Drug War Chronicle #979 - June 29, 2017

Vermont House Republicans Kill Last Chance Marijuana Legalization Bill

Vermont will not become the first state to legalize marijuana through the legislative process, or at least it won't do so this year. House Republicans on Wednesday evening killed a last chance effort to get it done this year by refusing to take up a compromise legalization bill that had been passed by the Senate earlier in the day.

A marijuana legalization bill, Senate Bill 22, had passed the legislature earlier this year, setting the state up to be the first the free the weed legislatively, only to be vetoed last month by Gov. Phil Scott (R). In his veto message, Scott said he was not philosophically opposed to legalization, claiming "a libertarian streak in me," but had public safety concerns about marijuana and driving and marijuana and kids. The veto message contained specific recommendations for crafting a bill the governor would find acceptable.

The bill passed by the Senate today, an amendment to House Bill 511, which has already passed the House, attempted to address Scott's concerns. Like S.22, it would have legalized the possession of up to an ounce and the cultivation of up to two mature and four immature pot plants by adults, but not create a legal marijuana market. Instead, it would have created a legislative study commission to develop legislation for taxed and regulated cannabis commerce.

Changes to the bill to appease the governor included giving the study commission a broader membership and extending the time given for it to issue its report, as well as stiffer penalties for driving while high, providing marijuana to children, or exposing it to them in cars. The bill didn't contain a roadside marijuana "impairment testing mechanism" desired by Scott, mainly because there are none on the market.

But all of that is moot for now. For the bill to pass during the veto session, House Republicans would have had to agree to waive normal legislative rules, but in Wednesday evening's GOP members largely refused. A motion to waive the rules needed 107 votes to pass (out of a House of 150), but with only 83 Democrats, it needed substantial support from GOP House members to pass. It didn't get it; failing on a vote of 78-63.

Vermont will not legalize marijuana in 2017, but H.511 remains alive. It can and will be taken up by the legislature when it reconvenes next year, and Vermont could still end up being the first state to legalize marijuana legislatively. It's just not happening this year.

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How Reefer Madness Helped Kill Philando Castile

The Minnesota cop who was acquitted last week of killing Philando Castile used the fact that he smelled marijuana in the car as part of his defense. Whether Officer Jeronimo Yanez really believed Castile's presumed pot use made him more dangerous or whether the testimony influenced the jury's decision to acquit remains unknown, but its use in his defense illustrates the enduring power of the demonization of the plant and its users.

Castile's killing last year sparked angry demonstrations and made national headlines after his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, live streamed the immediate aftermath of the shooting on Facebook, with a bloodied, mortally wounded Castile moaning as Reynolds says "That police just killed my boyfriend, he's licensed, and he was trying to get his wallet out of his pocket, and he let the officer know he had a firearm and he was reaching for his wallet, and the officer just shot him in his arm."

In the video, Yanez is visibly agitated: "I told him not to reach for it; I told him to get hand up!" he yells.

"You told him to get his ID, sir," Reynolds responds, as her four-year-old daughter in the back seat attempts to comfort her. "Oh my God. Please don't tell me he's dead. Please don't tell me my boyfriend just went like that."

Castile did go just like that, though. He was pronounced dead at the Hennepin County Medical Center 20 minutes after Yanez opened fire, shooting seven bullets at him.

Dashcam video from Yanez's patrol car, not released until Tuesday, shows that it only took 30 seconds before Yanez opened fire.

(Click here to watch the video on YouTube.)

Yanez didn't mention marijuana in Reynolds' video, but in court transcripts of his testimony, Yanez said he opened fire on Castile in part because he could smell marijuana -- and he assumed that Castile had been using it in front of the child.

"I thought I was gonna die and I thought if he's -- if he has the guts and audacity to smoke marijuana in front of the five-year-old girl and risk her lungs and risk her life by giving her secondhand smoke, and the front seat passenger doing the same thing, then what -- what care does he give about me?" Yanez said.

The argument apparently is that smoking pot in front of kids makes you a stone cold killer. Never mind the hyperbole of "risk her lungs and risk her life by giving her second-hand smoke," in Yanez's mind, someone who would smoke pot around kids is not only endangering their lives, but would be willing to kill a cop over a pot charge or a broken taillight (the original reason for the traffic stop), and that justifies pumping Castile full of lead.

