Drug War Chronicle #1113 - November 3, 2020

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Drug Reform Measures on Tuesday's Ballot [FEATURE]

Marijuana legalization, medical marijuana, drug decriminalization, and psychedelic liberation are all on the ballot this week. And there's one bad initiative to reverse sentencing reforms.

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Trump and Duterte -- Allies in Violence (video)

Our new video on Duterte's drug war violence and Trump's support for it launches the "Stand with Human Rights and Democracy" campaign. Please visit DemocracyStand.Global, sign up for the email list, and like the campaign's Facebook and Twitter pages.

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"Autocrat Fair" -- Protest by Movement for a Free Philippines and StoptheDrugWar.org, Trump International Hotel

Our October 27 event launched the "Stand with Human Rights and Democracy" campaign, linking drug war human rights issues to the world's big picture challenges of these times.

Federal District Judge Sam Sparks erred by allowing certain testimony in the Coy Jones case. (UScourts.gov)

How the 6th Amendment Helped a Texas Man Overturn His Meth Trafficking Conviction [FEATURE]

If the feds want to use testimony from a snitch, the least they can do is actually have him appear in court.

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Medical Marijuana Update

Missouri and Virginia see their first medical marijuana sales, a Mississippi medical marijuana initiative campaign gets in trouble with the Trump campaign, and more.

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This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

It's jail guards gone wild, an Idaho city marshal gets nailed for peddling pot on duty, a South Carolina deputy heads to federal prison after getting caught in a drug sting, and more.

Turnout is going to be crucial for the Arizona and Montana marijuana legalization initiatives. (Creative Commons)

AZ, MT Marijuana Legalization Polls, NM MedMJ Reciprocity Expansion, British Drug Deaths Up, More... (10/15/20)

The Drug Policy Alliance is in a new push to move the MORE Act, there are new polls on the Arizona and Montana marijuana legalization initiatives, and more.

Fentanyl use has gone up during the COVID pandemic, data from Quest Diagnostics shows. (Creative Commons)

NE MedMJ Activists Take Aim at 2022, Study Finds Heroin, Fentanyl Use Up During Pandemic, More... (10/16/20)

Virginia's governor signs a minor marijuana reform bill into, the Mexican government has captured a major cartel leader, heroin and fentanyl use is up during the pandemic, and more.

Former Mexican Defense Minister General Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda busted on US drug charges. (Creative Commons)

Former Mexican Defense Minister Busted at LAX, MT Legal Pot Initiative Faces Late Legal Challenge, More... (10/19/20)

Missouri and Virginia both saw their first legal medical marijuana sales this past weekend, the US Sentencing Commission reports more than 3,000 federal prisoners have secured sentence reductions under the First Step Act, and more.

Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte says to hold him responsible for drug war killings. Talk is cheap. (Creative Commons)

Filipino President Says Hold Him Responsible for Drug War Killings; NM Pot, Decriminalization Poll, More... (10/20/20)

New York should be advancing marijuana legalization early next year, Mexico's Senate should be voting on marijuana legalization by month's end, and more.

Purdue Pharma will pay more than $8 billion in a criminal case around Oxycontin. (Creative Commons)

Purdue Pharma Pleads Guilty to Criminal Charges Over Oxycontin, Another NJ Pot Poll Looking Good, More... (10/21/20)

The Trump campaign demands a Mississippi medical marijuana initiative campaign cease and desist from saying he supports it, the Transform Drug Policy Foundation releases a book on how to regulate stimulants, and more.

There are fewer people behind bars in the US again this year. (Pixabay)

MT Supreme Court Throws Out Lawsuit Against Pot Initiatives, US Imprisonment Rate at 25-Year Low, More... (10/22/20)

The Montana marijuana legalization initiatives have survived a last-minute legal challenge, the ACLU and DPA challenge the murder conviction of a meth-using California woman whose fetus was stillborn, and more.

Colombian officals say Mexican drug cartels are the biggest customers for Colombia's cocaine. (Pixabay)

State, Local Regulators Call on Congress to Move on MORE Act, Rwanda to Allow MedMJ Exports, More... (10/23/20)

Rwanda okays medical marijuana exports, state and local marijuana regulators want Congress to move on marijuana legalization, and more.

Psilocbyin molecule. Canada has just seen its first legal harvest of psychoactive mushrooms. (Creative Commons)

SD Poll Has Both Legal Pot, MedMJ Initiatives Winning; Canada Sees First Legal Magic Mushroom Harvest, More... (10/26/20)

A new poll has both of South Dakota's marijuana initiatives winning, a Glasgow activist who runs an unauthorized mobile safe inject site has been arrested but is unbowed, and more.

Both Czechs and New Yorkers are ready to legalize marijuana, polls find. (Creative Commons)

NY Poll Has Strong Majority for Marijuana Legalization, Bolivia's New President Will Industrialize Coca, More... (10/27/20)

Both New Yorkers and Czechs are ready to legalize marijuana, Bolivia's new president wants you to use coca toothpaste, and more.

A hemp field. Female hemp plants look very much like female marijuana plants. (Pixabay)

KS Pot Poll Shocker, WY Company Sues DEA, CA Cops Over Destroyed Hemp Field, More... (10/28/20)

Massachusetts' highest court rules worker's compensation doesn't cover medical marijuana costs, a Mississippi mayor has issued a last-minute legal challenge to the state's medical marijuana initaitive, and more.

Breonna Taylor. Virginia just became the third state to pass a "Breonna's law" banning no-knock police raid. (Family photo)

VA Governor Signs "Breonna's Law," Oglala Nation Legalizes Marijuana, Hemp, More... (20/29/20)

Two Native American nations take different paths on marijuana and hemp, Virginia's governor signs Breonna's Law into effect, and more.

It looks like no Marijuana legalization for Kiwis this year. (Creative Commons)

MT Poll Has Rising Majority Support for Marijuana Initiative, New Zealand Marijuana Legalization Falters, More... (10/30/20)

Santa Fe joins a growing list of cities and states that have banned no-knock raids, the Montana marijuana legalization initiatives look like they're heading for victory, and more.

The Democratic presidential contender apologizes for anti-drug bills in the 1990s. (Creative Commons)

Biden Says Tough Drug Policies Were "A Mistake," German Parliament Rejects Marijuana Legalization, More... (11/2/20)

A New Jersey bill to ensure workers' compensation covers medical marijuana advances, a Caribbean island nation embraces psychedelic therapies and wellness, and more.