Medical Marijuana

Maine is about to become the latest state to set up a medical marijuana dispensary system. The measure has passed the legislature and the governor is expected to sign it.

Support for medical marijuana is broad and deep among the American public, and support for general pot legalization continues to trend upward, although we're not quite over the top nationally, a new poll finds.

Both a medical marijuana dispensary initiative and a hemp/marijuana legalization initiative are trying to make the November ballot in Oregon. The dispensary initiative is currently better positioned to do so, but the legalization initiative has about 90 days to join it.

New Jersey MS patient John Ray Wilson was convicted of growing marijuana in December. The state legalized medical marijuana in January. But Wilson was still sentenced to five years in prison last week.

Students for Sensible Drug Policy held its 11th annual national convention in San Francisco last weekend. It was the biggest one yet, and they couldn't have picked a more inviting locale.

In 2006, South Dakota voters won the dubious distinction of being the only ones in the nation to reject an initiative allowing for medical marijuana. This year, they will have a chance to make up for that. The Secretary of State has just certified an initiative for the November ballot.

The Hawaii legislature has overwhelmingly passed not one, not two, but three different marijuana reform measures -- two dealing with medical marijuana and one with decriminalization. Now, the Aloha State needs a strong showing in the House to avert a likely gubernatorial veto attempt.

MedicalMarijuana.ProCon.org, part of the ProCon.org family, is an in-depth web site presenting information and views from a variety of perspectives on the medical marijuana issue. The Chronicle is running a series of info items from ProCon.org over the next several weeks, and we encourage you to check it out.

The DEA's efforts to subvert administration policy favoring state medical marijuana laws is not winning it any friends, and is gaining it some powerful new opponents.

Stop the presses! Global drug prohibition bureaucrats say drug reform is bad! But each year, they're getting more flak for their efforts.