by borden, March 27, 2012, 07:55pm
A Michigan father is dead after Child Protective Services tried to take his young son away after an unfounded allegation of marijuana use. The deputy who shot him has been cleared, but questions and outrage linger.
by borden, March 27, 2012, 07:49pm
Is testifying that a drug dog has been trained and certified enough evidence to establish probable cause for a search? The Florida Supreme Court doesn't think so, and now the US Supreme Court will take on the case.
by borden, March 27, 2012, 07:45pm
Yet another Pennsylvania school district is being reminded that it can't make students take random, suspicionless drug tests under the state constitution. An 11-year-old girl and the ACLU are suing.
by borden, March 27, 2012, 07:35pm
A DEA sting in which agents portrayed themselves as members of the Zetas cartel and commissioned a group of men to raid a ranch, kill the owner, and seize 20 kilos of cocaine stolen by a rival cartel has ended with one man dead and three others in custody.
by borden, March 27, 2012, 04:40pm, (Issue #727)
An annual drug policy reform grants program is accepting letters of inquiry for the next month.
by borden, March 27, 2012, 04:37pm
The Drug Policy Alliance will allocate roughly $750,000 during the 2012/2013 Promoting Policy Change (PPC) grant cycle. PPC seeks to broaden public support for drug policy reform and will fund
by borden, March 25, 2012, 11:14am
In a historic meeting in Antigua, Guatemala, Saturday, three Central American heads of state attended a regional summit to discuss alternatives to the current drug prohibition regime, which has left their countries wracked by violence.
by borden, March 22, 2012, 10:50am, (Issue #726)
We continue our newest offer for donating members, the drug policy classic reprint: "The Marijuana Conviction: A History of Marijuana Prohibition in the United States." This is one is available for donations of just $22 or more.
by borden, March 17, 2012, 10:28pm
Delegates to the UN's Commission on Narcotic Drugs have voted unanimously to endorse overdose prevention measures, including the use of the overdose reversal drug naloxone.
by borden, March 17, 2012, 10:26pm
A Sanger, California, man is dead after being shot by police as he first pulled a weapons, then tried to flee in an undercover drug bust gone bad.
by borden, March 15, 2012, 04:28pm
The DEA went a step too far when it tried to shut down a pair of Florida CVS pharmacies, a federal appeals court has ruled. The ruling is only temporary, though, so stay tuned.
by borden, March 14, 2012, 07:34pm, (Issue #725)
We continue our newest offer for donating members, the drug policy classic reprint: "The Marijuana Conviction: A History of Marijuana Prohibition in the United States." This is one is available for donations of just $22 or more.
by borden, March 14, 2012, 01:28pm
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.
by borden, March 10, 2012, 03:03pm
A marijuana decriminalization has squeaked to victory in the New Hampshire House, but faces a veto threat from Gov. John Lynch (D).
by borden, March 10, 2012, 02:46pm
The coalition behind this year's California medical marijuana initiative is shifting gears. It has dropped the initiative effort, and will instead concentrate its efforts -- and its cash -- on passing a measure in the legislature.
by borden, March 08, 2012, 05:40pm
Two men have been killed by police in drug raids in Miami Lakes, Florida, and New Orleans. The one in Miami Lakes was armed; the one in New Orleans apparently was not.
by borden, March 07, 2012, 11:37pm, (Issue #724)
We continue our newest offer for donating members, the drug policy classic reprint: "The Marijuana Conviction: A History of Marijuana Prohibition in the United States." This is one is available for donations of just $22 or more.
by borden, March 07, 2012, 11:29pm
Marijuana legalization got a hearing in the Massachusetts legislature Tuesday. While even the bill's sponsor doubts it will pass, it helps pave the way for a legalization initiative in the future.
by borden, March 07, 2012, 11:25pm
Bills are being considered in some states, busts are going on in others, and local governments grapple with medical marijuana from Washington state to New Jersey.
by borden, March 07, 2012, 03:46pm
Bad cops pay out big in New York, a sheriff cleans house in Florida, a sticky-fingered cop gets in trouble in North Carolina, and a California cop gets caught with his fingers in the dope jar.
