Colombia's rightist president begins an escalating fight against drug traffickers, Illinois adds a pair of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana, and more. 

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Marijuana Policy

Most Voters Oppose Massachusetts Ballot Initiative Effort To Repeal State’s Adult Use Marijuana Market. New polling from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst finds little voter interest in upending the state's current marijuana legalization laws. A November ballot measure (Question 8) that seeks to repeal key elements of Massachusetts’ voter-approved marijuana legalization regime has the support of only one-third of respondents. 

On the other hand, 55 percent of respondents said they either oppose or are likely to oppose the measure. Only among self-identified Trump voters and Republicans is there support for the effort, but Republicans make up only eight percent of the state's registered voters. 

Previous polls show similar results. A March poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center reported that 63 percent of all Massachusetts voters, including 69 percent of registered independents, oppose repealing the law. 

State voters approved legalization a decade ago, and this effort marks the first time a ballot measure seeks to undo marijuana legalization. This effort is being funded almost entirely by an out-of-state anti-marijuana campaign, SAM Action, Inc.

Medical Marijuana                       

Illinois Program Adds Two New Qualifying Medical Conditions. Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Sameer Vohra announced Tuesday that the department had approved adding sickle cell disease and polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome to the state's list of medical diseases and conditions that qualify for the use of medical marijuana. The department operates the state's Medical Cannabis Patient Program. 

Under state law, Vohra is charged with reviewing public petition requests to expand the approved list of "debilitating medical conditions" based on scientific analysis and medical literature.

"Medical cannabis can provide relief for people living with certain debilitating conditions," Vohra said. "We look forward to working with our medical providers to ensure safe, appropriate access for individuals struggling with these newly approved conditions," he added.

PMOS, formerly known as polycystic ovary syndrome, is a metabolic and hormonal disorder that can cause chronic pain. Sickle cell disease is an inherited group of red blood cell disorders that can cause fatigue, organ damage and episodes of extreme pain.

People suffering from those conditions can immediately begin the process of certification for medical marijuana. These are the 57th and 58th conditions on the list.

International 

Colombia's New Rightist President Sends Lethal "Message" to Rebels. Newly installed Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella had vowed to fight against the drug gangs, paramilitaries, and rebels who profit off the cocaine trade, and he has begun his term with a bang. His government announced this week that it had killed eight rebels in separate attacks on FARC dissidents and members of the Gulf Clan cartel. 

"There is nowhere for them to hide when the State is determined to act," De La Espriella said in a statement. "I have given specific instructions to law enforcement agencies to carry out all necessary operations that were held back by the previous administration (of Gustavo Petro)."

De La Espriella has vowed to build mega-prisons like the one constructed by fellow rightist Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, resume air strikes against armed groups, and resort to the use of herbicides to kill the coca crop.