Drug War Chronicle #842 - July 10, 2014

This year's National Drug Control Strategy was released today. There are some steps in the right direction, but otherwise, it pretty much looks like every annual drug strategy for the past 20 years.

An initiative that would legalize the possession and cultivation of small amounts of marijuana appears poised to qualify for the ballot after organizers handed in more than twice the needed number of signatures.

New York becomes the 23rd medical marijuana state, North Carolina becomes a high-CBD cannabis oil state, Utah issues the first permits for high-CBD cannabis oil, Californians prepare to lobby for a statewide regulation bill, and more.

A Tampa man was shot and killed by a police SWAT team over marijuana sales totaling less than $200. In an unusual twist, the local newspaper actually did an in-depth investigation of the incident, and the results aren't pretty.

A Denver SWAT team member shot and killed the target of an undercover drug investigation when he pulled a weapon as uniformed cops moved in for an arrest.

We present a trio of law enforcement miscreants, including a Houston deputy who was ripping off dealers and selling their wares, a North Carolina cop with a pill problem, and a Baltimore schools cop who was flipping rocks on the side.

The Afghan poppy trade is spilling over into Central Asia, legal marijuana goes on sale in Washington state on Tuesday, Georgia holds off on welfare drug testing, a California sentencing reform bill is now one vote away from passage, and more.

This fall's drug policy initiative picture is beginning to clear up, with DC and Oregon seemingly on the way to voting on marijuana legalization in November, the first retailer sales licenses for marijuana in Washington state were issued today, with the signature of Gov. Cuomo, New York becomes the 23rd medical marijuana state, and more.

There are now two states where marijuana can be legally sold to adults, Marc Emery's time in America's drug war gulag comes to an end, two senators file the REDEEM Act for ex-offenders, there may be magic in those mushrooms, and more.

The White House issues its annual drug control strategy, the Brooklyn DA announces an end to most small-time marijuana possession arrests, a suburban Maryland county adopts a marijuana reform resolution, the first medical cannabis oil permits are issued in Utah, Lebanese hash farmers vow to fight to protect their crops, and more.