XPost: alt.drugs.pot, alt.hemp.politics, rec.drugs.cannabis
From: bliss@mouse-potato.com

Drug War Chronicle, Issue #1087 -- 1/13/20
Phillip S. Smith, Editor, psmith@drcnet.org https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/1087

A Publication of StoptheDrugWar.org
David Borden, Executive Director, borden@drcnet.org
"Raising Awareness of the Consequences of Drug Prohibition"

Table of Contents:

1. THE TOP TEN INTERNATIONAL DRUG POLICY STORIES OF 2019 [FEATURE]
We're looking at 2019 through the rearview mirror now, but before we
turn our sights to 2020, it's worth taking a few moments to look back at
the last year in international drug policy. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/jan/09/top_ten_international_drug

2. BAD PRECEDENT: WHEN THE FOURTH AMENDMENT DOESN'T APPLY [FEATURE]
The 7th Circuit rules that drugs recovered during an illegal raid are
still admissable as evidence under a little known legal doctrine
elaborated by Antonin Scalia. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2019/dec/23/bad_precedent_when_fourth

3. THIS WEEK'S CORRUPT COPS STORIES
A pervy Florida cops heads to prison, a New Mexico narc is in trouble
for sampling forbidden substances, a Virginia narc pays for outing
snitches to drug traffickers, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/jan/08/weeks_corrupt_cops_stories

4. CHRONICLE AM: SAFE BANKING ACT CHALLENGE IN SENATE, FL MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION BILL COMING, MORE... (12/19/19)
A bipartisan pair of senators file a pair of marijuana bills, a key
Senate Republican is demanding changes in the House-passed SAFE Banking
Act, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2019/dec/19/chronicle_am_safe_banking_act

5. CHRONICLE AM: SD MMJ INITIATIVE QUALIFIES FOR BALLOT, NEW ZEALAND
PILL TESTING STUDY, MORE... (12/20/19)
South Dakota voters will get to decide on okaying medical marijuana next
year, Chicago legal sales are set to begin January 1, New Zealand's
government pays for a pill-testing study, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2019/dec/20/chronicle_am_sd_mmj_initiative

6. CHRONICLE AM: TRINIDAD & TOBAGO LEGALIZES, TRUMP SAYS HE CAN IGNORE CONGRESS'S MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROTECTIONS, MORE... (12/23/19)
No marijuana brews for Oregonians, Trinidad & Tobago legalizes
possession and cultivation, Trump asserts the power to enforce federal
drug laws in medical marijuana states, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2019/dec/23/chronicle_am_trinidad_tobago

7. CHRONICLE AM: PORTLAND DECRIMINALIZE NATURE SIGNATURE GATHERING GETS UNDERWAY, MORE... (12/24/19)
Portland, Oregon, sees a psychedelic decriminalization initiative begin signature gathering, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2019/dec/24/chronicle_am_portland

8. CHRONICLE AM: IL LEGAL MARIJUANA SALES BEGIN, FDA BANS FLAVORED VAPE CARTRIDGES, MORE... (1/2/20)
Legal marijuana sales get underway in Illinois, the Italian Supreme
Court gives the okay to personal marijuana cultivation, Colombia wants
to resume aerial spraying of coca crops with herbicides, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/jan/02/chronicle_am_il_legal_marijuana

9. CHRONICLE AM: TX MJ PROSECUTIONS HALVED, RANDOM DRUG TESTS FOR TRUCK
DRIVERS TO DOUBLE, MORE... (1/3/20)
New York's governor vetoes a bill easing access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction for Medicaid patients, but not for
patients with private insurance; Illinois sold $3.2 million worth of
weed on day one of legalization, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/jan/03/chronicle_am_tx_mj_prosecutions

10. CHRONICLE AM: CA RACIAL PROFILING STUDY, VA GOVERNOR PUSHES FOR
MARIJUANA DECRIM, MORE... (1/6/20)
Virginia's Democratic governor is ready to push for pot
decriminalization as part of a broader criminal justice reform package,
federal opioid funds will soon be available to address meth and cocaine
as well, the Philippines' vice-president rips Duterte's bloody drug war,
and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/jan/06/chronicle_am_ca_racial_profiling

11. CHRONICLE AM: SOUTH DAKOTA MJ LEGALIZATION VOTE, MEXICO'S TOLL OF DISAPPEARED, MORE... (1/7/20)
The MORE Act gets another push, there will be no decriminalization of
marijuana in New Jersey during the lame duck session, a South Dakota
marijuana legalization initiative qualifies for the ballot, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/jan/07/chronicle_am_south_dakota_mj

