Drug War Chronicle #848 - August 21, 2014

Two harm reduction bills, one allowing pharmacists to dispense unlimited numbers of syringes without a prescription and the other allowing them to dispense the overdose drug naloxone, have passed the California legislature. They now go to the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown.

A bill that would eliminate the crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparity in California has passed the state Assembly. It is now only a Senate concurrence vote away from heading to the governor's desk.

There will be no statewide regulation of medical marijuana in California this year. An effort to pass a regulation bill died yesterday in the Assembly.

Alarm bells should be ringing in Anchorage as a new poll shows the marijuana legalization initiative narrowly losing. The numbers could be skewed, but...

ProCon.org is a series of in-depth web sites presenting information and views from on current issues, several with relevance to drug policy. The Chronicle is currently running a series of info items from ProCon.org -- this one from sportsanddrugs.procon.org -- and we encourage you to check it out.

There will be no medical marijuana initiative in Oklahoma this year, Jeb Bush comes out against Florida's medical marijuana initiative, San Diego patients are trying a novel tack in their battle with the city, and more.

Florida deputies get suspended in an excessive force investigation, a Miami sergeant gets popped for perverted play with a teen boy, and a couple of jail guards get caught doing what they always get caught doing.

A bill to end the crack/powder cocaine sentencing disparity is close to becoming law in California, the US Sentencing Commission still has work to do on mandatory minimums, the 50th anniversary of America's first pot protest will be commemorated this weekend, and more.

The California legislature acts on harm reduction, but kills medical marijuana regulation, Jeb Bush takes a stand on medical marijuana, New Hampshire bans a kind of synthetic cannabinoid, and more.

SWAT teams are in the news, the RAVE Act gets critiqued as counterproductive, there will be no medical marijuana initiative in Oklahoma, but it looks like there will be a decriminalization initiative in Santa Fe, and more.

Big money for TV ads in Oregon, another Maine city will vote on marijuana legalization, a good bill goes bad in California, and Saudi Arabia executes four hash smugglers.

An unsettling poll in Alaska, Minnesota medical marijuana mom gets busted, there's money to be made in drug testing, Maryland SWAT teams have been busy, a West African meeting on drugs is underway, and more.