Breaking News:Dangerous Delays: What Washington State (Re)Teaches Us About Cash and Cannabis Store Robberies [REPORT]

Drug War Chronicle #724 - March 8, 2012

1. Oregon Marijuana Legalization Initiatives Moving [FEATURE]

There are four marijuana legalization initiative campaigns under way in Oregon, but only two of them look to have a serious chance at making the ballot. One would be enough.

2. Canadian Senate Passes Harsh Crime Bill

Canada appears set to march boldly backward as the Senate has passed a Conservative crime bill that includes mandatory minimums for growing as few as six marijuana plants.

3. Book Offer: "The Marijuana Conviction: A History of Marijuana Prohibition in the United States"

We continue our newest offer for donating members, the drug policy classic reprint: "The Marijuana Conviction: A History of Marijuana Prohibition in the United States." This is one is available for donations of just $22 or more.

4. DEA Extends Ban on Fake Marijuana Chemicals

Even though Sen. Rand Paul is blocking federal legislation to ban fake marijuana (and "bath salts"), the DEA has just extended its emergency ban for another six months.

5. Costa Rica Joins Call for Drug Legalization Debate

Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla has joined Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina in calling for serious discussion of drug legalization.

6. In Mexico, Biden Rejects Drug Legalization Talk

US Vice President Joe Biden was quick to fight back against the rising clamor for a debate on drug legalization as he landed in Mexico City Monday on a two-day trip to meet with Mexican and Central American leaders.

7. Iran Executed Nearly 500 Drug Offenders Last Year

Iran executed nearly 500 people for drug crimes last year, according to a new report from Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based NGO. Drug executions made up more than 70% of all executions in the Islamic Republic.

8. Judge Challenges Nevada Medical Marijuana Restrictions

Nevada's legislature has failed to provide a way for medical marijuana patients to buy their medicine, and that's unconstitutional, a state district court judge has ruled.

9. Florida House Passes State Worker Drug Test Bill

The Florida legislature is one vote away from approving the mandatory, suspicionless drug testing of state employees. The courts may have something to say about that.

10. Medical Marijuana Update

Bills are being considered in some states, busts are going on in others, and local governments grapple with medical marijuana from Washington state to New Jersey.

11. Massachusetts Marijuana Legalization Bill Gets Hearing

Marijuana legalization got a hearing in the Massachusetts legislature Tuesday. While even the bill's sponsor doubts it will pass, it helps pave the way for a legalization initiative in the future.

12. South Carolina Man Killed in Drug Traffic Stop

The year's 13th domestic drug war death occurred last Tuesday on a South Carolina highway.

13. This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

Bad cops pay out big in New York, a sheriff cleans house in Florida, a sticky-fingered cop gets in trouble in North Carolina, and a California cop gets caught with his fingers in the dope jar.
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.

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