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News Brief

naloxone package (wikimedia.org)
naloxone package (wikimedia.org)

Bipartisan Bill to Fight Overdoses Filed in Congress

A couple of dozen House members have introduced a bill aimed at reducing the steadily climbing toll from drug overdoses, most of them from prescription opioid pain relievers, by providing federal support for state and local prevention and education programs, including expanded use of naloxone.
MMJ leaf and stethoscope KY ODCP_44.jpg
MMJ leaf and stethoscope KY ODCP_44.jpg

Medical Marijuana Update

The end of dispensaries in LA looms, more threat letters in Colorado, and a medical marijuana initiative in North Dakota!? That's just some of the news.
Fargo, North Dakota's largest city, barely tops 100,000 people. (wikimedia.org)
Fargo, North Dakota's largest city, barely tops 100,000 people. (wikimedia.org)

North Dakota Medical Marijuana Petitions Handed In

North Dakota could be voting on medical marijuana this fall. Initiative campaigners have handed in 150% of the signatures they need to qualify. Now, they have to wait and see if they have enough valid signatures.
hemp field at sunrise (votehemp.org)
hemp field at sunrise (votehemp.org)

New Hemp Bill Introduced in US Senate

In a bipartisan effort, four US senators are cosponsoring a bill that would differentiate hemp from marijuana under the Controlled Substance Act.
Do_Not_Cross,_Crime_Scene_19.jpg
Do_Not_Cross,_Crime_Scene_19.jpg

Arizona SWAT Team Kills Man in Drug Raid Shootout

A kick-the-door-down SWAT team drug raid was met with gunfire at a Phoenix house early Thursday. One man was killed, making him the 39th to die in US domestic drug law enforcement operations so far this year.
Even the feds can no longer sustain current mass incarceration policies. (US Supreme Court)
Even the feds can no longer sustain current mass incarceration policies. (US Supreme Court)

DOJ to Sentencing Commission: Fewer Prisoners, Please

The Justice Department is signaling it wants a smaller federal prison population because we can't afford our mass incarceration binge anymore, but it doesn't want to talk about the drug war.
MMJ leaf and stethoscope KY ODCP_43.jpg
MMJ leaf and stethoscope KY ODCP_43.jpg

Medical Marijuana Update

What!? No DEA raids? Not this week, but the federal crackdown on dispensaries continues, and cities and localities in medical marijuana states continue to grapple with the issues around it.