Drug War Chronicle

Will the second time be the charm in South Dakota? A medical marijuana initiative was barely defeated there in 2006; this time the scent of victory is in the air.

The Washington state marijuana legalization initiative campaign took a serious hit this week when a union it had been courting decided not to help fund signature-gathering. Now, with only three weeks left, Sensible Washington has less than half the signatures it needs and no money. Can a heroic volunteer effort save it?

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"This Week's Dumbest Drug War Quote," "Police Department Teaches Citizens How to Flex Their Rights," "High School Censors Marijuana Legalization Editorial in School Newspaper," "Everyone Loves to Read About Marijuana Legalization," "Marc Emery Calls Out Selfish Marijuana Growers for Opposing Legalization."

2010 is a critical year in the effort to end prohibition and the war on drugs. The StoptheDrugWar.org (DRCNet) "Changing Minds, Changing Laws, Changing Lives" campaign is asking for you to pitch in -- your support is more important now than it has ever been before!

A coalition of organizations -- StoptheDrugWar.org is a partner in it -- is presenting the first full-day conference on drug policy reform on Capitol Hill. And it's free.

The DEA has announced another massive anti-drug operation, this one involving thousands of agents, hundreds of law enforcement agencies, thousands of arrestees, millions of dollars and tons of drugs. In law enforcement terms, it's big. But it's tiny compared with the scale of drug use and the drug trade in the US, and it won't reduce the use or availability of drugs in the US.

There has been a dramatic increase in methadone overdose deaths in Pennsylvania and the nation in recent years. Keystone State legislators are misguidedly aiming at the state's methadone maintenance treatment clinics.

Fire bombs. Graffiti attacks. Anonymous anti-medical marijuana flyers handed out to school children. Whether medical marijuana has gone too far is a hot issue in Billings, Montana, and it's simmering all over Big Sky Country as "ganja-preneurs" push the envelope.

Iranian hangmen have been keeping busy in recent weeks as some 30 drug offenders have been executed since May 23. Maybe it's time to ramp up that campaign against the death penalty for drug offenses.