A final nail in the coffin for Vermont legalization this year, the California legalization campaign gets some police support, the Mexican army makes a huge pot bust, and more. 

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

Some California Law Enforcement Leaders Support Legalization Initiative. As expected, California law enforcement groups are mostly lining up against the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA) initiative, but there are some significant defections. Former LAPD Deputy Chief Steve Downing was present at the campaign's launch Wednesday, and San Francisco District Attorney (and former San Francisco police chief and LAPD assistant chief) George Gascon is also supportive. When it comes to marijuana legalization in California, there are cracks emerging in the blue wall.

Vermont Legalization Now Even Deader This Year. It's over. Vermont will not legalize pot this year, and now the legislature won't even study it or let voters voice their opinion in a non-binding referendum. The Senate has sent a miscellaneous crime bill back to the House after removing a provision that called for a study commission. The move came after the House refused to pass the legalization bill approved by the Senate, and a frustrated Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard Sears moved to strip all pot-related provisions from the crime bill.

Harm Reduction

Hawaii Overdose Reversal Drug Bill Awaits Governor's Signature. The legislature has approved Senate Bill 2392, which establishes "immunity for health care professionals and pharmacists who prescribe, dispense, distribute, or administer an opioid antagonist such as naloxone hydrochloride to persons who are at risk of experiencing or who are experiencing an opioid-related drug overdose." The bill also mandates Medicaid coverage for the drug, naloxone. Now, the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii and the CHOW Project (Community Health Outreach Work to Prevent AIDS) are calling on Gov. David Ige (D) to sign the bill.

International

Mexican Army Seizes 25 Tons of Pot From One Truck. Mexico's marijuana industry may be feeling the competition from north of the border, but it isn't gone yet. In a single drug bust that occurred when a truck driver rolled his load trying to avoid a military checkpoint, soldiers scored a whopping 25 tonsof marijuana, with four pounds of meth thrown in as a bonus. The bust took place this week in Huatabampo, Sonora. Authorities believe the load was headed to a Pacific port for shipment north.

Azerbajian Ponders Decriminalizing Drug Possession. Member of Parliament Gudrat Hasanquliyev has proposed a bill to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use. "It is useless to fill prisons with drug addicts, since the state spends huge funds to detain them," he said. "These people must be sent to mandatory treatment. If there is selling, transporting drugs, such persons must be held criminally responsible. But if the drugs are intended for personal use, it is necessary to legalize the use of drugs by these people."