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Format: 2023-10

Drug War Chronicle #1196 - September 6, 2023

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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 Chronicle #1195 - August 30, 2023

1. New Hampshire Will Study the State Liquor Store Model for Legal Weed [FEATURE]

The Granite State could be the first in the nation to try selling weed through the state liquor store model.

2. CO Now Allows Online Weed Sales, MD Lawmakers Eye Changes to New Pot Law, More... (8/21/23)

Bipartisan lawmakers urge the VA to end its ban on doctors recommending medical marijuana to vets in states where it is legal, Colorado now allows online weed sales, and more.

3. Trump Calls for Military Force Against Mexican Cartels, India Pols Call for Legal Opium, More... (8/22/23)

A Republican congressman threatens an Indian tribe over marijuana legalization, some surprising talk from politicians in Punjab, and more

4. OH Health Departments Oppose Pot Initiative, Uganda Lawmakers OK MedMJ, More... (8/23/23)

Mexican drug cartels are increasingly resorting to IEDs, a push for marijuana legalization is underway in Costa Rica, and more.

5. US Citizens Dominate Fentanyl Trade, NV Regulators Approve More Social Consumption Lounges, More... (8/24/23)

Maine's congressional delegation is worried about alleged illegal Chinese marijuana grows, US Sentencing Commission statistics show that US citizens--not illegal immigrants--dominate the fentanyl trade, and more.

6. DEA Hired "Legacy" Job Applicants Despite Failed Polygraph Tests, DeSantis Rejects Legal Weed, More... (8/28/23)

Republican presidential contenders burnish their anti-drug reform credentials, and more.

7. Alarm Over New Synthetic Opioids, San Francisco Safe Injection Site Saves Lives, More... (8/29/23)

Garden State Democrats take flak for voting for a harsh fentanyl analog bill, a clandestine San Francisco safe injection site saved lives, 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.

Drug War Chronicle #1194 - August 19, 2023

1. The National Governors Association Weighs in on Fighting Drug Overdoses [FEATURE]

The National Governors Association weighs in with a progressive, if limited, approach to dealing with drug overdoses.

2. Supreme Court Puts Hold on Sackler OxyContin Settlement, Ecuador Killing Linked to Drug Gangs, More... (8/11/23)

The NAACP reiterates its call for marijuana legalization and adds a call for workers' rights, Ron DeSantis doubles down on harsh rhetoric directed at Mexican drug cartels, and more.

3. Ramaswamy Talks Drug Decriminalization, SD 2024 Legal Pot Initiative Coming, More... (8/15/23)

The National Governors Association has a plan for dealing with drug overdoses, Peru and the US have renewed an agreement to force down drug smuggling aircraft, and more.

4. German Cabinet Okays Scaled-Back Legal Weed Bill, AL MedMJ Licensing Blocked, More... (8/16/23)

Marijuana legalization is stalled in the US Virgin Islands, the Thai cabinet approves a pilot program of medicinal opium and magic mushroom cultivation, and more.

5. OH to Vote on Marijuana Legalization in November, CA Natural Psychedelic Bill Advances, More... (8/17/23)

Oregon's governor has vetoed a bill that would have moved toward a state bank to serve marijuana businesses, a coalition of public health and drug reform groups calls out the way some of the opioid settlement money is being spent, and more.

6. OH Governor Opposes Legalization Initiative, Seattle City Council Balks at New Drug Bill, More... (8/18/23)

Minnesota regulators provide some hints on what it is going to take to get legalization up and running, four people busted after an informant planted drugs on them are suing a Texas sheriff, 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.

Drug War Chronicle #1193 - August 11, 2023

1. Chronicle Book Review: When Crack Was King

A new book takes a new look at crack.

2. Florida AG Opposes Legalization Init, Montreal Mushroom Shop Raided Again, More... (8/4/23)

There have been a couple of hiccups as marijuana legalization rolls out in Minnesota, Florida's attorney general thinks voters are too stupid to know that pot would remain federally illegal if the state legalized it, and more.

