Medical Marijuana: Maine Legislature Approves Dispensaries
Maine is about to become the latest state to set up a medical marijuana dispensary system. The measure has passed the legislature and the governor is expected to sign it.
News Brief
Legalization: Drug Czar Avoids Answering Question on Fed Response to California Initiative
The drug czar doesn't want to talk about what the federal response to marijuana legalization in California might be. Let's hope he has to talk about it come November 3.
Feature: Philadelphia to Not Quite Decriminalize Marijuana
Facing a severely clogged criminal court system, the city of Philadelphia will no longer prosecute small-time pot possession cases as criminal misdemeanors, but as summary offenses. But the cops will still arrest you anyway.
India: Maoist Rebels Find Funding Source in Poppies, Pot Plants
What's an insurgent guerrilla movement to do when it needs funds to sustain its war? India's Naxalites are doing what so many have done before: Turning to the black market in illegal drugs and drug crops.
Latin America: Mexico Drug War Update
The prohibition-related violence in Mexico took an ominous turn this week as supposed cartel armies attacked military bases in the north. And then there's the typical toll of dead cops, dead narcos, and dead civilians.
Public Opinion: Poll Finds Support for Marijuana Legalization Still Rising, Medical Marijuana Overwhelming
Support for medical marijuana is broad and deep among the American public, and support for general pot legalization continues to trend upward, although we're not quite over the top nationally, a new poll finds.
Salvia Divinorum: Ban Bill Moving in Minnesota, Age Restriction Bill Moving in Maryland
After years, the DEA has yet to move against the psychedelic member of the mint family, salvia divinorum. But that hasn't stopped various states from moving to regulate it or -- more often-- ban it outright. Minnesota could be the next to ban it, but Maryland has a less freaked-out idea: Just limit it to adults.
Asset Forfeiture: Justice Department Collaborating With State, Local Cops in "Policing for Profit," Report Says
What are asset forfeiture laws and practices like where you live? A scathing new report on "Policing for Profit" will help you find out.
Southwest Asia: Afghanistan #1 in Marijuana Production Now, Not Just Opium
After nearly nine years of US and NATO military occupation, Afghanistan is now not only the world's largest opium producer, but also the world's largest cannabis producer, according to a new report from the UNODC.
Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
A police drug lab scandal broadens in San Francisco, somebody stole the drug evidence in suburban Atlanta, a former US Customs agent heads for prison, and yes, yet another pair of jail guards go down.