Arizona may relax its past marijuana use rules for police applicants, the International Crisis Group calls out the Colombian government over the assassination of hundreds of activists and human rights workers, and more.

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

Arizona Police Board Proposes Relaxing Rules on Past Marijuana Use for Would-Be Cops. The Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, the organization that certifies all police officers in the state, has recommended relaxing the rules for past marijuana use for people applying to become a police officer. Under the current rules, applicants cannot have used marijuana within the past three years, cannot have used it more than 20 times, and cannot have used it more than five times after turning 21. Under the new proposal, applicants cannot have used marijuana within the past two years. The other requirements related to marijuana use have vanished.

Drug Policy

Oregon's Biggest Newspaper Endorses Measure 110 Decriminalization and Drug Treatment Initiative. The editorial board of the Oregonian, the state's oldest and largest newspaper, endorsed the Measure 110 drug decriminalization and drug treatment initiative on Wednesday. The Oregonian emphasized the drug treatment aspects of the measure and excoriated the legislature for failing to address the state's lack of drug treatment services. "Lawmakers' failure to appropriately fund addiction and recovery services -- investments that would pay dividends in addressing a common factor in child abuse, homelessness and other issues -- merits supporting the measure," the Oregonian wrote. "While some opponents credit the criminal justice system for helping force those with addictions into treatment, it's not showing the widespread success that this state needs. Broadening access to services so that adults -- and juveniles -- can easily get assistance is a public health solution more closely tied with what is ultimately a public health problem. Oregonians should make clear this is a priority for the state and vote 'yes' on Measure 110."

International

Colombian Government Must Protect Communities to Stop Killings of Activists, International Crisis Group Says in New Report. At least 415 human rights and community activists have been killed since January 2016, and the government is not doing enough about it, the International Crisis Group said in a report released Tuesday. The group said the government must prioritize communities' safety over military operations against armed groups and coca eradication efforts. The government must also implement rural reforms to offer alternatives to coca growing and should widen demobilization efforts, the group added. "Without abandoning the goal of dismantling armed groups, Colombia should offer their members realistic pathways back into civilian life through negotiated collective demobilization," the report said."

Mexican Cartels Pose New National Security Threat Post-COVID, Researchers Say. Organized crime has expanded its influence in Mexico during the coronavirus crisis by offering food and other services the government has failed to provide, according to three researchers who have studied the impact of the pandemic on crime rates in the nation's capital. They also point to rising youth unemployment as providing a "fertile field" for the expansion of cartels in the pandemic's aftermath. With increasing poverty levels and a shrinking GDP because of the pandemic, the cartels are well-placed to threaten national security, they said. "Under this adverse economic scenario, once a vaccine becomes available, we expect conventional crime to resume and organized crime to increase even more," said the study. "If this comes true, it could jeopardize the Mexican government's main functions and turn this social situation into a national security issue."