by borden, March 07, 2012, 02:52pm
The clock is ticking on marijuana legalization initiatives in Oregon. There are currently four different initiative campaigns underway, but at this point, four months away from when signatures must be handed in, only two look like they have any chance of success this year, and both of them are still tens of thousands of signatures from getting on the November ballot.
by borden, March 07, 2012, 12:19pm
Iran executed nearly 500 people for drug crimes last year, according to a new report from Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based NGO. Drug executions made up more than 70% of all executions in the Islamic Republic.
by borden, March 06, 2012, 02:51pm
US Vice President Joe Biden was quick to fight back against the rising clamor for a debate on drug legalization as he landed in Mexico City Monday on a two-day trip to meet with Mexican and Central American leaders.
by borden, March 06, 2012, 02:48pm
The Florida legislature is one vote away from approving the mandatory, suspicionless drug testing of state employees. The courts may have something to say about that.
by borden, March 06, 2012, 02:40pm
In a ruling Friday, a Nevada district court judge ruled that the state's laws for the distribution of medical marijuana were unconstitutional because they seemed designed to thwart their ostensible purpose. The ruling came in the case of two dispensary operators who had been charged with drug trafficking for taking money to grow marijuana for patients.
by borden, March 02, 2012, 11:30pm
Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla has added her voice to the rising clamor for discussions on drug legalization as an alternative to the current state of affairs, in which Central American nations see themselves as increasingly threatened by the illicit drug trade. The discussion should go on even if the US opposes it, Chinchilla said.
by borden, March 02, 2012, 11:27pm
Canada appears set to march boldly backward as the Senate has passed a Conservative crime bill that includes mandatory minimums for growing as few as six marijuana plants.
by borden, March 01, 2012, 06:38pm
The DEA has extended for another six months its emergency ban on five synthetic cannabinoids used to manufacture "fake weed" products. The chemicals are sprayed on herbal mixtures and the resulting product is sold under names including Spice and K2.
by borden, March 01, 2012, 04:47pm
A South Carolina man was shot dead and a Kershaw County sheriff's deputy injured during a narcotics investigation traffic stop that turned violent Tuesday night. Melvin Lawhorn, 26, becomes the 13th person to die in US domestic drug law enforcement operations so far this year.
by borden, February 29, 2012, 11:51pm, (Issue #723)
We are pleased to introduce our newest offer for donating members, the drug policy classic reprint: "The Marijuana Conviction: A History of Marijuana Prohibition in the United States." This is one is available for donations of just $22 or more.
by borden, February 25, 2012, 12:58pm
Lawmakers trying to stop meth labs by forcing people get to a prescription for popular pseudoephedrine-based cold medications like Sudafed are running into strong opposition.
by borden, February 25, 2012, 12:52pm
LEAP has intervened in the Canadian debate over the Tories' harsh crime bill. So far at least they're not listening, to LEAP or others, but the pressure mounts.
by borden, February 25, 2012, 12:42pm
Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn (D) used his state of the city address Tuesday night to make a heartfelt plea for marijuana legalization. The mayor's remarks came as a new poll showed that an initiative that would legalize marijuana is favored by voters.
by borden, February 22, 2012, 06:38pm
From Alabama to Washington, medical marijuana continues to be a burning issue.
by borden, February 22, 2012, 02:30pm
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.
by borden, February 22, 2012, 02:22pm
WASHINGTON, DC -- A high-profile group of current and former law enforcement officials from the United States is calling on the Canadian government to reconsider the mandatory minimum sentences for
by borden, February 22, 2012, 01:06pm
A severe lack of funding could prevent any of the California marijuana reform initiatives from making the ballot. "Anyone got a spare $2 million?" the campaigns asked plaintively at a Mill Valley public meeting Tuesday night.
by borden, February 22, 2012, 12:43pm
The new National Geographic series "American Weed," exploring the Colorado's booming medical marijuana industry and the pushback, premieres tonight at 10:00pm ET/PT. Watch, then come back here to the Speakeasy and let us know what you think.
by borden, February 21, 2012, 06:02pm
More asset forfeiture problems in Texas, plus a typical weekly rogues' gallery of dirty cops.
by borden, February 20, 2012, 06:58pm
Although it has the support of the governor and the public, a Vermont bill to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana is stalled, held hostage by a hostile House speaker, the Barre-Montpelier Times-Argus reported Saturday.
