An Arkansas marijuana legalization initiative can start signature-gathering, DC's medical marijuana program now includes more eligible conditions, Tennessee's governor unveils his prescription drug plan, Canada's mandatory minimum sentencing law is being challenged, and more. Let's get to it:

DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz gets scolded by the medical marijuana movement.

Arkansas Legalization Initiative Approved for Signature-Gathering. State Attorney General Dustin McDaniel yesterday approved the popular name and ballot title for a constitutional amendment initiative that would legalize marijuana. Supporters of the Arkansas Hemp and Cannabis Amendment now have just over one month -- until July 7 -- to submit more than 78,000 valid voter signatures in order to qualify for the November ballot. A medical marijuana initiative sponsored by Arkansans for Compassionate Care is already in the signature-gathering phase.

Medical Marijuana

Group Targets DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz for Not Voting to End DEA Interference in Medical Marijuana States. The medical marijuana advocacy group Americans for Safe Access is now running TV ads criticizing Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee as "out of touch" for voting against a measure to bar the DEA from interfering in medical marijuana states. Wasserman Schultz was one of only 18 Democrats who voted against it while 170 Democrats voted for it. The ads are running on MSNBC in South Florida, where her district is.

DC Medical Marijuana Program Adds New Qualifying Conditions. The DC Department of Health has approved new conditions for which patients will be able to use marijuana. They are seizure disorders, Lou Gehrig's Disease, decompensated cirrhosis, cachexia or wasting syndrome, and Alzheimer's. Hospice patients will also be allowed to use marijuana. Previously, the DC program had been restricted to people suffering from HIV/AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, and muscle spasticity.

Heroin

Ohio Democratic Candidates Call for Tougher Action Against Heroin. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald and Democratic attorney general candidate David Pepper are calling for tougher action against heroin. FitzGerald said he wants tougher enforcement on dealers and that rising heroin use should be treated as a public health emergency. And Pepper called for heroin overdose deaths to be treated like murder. FitzGerald added that not enough dealers are going to prison, especially after a sentencing reform bill passed. The Ohio Republican Party responded calling the Democrats "tone deaf" and "ghoulish," saying that Gov. John Kasich (R) has been a strong advocate on the issue, and besides, Attorney General Mike DeWine's (R) office had just indicted two heroin dealers last week.

Prescription Drugs

Tennessee Governor Rolls Out Prescription Drug Plan. Gov. Bill Haslam (R) Tuesday unveiled his seven-point program to battle problems associated with prescription drug use. "Prescription for Success: Statewide Strategies to Prevent and Treat the Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic in Tennessee" calls for reducing the prescribing of prescription opiates, reducing overdose deaths (including through enactment of a 911 Good Samaritan law), increasing prevention, early intervention, and treatment, and increased cooperation among state agencies and between the state and other entities. While it has a law enforcement component, that doesn't seem to be emphasized. [Ed: There are some good provisions in this document, but reducing the prescribing of pain medications needs to be handled with great care. Although more people are getting opiates now, not all of the people who need them are, and it could easily get even worse for pain patients.]

Drug Testing

California Initiative to Drug Test Doctors Qualifies for Ballot. An initiative that requires random, suspicionless drug and alcohol testing of doctors has qualified for the November 2014 ballot, according to the Secretary of State's office. It also requires doctors to report any other doctor they suspect of being impaired by drugs or alcohol. It also increases the cap on pain and suffering damages in medical malpractice lawsuits, which may the initiative's main goal. Legislative analysts estimate it could cost the state "at least in the low tens of millions of dollars annually" in higher malpractice costs and up to "hundreds of millions of dollars annually" because of changes in the amount and type of health care services provided.

Law Enforcement

In Massive Heroin Sweep, New Jersey Police Arrest Seven Users for Every Dealer. New Jersey cops arrested 325 people during an eight-week heroin sting, but only 40 of them are accused of selling heroin. The rest are alleged heroin users. Authorities said all were arrested on relatively low-level charges and all would have a chance to go through treatment programs, but the head of the state's drug court program said she wasn't sure the system could accommodate all of them.

