News Brief

Although Scottish authorities have yet to find any dirty dope, they have found another heroin user dead of anthrax.

Nearly a thousand people were killed in Mexico's unrelenting plague of prohibition-related violence last month alone. At this rate, another 10,000 will die by year's end.

Millions of innocent Americans suffering from colds may soon be paying for the sins of meth cooks, for whom that medicine that relieves your symptoms is the key ingredient in the recipe.

Stunned by the proliferation of medical marijuana patients and dispensaries, the Colorado Senate voted Monday to impose restrictions on "pot docs."

Rogue narcs in Camden, cops dealing weed out of police cars, a crooked DARE officer, cops helping dealers, and, of course, another prison guard goes down, more jail and prison guards go down.

Kenneth How rolled up to a Massachusetts sobriety checkpoint sitting in the passenger seat and smoking a joint. Shortly later, he was dead. The medical examiner has called his death a homicide. Now, his family has filed a federal lawsuit alleging police beat him to death.

It's a marijuana news trifecta in Rhode Island this week: A decrim bill is introduced, the Senate Commission on Marijuana Prohibition holds its final hearing, and the Health Department holds what is likely its final hearing on regulating for the state's embryonic "compassion center" program for pot patients.

Whee! It sure looks like marijuana legalization is going to be on the ballot in California this year. Richard Lee and his Tax and Regulate Cannabis 2010 initiative just handed in 700,000 signatures. They need 434,000 valid ones.

Los Tigres del Norte, Los Tucanes de Tijuana, and dozens of other narcocorrido performers better watch out. The Mexican government wants to throw them in jail over the contents of their songs.

The Kansas Senate acted in fine prohibitionist form last week when it moved to ban a pair of synthetic cannabinoids and a synthetic stimulant without any evidence there was any problem with them.