12. CHRONICLE AM: MD MARIJUANA POLL, USAID BOLIVIA MISSION, ATLANTA PD
DISBANDS DOPE SQUAD, MORE... (1/8/20)
The Atlanta Police are shutting down their dope squad to concentrate on
violent crime, the Florida legislature and state attorney general try to
block a marijuana legalization initiative, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/jan/08/chronicle_am_md_marijuana_poll

13. CHRONICLE AM: MS MEDMJ INITIATIVE QUALIFIES FOR BALLOT, DPA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO STEP DOWN, MORE... (1/9/20)
A search for a permanent new executive director is underway at the Drug
Policy Alliance, Mississippians will vote on a medical marijuana
initiative this year, New York's governor vows to legalize marijuana
this year (again), and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/jan/09/chronicle_am_ms_medmj_initiative

14. CHRONICLE AM: DECRIMINALIZE NATURE HITS DC, COLOMBIA COCA
ERADICATION FIGHT, MORE... (1/10/20)
Vermont lawmakers begin a push to tax and regulate marijuana sales, the Decriminalize Nature movement arrives in the nation's capital,
Colombia's president and governors disagree about aerial eradication of
coca crops, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/jan/10/chronicle_am_decriminalize

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================

1. THE TOP TEN INTERNATIONAL DRUG POLICY STORIES OF 2019 [FEATURE] https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2020/jan/09/top_ten_international_drug

(See our Top Ten Domestic Drug Policy Stories of 2019 feature here (https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2019/dec/18/top_ten_domestic_drug_policy).)

We're looking at 2019 through the rearview mirror now, but before we
turn our sights to 2020, it's worth taking a few moments to look back at
the last year in international drug policy. From marijuana law reform to
the push for drug decriminalization, from the coca fields of Colombia to
the poppy fields of Afghanistan, and from the killing fields of Mexico
and the Philippines, there was a lot going on. Here are ten of the
biggest international drug policy stories of 2019, in no particular order.

1. Marijuana Legalization and Decriminalization Advances

The wall of marijuana prohibition continued to crumble in 2019, albeit
at an achingly slow pace.

A lot of the activity was in Europe. In March, Switzerland (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-swiss-marijuana/swiss-may-let-5000-people-use-marijuana-legally-for-studies-idUSKCN1QH17A)
announced plans to let up to 5,000 people legally smoke marijuana in
pilot studies aimed at shaping rules for recreational use of the drug.

In the Netherlands (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49508526), the government finally moved in August to address the longstanding "backdoor problem," where marijuana is allowed to be sold but there is no legal
source of supply. It announced a pilot program to begin in 2021 in which cannabis cafes in ten Dutch cities will be supplied with legally grown marijuana. The big cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam opted out because
of worries that problems could arise if they all abandoned their illicit suppliers simultaneously.

In Denmark
(https://grizzle.com/copenhagen-legalize-recreational-cannabis/), the
city council in Copenhagen, the country's capital and largest city,
voted overwhelmingly in August to support a pilot program that would see marijuana sold legally across the city. The council has long pushed for
this, but now there is a new left-wing government, so perhaps it will be allowed to happen.

Also in August, Luxembourg (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/07/luxembourg-to-be-first-european-country-to-legalise-cannabis)
looked set to become the first European country to free the weed, as the government confirmed plans to legalize it, saying that residents 18 and
over should be able to use and purchase it within two years. In
December, though, the government said it will still be at least two
years, citing (https://today.rtl.lu/news/luxembourg/a/1446123.html)
"delays in working on policy related to the legislation."

And just at year's end, in Italy (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-cannabis-ruling/italy-court-rules-home-growing-cannabis-is-legal-reigniting-dispute-idUSKBN1YV14H),
the Supreme Court ruled that the small-scale personal cultivation of
marijuana is legal, triggering calls for further legalization. The court declared that laws against growing drug crops should not apply to "small amounts grown domestically for the exclusive use of the grower."

And Israel (https://www.timesofisrael.com/partial-decriminalization-of-public-cannabis-use-to-come-into-effect/)
decriminalized marijuana possession as of April 1. Possession of small
amounts of marijuana in private homes is no longer to be treated as an
offense, criminal or otherwise, while public possession will generate a
fine of around $275, with that fine doubling for a second offense within
five years. Only people who commit a third public possession offense
within seven years will face the possibility of criminal prosecution.

