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Drug War Chronicle #683 - May 12, 2011

Issue #683, Phillip S. Smith, Editor - David Borden, Executive Director

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1. Montana Medical Marijuana Industry Fights Back [FEATURE]

With a draconian medical marijuana "reform" bill set to become law in a matter of weeks, the Montana medical marijuana industry is fighting back with lawsuits and an initiative campaign.

2. They Marched for Marijuana, Against the Drug War [FEATURE]

Saturday, it was Global Marijuana March day. Sunday saw marches, too, but much more somber.

3. Vermont Legislature Passes Medical Marijuana Dispensary Bill

Vermont is set to become the next medical marijuana dispensary state after the legislature gave final approval to a bill that would do just that.

4. Delaware House Passes Medical Marijuana Bill

Medical marijuana has all but passed the Delaware legislature. Only one Senate concurrence vote remains, and that does not look like it will be a problem.

5. Medical Marijuana Bill Fails in Illinois House

An Illinois medical marijuana bill has again fallen short in the House, even after it was watered-down and tightened-up.

6. Missouri Welfare Drug Test Bill Heads for Governor's Desk

A welfare drug testing bill has passed out of the Missouri legislature and is headed for the governor's desk. This one requires "reasonable suspicion."

7. Florida Legislature Passes Welfare Drug Test Bill

Florida is about to become the first state to impose suspicionless drug testing on welfare recipients. And then it will likely spend a lot of taxpayer money on a probably futile attempt to defend its constitutionality.

8. Colorado Marijuana and Driving Bill Fails

Language that would have created a per se drugged driving law in Colorado was briefly reinserted in a bill Friday, but then the bill was killed Monday.

9. Mexico Drug War Update

Mexicans marched against drug war mayhem by the tens of thousands over the weekend, but the hit men didn't even break stride.

10. This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

A Texas DA is on the wrong side of the bars, and so is a Kentucky jail guard. Meanwhile, crooked cops in Philly and California's East Bay have their own problems.

11. LA Narcs Kill Homeless Person Holding Knife

LAPD narcs encountered a homeless guy cutting drugs on the street, then shot and killed him when he turned toward them still holding the knife. That's drug war killing #25 for the year.

12. Pennsylvania SWAT Team Kills Meth Cooker in Drug Raid

A dawn drug raid in Pennsylvania ended with police shooting and killing a meth cook in his bedroom after they said he pulled a shotgun on them.

13. This Week in History

Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.
Permission to Reprint: This issue of Drug War Chronicle is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Articles of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.

Drug War Issues

Criminal JusticeAsset Forfeiture, Collateral Sanctions (College Aid, Drug Taxes, Housing, Welfare), Court Rulings, Drug Courts, Due Process, Felony Disenfranchisement, Incarceration, Policing (2011 Drug War Killings, 2012 Drug War Killings, 2013 Drug War Killings, 2014 Drug War Killings, 2015 Drug War Killings, 2016 Drug War Killings, 2017 Drug War Killings, Arrests, Eradication, Informants, Interdiction, Lowest Priority Policies, Police Corruption, Police Raids, Profiling, Search and Seizure, SWAT/Paramilitarization, Task Forces, Undercover Work), Probation or Parole, Prosecution, Reentry/Rehabilitation, Sentencing (Alternatives to Incarceration, Clemency and Pardon, Crack/Powder Cocaine Disparity, Death Penalty, Decriminalization, Defelonization, Drug Free Zones, Mandatory Minimums, Rockefeller Drug Laws, Sentencing Guidelines)CultureArt, Celebrities, Counter-Culture, Music, Poetry/Literature, Television, TheaterDrug UseParaphernalia, ViolenceIntersecting IssuesCollateral Sanctions (College Aid, Drug Taxes, Housing, Welfare), Violence, Border, Budgets/Taxes/Economics, Business, Civil Rights, Driving, Economics, Education (College Aid), Employment, Environment, Families, Free Speech, Gun Policy, Human Rights, Immigration, Militarization, Money Laundering, Pregnancy, Privacy (Search and Seizure, Drug Testing), Race, Religion, Science, Sports, Women's IssuesMarijuana PolicyGateway Theory, Hemp, Marijuana -- Personal Use, Marijuana Industry, Medical MarijuanaMedicineMedical Marijuana, Science of Drugs, Under-treatment of PainPublic HealthAddiction, Addiction Treatment (Science of Drugs), Drug Education, Drug Prevention, Drug-Related AIDS/HIV or Hepatitis C, Harm Reduction (Methadone & Other Opiate Maintenance, Needle Exchange, Overdose Prevention, Pill Testing, Safer Injection Sites)Source and Transit CountriesAndean Drug War, Coca, Hashish, Mexican Drug War, Opium ProductionSpecific DrugsAlcohol, Ayahuasca, Cocaine (Crack Cocaine), Ecstasy, Heroin, Ibogaine, ketamine, Khat, Kratom, Marijuana (Gateway Theory, Marijuana -- Personal Use, Medical Marijuana, Hashish), Methamphetamine, New Synthetic Drugs (Synthetic Cannabinoids, Synthetic Stimulants), Nicotine, Prescription Opiates (Fentanyl, Oxycontin), Psilocybin / Magic Mushrooms, Psychedelics (LSD, Mescaline, Peyote, Salvia Divinorum)YouthGrade School, Post-Secondary School, Raves, Secondary School