News Brief

As New Jersey's governor ponders whether to continue a consent decree designed to eliminate racial profiling by State Police, the ACLU says the problem is worse than ever.

A couple of unusual ones this week -- a coke-dealing former fire chief in Connecticut and a Texas cop whose wife has a bad passport and some very shady connections.

Four more Massachusetts representative districts have voted to ask their reps to support either marijuana decriminalization or medical marijuana bills in the state legislature.

Arizona voters took a step backward by allowing first- and second-time methamphetamine offenders to be sentenced to jail or prison -- unlike any other Arizona drug possession offenders.

Last year's Supreme Court decision making federal sentencing guidelines only advisory has led to confusion in the federal courts. Now the high court has agreed to hear two cases that could help stop the head-scratching--and maybe get some drug offenders some shorter sentences.

Federal authorities had not prosecuted a California medical marijuana patient or provider since the Ed Rosenthal trial blew up in their face three years ago, but that changed Wednesday.

Public hearings on an Illinois bill that would divert first-time drug possession offenders into "drug schools" instead of prison are now underway across the state, and if the crowd in Chicago is any indication, public interest is high.

A South Dakota federal court judge has dismissed a challenge to the consitutionality of the Higher Education Act's drug provision.

DEA head Karen Tandy refused to meet with medical marijuana patients in San Diego Wednesday, the patients refused to leave, seven were arrested, and Tandy got to feel the heat for the actions of her agency.

In a debate last week, Massachusetts Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick said he could support marijuana legalization, and in the next breath, vowed to veto a marijuana decriminalization bill if it crossed his desk.