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Drug War Chronicle #734 - May 17, 2012

Issue #734, Phillip S. Smith, Editor - David Borden, Executive Director
marijuana fights back

1. Marking Mother's Day With Calls for Reform [FEATURE]

On Mother's Day, mothers speak out against the drug war, in the United States and Mexico.

2. Chronicle Book Review: Home Grown

We review an important new book on the history of marijuana in Mexico that demands a revisionist look at the origins of Reefer Madness in America.

3. Medical Marijuana Ally Wins Oregon AG Race

Oregon's medical marijuana community and national drug reformers helped defeat a former interim US Attorney in favor of a medical marijuana-friendly challenger in the Oregon Democratic Party attorney general race Tuesday. They hope the victory sends a signal across the country.

4. Medical Marijuana Update

The biggest medical marijuana news this week has to be the Oregon election that saw a pro-medical marijuana attorney general candidate win against a former interim US Attorney, but there was plenty of other news, as well.

5. Did You Know? Historical Timeline of Drugs and Sports

ProCon.org is a set of in-depth web sites presenting information and views from on current issues, several with relevance to drug policy. The Chronicle is currently running a series of info items from ProCon.org -- this one from sportsanddrugs.procon.org -- and we encourage you to check it out.

6. Drug Sentencing Reform Bill Passes in Kansas

A bill awaiting the Kansas governor's signature would increase judges' discretion in sentencing small-time drug offenders, although it increases penalties for some major drug offenses.

7. Oklahoma Governor Signs Prison Reform Bill

Prison reform comes to Oklahoma!

8. Colorado Drugged Driving Bill Dies -- Again

Like a vampire risen from the dead, Colorado's drugged driving bill came back to life during a special session of the legislature, only to have a stake driven through its heart once again.

9. Danish Government Rejects Legal Marijuana

The Copenhagen city council had requested that the Danish government allow it to experiment with legal cannabis sales, and now the government has replied with a resounding "no."

10. Colombia Bill to Decriminalize Drug Crops Advances

A bill that would decriminalize drug crop cultivation in Colombia has passed a first reading in the lower house, but the government opposes it.

11. Jacksonville Cop Kills Unarmed Drug Suspect

An unarmed Florida drug suspect who made a furtive movement during a traffic stop was shot and killed by a Jacksonville police office who unloaded seven shots at him.

12. This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

We inadvertently missed a week last week, but the corrupt cops didn't.

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.

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