Drug War Chronicle

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.

The Colorado Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol has put up its first billboard. Ironically, it's above a liquor store.

Police in Washington state must first obtain a search warrant to search a vehicle for evidence of the crime for which they have already arrested the driver, the state Supreme Court ruled last week.

Department of Justice prosecutors have gone over the top in their raid on Oaksterdam, even attacking places like Oaksterdam University and the Cannabis Museum that don't distribute marijuana. Tell President Obama to rein in rogue US Attorneys and keep his promise to respect state medical marijuana programs.

An attempt to take down a small-time crack dealer in Jacksonville has left one man dead after allegedly refusing to drop his weapon after police ordered him to do so.

A Denver man is dead of an apparent overdose after scuffling with police and a Kentucky man was shot and killed by police after fleeing from a meth lab. Those are the 20th and 21st drug war deaths of 2012.