World Drug Day, DEA, Habersham, Bad Cops, Militarization, Legalization and Decriminalization, Medical Marijuana, Colorado, Prison, Death Penalty, Innocence, Trial and Error, Law and Disorder, Fuzz-y, Recording

World Drug Day

• Branson: The War on Drugs Has Failed, So Let's Shut it Down
• States Undo Food Stamp Felon Bans—"Two states are taking small steps away from a little-known aspect of the war on drugs."
• Reduced sentences urged for non-violent drug offenders
• City of Chicago Files Lawsuit Blaming Painkiller Marketing for Prescription Drug Epidemic
• Having authoritarian parents increases risk of drug use in adolescents, European study finds
• New drug called Snapchat hospitalising users—"Australian police have issued a warning about a new drug called Snapchat, branded with the Snapchat logo and based on bath salts."
• Mexican Drug Cartel May Have Penetrated Rural Ohio Town, Police Say

DEA

• Is DEA Dazed & Confused Over Industrial Hemp?—"The Department of Agriculture needs hemp seeds for critical research. Why is the DEA trying to stop them?"
• Mass. Doctors Say DEA Pressuring Them To Resign From Medical Marijuana Companies—"Several Massachusetts doctors associated with prospective medical marijuana dispensaries are reportedly facing intense pressure from the federal government to cut ties with those companies."
• DEA obstructs research into medical marijuana: report—"Study says agency should not be in charge of scheduling drugs or giving access to drugs for medical research."

Habersham

• Raid that injured toddler based on info from informant
• Investigation into botched Habersham County drug raid growing
• D.A.: "I did not tell Habersham county sheriff there was nothing to investigate" in flashbang baby case
• A SWAT team blew a hole in my 2-year-old son Salon

Bad Cops

• Jury awards more than $2 million to family of pastor killed by narcotics task force WaPo
• Family sues over drug raid of wrong house: San Bruno residents claim multiple violations for June incident
• Man angry after police break into and damage his truck over dubious marijuana suspicion
• These pot searches by police don't pass the smell test
• Seattle police seize more than 2K illegally grown pot plants—"Detectives, however, didn't arrest anyone and said they were only interested in bringing the operation numbers down to the legal limits."
• Police Department Sued For Allegedly Seizing Pot Plants—"A group of medical marijuana patients on the Big Island of Hawaii are suing to get back pot plants that were allegedly seized wrongfully by police."
• Thousands of Rapists Are Not Behind Bars Because Cops Focus on Marijuana Users

Militarization

• Report: SWAT Teams Armed With Military Equipment Spend Most of Their Time Waging the Drug War
• Here's The Crazy Cache Of Military Weapons Arizona's Cops Have At Their Fingertips
• Scenes from militarized America: Brookline, Mass., and the Michigan State Police WaPo
• Report Points To 'Dangerous Militarization' Of U.S. Law Enforcement
• The Police States of America: Five stories that prove we've lost the battle against police

Legalization and Decriminalization

• Yes, We Cannabis—"Has the legalization of marijuana in America become inevitable?"
• Cops Like Me Say Legalize All Drugs. Here's Why.—"Who exactly is prohibition supposed to be helping? After many years of enforcing drug laws as a police officer, my experience with an addicted family member changed my attitude for good."
• Attorney says marijuana wrongly classified as dangerous drug, federal prosecution unfair—Separately, the FDA is looking into this.
• "Evergreen" reveals the weird lessons of Washington's weed battle—"After Colorado and Washington, we're on the way toward national legalization. But will liberals get left behind?" Salon
• Delaware Might Be The Next State To Legalize Marijuana
• Texas GOP Won't Pass the Marijuana
• Philadelphia City Council Votes to Decriminalize Marijuana—It's a veto-proof vote, not that it will matter to the police.
• Jamaica to decriminalize personal marijuana possession
• Anti-marijuana candidate loses in Uruguay primary
• Pope condemns efforts to legalize marijuana—Booooo.

Medical Marijuana

• Florida governor signs law allowing limited medical marijuana use
• Sheldon Adelson Bankrolls Anti-Medical Marijuana Push—"Mogul gives $2.5M to Florida referendum opponents."
• Families celebrate new Iowa marijuana law—Gov. Terry Branstad signed Senate File 2360, legalizing medical marijuana.
• New York Is About to Legalize Medical Marijuana (But With No Smoking Allowed)
• Uruguay set to allow doctors to prescribe cannabis

Colorado

• Despite dire predictions, Denver crime falls over 10 percent in wake of pot legalization
• No Colorado marijuana stores found selling to minors in police checks
• Colorado's poster boy for 'stoned driving' was drunk off his gourd—"Earlier media reports played up Keith Kilbey's pot use, made no mention of alcohol." WaPo
• After 5 Months of Sales, Colorado Sees the Downside of a Legal High NYT
• Hershey's sues Colorado pot candy company

