State & Local Legislatures

Maryland Senator David Brinkley said that if re-elected, he plans to introduce a bill that would legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes. A similar bill passed the Senate during the last session, but the House version failed.

Sen. Nick Scutari said the Health Department's draft regulations for growing, distributing and buying medical marijuana set up too many roadblocks for people the law was designed to help. He wants to force the state to rewrite what he says are overly restrictive rules that make the program unworkable. Scutari said he'll introduce a resolution Monday challenging the proposed regulations.

Advocates for medical marijuana say the way New Jersey wants to regulate the industry in the state is even more restrictive than they expected.

The idea of making recent changes to Columbia police SWAT policy permanent could move ahead this week. Soon after police Chief Ken Burton made SWAT policy changes in May in response to a controversial February drug raid on Kinloch Court, Columbia resident Holly Henry requested that the council and the review board put the new policy into a city ordinance.