The New York Times has a strong editorial on marijuana reform, the ResponsibleOhio initiative should qualify for the ballot on a second try, Philly pot busts plummet after decrim, Israel zeroes out its anti-drug agency, and more.

[image:1 align:right caption:true]Marijuana Policy

New York Times Calls Obama, Congress "Too Timid" on Marijuana Reform. In a Sunday Times editorial, the newspaper of record criticized federal elected officials for just "standing by" as the movement to legalize marijuana gains ground. Instead, the Times editorial board said, they "should be more actively debating and changing the nation's absurd marijuana policies, policies that have ruined millions of lives and wasted billions of dollars." The editorial also called for marijuana to be descheduled. There's more to the editorial; click on the link to read the whole thing.

Marco Rubio Joins Chris Christie in Vowing to Roll Back Marijuana Legalization. A second GOP presidential contender has now joined New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in vowing to undo state-level legalization if he wins the presidency. Florida US Sen. Marco Rubio was asked on Meet the Press Sunday whether he would enforce federal pot laws against states that have legalized it. "Absolutely," he replied. "I believe the federal government needs to enforce federal law." While he said he is open to medical marijuana with some important caveats: "I'm not in favor of legalizing marijuana. I'm not. I never have been."

Missouri Marijuana Lifer Jeff Mirzansky To Be Freed. Mirzanskey has been behind bars since 1994 for a marijuana offense and was set to die in prison before a campaign spearheaded by Show Me Cannabis led Gov. Jay Nixon (D) to adjust his sentence, making him eligible for parole. His son, Chris, told local media Monday that he has now been granted parole and should be home within two or three weeks.

ResponsibleOhio Legalization Initiative Looks Close to Qualifying for November Ballot. After the state's two most populous counties, Cuyahoga and Franklin, completed verification of petition signatures last Friday, it appears that ResponsibleOhio will actually make the ballot. The group had originally handed in nearly 700,000 signatures and only needed 305,000 valid ones to qualify, but came up nearly 30,000 short. It then had a 10-day period to make up the shortfall and handed in 95,000 more raw signatures. They had a validity rate of 51% in Franklin County and 40% in Cuyahoga. If that combined 45% validity rate holds, ResponsibleOhio make the ballot.

Denver Social Use Initiative Hands In Signatures. Backers of a Denver municipal initiative to allow for marijuana use -- but not sale -- in commercial venues limited to people 21 and over handed in more than 10,000 raw signatures today. The Campaign for Limited Social Use needs 4,726 valid voter to qualify for the November 2015 ballot. The city clerk has 25 days to certify the petition.

Philadelphia Pot Arrests Plummet 73% After Decriminalization. In the first six months of 2015, 465 people were arrested for marijuana possession. That's down from 1,681 during the same period in 2014. This after a policy shift toward decriminalization in most cases.

New Psychoactive Substances

New York Emergency Regulations to Ban "Fake Marijuana" Now in Effect. Previously announced regulations to ban several synthetic cannabinoids went into effect last Thursday. Under the emergency rules, possessing or selling the stuff is now subject to criminal penalties of up to 15 days in jail.

Law Enforcement

Customs and Border Patrol to Quit Harassing General Aviation Pilots. In the face of loud complaints from general aviation pilots, CBP has greatly reduced the number of unwarranted stops and searches of small planes. The pilots' organization also said there it "has received no new reports of unwarranted stops and searches of GA aircraft or harsh treatment meted out to innocent GA pilots." Click on the link for more.

International

Thousands March for Marijuana Legalization in Berlin. The city's annual Hanfparade (hemp parade) drew an estimated 8,000 people to the streets last Saturday. They demanded the legalization of marijuana for recreational, medical, and industrial use.

Israel Anti-Drug Agency To Be Shuttered. The Israeli Anti-Drug and Alcohol Authority will be shut down in what the government calls a cost-cutting move. The agency had attracted criticism for a last-century stance toward marijuana, with a recent campaign warning "It's not that innocent." Despite that campaign, however, the agency green-lighted what is now a thriving nationwide medical marijuana program, as well as research into MDMA therapy for PTSD. The Finance Ministry says the agency is being zeroed-out in an effort to merge programs in the Public Safety Ministry.

(This article was prepared by StoptheDrugWar.org's lobbying arm, Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also pays the cost of maintaining this web site. DRCNet Foundation takes no positions on candidates for public office, in compliance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and does not pay for reporting that could be interpreted or misinterpreted as doing so.)