by borden, February 20, 2012, 06:04pm
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is blocking three Senate bills that seek to prohibit new synthetic drugs. Rand spokesperson Moira Bagley confirmed to the Lexington Herald-Leader that he has had a "hold" on the bills for the last three months and that he has no intention of lifting it.
by borden, February 18, 2012, 09:22pm
A Texas man is dead after allegedly running away from, then pulling a gun on, members of Texas combined task force doing a drug investigation.
by borden, February 17, 2012, 06:11pm
Faced with GOP demands to drug test people seeking unemployment benefits, the Democrats first fought them off, then accepted some testing as a compromise to get the payroll tax extension passed.
by borden, February 17, 2012, 04:15pm
The proponents of a Colorado initiative to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol turned in 12,000 additional voter signatures Friday in a last bid to qualify for the November ballot. The initiative needs only 2,400 valid signatures to qualify, meaning a whopping four out of five signatures handed in would have to be invalidated to keep the measure off the ballot.
by borden, February 17, 2012, 01:59pm
A Clay County, Florida, sheriff's narcotics detective and a man he was investigating as a methamphetamine suspect were shot and killed in an exchange of fire Thursday evening. Narcotics Detective David White and the as-yet-unnamed suspect become the 10th and 11th persons to die in US domestic drug law enforcement operations so far this year.
by borden, February 17, 2012, 12:54pm
An initiative that seeks to reform California's three-strikes sentencing law appears to have the financial wherewithal to qualify for the November ballot after philanthropist and drug reform supporter George Soros kicked in $500,000 donation last Friday. The Three Strikes Reform Act of 2012 has now accumulated more than $1.2 million in contributions.
by borden, February 15, 2012, 11:31pm
The White House has released its proposed 2013 federal drug budget, and it looks pretty much like all the other federal drug budgets, only bigger.
by borden, February 15, 2012, 11:27pm
Medical marijuana patients are taking to the streets Thursday, Feb. 16, to protest the Obama administration's clampdown on medical marijuana across the country. And then, there's the action at the state and local level.
by borden, February 15, 2012, 12:25pm
Since California voters made it the first medical marijuana state in 1996, other states have come on board at a rate a little better than one a year. Now, 15 years later, 16 states and the District of Columbia have effective medical marijuana laws, and by year's end, we could have 17, 18 or even more.
by borden, February 14, 2012, 05:08pm
A state trooper transporting marijuana, a pair of cops ripping off drug cash, a constable smuggling across the Mexican border, and a cop with a bad pain pill habit make this week's hall of shame.
by borden, February 14, 2012, 05:03pm
Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina is again speaking out on drug legalization. He said in a Saturday radio interview that he would propose legalizing drugs in a forthcoming meeting with regional leaders, and he specified that that included decriminalizing the transport of drugs through the Central American isthmus.
by borden, February 14, 2012, 05:02pm
Delaware Gov. Jack Markell (D) Friday suspended the regulation-writing and licensing process for the state's medical marijuana dispensaries, essentially killing medical marijuana in a state whose law does not allow patients or caregivers to grow their own.
by borden, February 11, 2012, 05:40pm
A marijuana legalization initiative in Detroit was improperly barred from the ballot in 2010, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled Friday. The appeals court decision overturned the ruling of a Wayne County judge, who had sided with the Detroit Elections Commission's decision to keep the measure off the ballot because they thought it conflicted with state and federal law.
by borden, February 11, 2012, 04:26pm
An initiative that would legalize the limited possession of marijuana in the state of Washington and tax and regulate its commerce is headed for the November ballot to be decided by the voters after the state legislature Thursday punted on the matter.
by borden, February 11, 2012, 04:23pm
The push to mandate drug testing for recipients of public benefits is sweeping statehouses across the country this year, but in two states, those efforts hit a roadblock this week. In South Dakota and Virginia, bills were either defeated or deferred.
by borden, February 11, 2012, 04:19pm
Mexican army troops seized an astounding 15 tons of pure methamphetamine in the western state of Jalisco, the Mexican military announced Wednesday night. That's an amount equal to half of all the meth seized worldwide in 2009 and would have supplied some 13 million individual doses worth over $4 billion on the street in the US.