Prison

• Unsealed records allege brutality, corruption in Denver Jail & witness intimidation by police
• Los Angeles: Ex-Deputy Says He Was Trained To Beat Up Inmates Then Cover It Up
• Jurors hear of deputies' attempt to coerce FBI agent—'She told the lies, she testified before a federal grand jury, in an attempt to find out the details of the FBI's civil rights investigation into county jails."
• Judge's Decision to Hear Inmates' Case Threatens Practice of Solitary Confinement NYT
• Censored and 'Obscene' in Solitary—"After a huge hunger strike to protest the state prison system's inhuman conditions, California is threatening to ban any written material deemed 'oppositional to authority and society.'"
• Deaf inmate sues Oregon prison system for not providing sign-language interpreters—Instead, the Department of Corrections "required Mr. VanValkenburg to train inmates to act as interpreters for him, who were unqualified and failed to keep Mr. VanValkenburg's information confidential."
• Texas inmates sue over lack of air conditioning
• Georgia Police Left Two Teenagers In A Holding Cell With No Lights Or Food For An Entire Weekend
• Prisoners freed after cops struggle with new records software—"Officers didn't get enough training on the new system, which went live June 1, according to Dallas's police chief."
• Modern-Day Slavery in America's Prison Workforce—"Why can't we embrace the idea that prisoners have labor rights?"
• Even America's most liberal states imprison more people than nearly any other country in the world
• This Is How Much More States Spend On Prisoners Than On Students

Death Penalty

• Is It Legal to Try Executing Someone Twice?—"The Ohio Supreme Court will decide whether Romell Broom should be put to death—again."
• Texas execution appeal on drug secrecy grounds rejected by US supreme court—"Robert James Campbell's attorneys had demanded Texas officials disclose the source of drugs intended to execute him."
• Autopsy Shows Just How Royally Oklahoma Screwed Up Clayton Lockett's Execution—"Preliminary findings suggest the inmate's executioners had no clue what they were doing."

Innocence

• Man who served 26 years in prison in arson case is suing Ionia police, prosecutor—"The lawsuit says the defendants conspired to create a false case ...."
• 5 Exonerated in Central Park Jogger Case Will Settle Suit for $40 Million—"The five men whose convictions in the brutal 1989 beating and rape of a female jogger in Central Park were later overturned [Salon] have agreed to a settlement of about $40 million from New York City." NYT
• Man cleared in '89 NYC killing plans $162M claim—' A man recently exonerated in a 1989 New York City killing that happened while he was visiting Disney World filed papers Tuesday outlining plans to seek $162 million from the city, one of his lawyers said." WSJ
• For a Respected Prosecutor, An Unpardonable Failure—"Evidence of a convicted murderer's possible innocence sat buried in a case file for more than two decades. Now, a prosecutor in Brooklyn will have to answer for the mistake."
• Proposed Michigan law: Pay exonerated prisoners
• When Innocent People Go To Prison, States Pay

Trial and Error

• Chemical Reaction—"[T]he high court ruled—in a unanimous exercise of comic power—that the federal government should never have been using an international chemical weapons treaty to prosecute a jealous wife in the first place."
• Marshall: The Law Is An Ass—On SCOTUSBlog's press credentials denial.
• Ex-U.S. attorney takes stand: 'I don't owe anyone $100 billion'—"Former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald is no stranger to the inside of a federal courtroom, but on Tuesday he found himself in an unusual position: on the witness stand testifying at a bizarre trial of a sovereign citizen follower who allegedly had tried to place a bogus $100 billion lien on his residence."
• More Time Sought for Robber Who Was Homesick for Prison
• Man Killed Hours After Jury Accidently Acquits Him—"Unable to reach a verdict, Pearson's jury mistakenly signed a not-guilty form Wednesday — despite the judge later learning jurors had actually deadlocked. After his release, Pearson, 37, went to a relative's house and within hours he was killed in a fight."
• Cleveland man collapses, dies outside courtroom after judge issues sentence
• Man curses judge and gets 364 days in jail for contempt

Law and Disorder

• Thief Forgets To Log Off Facebook After Burglarizing Home
• Woman dials 999 over ice cream sprinkles row
• Man calls for help during home invasion, gets voicemail
• 3 men escape from Canadian jail using helicopter—The Transporter unavailable for comment. Wow...
• Police Say Woman Was Strangled In Her Bathtub Soon After Posting On Facebook Picture Of A Large Amount Of Money
• Va. man dies in hole dug in sand on Outer Banks beach
• Man dies in wood chipper accident

Fuzz-y

• Woman shoots at would-be home intruders—They were allegedly impersonating the police.
• Florida man charged with impersonating cop after pulling over real detective
• Police drop case of protester arrested for impersonating a police officer while wearing a pig mask

Recording

• Putting cameras on police officers is an idea whose time has come WaPo
• Can Cop-Worn Cameras Restore Faith In New Orleans Police?
• Blast from the Past: As More Police Wear Cameras, Policy Questions Arise
• Jail video police swore 'did not exist' released in brutality complaint—"Gaps in video raise new questions about case of disabled man alleging mistreatment."
• Woman charged with wiretapping for filming cops wins $57,000 payout—"Settlement follows appeals court declaring 'First Amendment' right to record."
• New York Photojournalist Wins $200,000 Settlement from Incident Caught on this Video
• Drones in L.A.: South Bay man flies aircraft to monitor police
• Pittsburgh Investigating Officer's Violent Exchange At Gay Pride Event
• Facebook Video Shows Cops Grab Man's Camera, Assault Him and his 58-Year-Old Mother
• Woman Attacks Man for Flying Camera Drone over Public Beach in Connecticut—And gets caught lying about the attack but charges may be dropped.
• Video: Toddler Tries To Stop Attack On Mother—Was the fight over a guy?

