Drug War Chronicle #737 - June 7, 2012

A bill that would bring sorely lacking statewide regulation to California's medical marijuana industry passed the Assembly Thursday and now heads to the Senate.

New York decriminalized pot possession 35 years ago, but NYPD keeps arresting and jailing people for "possession in public view" after forcing them to empty their pockets. Now, the governor and NYC mayor are behind a change in the law to prevent that practice.

A bill to make simple hard drug possession a misdemeanor instead of a felony was defeated in the California Senate by members who were afraid they could "see Amsterdam" on the horizon. Oh, the horror!

Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy has signed a medical marijuana bill passed by the legislature last month.

Decriminalization bills passed both houses of the Rhode Island General Assembly Monday night. There are just a pair of housekeeping votes before the measure heads to Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I).

The New Hampshire legislature has sent a medical marijuana bill to the governor's desk, but the governor has threatened a veto, and the push is on to either find a veto-proof majority or get the governor to change his mind.

A new Angus-Reid poll is the latest to show majority support for legalization. It also found broad support for the idea that the drug war is a failure, but not for legalizing other drugs.

A new poll show support for marijuana legalization below 50% in California and suggests some demographic groups that need some attention if it is to receive majority support.

Detroit elected officials' efforts to block city residents from voting to legalize marijuana have been shot down by the state Supreme Court. The issue should be on the primary ballot in August.

More Massachusetts voters will have a chance to weigh in on marijuana policy if a series of signature-gathering campaigns in electoral districts succeeds. It already has in one district. This will be the 7th consecutive election activists have put marijuana-related questions on ballots in the Bay State.

Connecticut becomes the 17th medical marijuana state, localities in various medical marijuana states continue to try to keep a lid on the green medicine, and two raids go down and 34 warning letters go down in LA County right at press time.

What's the matter with Kansas? Two corrupt cops stories out of the Jayhawk State this week, but also tales out of Arkansas, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition is hiring an Assistant Media Relations Director, probably but not necessarily working in San Francisco or Washington, DC. Apply by next week.