International

New Zealand Workers Win Drug Testing Case. Workers at a mill who were subjected to mandatory drug tests after two marijuana plants were found growing on the site were treated unfairly and must be compensated, the Employment Relations Authority has ruled. The mill owner had argued that the discovery of pot plants was "reasonable cause" to drug test everybody, but the authority disagreed. "This is a victory for our members, and a victory for common decency and respect," says Ron Angel, a union organizer for timber workers. "Drug testing has to be about proving actual impairment at work - not treating workers as guilty until proven innocent."

Canada Battle over Mandatory Minimum Sentences Heads to BC Appeals Court. A case that could eventually overturn the Conservative government's mandatory minimum sentence scheme for drug offenses is being heard in the BC Court of Appeals today. Earlier this year, a BC provincial court judge ruled unconstitutional an automatic one-year prison term for a person repeatedly convicted of drugs. Lawyers for the government appealed; thus today's hearing. The case is that of Vancouver Downtown Eastside resident Joseph Lloyd, a long-time drug user with 21 previous convictions who was convicted last fall of trafficking small amounts of heroin, cocaine, and meth. The provincial court judge held that mandatory minimum sentences amounted to cruel and unusual punishment.

Bolivian Village to Bake Coca Birthday Cake for UN Head Ban Ki-Moon. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon will be in Bolivia when his birthday rolls around on June 15, and the mayor of Cobija, Ana Lucia Reis, says they are going to bake him a coca birthday cake. "The idea is that Ban tries the coca and realizes that coca is part of our culture and is not cocaine," she said.

Marijuana, marijuana, marijuana. Sometimes it seems like it's sucking all of the air out of the room in drug policy. But there are a lot of other things going on, too. Plus, Michele Leonhart finds a friend, Dana Rohrabacher talks legalization, and Virginia cops are raking in the asset forfeiture cash. Let's get to it:

A marijuana user and his dog. One of a series of photos normalizing marijuana use by Sonya Yruel/Drug Policy Alliance

FBI Ponders Loosening Marijuana Hiring Policies Because Too Many Hackers are Stoners. FBI Director James Comey said Monday the organization may have to modify its no-tolerance policy for hiring people who have smoked marijuana because many of the people it wants to hire as programmers and hackers like to smoke pot. "I have to hire a great work force to compete with those cyber criminals and some of those kids want to smoke weed on the way to the interview," Comey said. He added that the FBI was "grappling right now" with how to amend its hiring policies, which currently exclude anyone who has smoked in the past three years. [Update: Not gonna happen. Comey said Wednesday at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that he is "absolute dead set against using marijuana" and "I did not say I was going to change that ban." His remarks came in response to a question from Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) who was worried about his Monday comments.]

Truven Health Survey Has Support for Legalization at 43% Nationwide. A national survey of attitudes toward marijuana conducted by Truven Health has support for legalization at 43% nationwide, with support for medical marijuana at 78%. Click on the link for more demographic details.

Tennessee Poll Has Three Out of Four Supporting Some Form of Marijuana Access. The latest Vanderbilt Poll has 76% supporting some form of access to marijuana, with just more than one in five (22%) of respondents saying it should not be legal, period. Just under a third (32%) said it should be legal for personal use, while another 44% said it should be legal for medical use.

New Mexico Democratic Gubernatorial Candidates Talk Pot Policy. Marijuana policy is on the agenda in New Mexico, and it's splitting the Democratic gubernatorial candidates. Two candidates -- Alan Webber and Howie Morales -- support legalization and regulation, Lawrence Rael said it should be up to the voters, Linda Lopez wants to "wait and study," while Gary King opposes legalization, but says he supports reduced penalties for personal possession. Click on the link for more details.

Maine Local Legalization Initiatives About to Start Signature-Gathering. Advocates of marijuana legalization got a local ordinance approved in Portland six months ago. Now, they're back and about to start signature-gathering in three more Maine cities: Lewiston, South Portland, and York. The campaign will get underway "in the coming weeks," supporters said.

Medical Marijuana

Illinois House Approves Medical Marijuana for Seizures. The House voted today to approve Senate Bill 2636, which expands the state's medical marijuana law to include both adults and minors suffering from seizure disorders. The measure has already passed the Senate and now goes to the desk of Gov. Pat Quinn (D).