3. San Francisco Has Magic Mushroom Churches, DeSantis Doubles Down on Cartel Threats, More... (8/7/23)

Wisconsin's Democratic governor signs a bill heightening penalties for fatal drug overdoses, Israel's Health Ministry says patients can be prescribed marijuana beginning in December, and more.

4. Manhattan US Attorney Warns on Safe Injection Sites, Ayahuasca Church Moves to Maine, More... (8/8/23)

Four veterans are suing New York marijuana regulators over the application of social equity provisions, New Hampshire's governor signs a fentanyl and xylazine test strip decriminalization bill into law, and more.

5. San Francisco Jail Being Filled with Drug Law Violators, Partisan Gap in Support for Legal Weed, More... (8/9/23)

The man who was once Colombia's most powerful cocaine traffickers gets decades in US prison, New Hampshire will study the state liquor store model for potential legal marijuana sales, and more.

6. OR Governor Signs Addiction & Mental Health Bills, Fed Appeals Court Throws Out Drug User Gun Ban, More... (8/10/23)

New York sees its first marijuana farmers market open today, Australia sees its first federal marijuana legalization bill filed, 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.

Drug War Chronicle #1192 - August 4, 2023

1. Bipartisan Bill Would Eliminate Cannabis Screening for Federal Hiring, Security Clearances [FEATURE]

More than three million federal jobs are not available to (admitted) marijuana users, because they cannot get security clearances. A new bill hopes to change that.

2. Federal Drug Prisoner Population Declines, CA Psychedelic Legalization Bill Advances, More... (7/13/23)

A GOP-led House committee has killed marijuana and psychedelic reform amendments to the defense spending bill, a Mexican drug cartel uses roadside bombs against the police, and more.

3. DC Law Protecting Pot-Smoking Workers Now in Effect, Ghana Okay Hemp & MedMJ Production, More... (7/14/23)

A Minnesota Native American reservation will have marijuana for sale on the first day of legalization (unlike most of the rest of the state), the US government quietly suspends monitoring of coca cultivation in Colombia, and more.

4. Minneapolis Enacts Psychedelic Reform, Albania Legalizes Medical Marijuana, More... (7/24/23)

New York GOP politicos want to ban public pot smoking, California is paying meth users who test negative, and more.

5. CA Psychedelic Research Initiative, Colombia Coca Price Crash Causing Misery, More... (7/24/23)

Ab Ohio marijuana legalization initiative needs more signatures but has the time to get them, Singapore is set to hang two more drug offenders, and more.

6. FL Supreme Court Marijuana Initiative Fight, Peru Coca Expansion, More... (7/26/23)

Singapore has executed one drug offender with another set for later this week, the Florida ACLU joins the fight for a marijuana legalization initiative, and more.

7. Bipartisan Bill to Let Pot Smokers Get Security Clearances Filed, GA Asset Forfeiture Outrage, More... (7/27/23)

The House approves veterans' medical marijuana and psychedelic research amendments to a must-pass spending bill, a new House bill would clear the way for security clearances for past or present pot smokers, and more.

8. FDA Approves Second OTC Nasal Naloxone Spray, Singapore Hangs Another Drug Offender, More... (7/28/23)

GOP senator files bill mandating social media cooperation with law enforcement against drug trafficking, bipartisan senators file bill to ease access to fentanyl test strips, and more.

9. CA Initiative Would Have State Fund Psychedelic Research, Fentanyl Bills Pass Senate, More... (7/31/23)

A Georgia prosecutor's bid to seize a landlord's rural trailer beause a tenant got caught with meth gets thrown out of court, Colombia's president proposes buying up the coca crop, and more.

10. Bill Filed to Prepare Feds for Pot Legalization, Seattle Mayor Unveils New Plan on Open-Air Drug Use, More... (8/1/23)

Another Republican files another border fentanyl bill, Seattle's mayor has a plan to deal with open-air drug use, and more.

