Drug War Chronicle

With the Republicans taking over the House, the landscape of Capitol Hill drug reform has shifted, mainly for the worse. But not entirely.

The post-mortems are still coming in from last week's elections, but the marijuana reform movement already has its eyes on 2012.

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

The Republicans ran on a vow to cut the budget deficit, but were short on specifics. The Heritage Foundation has a few ideas, including axing the drug czar's office and some other anti-drug spending.

The battle over New Jersey medical marijuana regulations continues, with both Assembly and Senate committees passing resolutions saying the regs are inconsistent with the law and demanding they be rewritten.

The federal persecution of California medical marijuana providers continues. Now, upon losing an appeal, Dr. Mollie Fry and partner Dale Schafer are most likely headed for federal prison.

The acceptance of medical marijuana in Israel has taken another step forward, with a health ministry committee recommending it be considered as a medicine and made available in pharmacies.

It's not a done deal yet in the Arizona medical marijuana vote, the California attorney general vote, and a Washington state representative race of interest to drug reformers. Also, some election odds and ends.

A post-election poll strongly suggest that marijuana legalization could win in California in 2012.

Drug policy reformers were all but reconciled to a zero out of four year for statewide marijuana initiatives. But late mail-in ballots, and provisionally accepted ones, have so far broken in favor of the initiative, by a wide enough margin to put it over 50% if it continues.