Massachusetts Patients Object to Sales Tax on Medical Marijuana. The state Senate today began debating a state budget, and medical marijuana patients are objecting loudly to amendments proposed by Sen. Brian Joyce (D-Milton) that would impose the state's 6.25% general sales tax on medical marijuana products. "To tax sick and suffering patients is just wrong," said Matthew Allen, executive director of the Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance. "By their very nature, medical marijuana patients tend to be lower income people because that's the nature of serious and chronic illness."

New Mexico Appeals Court Upholds Insurance Coverage for Medical Marijuana. The state Court of Appeals Monday ruled unanimously that an injured worker can be reimbursed for medical marijuana purchases by his former employer and the company's insurer. The appeals court upheld an earlier workmen's compensation decision in favor of the worker. The case is Vialpando v. Ben's Automotive Service and Redwood Fire & Casualty. Attorneys familiar with the case said they knew of no similar rulings in other medical marijuana states.

New York Medical Marijuana Bill Wins Senate Committee Vote. In a historic move, a state Senate committee actually heard a medical marijuana bill -- and then voted to approve it. The Senate Health Committee gave the okay to Senate Bill 4406, the Compassionate Care Act, sponsored by Sen. Diane Savino (D-Staten Island). Medical marijuana bills have passed the state Assembly repeatedly in recent years, only to die of inaction in the Senate. The bill now heads to the Senate Finance Committee, which must approve it before it can go to a floor vote.

South Carolina Limited CBD Medical Marijuana Bill Wins Senate Committee Vote. A bill to allow epilepsy patients to use high-CBD marijuana extracts was approved by the Senate Medical Affairs Committee Tuesday. House Bill 4803 has already passed the House and should get a final floor vote next week.

Asset Forfeiture

Virginia Cops Scored $57 Million in Seized Assets Since 2007. Virginia law enforcement agencies have raked in more than $57 million in asset forfeitures in the last six years, according to a lengthy analysis by The Virginian-Pilot. Under the state's asset forfeiture laws, the cops get to keep 90% of what they seize. In its 2010 report Policing for Profit: The Abuse of Civil Forfeiture, the Institute of Justice gave Virginia a grade of "D-" for both its lax asset forfeiture laws and the ease with which they can be circumvented by law enforcement.

Drug Policy

Embattled DEA Head Has a Friend in Virginia Rep. Frank Wolfe. Rep. Frank Wolfe (R-VA) is sticking up for embattled DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart. She was recently scolded and brought into line on sentencing policy by her boss, Attorney General Eric Holder, and Wolfe took umbrage at that. He called the Obama administration "Nixonian" for trying to get Leonhart back on the reservation. "Having served in the Nixon Administration, I am well aware of how the political leadership of an administration can try to politicize the civil service, including law enforcement," Wolfe wrote in a letter to the Justice Department. "This article [Ed: a Huffington Post piece on Leonhart's comeuppance] suggests a similar 'Nixonian' effort to pressure a career law enforcement leader into changing her congressional testimony and public comments to fit the narrative of the administration. I am deeply concerned and hope you will correct the record if the information reported was inaccurate."

Legalization Gets Discussed at House Committee Hearing. A House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on US-Mexican affairs turned briefly into a discussion of the pros and cons of drug legalization Tuesday. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) asked State Department officials whether it wouldn't be better to weaken drug cartels by legalizing drugs than to spend billions trying fruitlessly to suppress them. But William Brownfield, assistant secretary for State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement ("drugs and thugs"), demurred, saying he couldn't recommend a policy that would increase the availability of currently illegal drugs. Rohrabacher responded by saying he had seen no evidence that legalization would increase the number of drug users.

Students for Sensible Drug Policy Sets National Conference for September in DC. Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) will hold its national conference and lobby day in Washington, DC, on September 26-29. Click on the link for all the details.

Drug Testing

O.pen VAPE Feels the Heat, Backs Off on Drug Testing. The Denver-based marijuana vaporizer company O.pen VAPE took a lot of heat earlier this month when it announced an invasive drug testing policy aimed at "dangerous drug" users. Now, the company has switched gears and has announced it will instead use computer-assisted impairment testing. Celeb Stoner has more details, click on the link to read all about it.

(This article was published by StoptheDrugWar.org's lobbying arm, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also shares the cost of maintaining this web site. DRCNet Foundation takes no positions on candidates for public office, in compliance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and does not pay for reporting that could be interpreted or misinterpreted as doing so.)