11. SAMSHA Seeks Comment on Harm Reduction Draft, MN Era of Legal Weed Begins, More... (8/2/23)

An effort to repeal South Dakota's voter-approved medical marijuana law gets underway, the Red Lake Reservation sees the first legal recreational marijuana sales in Minnesota, and more.

12. OH Legal Weed Initiative Hands in Final Signatures, Brazil Drug Raids Leave 45 Dead, More... (8/3/23)

It looks like Ohioans will get to vote on marijuana legalization this year, Singapore hangs yet another drug offender, 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.

Drug War Chronicle #1191 - July 13, 2023

1. Biden Administration Rolls Out Plan to Confront Xylazine-Fentanyl Phenomenon [FEATURE]

The White House rolls out a National Response Plan for the emerging threat of fentanyl combined with xylazine.

2. Medical Marijuana Update

It looks like there will be no medical marijuana for North Carolina this year, Minnesota's program adds 19 new qualifying conditions to its already lengthy list, and more.

3. This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

We have a pair of Customs and Border Patrol miscreants this week, and more.

4. Luxembourg Passes Limited Legal Weed Bill, FL Decriminalizes Fentanyl Test Strips, More... (6/29/23)

Amsterdam wants a city district to be part of a national regulated marijuana supply experiment, Florida's attorney general challenges a marijuana legalization initiative, and more.

5. WHO Calls Out Global Morphine Pain Relief Disparities, Vance Wants US Military Force Against Cartels, More... (7/3/23)

A British festival organizer is reaming the Home Office over its sudden requirement that pill testing efforts be licensed, another Republican politician wants to use the US military to fight Mexican drug cartels, and more.

6. Ohio Legalization Initiative Hands in Signatures, Mexico Violence Flares in Morelos, More... (7/5/23)

Maryland saw a big opening weekend for legal marijuana sales, Oklahoma medical marijuana operators are suing regulators over a new fee schedule, and more.

7. Delaware Fentanyl/Xylazine Test Strip Pilot, SAFE Banking Act Could Get Committee Vote, More... (7/6/23)

A bipartisan marijuana legalization bill is filed in Pennsylvania, New York puts legal weed sales at farmers markets on hold, and more.

8. Scotland Calls for Drug Decrim, Germany Unveils Draft Legalization Bill, More... (7/7/23)

Florida's governor signs a bill allowing medical marijuana patients to use telehealth, a trio of Pennyslvania medical marijuana bills is heading for a Senate floor vote, and more.

9. New Qualifying Conditions for MN MedMJ, PA Pot Poll Shows Declining Support, More... (7/10/23)

Virginia's GOP governor indicates he is not interested in legal marijuana sales, a New York city has to pay for firing a medical marijuana patient, and more.

10. MA Therapeutic Psychedelic Init, CA Pot Companies Used Fake Unions, More... (7/11/23)

Oregon's most populous county backs away from a widely criticized harm reduction program, California pot companies tied to fake labor unions could lose their licenses, 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.

Drug War Chronicle #1190 - June 29, 2023

1. Cannabis Will Be Legal in Maryland This Saturday -- Here Is What It Will Look Like [FEATURE]

The Terrapin State is about to enter the age of legal cannabis.

2. NCAA Panel Recommends Ending Weed Testing, UK Policing Minister Okay with Heroin for Addicts, More... (6/20/23)

The Wisconsin Supreme Court uses an outdated precedent to rule that the odor of marijuana is enough for a police search, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler wants to clean up the streets by criminalizing public drug use, and more.

3. Psychedelic Science Conference Is On in Denver, Colombia Senate Rejects Weed Legalization, More... (6/21/23)

A marijuana legalization bill is rolled out in three Australian states, Donald Trump reiterates his call for the death penalty for drug dealers, and more.

4. Aaron Rodgers Calls for Psychedelic Legalization, PA MedMJ Bill Package Advances, More... (6/22/23)

A House committee has approved a defense spending bill with a pair of drug provisions, the Maine Senate kills a safe injection site bill but offers a study substitute, and more.