Police did later find traces of marijuana in the vehicle, and defense attorneys used that and the marijuana smell to also insinuate that Castile was so high he was slow to comply with Yanez's demands. That made Yanez even more suspicious, the defense claimed.

But Yanez's claims about secondhand smoke border on the bizarre. Yes, ingesting secondhand pot smoke can be harmful, but secondhand smoke is quite different from intent to harm a police officer. And the most notorious source of unwanted secondhand smoke is cigarettes, yet no one insinuates that smoking them around kids makes you more likely to be a cop-killer. Yanez and his defense attorneys were singing a Reefer Madness tune with this claim.

Despite Yanez's claims and phobias, pot smokers are no more likely to behave violently than non-users, and in fact, some research shows they are less likely to. A 2014 study in the journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors found that marijuana use among couples was associated with lower risk of domestic violence.

Philando Castile was black. That was strike one. He was armed (and admitted it). That was strike two. And he was a pot smoker. That was strike three. Reefer Madness, either in the mind of Officer Yanez or the minds of the jurors, or both, helped kill Phil Castile.

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Marijuana Legalization Dramatically Cuts Traffic Stop Searches

In states where marijuana has been legalized, traffic stops resulting in searches by state police are down dramatically, according to a new analysis from the Marshall Project and the Center for Investigative Reporting.

With marijuana possession being legal, police in legal states can no longer assume criminal activity merely because of the presence of pot, which would have given them probable cause to conduct a search. And that means fewer interactions between drivers and police, reducing the prospect of dangerous -- or even deadly -- clashes.

But even though the number of searches dropped for all racial groups, black and brown drivers are still being subjected to searches at a higher rate than whites, the study found. And because the report only studied state police (Highway Patrol) stops, not stops by local law enforcement, which patrols urban areas with higher minority population concentrations, it may understate the racial disparity in traffic stop searches.

The report is based on an analysis of data from researchers at Stanford University, who released a report this week studying some 60 million state patrol stops in 31 states between 2011 and 2015, the most thorough look yet at national traffic stop data. The results from the legal pot states of Colorado and Washington are striking.

In Colorado, the number of traffic stop searches dropped by nearly two-thirds for whites, 58% for Hispanics, and nearly half for blacks. In Washington, the search rate dropped by about 25% for whites and Hispanics, and 34% for African-Americans.

Still, racial disparities in search rates persisted in both states. In Colorado, the search rate for black drivers was 3.3 times that for whites, and the rate for Hispanic drivers was 2.7 times that for whites. In Washington, blacks were twice as likely to be searched as whites, while the search rate for Hispanics was 1.7 times that of whites.

The traffic stop search data parallels what happened with marijuana arrests in legal states. In Colorado, for instance, a 2016 Department of Public Safety report found that while the number of pot arrests dropped by nearly half after legalization, the arrest rate for blacks was still nearly three times that of whites.

"Legalizing marijuana is not going to solve racial disparities," said Mark Silverstein, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado. "We need to do a lot more before we get at that."

But legalizing marijuana does reduce the number of traffic stop searches, and given the fraught relationship between police and the citizenry, especially communities of color, that is a good thing in itself.

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Watch: Minnesota Drug Task Force Cop Assaults Motorist

Worthington, Minnesota, resident Anthony Promvongsa, 21, had a run-in with an angry motorist as he drove through the streets of town last July 28. Promvongsa went on his way, but that agitated motorist -- who turned out to be an off-duty cop -- called on his colleagues to go after the young man, and this is what happened:

(Click here to watch the video on YouTube.)

The cop doing the cursing, kicking, and punching in the video is Agent Joe Joswiak, a city of Worthington police officer and a member of the Buffalo Ridge Drug Task Force.

"I had no idea what was going on when I was approached and attacked by this officer," Promvongsa said in a statement released Thursday by the ACLU. "I did not even have the opportunity to take off my seatbelt before I was literally blindsided with this unnecessary attack. I immediately pulled over for the Worthington squad car and before I knew what was happening, I was beat and ripped from my vehicle."