The NFL is about to adopt a more sensible marijuana policy, the DEA will unblock imported hemp seeds so Kentucky can do some research, Minnesota legislators try to reach a compromise on medical marijuana, the rate of prescription overdose deaths is up, and more. Let's get to it:

People are dying of prescription drug overdoses at a rate three times that of a decade ago, says the CDC. (wikimedia.org

NORML PAC Endorses a Florida Congressional Candidate. NORML PAC, the campaign and lobbying arm of NORML, has endorsed Democrat Wes Neuman for Congress in Florida's 7th District. NORML says it believes "Wes will be a great champion for marijuana law reform in Washington, DC." Neumann says he will advocate for marijuana legalization.

NFL Reportedly Will Cut Marijuana Punishments. ESPN.com is reporting that when the NFL's new player drug policy is announced, punishments handed out for marijuana use will be reduced. ESPN also reported that the new drug policy will have a higher threshold for the amount of marijuana needed to trigger a positive test result. At least one current NFL player, Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon, is facing a season-long suspension for running afoul of the league's marijuana policy. The NFL Players Association had suggested the league review its policy on marijuana and drug testing in general.

Medical Marijuana

Competing Minnesota Medical Marijuana Bills Head for Conference Committee. The state Senate voted Tuesday not to concur with the medical marijuana bill passed by the House, Senate File 2470, which is more narrowly tailored than the bill that has passed the Senate, Senate File 1641. That means a conference committee will have to try to hammer out an acceptable compromise.

Hemp

DEA Will Allow Hemp Seeds to Enter US for Kentucky Research Project. Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer said Tuesday that the DEA will quit trying to block the import of Italian hemp seeds to Kentucky for research purposes now permitted under the hemp amendment to the recently passed omnibus farm bill. The seeds are being held by US Customs at a warehouse in Louisville. Cromer was ready to go to federal court today, if the DEA had not yielded. The state Agriculture Department and several universities are planning hemp research projects this year, but they need to get the seeds in the ground. The clock is ticking.

Drug Treatment

Massachusetts Drug Treatment Bill Being Debated Today. A bill that would ease access to drug treatment, by forcing insurance companies to cover treatment that's provided without prior authorization from them, is being heard in the state Senate today. The measure is Senate Bill 2133, which was developed by a special legislative committee on drug addiction. There are 37 amendments to get through, too.

Prescription Drugs

Rate of Prescription Drug Overdoses Increased More Than Threefold in a Decade, CDC Report Says. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Health, United States, 2013, finds that the rate of prescription drug overdose deaths in the US increased from 1.9 per 100,000 residents 15 and over in 1999-2000 to 6.6 per 100,000 in 2009-2010.

International

No Safe Injection Rooms for Brighton after UK Government Warns Health Workers of Risk of Arrest. Last year, the Independent Drugs Commission for Brighton and Hove suggested that Brighton and Hove establish drug consumption rooms, saying they could take drug use off the streets and reduce overdose deaths. But those plans have now been shelved after the Home Office warned that health workers working in such facilities might be subject to arrest. The idea also got a mixed reception from the public.

In Face of New Zealand's Renewed Ban on Synthetic Weed, Auckland Deputy Mayor Says Decriminalize the Real Thing. Auckland Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse, who had previously opposed decriminalizing marijuana, has had a change of heart. She told an Auckland Council meeting Tuesday that it didn't make sense to regulate synthetic marijuana without considering safer alternatives -- like real marijuana.

Jamaica Marijuana Conference Coming Later This Month. The inaugural Jamaica Cannabis Conference is set for May 22-24 at the University of the West Indies campus in Mona. The theme is "Wake Up, Jamaica; Our Opportunities Are Slipping Away." Click on the link for more details.

Jamaican Musician and Poet Mutabaruka Tells Gambia to Legalize It. On a visit to Gambia to perform at the 11th annual International Roots Homecoming Festival, famed Jamaican poet and reggae singer Mutabaruka said Tuesday that Gambia should legalize marijuana and that "no youth should be in trouble over marijuana," citing the international movement toward marijuana legalization.

