News Brief

The bloody insurgency in Afghanistan claimed more than 10,000 lives last year, but the death toll still trailed that of Mexico's prohibition-related violence.

The Associated Press has done a remarkably series of articles on the failures of the drug war. Here's a brief look at the first three -- and an invitation to read them all the way through.

From the Rio Grande Valley to New York City, it's more cops gone wild this week.

More than 12,000 dead in Mexico's prohibition-related violence as of November 30, according to the Mexican attorney general, and more than 30,000 since Calderon called out the troops in December 2006.

The debate over British drug policy heats up again as a Labor stalwart who served as drug czar and defense minister calls for legalization.

Now, there's a sight for sore eyes! A huge pot legalization billboard has gone up on I-5 outside Seattle.

The Big Easy just got a little bit easier. Get busted for smoking a joint in New Orleans now and you just get a summons, not a trip to the slammer.

An Israeli police raid on a medical marijuana dispensary has sparked protests in Tel Aviv.

You've heard of jury nullification? How about jury pool nullification? That's basically what happened to a small-time marijuana charge in Montana last week.

More major drug trafficking figures were captured or killed this week, yet Mexico's drug prohibition-related violence continued unabated. This year's death toll has passed 9,000, and Ciudad Juarez this week passed the 3,000 mark.