"I know I am not the first person to have this type of traumatic experience with law enforcement in Worthington," Promvongsa added.

Not only did Joswiak brutalize the young man, he and local prosecutors then charged Promvongsa with multiple felonies over the alleged traffic incident. He faces charges of fleeing in a motor vehicle and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon (his car), but, as the ACLU notes, "no matter what happened before the dashcam video began rolling, Anthony did not deserve to be abused by the police in this way."

Joswiak claims that Provongsa refused his order to leave the car, but the video makes clear Joswiak never gave him any chance to do so. Instead, the ACLU notes, "it shows a textbook case of excessive force."

There was no mention of any drug offense in original police reports, although police searched Promvongsa's vehicle after assaulting him. Later in the video, Joswiak can be heard hopefully asking Promvongsa "Have you been in trouble with narcotics?" He received a negative response.

The ACLU says it and Promvongsa are weighing their options, and calls on the Worthington Police and the Buffalo Ridge Drug Task Force "to immediately investigate the incident, take all appropriate personnel actions, and ensure this never happens again." It also calls for Agent Joswiak to be "held accountable for his actions, up to and including termination and prosecution."

The ACLU's concern that "this never happens again" suggests that it has happened before. "Based on additional complaints that we are receiving, this does not appear to be an isolated incident," the ACLU said. "Rather, there's evidence that racial profiling and police brutality are systemic problems that span the Worthington Police Department, Nobles County Sheriff's Office, and the Buffalo Ridge Drug Task Force as Worthington becomes a much more diverse city."

The incident has drawn the attention of US Rep. Tim Walz, who represents the area. "Like many Minnesotans, I found the video released today deeply disturbing," he said in a statement Thursday. "I have had a chance to speak with local officials and leaders in the community and believe all parties are passionate in pursuing justice. I will continue closely monitoring this situation. Addressing situations like this one in our communities and in Minnesota is an absolute necessity and we are all in this together."

The Buffalo Ridge Drug Task Force, Worthington Police Department and the Nobles County Attorney's Office issued a joint press release Thursday afternoon that amounted to hunkering down and evading the issue of excessive force altogether.

"The July 28, 2016 video released by ACLU is one piece of evidence in a pending criminal case," the release begins. "Release and discussion of evidence in pending criminal cases is limited by the data practices law and criminal court procedural rules. The video, viewed in a vacuum, shows only a short segment of the incident that is the basis of the criminal charges."

"Because the case is now awaiting a jury trial date, the Buffalo Ridge Drug Task Force, Worthington Police Department and the Nobles County Attorney's office feel it is inappropriate to comment further."

The Buffalo Ridge Drug Task force lauds itself for "aggressive enforcement" and brags about "seizures of vehicles, firearms, jewelry, and large amounts of cash." But now it's becoming known nationwide because of the "aggressive enforcement" actions of one of its officers.

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Medical Marijuana Update

An initiative campaign is getting underway in Utah, Florida's governor signs medical marijuana implementation into law, and more.

Arkansas

On Monday, the state announced it will begin accepting medical marijuana applications this week. The state Medical Marijuana Commission will begin accepting applications from potential medical marijuana growers and distributors as of this Friday, while the state Health Department will begin accepting applications from patients the same day.

Florida

Last Friday, the governor signed medical marijuana implementation bills into law. Gov. Rick Scott signed into law Senate Bill 6A and Senate Bill 8A, which formalize the voter-approved constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana in the state and set up regulations for the new industry.

Utah

On Monday, advocates began a medical marijuana inititiative campaign. Medical marijuana supporters organized as the Utah Patients Coalition delivered a proposed initiative to the lieutenant governor's office. Frustrated by the state legislature's refusal to enact a medical marijuana law, the coalition wants to take the issue directly to voters. To qualify for the November 2018 ballot, supporters must hold at least seven public hearings around the state and collect 113,000 valid voter signatures. The measure would not allow smoking medical marijuana and the number of medical marijuana facilities would be limited. It creates a list of specified qualifying conditions.

On Tuesday, a new poll showed strong support for medical marijuana, even among Mormons. Just a day after the Utah Patient Coalition took initial steps to put an initiative on the November 2018 ballot, a poll it sponsored showed that 73% of Utah voters support the initiative, with only 20% opposed. Support came from all demographic groups, including active Mormons, 63% of whom said they were in favor.