War on Drugs, 420; Police State, Bad Cops, Brutality, Don't Tase Me, Bro; Law and Disorder, Trial and Error, Innocence, Prison, Death Penalty, Guns, Recording; Ticket, Road Rage

War on Drugs

• Toddler critically burned during SWAT raid—"Phonesavanh told Young the grenade landed in the child's crib, and she showed him a photo of a charred portable crib."
• Federal judges challenging stings as 'fictitious crime'—"Two federal judges have ruled that widely used sting operations designed to ensnare suspects with the promise of a huge payday for robbing an imaginary drug stash house are so 'outrageous' that they are also unconstitutional. One judge said the charges were so unfair that he threw them out after three suspects already pleaded guilty."
• NYPD Still Making Thousands Of Marijuana Arrests, And One Lawmaker Has Had Enough
• Despite new law, pot arrests still likelier than fines—"New study shows state, Chicago inconsistent in enforcing tickets and fines for holding small amounts of cannabis. 98.7% of marijuana arrests involved simple possession.
• Texas man facing possible life sentence for pot brownies
• N.D.Ga.: Court doesn't buy officer testimony they smelled marijuana; search suppressed
• Today's Heroin Addict Is Young, White And Suburban—Wrong color to arrest?

420

• House Votes To End DEA Raids On Legal Medical Marijuana Operations—"'Marijuana does not make people commit crime. It makes them overeat,' Rep. Steve Cohen said. The amendment passed 219-189." Next step is the Senate.
• Illinois House Approves Medical Cannabis for Epileptic Kids
• Legal marijuana created thousands of jobs in Colorado
• The FBI Is Struggling to Hire Hackers Who Don't Smoke Weed
• FBI Director: Don't Let Weed Stop You from Applying to the FBI—It's a trap!
• Apple pulls popular weed-growing game from App Store
• One Direction Stars Smoke Joint, World Keeps Spinning

Police State

• City of Aurora, Police Sued for 'More-Than-Two-Hour Mass Roundup' of Innocent People in Search for Bank Robber
• Pennsylvania cops don't need a warrant to search your car? That's a problem
• 7th Circuit upholds warrantless entry, seizure of gun rights activist
• In Complaint, Activists Seek Audit of New York Police Surveillance—"After reports that the Police Department secretly monitored political groups, several are requesting a review of its intelligence-gathering operations." NYT
• Another Bogus Hit From A License Plate Reader Results In Another Citizen Surrounded By Cops With Guns Out
• Police use cellphone spying device
• Root backdoor found in surveillance gear used by law enforcement—"Vulnerability one of nine critical weaknesses from lawful intercept provider."
• OKC police, FBI, Homeland Security raid SW OKC home—Warranted a trifecta.
• Where did $1 million of seized money go?—"San Diego Police Department is looking for the funds, missing from records."
• Banned, On the Run—"Baltimore Police freeze out a Sun reporter; Sun management follows suit."

Bad Cops

• $650G for New York woman mistakenly shot by police—"A county police officer shot the Hempstead woman in the chest after bursting into the wrong apartment while hunting for drug dealing suspects."
• Police must ID officers in on-duty shootings, court rules—"Police agencies must reveal the names of officers involved in on-duty shootings unless there is specific evidence that disclosure would pose a safety threat, the California Supreme Court decided Thursday."
• Cleveland police officer to be suspended for inappropriate behavior —Issued citation to get woman's personal information.
• Man in Pig Mask Arrested for Impersonating Police Officer
• Woman Sues City After Chicago Police Officer Shoots, Kills Puppy
• Tupac's final words revealed by police officer on scene of murder
• Co-owner of restaurant tells 911 not to send police
• Officer Arrested After Holding Gun To 5 Year Old's Head
• Miami Gardens 'Stop & Frisk' Nabs Thousands of Kids, Finds 5-Year-Olds 'Suspicious'—"Stop and Frisk quota policy at Miami Gardens Police Department results in over 99-thousand stops in a city of 110-thousand people."

Brutality

• Albuquerque Police Face Federal Scrutiny, Local Outrage
• Autopsy: James Boyd was shot in the back and arms—"Boyd's family suing Albuquerque."
• Seattle Police Say Force Policies Unconstitutional—"Dozens of Seattle police officers have filed a federal civil rights complaint against city and federal officials, saying use-of-force polices are restricting their constitutional rights to protect themselves."
• State trooper convicted of official oppression for illegal searches—"Ex-trooper pleads guilty to official oppression for cavity searches on 2 female motorists."
• Jury weighs police pepper spray that blinded woman
• Victim's friend called 911 before beating to complain of harassment by off-duty cops, sources say
• BPD officers allegedly shot teen with BB gun
• I was the victim of police brutality: How I survived my brush with death—"In 2010, Chicago police officers viciously attacked me. The incident haunted me — and then I made a discovery." Salon

Don't Tase Me, Bro

• Teen Treated At Local Hospital Dies After Being Tased By Police
• Supreme Court vacates police-immunity ruling in suit over multiple Tasering
• Cops Used TASER Several Times On Mentally Ill Man, Family Says
• Suit: Officer Instructed 'Tase The Bitch' During Deadly Beating

