Marijuana, weed, pot, cannabis, whatever you call it, it's sure making a lot of news these days. Plus, harm reduction comes to Georgia, and Bolivia wants to shoot down drug planes. And more.
billboard for Missouri marijuana lifer Jeff Mizanskey
Maryland decriminalizes and becomes a medical marijuana state, a Tennessee hemp bill awaits the governor's signature, a Kentucky omnibus heroin bill appears dead for the session, a campaign is underway to free a Missouri marijuana lifer, and more.
Politicians worry about the dangers of Zohydro, but they have little to say about its benefits.
Cops like to say they don't make the laws; they merely enforce them, but that wasn't exactly the case today in Louisiana, Oregon, and Washington, DC. Plus, decrim has a last hurrah in Maryland, an Alabama welfare drug testing bill passes, Vermont moves against the new pain reliever Zohydro, and more.
UK celebrity chef Nigella Lawson is too scary to allow in the US because she admitted doing coke. (Brian Minkoff via Wikimedia)
British celebrity chef Nigella Lawson is banned from the US for admitting using coke, decrim dies for the year in Maryland, CBD medical marijuana bill continue to move, the resort to the overdose drug naloxone is spreading rapidly, Guatemala's president wants to legalize pot and poppies, and more.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) declares a public health emergency to deal with opiate use. (mass.gov)
Medical marijuana and CBD bills continue moving in state legislatures, Northeastern governors respond to opiates, the Department of Agriculture wants to buy Ukrainian hemp seed, and more.
Cannabis oil is a hot item in traditionally unfriendly legislatures (wikimedia.org/Stephen Charles Thompson)
Medical marijuana dominates the drug policy news today, plus a legalization bill is filed in New Jersey, welfare drug testing advances in a pair of states, the Russians halt anti-drug cooperation with the US, and more.
Caribbean leaders are discussing ganja this week. (wikimedia.org)
California's Democrats endorse marijuana legalization, Caricom gets ready to talk marijuana, Attorney General Holder calls for expanded access to naloxone to prevent overdose deaths, legislatures in the Pacific Northwest make moves on medical marijuana, and more.
Attorney General Holder takes on heroin (usdoj.gov)
Attorney General Holder's remarks on combating heroin overdoses Monday contain some steps in the right direction, but don't go far enough, drug reformers said.
On Thursday, Michelle Alexander, author of the best-selling and galvanizing "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness" sat down with poet/activist Asha Bandele of the Drug Policy Alliance to discuss the book's impact and where we go from here. It's a discussion worth reading.
Yours truly with Peruvian coca farmer. The government wants to eradicate his crop. (Phil Smith/stopthedrugwar.org)
Oregon's medical marijuana dispensary regulation bill has passed the legislature with only temporary local bans allowed, more CBD medical marijuana bills are moving, an Indiana hemp bill has passed the legislature, and more.