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State & Local Legislatures

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) has vetoed a smelly asset forfeiture bill. (Image courtesy state of Indiana)
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) has vetoed a smelly asset forfeiture bill. (Image courtesy state of Indiana)

Daniels Vetoes Indiana Asset Forfeiture "Reform"

Police and prosecutors in Indiana were violating the state constitution by failing to turn in seized funds to the school fund, so the legislature tried to fix it by saying they didn't have to. Now, the governor has done the right thing and vetoed that bill.
Marijuana Policy Project lobbyists and patient advocates watch SB 17 signed into law. (Image courtesy MPP)
Marijuana Policy Project lobbyists and patient advocates watch SB 17 signed into law. (Image courtesy MPP)

Vermont Becomes Eighth Medical Marijuana Dispensary State

Vermont's Democratic governor has stood up to threats from the US attorney, signing into law the state's medical marijuana dispensary bill.
Lake Parc Place residents let CHA CEO Lewis Jordan know what they thought of his bright idea. (Image courtesy CHA)
Lake Parc Place residents let CHA CEO Lewis Jordan know what they thought of his bright idea. (Image courtesy CHA)

CHA Gets Angry Earful Over Drug Testing Proposal

New Chicago Housing Authority CEO Lewis Jordan has floated a plan to require drug testing of all adult residents. Thursday night, he got a taste of what residents think of his bright idea.
The California Senate chamber. There's not a lot of good news coming out of Sacramento this year. (Image via Wikimedia.org)
The California Senate chamber. There's not a lot of good news coming out of Sacramento this year. (Image via Wikimedia.org)

Not a Good Year for Marijuana So Far in Sacramento

A bill-killing deadline came and went Friday in Sacramento, and it ain't looking especially pretty for marijuana reform so far.
Florida state workers, be prepared to submit one of these if Gov. Scott has his way. (Image via Wikimedia.org)
Florida state workers, be prepared to submit one of these if Gov. Scott has his way. (Image via Wikimedia.org)

ACLU Sues Florida Governor on State Employee Drug Tests [FEATURE]

Florida's Republican Gov. Rick Scott thinks he can make state employees pee in a cup for him with the stroke of a pen. The ACLU of Florida disagrees and is suing him in federal court.
Gov. Rick Scott (R) scores political points on the backs of the poor. (Image courtesy state of Florida)
Gov. Rick Scott (R) scores political points on the backs of the poor. (Image courtesy state of Florida)

Florida Welfare Drug Testing Bill Signed Into Law

Under a Florida law signed by Gov. Rick Scott Tuesday, welfare recipients must undergo drug tests. It looks like the ACLU will challenge it in court.
Dispensaries remain in legal limbo in Washington state. (Image via Wikimedia.org)
Dispensaries remain in legal limbo in Washington state. (Image via Wikimedia.org)

Washington Medical Marijuana Dispensary Bill Dies

First, the feds scared the governor into vetoing most of a successful dispensary and patient registry bill. Now, time has run out on later efforts to get something out of the legislature in Olympia this year.

Fixing the Fiasco of the NYPD's Marijuana Arrests

Two New York State legislators have proposed a simple, effective legislative fix to New York City's 15-year marijuana arrest craze. Senator Mark Grisanti, a white Republican from Buffalo, and Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, a black Democrat from Brooklyn, have together offered legislation that would strike from the law the misdemeanor for simple marijuana possession of less than an ounce. The NYPD made 50,000 of these marijuana possession arrests in 2010 and 500,000 arrests since 1997.
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