Breaking News:Dangerous Delays: What Washington State (Re)Teaches Us About Cash and Cannabis Store Robberies [REPORT]

Drug War Chronicle #774 - March 7, 2013

1. US, International Drug Warriors Attack State Marijuana Legalization [FEATURE]

As Attorney General Eric Holder prepared to appear before a congressional committee Wednesday, former drug warriors Tuesday called on him to enforce federal marijuana laws. The International Narcotics Control Board chimed in with criticism of legalization, too.

2. Appeals Court Ruling Throws Wrench in Maritime Drug Prosecutions [FEATURE]

In a case that could have important implications for US drug war tactics abroad, a federal appeals court has thrown out the convictions of four Panamanians tried in the US after being seized on Panamanian territory.

3. Donate Today to Help End Drug Prohibition

StoptheDrugWar.org needs your support to continue our work during the most important time in drug reform we've ever seen. We have gifts to send you too, with donations of $15 or more.

4. Slim Majority Favors Marijuana Legalization in California Poll

Support for marijuana legalization is at the highest levels ever recorded by the venerable Field poll, but not high enough to make potential initiative campaigners or contributors relaxed.

5. Medical Marijuana Update

Legislatures are in session across the land, and that's reflected in our update this week. Bills are moving, generally, but not, always in the right direction. Meanwhile, Arkansas looks ahead to 2014, and Oakland wants back in the Harborside case.

6. Hawaii Senate Okays Marijuana Decriminalization

The Hawaii House earlier this session rejected marijuana legalization; now, it will have a chance to vote on decriminalization after a bill passed the state Senate.

7. Oregon Marijuana Legalization Bill Filed

Oregon becomes the latest state to see a marijuana legalization bill this year.

8. Public Benefits Drug Test Bill Advances in Kansas

Have you ever worked in an industry where there is drug testing? If so, that's "reasonable suspicion" you are a drug user, according to a public benefits drug testing bill that has passed the Kansas Senate.

9. Norway Government Wants to Decriminalize Heroin Smoking

The Norwegian government wants to decriminalize heroin smoking as a harm reduction measure in a bid to reduce overdoses.

10. Police Kill Oklahoma City Man in Convenience Store Drug Deal

An Oklahoma City man was killed by undercover police after bumping an officer with his car as he attempted to flee a drug bust. That's the sixth death this year in US domestic drug law enforcement operations.

11. This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

The Tulsa police corruption scandal is the gift that keeps on giving, Jackson, MS, cops head to prison, and more cops want pills too badly for their own good.
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.

Drug War Issues

Criminal JusticeAsset Forfeiture, Collateral Sanctions (College Aid, Drug Taxes, Housing, Welfare), Court Rulings, Drug Courts, Due Process, Felony Disenfranchisement, Incarceration, Policing (2011 Drug War Killings, 2012 Drug War Killings, 2013 Drug War Killings, 2014 Drug War Killings, 2015 Drug War Killings, 2016 Drug War Killings, 2017 Drug War Killings, Arrests, Eradication, Informants, Interdiction, Lowest Priority Policies, Police Corruption, Police Raids, Profiling, Search and Seizure, SWAT/Paramilitarization, Task Forces, Undercover Work), Probation or Parole, Prosecution, Reentry/Rehabilitation, Sentencing (Alternatives to Incarceration, Clemency and Pardon, Crack/Powder Cocaine Disparity, Death Penalty, Decriminalization, Defelonization, Drug Free Zones, Mandatory Minimums, Rockefeller Drug Laws, Sentencing Guidelines)CultureArt, Celebrities, Counter-Culture, Music, Poetry/Literature, Television, TheaterDrug UseParaphernalia, Vaping, ViolenceIntersecting IssuesCollateral Sanctions (College Aid, Drug Taxes, Housing, Welfare), Violence, Border, Budgets/Taxes/Economics, Business, Civil Rights, Driving, Economics, Education (College Aid), Employment, Environment, Families, Free Speech, Gun Policy, Human Rights, Immigration, Militarization, Money Laundering, Pregnancy, Privacy (Search and Seizure, Drug Testing), Race, Religion, Science, Sports, Women's IssuesMarijuana PolicyGateway Theory, Hemp, Marijuana -- Personal Use, Marijuana Industry, Medical MarijuanaMedicineMedical Marijuana, Science of Drugs, Under-treatment of PainPublic HealthAddiction, Addiction Treatment (Science of Drugs), Drug Education, Drug Prevention, Drug-Related AIDS/HIV or Hepatitis C, Harm Reduction (Methadone & Other Opiate Maintenance, Needle Exchange, Overdose Prevention, Pill Testing, Safer Injection Sites)Source and Transit CountriesAndean Drug War, Coca, Hashish, Mexican Drug War, Opium ProductionSpecific DrugsAlcohol, Ayahuasca, Cocaine (Crack Cocaine), Ecstasy, Heroin, Ibogaine, ketamine, Khat, Kratom, Marijuana (Gateway Theory, Marijuana -- Personal Use, Medical Marijuana, Hashish), Methamphetamine, New Synthetic Drugs (Synthetic Cannabinoids, Synthetic Stimulants), Nicotine, Prescription Opiates (Fentanyl, Oxycontin), Psilocybin / Magic Mushrooms, Psychedelics (LSD, Mescaline, Peyote, Salvia Divinorum)YouthGrade School, Post-Secondary School, Raves, Secondary School