News Brief

The mania for drug testing people on welfare, unemployment, or Medicaid continues this year. A Mississippi solon wants to drug test anyone receiving public benefits, and other states are moving ahead, too.

The city of Tallahassee has agreed to a $2.6 million settlement in the killing of Rachel Hoffman, a collegiate drug scenester whom police sent to snitch on hardened criminals after a small-time drug bust. A similar case has just popped up in Detroit, too.

The US Supreme Court has agreed to take up the question of having a drug dog sniff the front door of one's home without a warrant is an unconstitutional search.

A man with "mental difficulties" who was apparently growing marijuana to self-medicate with, opened fire when a police drug task force entered his Ogden, Utah, home Wednesday night. Six police were shot; one is dead.

There has been no holiday break in Mexico's prohibition-related mayhem, but it's now looking like 2011's death toll is going to be down from last year.

Here's the latest from the busy world of medical marijuana.

A lawsuit filed by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to block implementation of the state's voter-approved medical marijuana dispensary program was dismissed in federal court Wednesday.

The US Supreme Court has upheld drug dog sniffs of vehicles, luggage at airports, and packages in transit. Now, the state of Florida wants it to uphold a drug dog sniff at your front door.

The Chronicle may have taken a week off, but drug prohibition-related police corruption didn't. Here is two weeks worth of corrupt cops.

Washington state marijuana legalization initiative supporters turned in enough signatures last week to almost guarantee that the measure will be on the ballot in November. Now, we wait for the state to make it official.