Drug War Chronicle

The Cartagena summit saw an historic discussion of drug legalization this weekend, with President Obama conceding that the topic is a legitimate one even as he reiterated US opposition to legalization.

Missouri has the most extreme crack vs. powder cocaine sentencing disparity in the nation, but a bill that passed the House Thursday would reduce it. The bill still has to get through the Senate.

A drug raid gone bad has left a New Hampshire police chief dead, four other members of a drug task force wounded, and, early Friday morning, the suspect still holed up in his home with a woman, surrounded by a SWAT team.

A long-awaited study has recommended supervised drug injection sites in Toronto and Ottawa, but that's just the first step in what looks to be a long and contentious process.

The federal offensive against dispensaries in California and Colorado continues, even as more state legislatures take up medical marijuana.

A bill lowering penalties for the possession of small amounts of marijuana and one making possession a citeable offense have passed the Maryland General Assembly and await the governor's signature.

More pain pill peddling, plus a pervy DARE officer, and a Hawaii cop with a medical marijuana card who was allegedly up to more than maintaining his own health.

History is about to be made at the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena this weekend. Hemispheric heads of state will discuss alternatives to the drug war and challenge the US prohibitionist model. This could be the beginning of the end.

Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.

The Dutch government appears to be moving toward banning khat, which is used almost exclusively by the country's Somali immigrant community, but the move is being increasingly criticized.