(This article was published by StoptheDrugWar.org's lobbying arm, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also shares the cost of maintaining this web site. DRCNet Foundation takes no positions on candidates for public office, in compliance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and does not pay for reporting that could be interpreted or misinterpreted as doing so.)

Medical marijuana dominates the drug policy news today, plus a legalization bill is filed in New Jersey, welfare drug testing advances in a pair of states, the Russians halt anti-drug cooperation with the US, and more. Let's get to it:

Cannabis oil is a hot item in traditionally unfriendly legislatures (wikimedia.org/Stephen Charles Thompson)

New Jersey Legalization Bill Introduced. State Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Linden) introduced a marijuana legalization bill today. The bill is not yet available online, but Scutari said it is modeled on the laws in Colorado and Washington state. "Anybody that looks at the facts, knows that the war on marijuana has been a miserable failure," Scutari said in a press release. "We're not delusional about how simple the effort would be, but I think from a standpoint of moving this state and this country forward on its archaic drug laws, I think it's a step in the right direction."

Medical Marijuana

Arizona Judge Okays Use of Medical Marijuana Extracts. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled Friday that using marijuana extracts is legal under the state's medical marijuana law. The state Health Department had argued that that the law only allows patients to consume parts of the actual plant, but Judge Katherine Cooper said nothing in the law backs that conclusion.

Arkansas Attorney General Rejects Initiative Language. Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has rejected the popular name and ballot title of a proposed medical marijuana initiative. The initiative is sponsored by Arkansans for Medical Cannabis. Another Arkansas initiative, from Arkansans for Compassionate Care, is already in the signature-gathering phase.

Iowa Lawmakers Introduce Resolution for Medical Marijuana Study. A bipartisan group of 10 Iowa lawmakers have introduced a resolution seeking a legislative interim study of the feasibility of legalizing medical marijuana in the Hawkeye State. Senate Resolution 112 now goes to the Iowa Legislative Council, which meets in June to consider requests for interim studies, which are typically completed prior to the next legislative session.

Oregon Health Authority Says No to Edibles at Dispensaries. The Oregon Health Authority last week released draft rules for dispensaries that do not allow medical marijuana edibles to be sold there. The authority said it feared edibles would be attractive to young people, but advocates said some patients need to take the drug orally.

Tennessee Medical Marijuana Bill Dead. A bill to allow for the use of medical marijuana in Tennessee is dead after sponsors reported no possibility of action on it in the state Senate. House Bill 1385, sponsored by Rep. Sherry Jones (D-Nashville) also got no respect in the House, where the Health Subcommittee heard unscheduled testimony opposing it from the Department of Health and the hearing ended without Jones being able to present an amendment to the bill and get a vote on it.

Alabama CBD Medical Marijuana Bill Passes Legislature. A bill to authorize and fund a $1 million University of Alabama study of the effectiveness of CBD cannabis oil in treating seizures has passed the Alabama legislature. Senate Bill 174 now goes to the governor's desk.

Georgia CBD Medical Marijuana Bill Dies. A bill to allow the use of CBD cannabis oil for epileptic seizures died in the legislature last week. House Bill 885 fell victim to parliamentary maneuvering as the session neared an end. After it passed the House, Senate leaders tied it to a favored autism bill and approved that, but the House never voted on the merged bill. Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon), the bill's sponsor, vowed to try again next year.

Kentucky CBD Medical Marijuana Bill Passes House Committee. A bill to allow the use of CBD cannabis oil for children suffering seizures passed the House Judiciary Committee last week and now heads for a House floor vote. Senate Bill 124 has already passed the Senate.

South Carolina CBD Medical Marijuana Bill Advances, But With Restrictions. A bill that would allow children with epilepsy to use CBD cannabis oil won a Senate committee vote last week and now advances to the Senate floor. The Senate Medical Affairs Committee unanimously approved Senate Bill 1035, but only as part of clinical trials testing federally approved drugs.

Utah Governor Signs CBD Medical Marijuana Bill. Gov. Gary Herbert (R) has signed into law House Bill 105. The measure allows children with epileptic seizures to use CBD cannabis oil and allows their families to bring it back to the state with a neurologist's consent.