5. FDA Issues First Guidance on Psychedelics, Fed Ban on DC Pot Sales Advances Again, More... (6/26/23)

A pair of senators file a bill to allow Mexican troops to be trained by the US military to fight drug cartels, the FDA issues its first draft guidance on psychedelics, and more.

6. DeSantis Calls for Executing Drug Smugglers, Psychedelic Poll, More... (6/27/23)

The UN drug agency's annual report says cocaine is surging and meth is expanding worldwide, Peru's drug agency reports record levels of coca leaf production, and more.

7. CA Psychedelic Legalization Bill Advances, First Federal MJ Super PAC Formed, More... (6/28/23)

A bill in play in Guam would end the ban on SNAP benefits for drug felons, Ukraine's president calls for the legalization of medical marijuana, 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.

Drug War Chronicle #1189 - June 20, 2023

1. Washington State to Pay Out Millions to People Busted for Drug Possession [FEATURE]

The state of Washington is breaking new ground in righting old wrongs.

2. The Punitive Prohibitionist Approach to Drug Use During Pregnancy is Killing Women [FEATURE]

There seems to be a growing consensus that our approach to drug use during pregnancy is worse than wrongheaded.

3. Chronicle Book Review: Can Legal Weed Win?

If you're in the marijuana business or thinking about investing in the industry, you need to read this book.

4. This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

It's all guards gone bad this week.

5. NY Crackdown on Unlicensed Weed Sales, Video Captures Mexican Soldiers Killing Drug Suspects, More... (6/9/23)

American truckers are fed up with marijuana prohibition and testing policies, Rhode Island expunges 23,000 pot possession records, and more.

6. Call for Clemency for Crack Cocaine Prisoners, US Citizen Arrested on Drug Charges in Moscow, More... (6/12/23)

Florida's attorney general has a couple more weeks to try to take down a marijuana legalization initiative, Jammu & Kashmir cracks down on opium cultivation, and more.

7. NV Lawmakers Approve Legal Pot Reform Bill, Peru Blows Up Cocaine Air Strips, More... (6/13/23)

Missouri NORML is threatening recalcitrant rural counties with court orders over their failure to get expungements done, a pair of senators file a bill to fight Mexican cartels by increasing southbound inspections near the border, and more.

8. MA Natural Psychedelic Bills Get Hearing, Big Rise in Psychedelic Use in Young Adults, More... (5/14/23)

Alabama issues its first medical marijuana licenses, the British Home Office is messing with festival drug checking, and more.

9. Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill Advances in House, RI House Passes Psilocybin Decriminalization, More... (6/15/23)

Oklahoma's governor vetoes a medical marijuana regulation bill, Texas's governor signs into law a bill allowing murder prosecutions for fentanyl overdose deaths, and more.

10. AR Judge Voids Laws Altering MedMJ Law, EU Releases Annual Drug Report, More... (6/16/23)

There are signals that a federal marijuana rescheduling decision will be reached this year, a Senate bill to crack down on drug cartel use of social media wins a committee vote, 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.

Drug War Chronicle #1188 - May 26, 2023

1. Minnesota Set to Become 23rd State to Legalize Marijuana [FEATURE]

It's all over except for the governor's signature, and he says that will happen in a "big" ceremony after Memorial Day.

2. Washington State Makes Drug Possession a Gross Misdemeanor [FEATURE]

Faced with having no drug possession law at all come July 1, the legislature came up with a compromise.

3. This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

A jealous North Carolina deputy cooks up a plot to frame his ex-girlfriend's new beau, and more.

4. NH Senate Kills Legal Pot Bill, Philippines Drug War Critic Acquitted on Drug Charge, More... (5/12/23)

New Hampshire's governor changes his tune on marijuana legalization, the Connecticut House approves psilocybin decriminalization, and more.

