Drug War Chronicle

We review Nicholas Parsons' Meth Mania: A History of Methamphetamine and find it most useful.

California counties continue to struggle with dispensary and growing rules, Reno's mayor has a change of heart, some Oregon cities may have to change their ways, and more.

Concern over methamphetamine use and users has generated large amounts of misinformation that lead to bad policies, Dr. Carl Hart and coauthors find in a new report this week. He has some policy prescriptions, too.

NORML endorses a US Senate candidate, pressure mounts for medical marijuana in New York, West Virginia wants to make Sudafed prescription only, and more.

Bad cop, bad cop, watcha gonna do when they come for you? A Seattle-area drug task force deputy defects to the life, a Louisiana deputy parties too hard with stolen drug evidence, a Georgia cop resigns over pills, and more.

Marijuana legalization is unlikely to come to California this year, ditto for Missouri, ditto for medical marijuana in Iowa. Meanwhile, a SWAT reporting bill is moving in Utah, Singapore is censoring a pot reform web site, and more.

Powerful players want to wait until 2016 to do a marijuana legalization initiative in California. There are other California initiatives out there, but none appear likely to make the ballot this year.

Olympic drug testers back off on marijuana, a surprise marijuana vote in New Mexico, a bad medical marijuana bill in Michigan, NYPD's most sued cops are all narcs, a new South Australian law criminalizes some speech about synthetic drugs, and more.

A pair of bills, one local and one national, were introduced in Mexico City last week. They address marijuana retail sales, medical marijuana, and more drug decriminalization. Change is in the wind.

The Obama administration took an important step toward legitimizing legal marijuana commerce Thursday by issuing new guidelines that will allow financial institutions to service the industry without fear of federal prosecution.