Law and Disorder

• Cal graduate sues In-N-Out over spilled coffee—Restaurant claims company policy not to call 911.
• Woman's Story in Fatal S.C. Shooting Was a Lie: Deputies—"A South Carolina woman lied to investigators about the death of a friend who she said asked her to shoot him to test his bulletproof vest, sheriff's deputies said Friday."
• French father tried for ordering daughter's killer kidnapped from Germany
• Indian woman pushed off train to her death—"The woman's two children boarded the air-conditioned coach then the conductor told the woman her tickets entitled them to travel only in a cheaper coach...."
• Southern California city drops bill against Sriracha hot sauce plant

Trial and Error

• New York Federal Judge: Tens Of Thousands Of Innocent People Have Likely Pleaded Guilty—"A prominent New York federal judge said this week that a broken guilty plea system is sending too many people innocent people to prison, coerced by the threat of long prison sentences and not enough information."
• Final Word on U.S. Law Isn't: Supreme Court Keeps Editing—"The Supreme Court has been quietly revising its decisions years after they were issued, a secretive process that has led judges, lawyers and scholars astray." NYT
• Arrestee alleges government misconduct; federal magistrate orders arrestee to apologize and recant, as a condition of bail —How is this not a miscarriage of justice? WaPo
• N.C. judge overturns Darryl Howard conviction, finds prosecutor misconduct by Mike Nifong—"Ruling comes as new book tries to rehabilitate Mike Nifong's reputation." WaPo
• Italy: Murder trial is suspended after judge spots court staff having sex

Innocence

• Innocent man cleared after serving 10 years as 'Bronx rapist'
• New York prosecutor to re-examine 90 convictions—"Fueled by the freeing of a prison inmate who claimed a detective framed him in a 1990 murder, the Brooklyn district attorney's office has undertaken one of the nation's most ambitious efforts to revisit cases of people put behind bars decades ago to determine whether they were wrongly convicted."
• Man freed after wrongful murder conviction earns law degree

Prison

• End Mass Incarceration Now—"The American experiment in locking up vast numbers of citizens has been a moral, legal, social and economic disaster. It cannot end soon enough." NYT
• Punitive damages—"Q&A on the economic and social costs of rising U.S. incarcerations, despite dipping crime rates."
• $25M lawsuit for inmate who 'baked to death' in New York prison—"Mother of Jerome Murdough, mentally ill homeless veteran found dead in overheated jail cell, filing wrongful death lawsuit."
• Miami Herald: Allegations Of Abuse Of Mentally-Ill In Florida Prison—"A 50-year-old mentally ill inmate at the Dade Correctional Institution, Rainey was pulled into the locked shower by prison guards" and "was left there unattended for more than an hour…. When guards finally checked on prisoner 060954, he was on his back and dead. His skin was so burned that it had shriveled from his body…."
• Inmate in solitary confinement says jail ignored birth, leading to baby's death
• Invasive airport body scanners have found a new home at US prisons

Death Penalty

• U.S. Supreme Court justice halts Missouri execution at 11th hour
• U.S. top court rules for Florida death row inmate over IQ test—"The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out a death sentence for a Florida man in a decision that found the state's method for assessing whether defendants are mentally disabled was unconstitutional."
• Judges Orders Temporary Halt to Ohio Executions
• Tennessee to use electric chair when lethal drugs unavailable
• Firing squad or poison gas: America hunts for new death penalty

Guns

• The NRA has been blocking a nominee for surgeon general since February
• NRA lobbying led to law that stopped CDC from using federal funds to study gun violence
• AZ Candidate Apologizes For Saying Shootings Are Committed By Dems
• Detroit's top cop defends NRA article on deadly force
• Maryland police mistake pellet gun for assault rifle, kill man
• Colorado: Thornton pays $25,000 to man arrested for openly carrying firearm into Cinnebarre Theater
• Chipotle: Don't bring guns in our stores
• Gun Activists Flaunting Assault Rifles Get Booted From Chili's and Sonic

Recording

• Court upholds "First Amendment" right to film police—"Ruling is one of many nationwide supporting right to record police."
• Chicago cops physically, verbally abuse woman on video
• Ohio woman injured, charged after deputy pries open her mouth to retrieve Tylenol
• Cali. officer threatens illegal car search: "Doesn't mean I can use what I find but I can do it."
• Youtube Video Leads to Exposure of Police Coverup in Florida Beating Death—"Key West police not only tried to have his body cremated without an autopsy, a requirement for all in-custody deaths, they waited four days to notify his family that he was clinging to life in a hospital. And when an autopsy was finally conducted, it was discovered he had suffered from ten broken ribs."
• Dallas cop indicted for shooting mentally ill man—"Police Chief David Brown has suggested an expansion of the use of body cameras to avoid relying solely on officers' statements in disputed situations...."
• Can Cop-Worn Cameras Restore Faith In New Orleans Police?
  
• City, Fraternal Order of Police reach agreement on use of body cameras—"In plain English this means the Grievants will no longer be required to wear the Axon body cameras."

Ticket

• Trial of former Traffic Court judges begins this week—"They and two businessmen are accused of participating in a widespread ticket-fixing scheme."
• Sheriff’s deputies at fault in 500 accidents, receive little to no punishment
• Mendham Township officer lawsuit: Illegal ticket quotas—"A 16-year officer in the Mendham Township Police Department has filed suit against the force, alleging he has been bypassed twice for promotion and denied chances to earn overtime because he refuses to 'profile' young drivers for tickets."
• No fines for DC cops running red lights
• Driverless cars could cripple law enforcement budgets—"Local government have long looked to speeding tickets to increase revenue. What will they do when autonomous cars stick to the speed limit?"
• Video: Vaga Para Deficiente (Disabled Parking Prank)—Use full screen to read the tiny subtitles. Also: Double parking douches.

