Global Ganja Report

The US Justice Department on Jan. 13 issued a report charging the Chicago Police Department with a pattern of civil rights abuses. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said the federal probe, covering the period from 2012 to 2016, found that the Chicago police force "engages in a pattern or practice of use of excessive force that violates the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution." The Fourth Amendment protects citizens from unreasonable search and seizure.

On April 2, a bipartisan group of legislators from five medical marijuana states—California, Colorado, Maine, New Mexico, and Washington—issued an open letter to President Barack Obama opposing the federal crackdown and calling upon his administration to "respect our state laws." The lawmakers underscored that such an aggressive policy "makes no sense" and is "not a good use of our resources," recalling Obama's original pledge to de-emphasize enforcement in states with medical marijuana laws.

Barely a week goes by without a scandal involving a New Mexico law enforcement officer making the headlines in the state. Angelo Vega, the former police chief of the border town of Columbus, pleads guilty to extortion and trafficking arms destined for La Linea criminal organization, one of the protagonists in the so-called Mexican drug wars.

The New Mexico Department of Health is expanding its medical cannabis program with the approval of six new non-profits to produce the herb for patients. This brings the total number of such producers to 17. There are currently 2,807 medical cannabis patients, with 1,266 of those having individual permits to grow for personal use.

Proposition 19 mastermind Richard Lee spoke to supporters in Oakland after the initiative lost by some 540,000 votes, 46-53%, the night of Nov. 2. "The fact that millions of Californians voted to legalize marijuana is a tremendous victory," Lee said, noting that the measure won 3.3 million votes. "We have broken the glass ceiling. Prop. 19 has changed the terms of the debate. And that was a major strategic goal."

Robert Jones, a 70-year-old cancer patient in Las Vegas, NM, has been notified that he is no longer eligible to receive a federal housing subsidy because he uses medical cannabis. Jones received a letter from the local housing administrator Oct. 12 telling him even though medical marijuana has been legalized by the state, it remains illegal at the federal level. The letter told Jones he was being terminated from the Section 8 voucher program effective Nov. 30. He has filed an appeal.

The country's leading advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (ASA) issued voter guides Oct. 26, highlighting several important races in the upcoming elections, including ballot initiatives establishing two new statewide medical marijuana laws in Arizona and South Dakota, and an expansion of Oregon's law to include licensed cannabis dispensaries. At the local level, voters in California and Colorado will be deciding on dozens of local medical marijuana initiatives, including banning distribution and imposing new taxes on patients. The race for California attorney general, however, may represent the greatest threat to patients this November. ASA strongly opposes AG candidate Steve Cooley, Los Angeles District Attorney and a longtime adversary of the state's medical marijuana laws.

Nearly 4,000 attended the 11th annual Cannabis Revival in Joplin, Mo., on Sept. 25. Among the speakers advocating for legalization of marijuana was former Republican New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson (1995-2002). Kelly Maddy, director of the Joplin chapter of the NORML and organizer of the Cannabis Revival, said the weekend event was held as a way to encourage public involvement in marijuana law reform. Johnson, who has toured the country speaking on the issue, says the drug should be regulated and taxed like alcohol. (AP, The Fuse, Joplin, Sept. 26)