Also on Tuesday, the Mormon Church came out in opposition to the initiative. The powerful Salt Lake City-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) has come out in opposition to a medical marijuana initiative filed this week by the Utah Patients Coalition. The church acknowledged ongoing interest in medical marijuana and said it supported further research but argued that approval of medical marijuana should come after "the FDA approval process that all other drugs must go through before they are prescribed to patients."

[For extensive information about the medical marijuana debate, presented in a neutral format, visit MedicalMarijuana.ProCon.org.]

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This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

Deputies disgrace themselves and more. Let's get to it:

In Clovis, New Mexico, a now former Curry County sheriff's deputy was arrested last Friday for allegedly stealing methamphetamine while on the job. Brandon Nolen reportedly made a March 20 traffic stop and seized about four grams of meth, a gun, and drug paraphernalia. Days later, Nolen, who had to undergo drug testing because of an earlier "alcohol problem," then tested positive for amphetamines. That's when investigators discovered the meth he had seized was gone from the evidence locker. Now, the DA's office says it has had to dismiss more than 30 cases brought by Nolen. He is charged with meth possession, perjury, and tampering with public records.

In Belle Plaine, Minnesota, a Sibley County sheriff's deputy was charged Monday with drug and trespassing offenses after being seen at the sheriff's office while on paid administrative leave and then leading deputies on a chase before stopping and being found with prescription drugs. Deputy Jason David Ruehling is suspected of stealing the pills from the evidence room, but so far is only charged with a felony count of drug possession and two counts of trespassing.

In Little Rock, Arkansas, a former Drew County sheriff's deputy was sentenced last Friday to five years' probation after pleading guilty to scheming to plant methamphetamine on someone in order to make an arrest. Robert "Bo" Sunderlin, 26, went down after telling someone about the plot and that someone ratted him out to authorities. He pleaded guilty to using a communication device in the commission of a drug offense and abuse of office. A charge of methamphetamine solicitation was dropped as part of the plea agreement.

In San Diego, a US Border Patrol agent pleaded guilty last Thursday to smuggling backpacks he believed were full of drugs across the border. Noe Lopez, a 10-year veteran, struck up a friendship with a man he met at a party and bragged about how could smuggle drugs left at strategic points along the border fence, but the guy he bragged to went to the DEA, which set up a sting where Lopez would be paid $500 per kilo of meth and $1,000 per kilo of cocaine in backpacks he picked up at the border. The drugs were fake, but Lopez was really arrested. He pleaded guilty to attempted possession of meth and cocaine.

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Chronicle AM: Americans Want Trump to Leave MJ States Alone, MA Legal MJ Battle, More... (6/22/17)

The Massachusetts House and Senate have different ideas about how to implement marijuana legalization, a new poll finds a strong majority of Americans want Trump to butt out of legal marijuana states, Wisconsin Gov. Rick Walker's Medicaid drug testing plan has virtually no public support, and more.

Marijuana Policy

Poll: Strong Majority of Americans Want Trump to Respect State Marijuana Laws. A new Survey USA poll commissioned by Marijuana Majority finds that a whopping 76% of Americans want the Trump administration to respect state medical marijuana and marijuana legalization lies. There was majority support for the position about Democrats, Republicans, independents, and every age group. The 76% figure is three points higher than in a Quinnipiac poll asking a similar question in April.

Auto Insurance Study Links Increased Car Crash Claims to Legalized Marijuana. The Highway Loss Data Institute, an insurance research group, released a study Thursday saying collision claims increased 2.7% in Colorado, Oregon, and Washington after legalization when compared to neighboring non-legal states. "We believe that the data is saying that crash risk has increased in these states and those crash risks are associated with the legalization of marijuana," said Matt Moore, senior vice president with the institute, which analyzes insurance data to observe emerging auto-safety trends. But legalization advocates pointed out that comparing claims in largely rural states such as Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming to rates in more urbanized Colorado, Oregon, and Washington may be problematic.