In Australia (https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/25/asia/australia-cannabis-legal-intl-scli-hnk/), Canberra, the national capital, became the first city in the country to legalize marijuana personal use and cultivation. The law legalizes up to
50 grams and two plants per person, but not sales. It is set to go into
effect on January 31, 2020, but conflicts with national marijuana
prohibition, so stay tuned. And in nearby New Zealand (https://www.marijuanamoment.net/new-zealand-government-releases-details-of-marijuana-legalization-referendum/),
the governing coalition announced in May it would hold a binding
referendum on marijuana legalization during the 2020 elections. In
December, it unveiled a government web site
(http://www.referendum.govt.nz) with information on the proposed
legalization bill that will be put before the voters.

In the Western hemisphere, Uruguay and Canada have led the way on
marijuana legalization, but Mexico (https://mjbizdaily.com/supreme-court-gives-mexican-congress-until-april-30-to-legalize-cannabis/)
looks set to be the next over the line. After legislators there failed
to pass legalization by a Supreme Court-imposed deadline at the end of
October, the court gave them an extension until June 1 to get it done. Lawmakers got very close late in 2019 but were unable to close the deal
because of disputes among competing business interests. There was action
in Colombia (https://colombiareports.com/colombias-ruling-party-cornered-after-santos-alleged-to-support-bill-to-regulate-marijuana/),
too, where an opposition senator filed a legalization bill in August.
That bill is reportedly backed by former President Juan Manuel Santos,
but it is the votes of the Liberal Party that will determine whether it advances.

There was progress in the Caribbean, too. In Trinidad & Tobago (https://newsday.co.tt/2019/12/21/president-declares-ganja-bill-law-takes-effect-monday/),
non-commercial marijuana legalization went into effect in December,
allowing people to possess up to 30 grams and grow four plants. A
regulated marijuana marketplace is likely coming in 2020. In St. Kitts
and Nevis (https://timesofcbd.com/island-nation-st-kitts-and-nevis-to-introduce-new-cannabis-legalization-bill/),the
government in midsummer filed a bill to legalize marijuana for
"medicinal and scientific, religious, and recreational purposes." It
remains pending at year's end. A similar effort is underway in the
British Virgin Islands (https://bvinews.com/draft-bill-on-legalising-marijuana-in-bvi-being-reviewed-wheatley/),
where a draft bill to legalize marijuana is being reviewed by government officials.

2. Medical Marijuana on the Move

Acceptance of medical marijuana on the global stage continued to
increase in 2019, and the year got off to a good start in January when
the Israeli Cabinet gave final approval to exports (https://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/house-judiciary-panel-takes-up-bill-to-create-family-drug/article_bfccc9ef-432d-5265-99f3-d78e3658d729.html),
making it the third country, after Canada and the Netherlands, to do so.
The following month, the European Parliament approved a resolution to
advance medical marijuana (https://www.forbes.com/sites/javierhasse/2019/02/13/european-parliament-passes-cannabis-resolution-joins-who-in-supporting-medical-marijuana/#47465cdffd5b)
in countries that form the European Union.

Meanwhile, Thailand (https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/feb/20/maha-vajiralongkor-thailand-king-legalizes-marijua/)
formally embraced medical marijuana when King Maha Vajirlongkorn signed
a decree legalizing it and kratom; and later in the year, a member of
the country's ruling coalition government filed a bill that would allow
people to grow up to six plants for personal medicinal use. (https://www.physiciansweekly.com/thais-allowed-six-cannabis/)And in the Philippines (https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/699446/medical-marijuana-bill-refiled-at-house/story/),
a bill to legalize medical marijuana was reintroduced in 2019. Similar
bills have been filed each year since 2014. Last year, the bill passed
the lower house but failed to get out of the Senate.

In Latin America, Peru (https://www.peruviantimes.com/23/peru-approves-regulations-for-medicinal-marijuana/31095/)
joined the ranks of medical marijuana countries more than a year after
it became law when the government finally approved regulations to cover
its production and use. In Mexico (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-drugs/mexicos-top-court-demands-regulation-on-medical-marijuana-after-long-delays-idUSKCN1V508B),
the Supreme Court in August gave the federal health ministry until
January to issue regulations on medical marijuana.

In the Caribbean, in August, Barbados (http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/2019-was-a-mixed-year-for-the-caribbean_183170)
introduced legislation to establish the legal foundation for a local
medical marijuana industry, joining Jamaica, St. Vincent and the
Grenadines as well as Antigua and Barbuda in approving marijuana
cultivation.

Medical marijuana was sort of on the move at the United Nations too. In

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