Feature: Marijuana Reform Approaches the Tipping Point
Marijuana legalization seems to have entered the mainstream in the first part of 2009. Drug War Chronicle asks some reform movement players just what's going on -- and what isn't.
State & Local Legislatures
Medical Marijuana: New Hampshire Bill Passes Senate, Awaits Governor's Signature
New Hampshire is on the verge of becoming the 14th medical marijuana state after a bill passed the state Senate this week. Now the question is whether the Democratic governor will sign it.
Law Enforcement: Florida House Passes Watered Down "Rachel's Law" in Bid to Protect Informants from Dangerous Assignments
Rachel Hoffman was murdered by violent criminals after Florida police coerced the small-time marijuana seller into becoming an informant, and sent her out with $13,000 to buy cocaine and guns. Now, the Florida legislature is attempting to pass a bill that would limit police use of informants, but the cop lobby has already managed to weaken it.
Medical Marijuana: New Hampshire Bill Heads for Final Legislative Vote
A medical marijuana bill in New Hampshire is one Senate floor vote away from passage after it was approved by a Senate committee Thursday. The state House has already passed it.
Salvia Divinorum: Man in First Bust Gets Deferred Sentence
The nation's first salvia possession case has ended not with a bang, but a whimper. At least no one is going to jail.
Medical Marijuana: Maine Legislature Punts, Bill Will Go Before Voters in November
Voters in Maine will have a chance to approve a medical marijuana bill that provides for dispensaries, among other things, this November. The legislature had its chance, but punted.
Medical Marijuana: Minnesota Bill Wins Committee Vote, Heads for Senate Floor
Minnesota's medical marijuana bill won its fourth and final Senate committee vote Thursday. It's won that many House committee votes, too. Floor votes loom, but so does the grim visage of a veto-wielding Republican governor.
Feature: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly -- New York Rockefeller Drug Law Reform on the Verge of Passage
By the time you read these words, the New York legislature has probably passed long-awaited reforms to the Rockefeller drug laws. Or not. An agreement between the state Assembly, Senate, and governor has been reached, but it ain't over until it's over -- and it ain't over yet.
Medical Marijuana: Oakland Cannabis Community Offers City Help on Taxes
Oaksterdam wants to pay more taxes! The unusual gesture could help Oakland raise revenues in tough times and win more legitimacy for the city's marijuana industry.
Pregnancy: Missouri Bill to Criminalize Drug Using Mothers-To-Be Faces Tough Scrutiny, Similar Tennessee Bills Die
Just what an expectant mother with a drug problem needs: To be arrested and go to jail. That's what one Missouri bill would do. Over in Tennessee, legislators showed some common sense by refusing to act on similar bills.