Massachusetts House Passes Bill to Repeal and Replace Voter-Approved Legalization Law. The House on Wednesday approved a bill that would raise the retail tax on marijuana from 12% to 28%, impose stringent background checks and fingerprinting for all people who own or work in licensed marijuana-related businesses, and allow localities to ban marijuana businesses without first getting voter approval. The Senate is poised to take up its own version of the bill with more modest revisions to the voter-approved law, setting the stage for a compromise in the coming week. Legalization advocates attacked the House bill as setting taxes too high and ignoring the will of the voters.

Drug Testing

Wisconsin Governor's Plan to Drug Test Medicaid Recipients Has Virtually No Public Support. Gov. Scott Walker's (R) plan to drug test Medicaid recipients and increase premiums has garnered a grand total of five fully positive comments out of more than a thousand submitted by the public -- and one of them is from his own lieutenant governor. That's a support rate of one half of one percent. "Drug testing has been determined to be expensive, ineffective, and illegal," wrote Bobby Peterson, executive director of ABC for Health, a nonprofit Madison law firm that helps people get health care. "You have espoused Jesus and are embracing the devil and demons that have gained control of the political process," said another email, the name of the sender redacted. "May God have mercy on you in this time of reckoning for surely you are cursed." Walker needed to give the public 30 days to comment before seeking approval from the Trump administration to move forward with its plan.

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Chronicle AM: RI, VT to Study Legalization, Some NV Rec Sales to Begin July 1, More... (6/23/17)

After marijuana legalization comes up short this year, Vermont and Rhode Island will both have study commissions to examine the issue, Nevada's governor finds a way to get recreational sales going next week, Cuba says no to legal weed, and more.

Marijuana Policy

Study Finds No Increase in Traffic Fatalities After Marijuana Legalization. A study published Thursday in the American Journal of Public Health finds that vehicle crash fatality rates in Colorado and Washington were similar to those of control states both before and after the two states legalized marijuana. The study concluded: "Three years after recreational marijuana legalization, changes in motor vehicle crash fatality rates for Washington and Colorado were not statistically different from those in similar states without recreational marijuana legalization." (Another study was reported the previous day, which by contrast found increased collision claims.)

Massachusetts Legislature Names Conference Committee to Hammer Out Differences on Marijuana Bill. Legislative leaders on Friday named a six-member House-Senate conference committee to try to come up with a compromise bill to implement voter-approved marijuana legalization after the House formally rejected the Senate's version of the bill. The House version had higher taxes and allowed localities to ban pot businesses without a popular vote; the Senate version didn't.

Nevada Governor Signs Executive Order to Let Recreational Sales Begin July 1. Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) has signed an executive order creating an emergency regulation that will allow the state to issue recreational retail licenses next week even if it doesn't approve the distribution licenses caught up in a court battle. Under the emergency regulations, medical marijuana dispensaries could sell surplus product for recreational use effective July 1.

Rhode Island Gives Up on Legal Marijuana This Year, Will Create Study Commission Instead. Both the House and the Senate have now passed bills that would set up a 19-member joint legislative commission to study the effect of legalizing marijuana. The House already approved identical legislation, so only a final concurrence vote on Senate Bill 277A in the House remains.

Vermont Governor Will Appoint Commission to Study Legal Marijuana. Just a day after House Republicans blocked a last-ditch effort to get marijuana legalization passed this year, Gov. Phil Scott (R) announced Thursday he will appoint a commission to study legalization in the state. Last month, Scott vetoed a legalization bill that had passed both chambers, saying he had public safety concerns. A revamped bill addressing those concerns got through the Senate, but was snuffed out when the House refused to waive rules to allow a vote on it.

International

Cuba Says Marijuana Legalization is Fueling Drug Trafficking. The secretary of the Cuban National Drugs Commission said Friday that it will not follow the regional trend toward the liberalization of marijuana laws and that that trend is fueling drug trafficking. "Cuba is facing a very difficult situation at the moment with regards to drug trafficking," Antonio Israel Ibarra said at a news conference. "Firstly because in Latin America and the Caribbean, there is a group of countries trying to legalize, or that has legalized, the use of marijuana. We have not legalized it, nor will we."

