News Brief

This is the Drug War Chronicle, not the Marijuana Policy Chronicle, but that's how the news breaks sometimes. It's all marijuana and medical marijuana news today.

The World Health Organization calls for drug decriminalization (and more), international drug reform and harm reduction groups warn of an AIDS prevention crisis, marijuana policy is popping up in some Republican primaries, and more.

The New Approach Oregon marijuana legalization initiative has qualified for the November ballot, the secretary of state's office reported today.

In a groundbreaking move, the US Sentence Commission has voted unanimously to make federal drug sentence reductions retroactive. That means some 46,000 federal drug war prisoners should be able to apply for sentence reductions -- if Congress doesn't disagree.

A federal grand jury in San Francisco has indicted FedEx on charges it conspired to distribute controlled substance over its shipments of prescription drugs for illegal online pharmacies. FedEx says it will fight the charges.

Tens of thousands of federal drug prisoners could get out early after the US Sentencing Commission votes to make guideline reductions retroactive, the Ohio Supreme Court moves to cut some crack sentences, FedEx gets indicted for shipping pills for Internet pharmacies (and not taking a deal with the feds), and more.

Marijuana decriminalization comes to the nation's capital, Vermont is set to study marijuana legalization, New Jersey residents press for "decarceration," Canadians are ready for marijuana reform, and more.

A St. Paul drug raid is raising questions about police tactics, the hemp industry wants to clarify something, Tennessee gets its first bust under a law criminalizing drug-using pregnant women (and its first threat of a legal challenge), Pennsylvania issues opiate prescribing guidelines, and more.

In an historic vote Wednesday, the US House has approved an amendment to the Treasury Department appropriations bill barring the agency from spending any money to punish financial institutions that provide services to marijuana businesses where it is legal.

More cops with pill problems, more jail guards looking to earn a little easy money. Just another week in the corrupt cop front of the drug war.