Kuching, Sarawak Province, Malaysia
Malay Couple Get Life for Half Ounce, Marijuana Plant
A life sentence for growing a pot plant!? It just happened to a Malaysian couple, but, hey, at least the judge suspended the caning.
Politics Outside US
Drug_bust_mexican_cartel_13.jpg
Mexico Drug War Update
Hopes that things are quieting down in Ciudad Juarez are fading after a bloody week there. And that's just one front in Mexico's drug wars.
Otto Perez Molina and the "iron fist" (wikimedia.org)
Guatemalan Leader Wants Decriminalization Talks
Guatemala's new president vowed an "iron fist" against the drug cartels and called out the army to fight them, but now he wants to talk decriminalization.
statues of coca leaves adorn a small town plaza in Peru (photo by author)
Peru Fires Reformist Drug Czar
Peru's drug czar has been fired for being insufficiently enthusiastic about eradicating coca crops.
Can windmills and the Rijksmuseum pack 'em in like the coffee shops? (wikimedia.org)
EU Court Okays Dutch Coffee Shop Ban for Foreigners
A ruling by the European Court of Justice paves the way for the Netherlands to ban foreigners from buying weed in the country's famous coffee shops. Is Amsterdam about to become Amsterdone?
Africa: Rwanda Moves to Legalize Medical Marijuana
The UN says Rwanda needs a drug law. Rwanda agrees, and it's going to include medical marijuana.
Afghan police guard the Iranian Embassy during January 2011 protests against Iranian executions of Afghans (wikimedia.org
Amnesty International Condemns Iran Drug Executions
Iran is executing hundreds of drug offenders, and that violates international law, says Amnesty International in a new report condemning the killings.
This crack smoker could get treatment instead of jail under a new Polish law (image via wikimedia.org)
Poland "Treatment Not Jail" Drug Law Now in Effect
A new law allowing prosecutors to divert small-time drug possessors into treatment instead of prison went into effect Friday.
the Basque parliament in Vitoria-Gasteiz (wikimedia.org)
Basque Country to Legalize, Regulate Marijuana
Spain's Basque County Autonomous Community is on course to legalize marijuana early next year.
Cash and guns Mexico_21.jpg
Mexico Drug War Update
Mass murders in Ciudad Juarez and the Comarca Lagunera, and the army killed 11 cartel gunmen in Tamaulipas. Just another week in Mexico's prohibition-related violence.