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Chronicle AM: Koch Bros Critical of Trump Drug Policies, FL Drug Treatment Fraud, More... (6/26/17)

Florida's medical marijuana regulatory system is now set, the conservative Koch network has some issues with Trump drug war policies, Support Don't Punish marches are going on worldwide, there's something rotten in the Florida drug treatment complex, and more.

Marijuana Policy

Alaska Regulators to Revisit On-Site Consumption Next Month. The state Marijuana Control Board will look at three different options for on-site marijuana use at its meeting next month. One proposal would allow people to try marijuana at retail shops before leaving. Another proposal would allow consumption of edibles, but wouldn't allow smoking. A third proposal would limit on-site use to pot purchased at the site. But none of it is likely to happen before 2018, since the matter won't come up for a vote until August, and there's a 30-day public comment period after that.

Medical Marijuana

Arkansas to Begin Accepting Medical Marijuana Applications. The state Medical Marijuana Commission will begin accepting applications from potential medical marijuana growers and distributors as of this Friday, while the state Health Department will begin accepting applications from patients the same day.

Florida Governor Signs Medical Marijuana Implementation Bills. Gov. Rick Scott last Friday signed into law Senate Bill 6A and Senate Bill 8A, which formalize the voter-approved constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana in the state and set up regulations for the new industry.

Utah Advocates Begin Medical Marijuana Initiative Campaign. Medical marijuana supporters organized as the Utah Patients Coalition delivered a proposed initiative to the lieutenant governor's office Monday. Frustrated by the state legislature's refusal to enact a medical marijuana law, the coalition wants to take the issue directly to voters. To qualify for the November 2018 ballot, supporters must hold at least seven public hearings around the state and collect 113,000 valid voter signatures. The measure would not allow smoking medical marijuana and the number of medical marijuana facilities would be limited. It creates a list of specified qualifying conditions.

Drug Policy

Koch Network Critical of Trump Administration on Drug Policy. The conservative Koch brothers political network isn't happy with Trump administration drug policy. At a meeting in Colorado over the weekend, one of the network's top leaders, Mark Holden, decried the administration's return to "the harsh sentencing era of the war on drugs" and added that "You are never going to win the war on drugs. Drugs won." Holden went on to criticize Attorney General Sessions' directive to reevaluate marijuana policies, saying "it's legal in a number of states, so we have to come to grips with that somehow" and that medical marijuana should be "off limits" in any federal crackdown.

Drug Treatment

Florida's Billion Dollar Drug Treatment Industry is Plagued With Fraud and Overdoses. An NBC News investigative report has found crooked treatment centers have created an "insurance fraud mill" by partnering with "body brokers" and operators of "sober homes" to find patients with good health insurance and then billing insurance companies tens of thousands of dollars "for often questionable counseling, costly and potentially unnecessary drug screens, and exotic laboratory tests." And some treatment centers actually encourage drug use because for them, relapse doesn't mean failure, it means more profits.

International

Thousands Take to Streets in Global Drug Reform Day of Action. Thousands of people took to the streets in more than 200 cities in more than 90 countries as part of the Support Don't Punish campaign's "Global Day of Action." Events range from concerts and debates in Belgium, to a float parade and dialogue with parliamentarians in Ghana, a capacity building workshop for religious leaders in Mauritius, drug user and NGO gatherings in Malaysia, Lithuania, Canada and Australia, street art in Portugal, Bolivia, Ecuador and Montenegro, a 250km bike tour to sensitize the general public in India, a football tournament between people who use drugs and service providers in Morocco, the launch of a global call in support for harm reduction in Brazil, and much, much more.

One Year Later, Philippines Drug War Has Killed Thousands, Yet Meth is Cheaper. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte took power last June 30 and immediately embarked on a brutal campaign to end drug abuse that has left an estimated 9,000 people dead, but the street price of meth has fallen and Filipinos are still as anxious as ever about crime. "If prices have fallen, it's an indication that enforcement actions have not been effective," said Gloria Lai of the International Drug Policy Consortium, a global network of non-governmental groups focused on narcotics.

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Chronicle AM: Key MJ Issues Dividing MA Pols, Some Coca Diverted, Says Morales, More... (6/27/17):

Massachusetts lawmakers are slugging it out over what legalization will look like this week, Bolivia's president acknowledges and decries the diversion of coca to the black market, and more.

