There's a job opening for an experienced marijuana activist in DC, Libertarian Gary Johnson endorses California's legalization initiative, three European countries are making marijuana policy moves, and more.

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

Libertarian Presidential Candidate Endorses California Legalization Initiative. Former Republican New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, who heads the Libertarian Party presidential ticket, has endorsed California's Prop 64 legalization initiative. "Why do I support it?" Johnson responded to a question while leaving the Republican National Convention. "Whether you agree with marijuana legalization or not, you have friends, family, coworkers that use marijuana," the former New Mexico governor said. "Are they criminal? No, they're not criminal." California Democrats have already endorsed the measure, and the national Democratic Party recently adopted a "pathway to legalization" as part of its platform. The Republicans, on the other hand, recently rejected supporting even medical marijuana.

Job Opening: NORML Seeks a New Director. In the wake of the resignation of long-time executive director Allen St. Pierre, the nation's largest marijuana consumer group is seeking a new leader. Click on the link for information about job requirements and more.

Drug Testing

New OSHA Rule Warns on Blanket After-Injury Drug Testing. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a final rule for the electronic submission of injury and illness data for certain employers, and in doing so, the agency warns that "OSHA believes the evidence in the rulemaking record shows that blanket post-injury drug testing policies deter proper reporting." Policies mandating automatic post-injury drug testing can discourage reporting of accidents and injuries, OSHA said, adding that blanket testing may be inappropriate: "Although drug testing of employees may be a reasonable workplace policy in some situations, it is often perceived as an invasion of privacy, so if an injury or illness is very unlikely to have been caused by employee drug use, or if the method of drug testing does not identify impairment but only use at some time in the recent past, requiring the employee to be drug tested may inappropriately deter reporting. To strike the appropriate balance here, drug testing policies should limit post-incident testing to situations in which employee drug use is likely to have contributed to the incident, and for which the drug test can accurately identify impairment caused by drug use."

Law Enforcement

Maryland Gives Up on Plan to Ban Letters to Prisoners to Fight Drug Smuggling. State corrections officials have withdrawn a proposed ban on sending letters to prison inmates in an a bid to stop the smuggling of drugs that can be soaked into photos and paper. Public Safety and Correctional Services Secretary Stephen Moyer had proposed the idea last month, but has now folded in the face of opposition from lawmakers and civil liberties advocates, who called the ban extreme and unconstitutional.

International

Italian Parliament Takes Up Marijuana Legalization on Monday. The Chamber of Deputies is expected to debate a legalization bill on Monday. The bill would legalize the possession of up to 15 grams at home and five grams outside the home, the cultivation of up to five plants for personal use, the creation of cannabis social clubs, and a regulated and licensed marijuana industry in the country.

Medical Marijuana Bill Filed in Ireland. An opposition member of the Dail has introduced a medical marijuana bill. Deputy Brid Smith of the Anti-Austerity Alliance/People Before Profit Party filed the measure, which envisions a Cannabis Regulation Authority and a licensing regime. The bill will be debated later as a private member's bill.

Greece Moving Forward on Medical Marijuana. The Health Ministry this week announced the formation of a working group of academics, psychiatrists, and scientific and legal advisers for the prime minister, the health ministry, and the justice ministry to begin examining issues around medical marijuana. The group's task is to propose feasible regulations for medical marijuana, and it is charged to submit its proposals by the end of October.

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