Drug War Chronicle #757 - November 1, 2012

It's less than a week to Election Day. Here's what we're watching and our analysis of what's likely to happen.

When the war on pain docs meets prosecutorial misconduct, watch out. A Florida case potentially headed to the Supreme Court seeks to make prosecutors pay for their misdeeds.

The news cycle is awash with polls and news about the close race for president. But the most important votes happening next month may be historic initiatives to legalize and regulate marijuana -- and these are also going to be close. That is why your help is needed these next several days.

There were more than 1.53 million drug arrests in the US last year, nearly half of them for marijuana. The good news is that the numbers are down slightly from the year before.

A California appeals court has made a landmark ruling, the DEA keeps on raiding, and a Montana medical marijuana provider refuses a post-conviction plea bargain, and those are just the top stories.

A new YouGov poll has support for marijuana legalization at a whopping 59% nationwide, with a +/- 4.2% margin of error.

Colorado's Amendment 64 appears to be gaining support in the campaign's final days. It's over 50% again in the latest poll.

Oregon's Measure 80 is in an uphill battle as the campaign enters its final days.

With marijuana legalization initiatives heading to the ballot, some with a good chance of passage, and with growing international support for a real debate on prohibition, people are talking about drug policy like they never have before. Our new book offers will help you be part of that conversation, while our new video offer will remind you why we should be angry too.

Ding, dong, the weed pass is dead! In order to form a coalition government with Labor, Dutch conservatives had to give up their restrictive marijuana policy.

In an incident that is raising questions about Texas use of force policies, a state trooper in a helicopter fired on a fleeing vehicle suspected of carrying drugs Thursday. It was not carrying drugs, but undocumented immigrants, two of whom were shot and killed.

A 31-year-old Louisville woman was killed when her car was hit during a high-speed pursuit in a drug investigation, and a St. Paul man was shot and killed by police as he tried to evade arrest with his vehicle.

Cops, including a pair of former police chiefs, have been getting arrested on drug-related charges all over the place this past week and, of course, a jail guard, too.