Road Rage

• Blackwood man wins $1.5M settlement after Hollywood Cafe-sponsored bar crawl crash
• Drunk father accused of running from crash scene, leaving 7-year-old screaming in street
• Packed minibus filled with boiling water after 'geyser' bursts through Siberian street
• Taxi driver stiffed out of $1500 after 22-hour ride across five states
• Oregon man caused three-car crash by holding breath in tunnel

420, Medical Marijuana, War on Drugs, Law and Disorder, Prison, Mexico; Easter, Church and State, Creationism, Islamists

420

• How 420 became code for marijuana
• Colorado legalized marijuana tax revs ahead of expectations: Moody's—"Colorado, the first state to tax legalized recreational marijuana sales, expects to bring in an estimated $98 million in revenue this year, exceeding the state's original expectations by 40 percent."
• 3 Months Later, Here's What Denver Looks Like Since Legalizing Marijuana

Medical Marijuana

• Uruguay Considers Using Medical Marijuana To Treat Cocaine Addicts In Prison
• Nurse practitioners added to list of those who can prescribe medical marijuana
• Weed Eases Anxiety, Says the Federal Government
• Corbett wouldn't legalize pot even if toddler grandson needed it
• Boston Mayor Walsh says he aims to block dispensaries—"Urges state to reject applications with errors."
• Pro-pot group files to recall Arizona senator—"A pro-marijuana group is trying to recall Arizona Sen. Kimberly Yee after she refused to hear a bill that would have helped fund research into the effects of medical marijuana on post-traumatic stress disorder."
• Missouri Rep Tells Marijuana Patient To "Get A Job And Get Off Dope"

War on Drugs

• Jesus would end the war on drugs—"Christian leaders issue Easter statement denouncing drug war and mass incarceration of minorities."
• Let's Just Get Rid of the DEA Already—"America's drug cops are determined to keep weed illegal just to maintain their jobs."
• Legalized pot 'makes us fight harder,' top DEA official tells Congressional committee
• DEA raids woman's Shorewood home after she shops at garden center
• Shocking police overreach haunts Southern city: Racial profiling, quotas and secret "conviction bonuses"—"How a federal grant incentivized a police department to go nuts on drug arrests -- and terrorize its community." Salon
• Utah cops warrantlessly search prescription drug records of 480 emergency personnel—"When searching for morphine thief, Utah cops have almost carte blanche powers to search database."
• Law professors demand cannabis legalization—"Over 120 German professors of criminal law are supporting an initiative to legalize cannabis. They have called on the Bundestag to discuss the issue. Merkel's coalition is skeptical."
• Maryland Decriminalizes Marijuana Possession

Law and Disorder

• Matt Taibbi: U.S. Should Be Ashamed It Treats Pot Smokers Worse Than Wall St. Criminals
• Remember when legal marijuana was going to send crime skyrocketing?
• LAPD officer gets community service, probation for lying under oath—"A Los Angeles police officer was sentenced Wednesday to community labor and three years' probation for falsely testifying about the details of a 2008 drug arrest."
• Dashcam from traffic stop of driver from legalized marijuana state—"Roseen believes he was profiled by the trooper because he had a Washington driver's license, Colorado license plates and had just crossed into Idaho from Oregon. All three of the other states have some form of legalized marijuana."
• "Free Jeff Mizanskey" Efforts Continue with Billboards and 360,000 Signatures
• 5 Accused of Trafficking Drugs, Using Day Care as Cover
• Woman, unhappy with pot purchase, calls cops

Prison

• Feds to Reconsider Harsh Prison Terms for Drug Offenders
• US Panel Votes to Reduce Drug-Dealing Sentences
• California Governor Jerry Brown Grants Dozens Of Drug Pardons
• Louisianan Given 13-Year Prison Sentence for Possession of Two Marijuana Cigarettes

Mexico

• Tracing the U.S. heroin surge back south of the border as Mexican cannabis output falls WaPo
• The Grisly Reality Behind Soaring Lime Prices—"Mexican cartels are making the citrus more expensive in the United States."
• Mexican drug lord's insider notes may set him free after 10 years—"Vicente Zambada, son of Sinaloa kingpin, struck deal with US to inform on cartels in exchange for reduced sentence."
• Mexico catches No. 2 in once-powerful Beltran Leyva drug cartel
• Mexico prepares first illegal drug financing blacklist—Is HSBC on that list?
• Two drug tunnels, with rail systems, found at U.S.-Mexico border

Easter

• Yes Candida, Christians Did Steal Easter—People like Candida push ignorance to hide the truth.
• Spanish village called 'kill Jews' mulls name change
• There Are No Errors in the Bible, Says Christian Pastor Who Clearly Hasn't Read the Bible
• Papyrus fragment put to test—"None of the testing has produced any evidence that the [Gospel of Jesus' Wife] fragment is a modern fabrication or forgery."

