Drug War Chronicle

A New Jersey marijuana decriminalization bill has passed its first hurdle, advancing out of the Assembly Judiciary Committee.

After Cameron Douglas got caught with heroin and Suboxone in federal prison, he got hammered with an additional 4 1/2 years. That harsh sentence has sparked an effort not only to overturn that sentence, but also to highlight the lack of drug treatment for addicted prisoners.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R) has signed a bill that requires welfare applicants to be screened for drug use and drug tested for "reasonable cause." If they test positive, they lose their benefits.

We review an important new book on the history of marijuana in Mexico that demands a revisionist look at the origins of Reefer Madness in America.

ProCon.org is a set 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.

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

The biggest medical marijuana news this week has to be the Oregon election that saw a pro-medical marijuana attorney general candidate win against a former interim US Attorney, but there was plenty of other news, as well.

We inadvertently missed a week last week, but the corrupt cops didn't.

Oregon's medical marijuana community and national drug reformers helped defeat a former interim US Attorney in favor of a medical marijuana-friendly challenger in the Oregon Democratic Party attorney general race Tuesday. They hope the victory sends a signal across the country.

Like a vampire risen from the dead, Colorado's drugged driving bill came back to life during a special session of the legislature, only to have a stake driven through its heart once again.