by borden, February 09, 2012, 10:42am
Busy, busy, busy, at every level from federal rescheduling through bills in the states to local decision-making. The medical marijuana world continues to be very active.
by borden, February 09, 2012, 10:34am
This year is shaping up to be a busy one for marijuana legalization and decriminalization bills at state houses around the country. Here's the rundown on what's going on so far.
by borden, February 08, 2012, 01:27pm
The New Mexico legislature has commissioned a study of emerging and evidence-based harm reduction practices, including supervised injection sites. That could lead the way to a pilot program there. There is also agitation for SIJs in San Francisco and New York City.
by borden, February 07, 2012, 04:32pm
Two of our four bad apples this week come from the Big Apple, one for planting drugs and one for transporting them. Of the other two, one picked the wrong friends and the other picked the wrong wife.
by borden, February 07, 2012, 11:40am
Bills that would require state legislators to undergo drug tests have been filed in Missouri and Tennessee. They're an unsurprising extension of the drug testing mania that has gripped statehouses, but likely unconstitutional.
by borden, January 31, 2012, 11:39am
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:January 30, 2012
by borden, January 30, 2012, 02:27pm
by borden, January 29, 2012, 06:20pm
This video question about marijuana legalization from Stephen Downing, former Deputy Police Chief in Los Angeles and member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, finished first place today in vot
by borden, January 27, 2012, 10:52am
MEDIA ADVISORY
January 27, 2012
Medical Marijuana Patient Surrenders Today; Pardon Sought from Gov Christie
by borden, January 27, 2012, 10:43am
A Missouri campaign to place an initiative to end marijuana prohibition on the November ballot has entered the signature-gathering phase, and petition-toting volunteers across the Show Me state are hunting for registered voters as the campaign looks for funds to help it get over the top.
by borden, January 24, 2012, 05:02pm
by borden, January 18, 2012, 10:03pm
Although is was a relatively quiet week in Mexico's drug wars, it's probably now safe to say that 50,000 people have been killed in prohibition-related violence there since President Calderon sent in the army in December 2006.
by borden, January 18, 2012, 07:25pm
Here's our weekly look at medical marijuana news from around the country. There's plenty going on.
by borden, January 18, 2012, 06:53pm
Jailers smuggling drugs in burritos, cops planting drugs, cops doing security for drug deals, and evidence walking out of the evidence room. It's just another week of police misconduct in the drug war.
by borden, January 18, 2012, 02:32pm
We are only a few weeks into the new year, but statehouse politicians across the country are already racing to see who can be next to introduce a bill that would require drug testing of people receiving public benefits. Within the last month, measures that would impose drug testing requirements have been introduced or are being contemplated in at least eleven states.
by borden, January 12, 2012, 12:00am
The murders, raids, and arrests continue, without making any apparent difference in anything.
by borden, January 11, 2012, 11:49pm
Here's the latest medical marijuana news from around the country. There's a whole lot going on.
by borden, January 11, 2012, 05:54pm
Peru's drug czar has been fired for being insufficiently enthusiastic about eradicating coca crops.
by borden, January 11, 2012, 05:15pm
The Dutch government will ban khat, a plant favored by Somali and Yemeni immigrants for its mild stimulative properties.
by borden, January 11, 2012, 05:12pm
An increase in police deaths by gunfire last year and the bloody Ogden, Utah, drug raid that left one officer dead last week are causing some police to think again about the utility of aggressive drug raids.
by borden, January 11, 2012, 02:58pm
Michigan medical marijuana patients are tired of getting pushed around by state officials, so they've come up with a novel solution: Just repeal the marijuana laws once and for all. An initiative that would do that is getting underway now.
by borden, January 11, 2012, 01:53pm
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.
by borden, January 10, 2012, 09:21pm
Cops continue to have problems keeping their hands off the drugs they come across. And they're developing problems with prescription pills, too.
by borden, January 10, 2012, 11:38am
For the second year in a row, medical marijuana legislation has been filed in Florida, and for the first time ever, bills have been filed in both the House and the Senate. The bills, House Joint Resolution 353 and Senate Joint Resolution 1028, ask the legislature to approve a referendum on medical marijuana for the November ballot.