Marijuana Policy

Massachusetts Legalization Implementation: What Divides the House and Senate. As legislators work this week to seek compromise between competing legalization implementation bills passed by the House and Senate, six major issues are at play. They are: tax levels (the House wants more), whether localities need to put marijuana bans to a popular vote, expungement of past marijuana convictions (the House doesn't address it; the Senate does), governance structures, safety and packaging regulations, and racial equity provisions.

Virginia Marijuana Driving Law Goes Into Effect on Saturday. A law that ends automatic drivers' license suspensions for marijuana offenders goes into effect Saturday. Instead, judges will have the option of ordering community service instead of license suspension for marijuana offenders who were not behind the wheel when busted.

Heroin and Prescription Opioids

Kentucky Tighter Opioid Prescribing Rules Go Into Effect Friday. A new law restricting the prescribing of Schedule II opioids goes into effect Friday. Under the new law, patients being treated for acute pain will be prescribed no more than a three-day supply, with a number of specified exceptions.

International

Bolivia's Morales Acknowledges, Decries Coca Being Diverted to Black Market. In his closing remarks at last weekend's Coca Fair in Cochabamba, Bolivian President Evo Morales acknowledged and decried the diversion of coca into the cocaine black market. "Unfortunately, part of the coca crop goes to an illegal coca market in the West," Morales said. He also called for continued coca industrialization, saying it would bring economic benefits to Bolivia, and revealed that he consumes coca flour daily. "I'm not ashamed, since last year I have eaten coca flour twice a day, that's how I can build up my stamina," he said.

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Chronicle AM: IL Passes Forfeiture Reform, House Heroin Task Force Proposals, More... (6/28/17)

Utah's new medical marijuana initiative is exposing fissures between the LDS leadership and membership, an asset forfeiture reform bill sits on the desk of Illinois' governor, a bipartisan House heroin task force releases its proposals, and more.

Medical Marijuana

Utah Poll Has Strong Support for Medical Marijuana. Just days after the Utah Patient Coalition took initial steps to put an initiative on the November 2018 ballot, a poll it sponsored showed that 73% of Utah voters support the initiative, with only 20% opposed. Support came from all demographic groups, including active Mormons, 63% of whom said they were in favor.

Mormon Church Opposes Utah Medical Marijuana Initiative. The powerful Salt Lake City-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) has come out in opposition to a medical marijuana initiative filed this week by the Utah Patients Coalition. The church acknowledged ongoing interest in medical marijuana and said it supported further research but argued that approval of medical marijuana should come after "the FDA approval process that all other drugs must go through before they are prescribed to patients."

Asset Forfeiture

Illinois Legislature Passes Asset Forfeiture Reform. The legislature last Friday gave final approval to an asset forfeiture reform measure, House Bill 303, that raises the standard of evidence for seizures from probable cause to a preponderance of the evidence and bars seizures of under $500 in most drug cases. The bill does not, however, require a criminal conviction before a seizure can occur -- a sop to prosecutors and law enforcement groups who lobbied for that provision to be dropped. The bill now awaits action from Gov. Bruce Rauner (R).

Heroin and Prescription Opioids

House Bipartisan Heroin Task Force Releases Proposals. A bipartisan group of House members released a raft of proposals Tuesday aimed at fighting the nation's drug problems as "an American issue," not a partisan one. The package of bills from the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force includes increased funding for drug-screening gear at the border, studies on the effects of synthetic drug use, greater flexibility for use of health savings accounts, and creation of treatment centers for infants exposed to opioids during their mothers pregnancy.

International

Georgia Parliament Takes Up Drug Decriminalization. The Parliamentary Health Committee has introduced a bill to decriminalize the possession of all drugs that was developed by the National Drug Policy Platform, a grouping of more than 40 NGOs. The bill would annul the country's much-criticized strict 2007 drug law, as well as making changes to at least 10 criminal and administrative laws. The core principle behind the bill is to shift the country's drug policy away from a criminal justice approach, treating drug use instead as a public health issue. Earlier this month, parliament gave initial approval to marijuana decriminalization. Both pot decrim and broader drug decrim should be addressed during parliament's looming autumn session.

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