News Brief

From the village board to the halls of Congress, medical marijuana is popping up all over. And there's action at various state houses, too.

Suspected dirty cops are under investigation in Texas and Alabama, a light-fingered (and well-connected) Philly cop gets suspended, a Texas cop gets in trouble for trying to set up the -ex, and an Indiana cop sells weed and guns to the wrong guy.

The US 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a preliminary injunction blocking the state of Florida from implementing its welfare drug testing law. The law violates the Fourth Amendment's proscription against warrantless searches, the court found.

The Indiana House has passed a welfare drug testing bill despite a fiscal analysis showing it would be a net loser for the state, costing taxpayers more than $1 million a year.

An overzealous Connecticut SWAT team killed an unarmed man during a 2008 drug raid that turned up a pair of crack pipes and a small amount of cocaine. Now, five towns have agreed to pay $3.5 million in one suit, and a second is pending.

North Dakota's legislature rejected a welfare drug testing bill Friday, even after it was amended to first require "reasonable suspicion."

A North Carolina House committee has not only failed to approve a medical marijuana bill, it has acted to ensure that the topic cannot be raised again this session.

Most of the action was at statehouses this week, but there was also news from the Harborside Health Center battle in California and an announcement that the nation's capital will soon have its first dispensary.

We remember needle exchange pioneer Dave Purchase, who passed away last month at age 73.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced that police will no longer hold people arrested for small-time marijuana busts, but will instead merely have them make a desk appearance and then be released.