Drug War Chronicle #704 - October 13, 2011
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Obama DOJ Ratchets Up War Against Medical Marijuana [FEATURE]
If you thought the Obama administration was friendly to medical marijuana, think again. Federal prosecutors in California have just declared war, with the okay from Washington.
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Email Congress for the National Criminal Justice Commission Act!
Every day that passes without criminal justice reform is a day that thousands who don't need to be in prison, and may have never deserved to go there, languish needlessly. Please ask your US Representative and your two US Senators to pass the National Criminal Justice Commission Act.
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Announcement: The 2011 International Drug Policy Reform Conference, LA
Every two years drug policy reformers from across the United States and around the world come to the International Drug Policy Reform Conference to listen, learn, network and strategize together for change. This year the conference is in Los Angeles, in November, and StoptheDrugWar.org is a partner.
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Mexico Drug War Update
The Zeta-Killers continue to stay busy in Veracruz, and mass killings continue across the land.
Afghan opium eradication poster. Apparently, no one is paying attention. (wikimedia.org)
Afghan Opium Production on the Rebound
There's a bumper crop of Afghan opium this year.
Lamar Smith
House Moves Bill to Extend US Drug Laws Overseas
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) is pushing a bill that could criminalize your at home planning for that coffee shop tour of Amsterdam -- and much more.
2010 New York Times article about medical marijuana advertising
Feds Threaten Medical Marijuana Advertisers
A Southern California federal prosecutor has signaled that the Justice Department's war on medical marijuana distribution will be extended to media that accept advertising from dispensaries.
Badly needed needle exchanges could be coming to more CA counties under a bill just signed by Gov Brown. (wikimedia.org)
California Gov. Brown Signs Needle Access Bills
California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law a pair of bills that will expand syringe access and help slow the spread of infectious diseases.
hemp field at sunrise (votehemp.com)
Brown Vetoes California Hemp Bill, Criticizes Federal Ban
California Gov. Jerry Brown has vetoed a hemp bill, calling the federal ban on hemp production "absurd" as he did so. But that didn't mollify industry groups.
Justice Scalia (Image: Wikimedia.org)
Scalia Criticizes Scope of Federal Drug Laws
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia had a few choice words about the reach of federal drug laws this week.
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RAND Pulls LA Marijuana Dispensary Crime Study, Pending Review
The RAND Corporation has been caught in a political buzz saw since it dared to claim that medical marijuana dispensaries didn't cause crime to increase. Now, it has pulled those research results pending further review.
The Merrimack River at Lowell, Massachusetts (wikimedia.org)
Alleged Rhode Island Marijuana Dealer Drowns Fleeing Cops
A young Rhode Island man has drowned while attempting to flee a Massachusetts pot bust. He's the 39th person to die in US domestic drug law enforcement operations so far this year.
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This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
Dirty cops popped up all across the South this week, and a crooked California prison guard, too.
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