News Brief

Detroit led the way in approving medical marijuana in Michigan. Now, it's poised to lead the way in legalizing the possession of up to an ounce by adults.

For years, the annual Bureau of Justice Statistics jail population report has had the same bottom line: The jail population is up again. Not this year.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to help balance the budget by cutting out almost all Medi-Cal funding for more than 35,000 methadone maintenance patients. The nicest thing opponents can say about that idea is that it's penny wise but pound foolish, and the legislature seems to agree. But the Governator can still wield the line-item veto, so the fight isn't over yet.

Britishers researchers are calling on the government to roll out heroin maintenance programs for chronic addicts who don't respond to other treatments. They've just released a new clinical study that makes their case.

The drug czar is warning about dangerous potheads on the nation's highways, but some new clinical findings suggest there's less here than meets the eye.

A ballot initiative needs 50% plus one vote to win, and California's "Tax Cannabis" measure isn't there yet. But the latest poll shows it eight points ahead, meaning only one out of five undecided voters needs to go for it to push it over the top.

In what is most likely a bid to blunt a campaign issue -- border security -- for Republicans in this year's off-year elections, the Obama administration is sending more than a thousand troops to the Southwestern border.

In Mexico, the killing continues with no end in sight. Here's the latest rundown.

Harm reductionists and drug reformers in Scotland have their work cut out for them, according to an annual national survey released this week. Support for marijuana legalization has declined dramatically, and attitudes toward heroin users are harsh, leading to declining public support for harm reduction.

Canadian marijuana activist and entrepreneur Marc Emery has now begun a journey toward freedom that will most likely take him five years to complete. He pleaded guilty in Seattle Monday.