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Drug War Chronicle #819 - January 30, 2014

Issue #819, Phillip S. Smith, Editor - David Borden, Executive Director

Judiciary Committee Voting on "Smarter Sentencing Act" Right Now!

So old school...

1. In Breakthrough, Farm Bill Includes Hemp Amendment [FEATURE]

An amendment to the food bill that would allow universities and state agriculture departments to do research on hemp has been approved by conference committee negotiators and is set to become law.

2. Holder Says Marijuana Banking Rules Coming Soon

A solution to the legal marijuana industry's banking woes is coming soon, Attorney General Holder suggested Thursday. But the devil is in the details.

3. DEA Chief Criticizes Obama Marijuana Remarks, But Faces Backlash

DEA head Michele Leonhart didn't like what President Obama had to say about marijuana recently. But we don't like what she had to say either.

4. Medical Marijuana Update

The Colorado Supreme Court will take up an important medical marijuana employment rights case, Connecticut selects marijuana producers, Massachusetts gets ready to announce who gets dispensaries, California localities keep moving to restrict cultivation, and more.

5. For First Time, CBS Poll Has Majority for Marijuana Legalization

CBS News now joins the ranks of polling organizations reporting majority support for marijuana legalization. That's a first for the CBS News Poll.

6. Puerto Rico Man, Police Officer Become First Drug War Fatalities of 2014

The year's first drug war fatalities come from Puerto Rico, where two are dead after a confrontation during a drug investigation at a housing complex.

7. Two Oklahoma Cops Among Four Latest Drug War Deaths

A Louisiana man is dead over what looks like a case of pot smoking in a car, and in a bizarre incident, two Oklahoma cops were killed when their cars collided chasing a drug suspect, who himself had died in a separate crash as he fled moments earlier.

8. This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

Two cops go down for providing info to drug dealers, a DARE officer who ripped off the program gets a slap on the wrist, a Philly narc entangled with a snitch gets entangled with lies, and another prison guard gets popped.

9. Chronicle AM -- January 24, 2014

Bills are popping at state houses across the land, pot politics continues hot and heavy, world leaders have harsh words for prohibition at Davos, and much, much more.

10. Chronicle AM -- January 27, 2014

Florida's medical marijuana initiative will go to the voters in November, the DEA administrator is being both jeered and cheered for her criticism of President Obama's remarks on marijuana, the Supreme Court makes it harder to punish drug dealers for deaths related to their wares, and much more.

11. Chronicle AM -- January 28, 2014

The hemp amendment gets included in the farm bill, Colorado's Supreme Court will review medical marijuana patients' employment rights, we have a couple of drug war horror stories, Mexico's security apparatus is joining forces with anti-cartel vigilantes, and Saudi Arabia's premarital drug testing program isn't working, and more.

12. Chronicle AM -- January 29, 2014

Superbowl-linked banners chiding the NFL on marijuana policy go up, drug testing of students, workers, and welfare recipients is in the news, a federal sentencing reform bill picks up support, Guatemalan peasants pick up rocks and sticks to chase off eradicators, and more.
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.

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