Church and State

• Louisiana Lawmakers Vote to Make the Bible the State Book
• Oklahoma School's 'Hobby Lobby Bible Curriculum' Raises Bias Concerns
• Atheist Witch Hunt: South Carolina Lawmakers Spar Over Appointed Official’s Supposed 'Godlessness'
• Warren mayor says atheist can't put up 'reason station' inside city hall
• After Being Denied "8THEIST" License Plate, New Jersey Woman is Suing State's Motor Vehicle Commission
• Media, rights groups urge court to revisit takedown of anti-Muslim YouTube video—"Media says decision allows subjects of news events to control coverage."
• Pastafarians rejoice as Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is granted permission to register as a religion in Poland

Creationism

• Bill Nye says he underestimated debate's impact
• The Real Darwin Fish—"Why creationists hate Tiktaalik."
• FunnyOrDie: Creationist Cosmos

Islamists

• Islamist plot: six schools face Ofsted special measures—"Six schools implicated in the so-called 'Trojan Horse' plot by extremists to 'Islamise' secular state education face being placed in special measures."
• State schools isolate non-Muslims—"Schools in Birmingham discrimate against non-Muslim students and restrict GCSE teaching to fit in with Islamic beliefs, according to official report."
• 'Sinful': Video of British Muslims dancing to Pharrell Williams's hit Happy comes under attack
• Poster dictates music haram in UK school
• 1,000 Christian, Hindu girls forced to convert to Islam every year in Pakistan: report
• China official says Islamists seek to ban laughter and crying

War on Drugs, Mexico; 420, Medical Marijuana, Police State; Bad Cops, Albuquerque, Brutality; Cooking Met; Prison; Law and Disorder, Trial and Error, Crime; Traffic, Road Rage

War on Drugs

• Discarded tea leaves, false positive drug tests prompt search warrant of family home—"Harte family spent $25,000 to open police records."
• Waiting on a fix: The long, complicated history of America's battle with crack cocaine—"The convoluted history of mandatory minimum drug laws means thousands of prisoners are still serving yesterday's sentences."
• In heroin debate, a detour from sentencing reform
• What I Learned About Stop-and-Frisk From Watching My Black Son

Mexico

• Drug dealers in Mexico 'made to eat children's hearts' to prove their loyalty to Knights Templar leader El Chayo—He got killed by Mexican marines.
• Facebook becomes the new front in Mexico's drug war
• Mexican drug cartel behind lime shortage in U.S.; margaritas feel pinch

420

• Americans finally understand that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol WaPo
• Marijuana's rising acceptance comes after many failures. Is it now legalization's time? WaPo
• Washington, DC Decriminalizes Marijuana
• New Jersey Senator Wants To Legalize Marijuana For Recreational Use
• Colorado approves retroactive reversal of marijuana convictions
• Eric Holder Would Be 'Glad To Work With Congress' To Reschedule Marijuana

Medical Marijuana

• Medical marijuana advocates plead for legalization at Iowa Statehouse
• No, legalizing medical marijuana doesn't lead to crime, according to actual crime stats—And it may actually reduce crime WaPo
• Supreme Court Refuses To Overturn Arizona Marijuana Ruling—"The Supreme Court has refused to overturn Arizona court rulings ordering the Yuma County sheriff to return marijuana that was seized from a woman with a California medical marijuana authorization honored by Arizona."
• NJ Transit sued for suspending employee in medical marijuana program
• Il. Senate votes to extend medical marijuana law to epileptic kids
• Missouri Senate panel weighs medical marijuana
• Group using cannabis oil to treat children's seizures told to shut down by L.A. City Attorney

Police State

• Colorado man sues Idaho police over "license-plate profiling" in marijuana case—"Darien Roseen filed the federal lawsuit Wednesday in the District of Idaho, more than a year after he said he was unlawfully detained and searched for marijuana on the basis of his Colorado license plates."
• The drug war exception to the Fourth Amendment—"The stops and searches of out-of-staters with Colorado or Washington license plates is just a new wrinkle to an old problem." WaPo
• Judge: Cops can stop cars solely on the odor of pot

Bad Cops

• Reason-Rupe Poll: Half of Americans Think Cops Not Held Accountable
• Officer resigned after getting hotel's security footage
• Suburban Cop Charged In Death Of 95-Year-Old WWII Vet
• Off-Duty Deputy Shoots Man After Catching Couple Having Sex in Community Pool
• The LAPD Waited How Long to Suspend 2 Cops Repeatedly Accused of Sexual Assault?!
• Accidental voice mail catches RCMP mocking assault complainant

Albuquerque

• Shooting dead of homeless camper sparks outrage against Albuquerque police - the department that kills more people than the NYPD—The FBI will be investigating this case.
• Anonymous DDoS Attack Hits Albuquerque Police Dept. In Response To Homeless Man James Boyd's 'Murder'
• Albuquerque police-shootings protest turns into 'mayhem'
• Deputy marshal opens fire, witnesses react
• Albuquerque's Shoot-First Police Finally Begin Facing Questions—"The Albuqueruque Police Department has shot and killed 24 people since 2010. Protests ignited in Albuquerque this week. The mayor has written to the DOJ for help. Is that enough?"

