Drug War Chronicle #669 - February 3, 2011
Conservatives Board Sentencing Reform Bandwagon [FEATURE]
Conservatives for sentencing reform? Who woulda thunk it? But that's what's happening.
Warrantless GPS Tracking Facing Fourth Amendment Challenges [FEATURE]
State and federal courts have been grappling with the issue of whether police need a warrant to install a GPS tracking device on a vehicle. Now it may be headed for the Supreme Court.
Obama Says Drug Legalization Worthy of Debate
Questions about marijuana legalization and drug policy dominated a YouTube "Ask Obama" forum last week, and this time, Obama responded with more than a laugh.
Washington, Oregon Marijuana Legalization Initiatives Filed
The next round of pot legalization initiatives is getting off the ground in the Pacific Northwest.
Did You Know? Racial Disparities in Drug Imprisonment, on DrugWarFacts.org
DrugWarFacts.org is an in-depth compilation of key facts, stats and quotes on the full range of drug policy issues, excerpted from expert publications. The Chronicle is running a series of info items from DrugWarFacts.org, and we encourage you to check it out.
Illinois Blacks More Likely to Get Prison for Drugs
Now, here's a shocker: An Illinois study finds that blacks are five times more likely to be sent to prison for drug possession than whites.
![Black market profits fuel deadly violence. Who could ever have predicted that? (Image via Wikimedia) Black market profits fuel deadly violence. Who could ever have predicted that? (Image via Wikimedia)](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/Cash%20and%20guns%20Mexico.jpg?itok=UJy3c7Tg)
Black market profits fuel deadly violence. Who could ever have predicted that? (Image via Wikimedia)
Mexico Drug War Update
It was a relatively quiet week in Mexico's drug wars -- only a hundred people killed -- but Ciudad Juarez continues to live up to its reputation as one of the world's deadliest cities.
This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
No cops got arrested this week for drug prohibition-related corruption, but a few got convicted, and one got sentenced.
Schumer Wants to Ban Synthetic "Bath Salts" Drugs
Confronted with a new synthetic stimulant drug, a US senator reflexively reaches for the ban button.
Bolivians Hold Coca "Chew-Ins" Opposing UN Ban
As the US, UK, and Sweden file formal objections to Bolivian efforts to amend the UN 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs to end the proscription on coca leaf chewing, Bolivians take to the streets.
Iran in Drug Offender Execution Frenzy
Iran is already one of the world's leading death penalty countries, but it has been hanging drug offenders at a record pace so far this year.
This Week in History
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.
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