William Jones

Friday, 4 January 2019

Chronicle AM: Federal Marijuana Bill Filed, Ciudad Juarez Drug War Killings Surge, More... (1/4/19)

Wow, that was fast: The first marijuana bill of the new Congress has already been filed, an Arizona sheriff finally hops on board the naloxone train, Ciudad Juarez drug war killings are way up, and more.

[image:1 align:left caption:true]Marijuana Policy

The New Congress Just Saw Its First Marijuana Bill Filed. That didn't take long. Reps. Steve Cohen (D-TN) and Don Young (R-AK) on Thursday re-introduced the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States (CARERS) Act. The bipartisan bill would protect state medical marijuana programs from federal interference and open the way for doctors at the Veterans Administration to recommend medical marijuana. The bill is not yet available on the congressional website, but you can view last year's version here. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) is expected to file the Senate version soon.

Heroin and Prescription Opioids

Georgia Joins List of States Suing Opioid Makers for Fueling Drug Crisis. Georgia has now become the latest of more than 30 states that have filed lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies for what they say is their role in fueling the opioid crisis. The state is suing nine opioid makers and distributors in state court for what it calls racketeering and for creating the crisis. “We have over a 1,000 Georgians that died last year, more Georgians dying every day. We have over 1,000 Georgians right now that are suffering from an opioid misuse disorder,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. The state is seeking both monetary damages to repay it for costs incurred fighting the epidemic, as well as punitive damages.

Harm Reduction

Arizona's Pima County Sheriff Finally Gets on Board With Deputies Carrying Naloxone. Pima County, home to the state's second largest city, Tucson, has gotten with the program and the sheriff's department will now issue the overdose reversal to deputies. Deputies in eleven of the state's 15 counties already carry it. Department officials had previously argued it was necessary for deputies because paramedics already carried it and because it might become unstable in the Arizona summer heat, but Sheriff Mark Napier admitted Wednesday that medical experts had told him the worse that could happen was that it might not work.

International

Mexico's Ciudad Juarez Had Nearly 1,250 Murders Last Year. The border city just across the Rio Grande from El Paso saw a big spike in murders last year, most of them drug prohibition-related. The state attorney general's office reported 1,247 killings last year, a big increase from the 772 people killed in 2017 and nearly triple the number killed in 2014. Most of the violence is related to the revival of the Juarez Cartel and to the defection of a key Los Aztecas leader to La Linea. Los Aztecas are also in the midst of internal factional strife. But wait, there's more: There's also a factional fight within Los Artistas Asesinos (Assassin Artists), a street enforcement gang with links to the Sinaloa Cartel, which is also working in the area.

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Thursday, 3 January 2019

goofydawg

for his big hit because I am not sure love these guitars

Just when I think the fervor over this debate has all but fizzled out, it comes rearing its ugly head every now and then. I was in a forum where one person said, “Solid state amps are more like 2D, while tube amps are 3d.” Looking back on it, I think that maybe he was

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Chronicle AM: James Carroll Approved as Drug Czar, Tijuana's Bloody 2018, More... (1/3/19)

Wednesday, 2 January 2019

Medical Marijuana Update

for his big hit because I am not sure love these guitars

One federal agency begins to move on allowing hemp-based CBD products, Florida's legal battle over medical marijuana takes another twist, and more.

[image:1 align:left caption:true]National

FDA Begins Process of Allowing Hemp-Based CBD Products. After President Trump signed the 2018 farm bill into law Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a press release pledging to pursue means of allowing businesses to legally market products containing hemp or non-psychoactive cannabinoids, such as CBD. FDA also asserted its right to regulate such products. "In view of the proliferation of products containing cannabis or cannabis-derived substances, the FDA will advance new steps to better define our public health obligations in this area," FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said. "We'll also continue to closely scrutinize products that could pose risks to consumers."

Delaware

Delaware Judge Rules Fired Medical Marijuana User Can Sue Former Employer. A factory worker fired from his job after failing a drug test can sue his former employer, Superior Court Judge Noel Primos ruled on Monday. Jeremiah Chance claims his firing violated the anti-discrimination provision of the state's medical marijuana law and that he was targeted for retaliation after pointing out safety issues with railroad ties manufactured by the Kraft Heinze plant in Dover. The company had argued that the anti-discrimination clause was preempted by the federal Controlled Substances Act, but the judge disagreed. The law does "not require employers to participate in an illegal activity... but instead merely prohibits them from discriminating based upon medical marijuana use," Primos wrote.

Florida

Florida Legal Battle Over Medical Marijuana Takes Another Turn. A state appeals court this week agreed to stay a circuit court judge's ruling that the legislature and the Department of Health violated the state's voter-approved medical marijuana amendment. The ruling comes in a case involving a Tampa marijuana grower, which challenged caps placed on the number of medical marijuana licensees. While the 1st District Appeals Court approved the stay, it also said its final decision on the case would be "expedited."

