Drug War Issues
Politics & Advocacy
New York has a marijuana legalization bill, New Hampshire ponders a study of legalization, Rhode Island patients get a vapor lounge, the DEA has another means of surveilling Americans, Indonesia's resort to the death penalty for drugs stirs controversy, and more. Let's get to it:
The beach at Bali. Indonesia is a major tourist destination, but also has the death penalty for drug offenses. (wikimedia.org)
New York Legalization Bill Filed. State Sen. Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) has filed a bill to legalize marijuana. SO1747 would allow for the taxation and regulation of marijuana commerce. Notably, it also sets the age for legal marijuana use at 18, instead of the more common 21.
New Hampshire Hearing on Legalization Study Committee. A bill that would establish a study committee on marijuana legalization got a hearing today. The bill is HB 150.
Medical Marijuana
Florida Chooses Medical Marijuana Rulemakers. The state Office of Compassionate Use has selected a 12-member panel to craft rules for growing and distributing low-THC, high-CBD medical marijuana under a state law passed last year. The panel will meet during the first week of February to set up a regulatory structure for five nurseries that will be selected to grow, process, and distribute the medicine.
Rhode Island's First Vapor Lounge Opens. Rhode Island patients can now have a place where they can gather and enjoy their medicine together. The Elevated vapor lounge opened in Providence Saturday.
Asset Forfeiture
Colorado Bill Would End Civil Forfeiture. Freshman state Sen. Laura Woods (R-Arvada) has filed a bill that would stop police from seizing assets unless the owner is convicted of a crime. Senate Bill 2015-006 would end civil forfeiture without a conviction unless there is a settlement with all parties, including the owner, to agree to give up the property. Woods said the bill is an effort to block "policing for profit."
Law Enforcement
DEA Kept Secret Metadata Database. The DEA kept a secret database of telephone metadata -- entirely separate from the NSA program revealed by Edward Snowden -- covering calls between parties in the US and ones in other countries. The information, contained in a three-page,partially-redacted affidavit from a top DEA official, was revealed in a court filing last week in a case involving trade with Iran. The DEA used "administrative subpoenas" authorized under a federal drug trafficking statute to collect the data. The program was ended in 2013. Click on the link for much more detail.
International
Fury as Indonesia Executes Six Drug Traffickers, Including Five Foreigners. As promised by President Joko Widodo, Indonesia put to death six convicted drug traffickers Sunday, including citizens of Brazil, Malawi, Nigeria, the Netherlands, and Vietnam. Brazil and the Netherlands reacted angrily, with both countries recalling their ambassadors from Jakarta. Brazilin President Dilma Roussef said she was "distressed and outraged" after Indonesia ignored her last minute plea for clemency. "Using the death penalty, which is increasingly rejected by the international community, seriously affects relations between our countries," the Brazilian government said in a statement. The Dutch government called the executions "terribly sad" and emphasized that it remains opposed to the death penalty. But President Widodo defended the executions in a Facebook post: "The war against the drug mafia should not be half-hearted measures, because drugs have really ruined the good life of the drug users and their families," he said.
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