Brutality

• Autopsy shows Texas cop fired fatal shot from close range into sarcastic student's back—"A dashboard camera in the officer’s police cruiser did not record the six-minute encounter."
• Police Brutality and Deaf People
• US police kill more innocents than terrorists despite sinking crime rates
• U.Va. Students Sues State, ABC Agents for $40M—They "arrested her believing she had illegally purchased beer when she had bought bottled water." Also, "Daly has said attempted to flee in a panic because the agents weren't in uniform, one pulled a gun and another attempted to smash a window with a flashlight."
• Lawsuit challenges fatal shooting by Miami-Dade police as excessive force—"Although the killing of an armed, suspected pot dealer has been ruled 'legally justified,' his family is suing police for 'wrongful death.'"
  

Cooking Met

• Something rotten in the Metropolitan Police: Corrupt officers may escape justice, thanks to mass shredding of evidence
• Police spies still get free rein to have sexual liaisons, say women suing Met—"Group of eight women behind lawsuit criticise government for failing to ban relationships, attacking 'institutional sexism.'"
• Probe into police use of mass confessions to clear up crime after a single burglar 'admits' 500 break-ins

Prison

• Correction Officer Charged With 'Indifference' in Death of Rikers Island Inmate—"The charge came over a year after the New York City correction officer, Terrence Pendergrass, was said to have ignored a mentally ill inmate's pleas for medical attention." NYT
• Prison book ban plot is full of holes, writers tell Chris Grayling—"More major names join fight against restrictions, while justice secretary claims move is what public wants."
• Jail Officer Who Severely Beat Inmate Can Invoke Stand Your Ground, Court Rules

Law and Disorder

• Sioux Mother Rescues Abused Children, Faces Arrest
• Mom Learns Missing Daughter Was Killed When Hospital Bill Arrives
• Man gives cash to strangers in need, Detained by RCMP, Imprisoned at Hospital, Daughter pleads for release on Facebook
• Man Leaves Prison, Robs Same New Jersey Shoe Store 15 Years Later
• Blundering bomber 'blew himself up after forgetting to put his watch forward and device went off too soon'

Trial and Error

• Man who was fired can sue over inaccuracies in background check, federal judge rules—"Brooklyn Park man claims he lost his job due to a faulty criminal background check. Legislators may revise expungement rules."
• Holyoke woman, sick with cancer, arrested on warrant issued after she failed to renew dog license—"Musser was arrested at her home Friday night on an outstanding arrest warrant issued by Holyoke District Court for failing to appear in court."
• Man rescued during September floods facing backlash for potential lawsuit—"Ortiz is now filing an intent to sue the county and his rescuers for up to $500,000. His attorney, Ed Ferszt, says the rescue possibly took longer than it should have because divers didn't know Ortiz was still in the car."
• Judge wants back on bench after insanity ruling—How can her decisions be still valid after this?
• Michigan judge reprimanded in case of cursing woman

Crime

• Angela Timmons April Fools' prank: Woman arrested after fake text about Virginia College shooting
• Gangs of 'Powerfully Built' Women Are Mugging Tourists on the Streets of Hong Kong
• Police cite mom for lying to 911 that baby was locked in car, when she just wanted help finding keys

Traffic

• Georgia's 'Slow Poke' bill moves step closer to reality
• Towing company employees who seized unmarked police cars sue Salem Police over arrest
• Texas teen gives police officer parking ticket—"Not only did the officer pay the fine — he gave Annie a $40 gift card to Toys R Us."

Road Rage

• Manatee woman who backed into crowd loses license for a year
• Mob nearly beats to death man who stopped to help 11-year-old boy he accidentally struck with pickup in Detroit
• Woman charged $787.33 for two-mile cab ride

International Day of Forests; Trees, 420, Legalization; Medical Marijuana, PTSD; Pot Bust-a-Moves, War on Drugs, Prison; Law and Disorder

International Day of Forests

• Australia: No more national parks as Tony Abbott pledges to support loggers as the 'ultimate conservationists'—Orwellian lies.
• Ikea cut down to size as 600-year-old trees used for flat-pack
• Timber Thieves Threaten California's Redwood Giants NYT
• Greenpeace urges Procter & Gamble to reject harmful palm oil practices—"Group pushes for ‘no-deforestation’ policy after accusing Indonesian suppliers of clearing endangered animal habitat."
• LePage: More logging of state forests will increase revenues—"The governor says the money can be used to help Mainers get better heating systems, but environmentalists say the plan is short-sighted."

Trees

• The Marijuana Industry Pleads With Congress: Treat Us Like a Regular Business
• Republicans Have Finally Turned Against the Drug War—"Libertarian Republicans are pushing the party to get behind marijuana legalization. Is this a culture war the GOP is willing to lose?" Apparently Rand Paul didn't get the memo.
• Uruguay may import marijuana from Canada

420

• House GOP passes bill to force Obama to crack down on legal weed in states that allow it—Championing states' rights and limted government... not.
• More than 100 marijuana shops shut down, L.A. city attorney says—"Mike Feuer is stepping up enforcement of rules restricting marijuana dispensaries. His staff is also focusing on landlords who rent space." LAT
• Oklahoma Man Threatened To Kill Gov. Fallin Because Weed Is Illegal—Somebody needs to chill.
• Despite banning legal pot, Yakima seeks tax money—Hypocritical freeloaders.
• Dog-Walkers to Client: "We Don't Walk Dogs for People Who Want Marijuana Legalized"
• Tests show THC content in marijuana edibles is inconsistent—"With no standard for testing, buyers can't trust items' potency."
• 3rd grade students busted with pot in school bathroom—This is why we can't have nice things.