Oregon

Oregon to Allow Medical Marijuana Deliveries in Areas That Ban Dispensaries. State regulators have approved medical marijuana deliveries in areas where dispensaries are banned effective December 28. The rules were approved last week after patient advocates voiced concern about rules that limited access to medical marijuana.

South Carolina

South Carolina Poll Has Strong Support for Medical Marijuana. A new poll from Benchmark Research finds that nearly three-quarters of South Carolinians are ready for medical marijuana. The poll had support at 72%, with even 63% of Republicans behind it. Medical marijuana bills last year won some committee votes, but were unable to advance.

[For extensive information about the medical marijuana debate, presented in a neutral format, visit MedicalMarijuana.ProCon.org.]

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Chronicle AM: Federal Marijuana Cases Decline, Oregon Ponders MJ Exports, More... (1/2/19)

for his big hit because I am not sure love these guitars

Federal marijuana prosecutions are dropping as more states legalize, Oregon ponders legal marijuana exports, a South Carolina poll shows strong support for medical marijuana, and more.

[image:1 align:left caption:true]Marijuana Policy

Federal Marijuana Prosecutions Are Declining. In a year-end report from the Supreme Court, Chief Justice John Roberts noted that while overall drug prosecutions increased during Fiscal Year 2018, marijuana prosecutions were down. "Drug crime defendants, who accounted for 28 percent of total filings, grew two percent, although defendants accused of crimes associated with marijuana decreased 19 percent," Roberts wrote.

New York Governor Vows Marijuana Legalization in Inaugural Address. Gov Andrew Cuomo (D) used his inaugural address Tuesday to reiterate his support for legalizing marijuana. "When they write the history books and ask what did we do -- in the face of anger and division, when people were disillusioned, let New York's answer be that in this defining moment we brought healing and light and hope and progress and action," he said. "That New York led on legalizing recreational marijuana, bringing justice and new economic opportunity not for rich corporations, but for the poor communities that paid too high a price for too long." He also promised to propose "the most progressive agenda this state has ever seen, period" within a hundred days, and included marijuana legalization as part of that.

Oregon Ponders Becoming First State to Export Legal Marijuana. The Craft Cannabis Alliance, led by Adam Smith, is working with legislators on a plan to let the state start exporting marijuana to other legal pot states by 2021. Under draft language for a proposed bill, the state would allow wholesalers to ship across state lines to other legal pot states once the governor had signed a pact with the importing state to allow those deliveries. But any proposed bill to allow such sales faces obstacles at the federal level, where marijuana is still illegal.

Medical Marijuana

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This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

for his big hit because I am not sure love these guitars

A Chicago DEA agent gets caught helping a Puerto Rican drug cartel, an L.A. Customs agent gets convicted of big-time drug trafficking, a Pennsylvania police chief's heroin habit gets him in trouble, and more.

[image:1 align:left]In Elizabeth Borough, Pennsylvania, the former police chief was arrested December 19 for stealing thousands of baggies of heroin from the department’s evidence room. Timothy Butler, 42, was the police chief until the day of his arrest, when he resigned. Butler went down after officers complained he was interacting with a person who possessed heroin and that person told investigators he was making controlled drug buys for the chief, which investigators found unlikely. When confronted, Butler admitted the thefts and said he was addicted. He is charged with theft, obstruction of justice, drug possession, and prohibited acts.

In Chicago, a DEA agent was arrested December 20 for allegedly helping a Puerto Rico-based drug trafficking organization. Agent Fernando Gomez, 41, a former Evanston, Illinois, police detective, joined the DEA to help further a “narcotics conspiracy,” prosecutors said. While still with the Evanston Police, Gomez sent guns obtained from drug dealers to a Puerto Rican man who is a member of La Organizacion de Narcotraficantes Unidos. He is also accused of helping the group smuggle drugs into New York. He faces federal drug, conspiracy, and firearms charges.

In Yulee, Florida, a former Georgia narcotics officers was arrested on December 20 on charges he was leading a meth distribution ring. Jason Kelly Register, a former Camden County Sheriff's Office and Darien Police narcotics officer, went down as part of a joint state-federal undercover investigation into meth trafficking in the area and was arrested along with 29 others. Department in McIntosh County. He is charged with conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine, sale of methamphetamine, and using a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

In Los Angeles, a federal customs agent was convicted December 15 of hiring a trucker to smuggle large quantities of drugs from Los Angeles to Chicago. Customs and Border Protection Agent Manuel Salas, 52, a 25-year veteran of the department, went down after the trucker was stopped in New Mexico and drugs were discovered. He then implicated Salas and his wife, who was found guilty of money laundering for accepting cash deposits for the drugs from the trucker. Salas himself was convicted of drug trafficking and conspiracy charges. He’s looking at a minimum of 10 years in federal prison.

In Atlanta, a former state prison guard was sentenced December 21 to seven years and eight months in federal prison for taking money from an inmate to smuggle meth and marijuana into the Hays State Prison. Tiffany Cook, 34, went down after another inmate ratted her out and she was searched as she arrived at work. Prison officials found 118 grams of meth and 150 grams of marijuana inside her bra and vagina. She pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and introducing contraband into a prison.

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