Drug War Chronicle #744 - July 26, 2012

Issue #744, Phillip S. Smith, Editor - David Borden, Executive Director

Check Back Later This Week for Our Feature Report on Drug Policy Reform at the AIDS 2012 Conference (image courtesy HCLU)

1. Oakland to President Obama: Change Your Ways! [FEATURE]

In one of the largest medical marijuana demonstrations in years, as many as a thousand people came out in Oakland Monday to let President Obama know he needs to end the federal crackdown on dispensaries.

2. Marijuana Book Authors Talk at Oaksterdam [FEATURE]

There was some interesting and well-informed discussion at Oaksterdam University Saturday night as the authors of four recent books on marijuana sat down to talk and think out loud.

3. Washington Marijuana Initiative Has Good Week

Washington state's I-502 marijuana legalization initiative did well in polling this week and even better in fundraising. This thing could win, and it has the money to help make that happen.

4. Montana Marijuana Initiative Comes Up Short

A proposed constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana in Montana has failed to gather enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, but voters in Big Sky County will still have the chance to vote on medical marijuana.

5. Medical Marijuana Update

Harborside fights for its life, LA bans dispensaries, and Oregon transplant hospitals are lightening up on medical marijuana patients. Those are the big stories this week, but there's plenty more, too.

6. Belize Ponders Marijuana Decriminalization

The English speaking Central American nation of Belize has undertaken a review of whether to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.

7. Lebanon Hash Farmers Attack Eradicators

It's almost time for the hash harvest in Lebanon, and farmers are taking up arms to protect their cash crop from eradicators.

8. Two More US Drug War Deaths

One man is dead after swallowing drugs and being hit with a stun gun in Indianapolis as he tried to flee an arrest. Another is dead in Massachusetts after he was shot trying to flee an arrest in his car.

9. This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

Bad cop, no donut for a Miami sergeant, two more TSA screeners cop pleas in LA, and a Phoenix cop couldn't keep his paws off the evidence room goodies.

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.