Drug War Chronicle #743 - July 19, 2012

California US Rep. Sam Farr (D) has again introduced a bill that would allow medical marijuana defendants to mount a defense in federal court. The Truth in Trials Act already has 18 cosponsors.

Four academic specialists on drug policy have come together to pen "Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know." It's a pretty handy primer.

It's official: The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act marijuana regulation initiative has qualified for the November ballot.

The White House has ordered a review of Clarence Aaron's commutation request, and a broader review of the pardons and commutations process.

DrugWarFacts.org, a publication of Common Sense for Drug Policy, is an in-depth compilation of key facts, stats and quotes on the full range of drug policy issues, excerpted from expert publications on the subjects. The Chronicle is running a series of info items from DrugWarFacts.org -- check them out!

With state budgets pinched all across the land, some states this year have adopted sentencing reforms.

The Oregon Marijuana Policy Initiative is suing the state's secretary of state over its historically high invalidation rate for petition signatures. OMPI isn't dead yet.

Flint, Michigan, and Springfield, Missouri, could see marijuana reform measures on the local ballot this November after activists in both cities handed in petition drive signatures last week.

The federal crackdown on medical marijuana continues in California, the first plants are now being grown in New Jersey, and there's lot's more medical marijuana news, too.

More trouble on the border, more prison guards get caught, and a Puerto Rican cop goes away for a long, long time.