Drug War Chronicle

Florida is about to become the first state to impose suspicionless drug testing on welfare recipients. And then it will likely spend a lot of taxpayer money on a probably futile attempt to defend its constitutionality.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg started to talk sense about drug legalization, but quickly fumbled. Meanwhile his police officers are arresting thousands of marijuana users -- in a city that has decriminalization!

Federal prosecutors are threatening elected officials in states considering regulating medical marijuana dispensaries. It's working, so far.

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

April was the deadliest month so far in Mexico's prohibition-related violence, with authorities reporting 1,402 killings.

Perverted probation officers, greedy jail guards, and a perjury plot backfires.

Ohio insurance magnate Peter Lewis has given millions for drug reform efforts across the country. Now, he'd like to see medical marijuana come to his home state.

A sweeping review of New Zealand's drug laws is calling for steps toward medical marijuana, decriminalization of drug possession and small-time dealing, and doing away with drug paraphernalia laws. Not too bad.

Wisconsin marijuana activist, First Amendment supporter, and gadfly to the establishment Ben Masel has died of lung cancer at age 56.

Was it an attempted rip-off of prospective dope and gun buyers? Hard to say, but one man is dead after undercover narcs and the people they were there to bust got into a gunfight.