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Drug War Chronicle

Comprehensive coverage of the War on Drugs since 1997

  • Industrial hemp in France produces oils and fiber. (Image via Wikimedia.org)
    Industrial hemp in France produces oils and fiber. (Image via Wikimedia.org)

    Illinois House Kills Hemp Bill

    The Illinois House has turned back a bid to permit farmers there to apply to grow hemp. Opponents cited the federal ban on hemp production and law enforcement's inability to tell the difference between hemp and weed.
  • medical marijuana bags (courtesy Daniel Argo via Wikimedia)
    medical marijuana bags (courtesy Daniel Argo via Wikimedia)

    Montana Senate Votes for Medical Marijuana Repeal Bill

    It may be up to Democratic Gov. Bryan Schweitzer to save medical marijuana in Montana. Only a procedural vote is left before the legislature repeals the voter-approved law.
  • parthenon_24.gif
    parthenon_24.gif

    This Week in History

    Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.
  • the fruits of drug prohibition in Mexico (Image via Wikimedia)
    the fruits of drug prohibition in Mexico (Image via Wikimedia)

    Mexico Drug War Update

    It was a rough week on the highway between Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey, and that's not all, not by a long shot.
  • Prohibition's filthy lucre is too much for some to resist (Image via Wikimedia)
    Prohibition's filthy lucre is too much for some to resist (Image via Wikimedia)

    This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

    It was a relatively quiet week on the crooked cop front -- not including officers who've gone astray but haven't been caught -- but we've still got us a trio of law enforcement miscreants.
  • Uniondale, New York, where a man died after swallowing drugs in a bid to avoid arrest. (Image via Wikipedia)
    Uniondale, New York, where a man died after swallowing drugs in a bid to avoid arrest. (Image via Wikipedia)

    New York Man Dies in Small-Time Drug Bust

    Long Island cops moved in to make a small-time drug bust, the suspect apparently swallowed the drugs, and now he's dead. That makes 21 dead in US domestic drug law enforcement operations so far this year.
  • "Nonprofit medical cannabis organizations" would provide marijuana to patients under the Illinois bill. (Image via Wikimedia)
    "Nonprofit medical cannabis organizations" would provide marijuana to patients under the Illinois bill. (Image via Wikimedia)

    Illinois Medical Marijuana Bill Advances

    An Illinois medical marijuana bill is heading for a House floor vote. Last year, it passed the Senate, only to fail in the House. Let's hope we get a better outcome this year.
  • It's not always this bucolic in Riverside County (Image via Wikimedia)
    It's not always this bucolic in Riverside County (Image via Wikimedia)

    Man With Shotgun Killed in California Drug Raid

    A member of a Southern California drug task force shot and killed a man armed with a shotgun during a Friday morning drug raid. That makes 20 dead in the US drug war so far this year.