by borden, January 08, 2012, 01:10pm
The US Supreme Court said Friday it would decide whether having a drug dog sniff at the door of a private residence violates the Fourth Amendment's proscription against warrantless searches. The court agreed to hear an appeal from the state of Florida in a case where the Florida Supreme Court ruled that such searches were indeed unconstitutional.
by borden, January 08, 2012, 01:07pm
The city of Tallahassee has agreed to a $2.6 million settlement in the killing of Rachel Hoffman, a collegiate drug scenester whom police sent to snitch on hardened criminals after a small-time drug bust. A similar case has just popped up in Detroit, too.
by borden, January 05, 2012, 09:02pm
A poll released Wednesday found more support for than opposition to marijuana legalization in Washington state, but with support under 50%. An earlier poll that incorporated the details of Washington's I-502 initiative found more support.
by borden, January 05, 2012, 08:56pm
An Ogden, Utah, police officer was shot and killed and five others wounded, two in critical condition, in a drug raid on an Ogden home Wednesday night. The resident was also wounded and is in custody facing as yet unspecified charges. Although police aren't saying, it appears the target was a personal marijuana grow.
by borden, January 04, 2012, 09:55pm
A federal judge Wednesday threw out a lawsuit filed on behalf of Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) that had blocked the implementation of the state's voter-approved medical marijuana dispensary program. Brewer and state health officials had sued to ask the court for clarification about whether the state's medical marijuana law was preempted by federal drug laws, saying they feared going forward would put state employees at risk of federal prosecution.
by borden, January 04, 2012, 09:51pm
The latest on the medical marijuana front.
by borden, January 04, 2012, 08:04pm
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.
by borden, January 04, 2012, 07:56pm
The US Supreme Court has upheld drug dog sniffs of vehicles, luggage at airports, and packages in transit. Now, the state of Florida wants it to uphold a drug dog sniff at your front door.
by borden, January 04, 2012, 07:46pm
The Chronicle may have taken a week off, but drug prohibition-related police corruption didn't. And so we have two weeks worth of corrupt cops.
by borden, January 04, 2012, 02:50pm
Proponents of a Colorado marijuana legalization initiative turned in more than 159,000 signatures to the secretary of state's office Wednesday, nearly twice as many as the 86,500 required for the measure to be approved for the November ballot. The state has 30 days to verify the signatures and approve the measure for the ballot.
by borden, January 04, 2012, 12:04pm
We can put 2011 to bed now, but not before looking back one last time at the good, the bad, and the ugly. It was a year of rising hopes and crushing defeats, of gaining incremental victories and fending off old, failed policies. And it was a year in which the collapse of the prohibitionist consensus grew ever more pronounced.
by borden, January 03, 2012, 08:11pm
Washington state marijuana legalization initiative supporters turned in enough signatures last week to almost guarantee that the measure will be on the ballot in November. Now, we wait for the state to make it official.
by borden, January 01, 2012, 08:55pm
Five people, including a Florida police officer, have died in recent days in incidents related to domestic drug law enforcement. They become the 49th through 54th persons to die in US domestic drug law enforcement operations so far this year. Of those 54, three were law enforcement officers.
by borden, December 29, 2011, 01:59am
The new year is almost upon us and 2011 will soon be a year for the history books. But we can't let it go without recognizing the biggest global drug policy stories of the year. From the horrors of the Mexican drug wars to the growing clamor over the failures of prohibition, from the poppy fields of Afghanistan and the Golden Triangle to the coca fields of the Andes, from European parliaments to Iranian gallows, drug prohibition and its consequences were big news this year.
by borden, December 28, 2011, 06:46pm
There has been no holiday break in Mexico's prohibition-related mayhem, but it's now looking like this year's death toll is going to be down slightly from last year.
by borden, December 28, 2011, 06:43pm
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.
by borden, December 26, 2011, 04:04pm
Marc Emery is approaching the halfway mark of his prison term.
by borden, December 26, 2011, 02:19pm
Siobhan Reynolds, founder of the Pain Relief Network and opponents of the "war on drugs," died in a plane crash in Ohio Christmas Eve.