Global Ganja Report

Gun battles raging in the Jamaican capital have left more than 60 people dead, hospital sources said May 25, as troops fanned out across the city hunting for accused drug kingpin Christopher "Dudus" Coke. Police put the death toll at 27, but Prime Minister Bruce Golding admits the actual figure may be much higher.

Vancouver's "Prince of Pot" Marc Emery, extradited from his native Canada, pleaded guilty in US District Court in Seattle on May 24 to conspiracy to manufacture marijuana. As part of a plea bargain, Emery, 52, must serve five years in prison for selling seeds to US customers through his business, Marc Emery Direct. He will remain in custody at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac until sentencing.

Police in the Humboldt County town of Arcata are warning LSD users to beware after responding to a rash of incidents apparently connected to bad acid trips. Police said the problems began last month when officers responded to a home where paramedics found a 31-year-old man who had castrated himself.

Running battles between police and gunmen of the Shower Posse gang turned part of Jamaica's capital Kingston into a warzone on May 24, with reports of explosions and civilian casualties. Two police were killed the previous day as police moved in to arrest accused kingpin Christopher "Dudus" Coke for extradition to the US. The confirmed death toll has now reached three, as a soldier was killed breaking through street barricades in the Tivoli Gardens neighborhood.

Fifteen Members of Congress sent a letter May 21 to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner urging him to issue "written guidance for financial institutions," that would commit the Department to not targeting institutions whose account holders are in compliance with state medical marijuana laws.

A state of emergency was declared in Jamaica’s capital, Kingston, and the neighboring St Andrew parish May 23, as pitched street battles broke out between police and supporters of drug kingpin Christopher "Dudus" Coke over the government's decision to extradite him to the US. A police station was set ablaze, and areas of the capital are described as a war zone. Two police officers have been killed and six others wounded in the street clashes.

Local law enforcement, following a year-long investigation dubbed "Operation Chicago Haze," arrested a dozen people alleged to be members of one of the region's largest marijuana dealing rings on May 21. The suspects were charged with crimes including cannabis trafficking, delivery of cannabis, and money laundering.

One day after robbers struck the South Bay Cannamed Patient Association in San Jose, Calif., on May 20, holding employees and customers at gunpoint, the local Medical Cannabis Collectives Coalition called on the City Council to act swiftly in drafting a medical marijuana ordinance. Stephen De Angelo, executive director of Harborside Health Center in San Jose and a spokesman for the coalition, said that in a legally regulated environment, collectives would be required to take basic security measures.