Drug War Chronicle

A Pittsburgh-area man has become the third person to die from swallowing drugs during a bust in recent weeks and the 41st to die so far this year in US domestic drug enforcement operations.

Colombia's president says the world should legalize marijuana, but don't look for his country to lead the way.

Senate Republicans have blocked an amendment that would have passed Sen. Jim Webb's National Criminal Justice Commission Act, warning hyperbolically that it would violate states' rights.

A pair of Bay area state legislators are blasting the federal government for its California medical marijuana crackdown and saying they could craft a legislative fix if the Justice Department cooperates.

Every two years drug policy reformers from across the United States and around the world come to the International Drug Policy Reform Conference to listen, learn, network and strategize together for change. This year the conference is in Los Angeles, November 2-5, and StoptheDrugWar.org is a partner.

Britain's governmental Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has once again called for the decriminalization of drug possession. Once again, the British government doesn't want to listen.

Mexican President Calderon admitted this week that the state of Veracruz had been left to the cartels. Meanwhile, the killing continues without let up.

A quiet week on the corrupt cops front this week, with only two reports. But one of them raises interesting questions: Why does a drug task force commander who steals from suspects and tries to cover up his crimes only get probation, when suspects potentially face prison?

The Drug Policy Alliance is hiring a new Policy Associate for the Office of National Affairs in Washington, DC.

The skies over California's medical marijuana industry may be dark and stormy, but the feds can't keep the sunshine away forever, well-placed activists say.