Drug War Chronicle

Marijuana decriminalization is dead in Indiana this year after a Republican committee chair blocked it. But it will be back.

A Pennsylvania state senator announced Monday that he will be introducing a marijuana legalization bill in the near future. Bills have already been filed in Hawaii, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, and are also expected soon in Maine and Vermont.

Iran continues to execute drug offenders at a torrid pace. Around 500 went to the gallows in 2011, hundreds more last year, and 24 more so far this year.

MedicalMarijuana.ProCon.org, part of the ProCon.org family, is an in-depth web site presenting information and views from a variety of perspectives on the medical marijuana issue. The Chronicle is running a six-part series of info items from ProCon.org, of which this week's is the final.

Medical marijuana dispensaries are illegal in Michigan, the state's Supreme Court ruled Friday.

The Vermont legislature will take up marijuana decriminalization bills again this year. The governor supports them, and a major obstacle has been removed, so things are promising.

A positive drug screen during pregnancy does not in itself constitute evidence of child neglect, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in a victory for maternal rights.

And then there were four. Rhode Island has become the fourth state to see a marijuana legalization bill filed this year, and it will likely be joined by three more.

The California Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a key case on whether localities can ban dispensaries, and medical marijuana bills died in two Midwest states, and there's more news, too.

A Massachusetts cop had his own informal prescription drug take-back program, but that was pretty innocuous compared to some of this week's other entries.