Drug Policy

Massachusetts Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Would Consider Decriminalizing Drug Possession, But… Democratic gubernatorial candidate Juliette Kayyem said last week she would consider decriminalizing some drugs, including cocaine, in an effort to treat nonviolent drug offenders differently within the criminal justice system. "Decriminalization of marijuana has been important. I think we should consider it for other drugs, or create more drug courts so that people do not fall into the criminal justice system," Kayyem said. But she later clarified that she meant drug users should be sent to treatment, not jail.

Harm Reduction

Georgia 911 Good Samaritan, Naloxone Bill Passes Legislature. A bill that would provide a "medical amnesty" to people seeking medical attention for overdose victims has passed the Georgia legislature. House Bill 965 was also amended to include allowing for the distribution of the overdose reversal drug naloxone. It now heads for the desk of Gov. Nathan Deal (R).

New Jersey EMTs to Carry Overdose Reversal Drug. The office of Gov. Chris Christie (R) announced last week that emergency medical technicians will be able to carry and administer the overdose reversal drug naloxone. The move required a waiver of state EMT rules, which do not cover the use of naloxone. "Allowing first responders to administer Narcan [naloxone] will save lives," Christie said in a statement. "We want to encourage people to seek medical assistance when a drug overdose occurs."

Drug Testing

Georgia Food Stamp Drug Testing Bill Passes Legislature. A bill requiring food stamp recipients to undergo drug tests if state officials have "reasonable suspicion" they are using drugs has passed the state legislature on the last day of the session. House Bill 772 now goes to the desk of Gov. Nathan Deal (R) for a signature.

Michigan Senate Passes Welfare Drug Testing Bill. A bill that would require drug testing for welfare recipients if state officials suspect they are using drugs has passed the state Senate. It would set up a pilot program in three counties. The bill is part of a package of welfare drug testing bills that are still under consideration in the House.

Methamphetamine

Illinois Pseudoephedrine Prescription Bill Gets Hearing. A bill that would require prescriptions to obtain cold medications containing the meth precursor pseudoephedrine got a hearing before a Senate panel last week. Senate Bill 3502 is supported by law enforcement, but opposed by OTC drug manufacturers.

Sentencing

New Jersey Supreme Court Committee Report Urges Major Bail Reforms. The state Supreme Court has released a report from its Joint Committee on Criminal Justice calling for significant changes to the current bail system in New Jersey and enactment of speedy trial legislation. Click on the links for more details.

International

Russians Warn US Sanctions Will Halt Anti-Drug Cooperation. Russia's anti-drug agency said Friday US sanctions imposed over the Crimea crisis would wreck its cooperation with the US. "The U.S. administrations' arbitrary and ill-considered decision will, in one day, destroy our unique experience of cooperation," the agency said.

Canadian Court Rules Medical Marijuana Patients Can Keep Growing Their Own. A Canadian federal court judge has issued an injunction exempting patients already licensed to possess or grow medical marijuana from the Conservative government's new rules attempting to restrict such grows to commercial facilities. The federal government announced its plans to overhaul the production of medical pot last year, arguing the current system had grown out of control and was rife with problems ranging from unsafe grow-ops to infiltration by criminals. The injunction is only good while a lawsuit filed by patients works its way through the courts.

Bermuda Marijuana Reform Report Coming Next Month. A final report detailing local opinions on cannabis reform is to be handed in to the government by April 17, according to the Cannabis Reform Collaborative (CRC). The group has canvassed views through seven focus groups, targeting different age groups. Bermuda's marijuana laws are being appraised following a call last year by National Security Minister Michael Dunkley for a public discussion on decriminalizing the drug.

Bermuda Has Near Majority for Marijuana Decriminalization. The Bermuda National Household Survey on Drug Consumption and Health is out, and it shows that nearly 49% support marijuana decriminalization, with 41% opposed and 9% undecided.

Australian Government Toughens Penalties for New Synthetics. The Australian government said it has added four substances marketed as "synthetic LSD" to its list of drugs that attract the most serious penalties. Under the move, importers will face a minimum of two years in jail. Currently, importers pay only a fine set a three times the value of the product. The substances are derivatives of phenethylamine marketed under names like "N-Bomb."

(This article was published by StoptheDrugWar.org's lobbying arm, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also shares the cost of maintaining this web site. DRCNet Foundation takes no positions on candidates for public office, in compliance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and does not pay for reporting that could be interpreted or misinterpreted as doing so.)