most of the action was at statehouses this week, but there was also news from the Harborside Health Center battle in California and an announcement that the nation's capital will soon have its first dispensary.

A police drug dog's training or certification records are sufficient indicators of its reliability to establish probable cause for a vehicle search, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

An Arizona appeals court has ruled that even the presence of inactive THC metabolites from as long as a month after toking is sufficient to earn a driving under the influence conviction.

Medical marijuana dispensaries are illegal in Michigan, the state's Supreme Court ruled Friday.

A positive drug screen during pregnancy does not in itself constitute evidence of child neglect, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in a victory for maternal rights.

The California Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a key case on whether localities can ban dispensaries, and medical marijuana bills died in two Midwest states, and there's more news, too.

The agonizingly slow pace of implementing medical marijuana laws is causing problems in several states, while in California, the never-ending battles continue.