State & Local Legislatures

It's mainly news from California this week, with DEA and LAPD raids leading the way, but also some snippets from Colorado and Montana, and the DEA head goes on the hot seat.

Chicago looks set to pass a marijuana decriminalization ordinance later this month after Mayor Rahm Emanuel endorsed the effort.

Attorney General Holder told the House Judiciary Committee Thursday that Justice is only targeting dispensaries not in compliance with state laws. Medical marijuana advocates called him a liar.

The New Hampshire legislature has sent a medical marijuana bill to the governor's desk, but the governor has threatened a veto, and the push is on to either find a veto-proof majority or get the governor to change his mind.

Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy has signed a medical marijuana bill passed by the legislature last month.

A bill to make simple hard drug possession a misdemeanor instead of a felony was defeated in the California Senate by members who were afraid they could "see Amsterdam" on the horizon. Oh, the horror!

A bill that would bring sorely lacking statewide regulation to California's medical marijuana industry passed the Assembly Thursday and now heads to the Senate.

New York decriminalized pot possession 35 years ago, but NYPD keeps arresting and jailing people for "possession in public view" after forcing them to empty their pockets. Now, the governor and NYC mayor are behind a change in the law to prevent that practice.

Connecticut becomes the 17th medical marijuana state, localities in various medical marijuana states continue to try to keep a lid on the green medicine, and two raids go down and 34 warning letters go down in LA County right at press time.

Decriminalization bills passed both houses of the Rhode Island General Assembly Monday night. There are just a pair of housekeeping votes before the measure heads to Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I).