Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!
Feature: Los Angeles Marijuana Dispensary Ordinance Battle Continues
The Los Angeles City Council spent seven hours Tuesday trying to thrash out agreement on an ordinance to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries in the city. It didn't quite get there, but it made some progress.
Feature: Marijuana Decriminalization and Legalization Bills at the Statehouse This Year
As 2009 winds down, we are taking a look at all the legislation related to drug policy around the country. Two weeks ago we looked at federal legislation, and last week at medical marijuana bills in the states. This week it's state marijuana decriminalization and legalization bills -- if we missed any, let us know.
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Latin America: Mexico Drug War Update
The carnage continues. This week an American citizen is among the casualties, but it looks like she was the victim of a soldier's inadvertent discharge.
Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
A sticky-fingered North Carolina deputy gets busted, so does a Florida sheriff's evidence tech, and a home-invading, drug dealer-robbing Philly cop gets sent away for a long, long time.
Middle East: In Israel, Medical Marijuana Advances in the Knesset and at Sheba Hospital
Israel is one of the few countries that allows for medical marijuana use, and this week saw forward movement on a couple of important fronts.
Canada: Montreal Heroin Maintenance Study in Doubt after Quebec Refuses to Pay
The Vancouver NAOMI study showed that heroin maintenance worked for some hard-core addicts not amenable to methadone or other forms of drug treatment. But now, plans to build on NAOMI with further research in Vancouver and Montreal have hit a snag, with the Quebec provincial government refusing to pay its share.
Europe: Scotland Ponders Move to Fines for Small-Time Marijuana Possession
Under United Kingdom drug laws, simple pot possession can cost you two years in gaol. But that's rarely the case, and now the Scottish government is hinting that a small fine may be a more reasonable response -- and one that saves a lot of policing time.
North Africa: Moroccan Human Rights and Drug Policy Activist to Remain Behind Bars
Chakib El Khayari runs a human rights group in Morocco's Rif Mountains, where marijuana cultivation is a way of life. He has run afoul of the Moroccan government for criticizing its policies toward the poor pot farmers, and an appeals court has just ruled he should stay in a jail. Human rights and drug reform groups consider him a prisoner of conscience.
Weekly: Blogging @ the Speakeasy
"Legal Marijuana: It's Coming, Whether You Like it or Not," "The Difference Between Drug War Violence and 'Drug-Related' Violence," "The Staggering Incoherence of Drug Warrior Charles Grassley," "Cory Maye: Drug War Victim Gets a New Trial," "Will Foster is Free! He Walked Out of Prison in Oklahoma Today."
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