5. Amsterdam Bans Outdoor Pot Smoking in Red Light District, AK Drug Sentencing Bill Advances, More... (5/15/23)

The House passes a bill to fund research into the veterinary-drug-turned-fentanyl-supplement Xylazine, a former Filipina president introduces a medical marijuana bill, and more.

6. MN Final Legal Pot Votes Coming Soon, WA Lawmakers Compromise on Drug Possession Law, More... (5/16/23)

A Florida marijuana legalization initiative will get a state Supreme Court review, Washington's governor signs into law a bill protecting pot-smoking employees, and more.

7. Fatal Drug Overdoses Rose Only Slightly Last Year, White House Prods Naloxone Makers, More... (5/17/23)

Pot isn't the only thing you can buy in some Los Angeles-area pot shops, overdose deaths appear to have plateaued last year, and more.

8. MN Legal Pot Bill Ready for Final Votes, Singapore Hangs Another Man for Marijuana, More... (5/18/23)

A major civil and human rights group comes out against one federal fentanyl bill, bipartisan senators and representatives file another one, and more.

9. MN House Votes to Legalize Marijuana, Act to Restore SNAP Benefits to Drug Felons Re-Filed, More... (5/19/23)

Minnesota is one Senate vote away from legalizing marijuana, the RESTORE Act gets reintroduced, and more.

10. MN Set to Become 23rd Legal Marijuana State, Iran Hangs Three More Drug Offenders, More... (5/22/23)

A bill protecting medical marijuana patients advances in Louisiana, a bill broadening expungement and freeing some pot prisoners advances in Connecticut, and more.

11. More Than 150 Groups Urge "No" Vote on HALT Act, NH Legal Pot Effort Revives, More... (5/23/23)

An Oregon bill to mandate fentanyl education in the public schools goes to the governor, a House committee rejects a Republican's marijuana legalization amendment, and more.

12. NH Residents Ready for Legal Weed, NY Safe Injection Site Bill Advances, More... (5/24/23)

San Francisco's mayor is ready to roll out a pilot program to arrest public drug users, yet another federal bill aimed at the fentanyl trade gets filed, and more.

13. House Passes HALT Fentanyl Act, CA Senate Passes Psychedelic Decriminalization Bill. More... (5/25/23)

No more pot smoking on the streets of Amsterdam's red light district, a bipartisan marijuana legalization bill gets filed in Ohio, and more.

14. House Passage of HALT Fentanyl Act Slammed, DEA Jerks Opioid Distributor's License, More... (5/26/23)

The Louisiana House votes to radically quicken expungements for pot possession offenses, a Texas medical marijuana bill is dead in the water in the state Senate, 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.

Drug War Chronicle #1187 - May 12, 2023

1. Chronicle Book Review: Bizarro

A tale of synthetic cannabinoids, the Analogues Act, and the twisted journey of two Florida hustlers.

2. This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

A sticky-fingered Pennsylvania drug task force commander heads to prison, a small-town Alabama cop gets caught planting dope, and more.

3. NIDA Issues $5 Million Grant to Study Safe Injection Sites, Massive Honduras Coca Plantation, More... (5/8/23)

A New York bill increasing civil penalties for illicit pot shops is signed into law, Oregon regulators approve the nation's first licensee for therapeutic psilocybin services, and more.

4. OH Legalization Init Gathering Signatures, CA Drug War Reparations, More... (5/9/23) Blacks

Marijuana legalization hits a bump in New Hampshire, Jordan kills a Syrian drug trafficker in a cross-border air strike, and more.

5. DEA Extends Telehealth for Buprenorphine, Colombia Legal Pot Bill Advances to Senate, More... (5/10/23)

Washington State bans discrimination against potential new hires over off-the-job marijuana use, Senate drug warriors file a bill aimed at counterfeit pills, and more.

6. SAFE Banking Act Gets Senate Hearing, Iran Hangs Three Cocaine Traffickers, More... (5/11/23)

Kansas becomes the latest state to legalize fentanyl test strips, the Arizona Senate folds psilocybin research funds into a budget bill, 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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