Legalization

• Should pot be legal nationwide? Your Say Interactive—Resistance is slowly dying out.
• California Democrats Back Marijuana Legalization In Party Platform
• CA. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom on marijuana : 'It's time to legalize', 'time to regulate'
• Legalize pot in York? State group to make push
• Legal pot a 'net positive' for society - US expert

Medical Marijuana

• The Canadian Government Is Forcing Medical Marijuana Patients to Destroy Their Weed—"[O]n April 1, Canada's roughly 40,000 medical marijuana patients will no longer be able to grow their own weed. Instead, they'll have to turn to the big-time grow ops that are being built and regulated all across the country. Patients will have to spend more money (these new legal grows will charge patients $4.50 to $7 a gram), while being provided with a more limited selection of cannabis."
• Cops Cripple Minnesota and Louisiana Medical Marijuana Bills
• Georgia medical-marijuana bill dead for 2014
• The US Government Now Supplies Cannabis Extracts to Epileptic Kids—"We Talked to CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta about his new documentary, Weed 2, and his ongoing journey to investigate the plant's medical potential."
• Maryland House looks to expand medical marijuana law, considering other measures WaPo

PTSD

• The 50-Year-Old Agreement Preventing Marijuana from Treating PTSD
• Nevada health dept. allows treating PTSD with marijuana
• Medical marijuana research for PTSD nears federal approval

Pot Bust-a-moves

• Police, Nutter Open to Ending Pot Arrests
• Colorado Court: Some Pot Cases Can Be Overturned
• ACLU: Steep drop in pot cases has freed up resources

War on Drugs

• America Has a Black-Market Problem, Not a Drug Problem—"The head of the military's Southern Command wants more money to fight a losing battle."
• 5 Ways the War on Drugs Makes Us Less Safe
• Man Calls Cops To Turn In Drug Paraphernalia He Found, Gets Home Placed On Federal 'Drug Lab' Watchlist For 2 Years
• Senate passes welfare drug testing pilot program—"Suspicion-based drug testing of welfare recipients would become the norm under a bill passed by the state Senate Thursday."
• Legalizing marijuana could fund Gov. LePage's anti-drug bill—"Lawmakers discuss putting pot legalization before voters, where a 'yes' vote would provide taxes to fund the governor's beefed-up anti-drug fight." LePage wants to add 22 state jobs to fight drug trafficking.

Prison

• The war on drugs fills half of federal prison cells—"This would be comical if it weren't so tragic." WaPo
• Holder Endorses Proposal to Reduce Drug Sentences—"Testifying on Thursday before the commission that sets sentencing guidelines, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. criticized what he called an 'overreliance on incarceration.'" NYT
• Figures show large drop in US inmate numbers tied to sentencing reform—"Data from Bureau of Prisons shows less aggressive approach to drugs offences mean fewer people are being sent to prison."

Law and Disorder

• Our criminal justice system has become a crime—"Prosecutors too often abuse unrestrained powers."
• Hawaii law lets police have sex with prostitutes
• Boy, 16, suffers ruptured testicle after rough 'pat down' by police woman and now faces infertility
• Thieves dig 50ft tunnel to steal thousands of pounds from cash machine
• Ban on audio recordings without consent is struck down by Illinois Supreme Court

Bada-Big Bang Theory; Fat Tuesday; Obamacare, Big Pharma, Anti-Vax; Hazardous; Pollution, Big Energy; MH370; Ukraine

Bada-Big Bang Theory

• Cosmic inflation: 'Spectacular' discovery hailed—"Scientists say they have extraordinary new evidence to support a Big Bang Theory for the origin of the Universe."
• Hyperexpansion, Gravitational Waves, and Polarized Light: Oh My
• Stephen Hawking claims victory in gravitational wave bet

Fat Tuesday

• 5 shocking reasons why Americans are getting fatter—"It's not just the fast food..." Salon
• The surprising reason Americans might be obese, anxious and depressed—"New research suggests the answer to a number of modern ailments may reside in our gut." Salon
• Florida Real Estate Scammer Says He's Too Fat For Prison

Obamacare

• U.S. administration says Obamacare enrollment tops 5 million—Claims there are enough to keeps things going.
• Koch Group Abandons Obamacare 'Horror' Stories After Fact-Check Backlash
• Boehner's claim that Obamacare has resulted in a 'net loss' of people with health insurance—Four Pinocchios WaPo
• Former New Hampshire GOP Chair Saves $1,000 A Month With Obamacare
• Expanding Medicaid would be 'sinful,' LePage says
• Where The GOP Might Target Obamacare If It Wins The Senate
• Democrats should play offense on Obamacare WaPo
• How Obama's Healthcare.gov Efforts Got Lost In Translation For Latinos
• Louisiana Suing MoveOn.org For Billboard Criticizing Jindal —For violating trademark.
• When Health Costs Harm Your Credit—"A minor medical bill could block your mortgage." NYT

Big Pharma

• Drug company changes course, gives drug to sick boy—"A company says it will provide medication to a boy whose case has attracted thousands of sympathizers."
• Wisconsin senators heavily support cancer drug bill; no vote planned—"Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said Wednesday he's going to unusual steps to block the proposal because a majority of his GOP caucus opposes it, not because his brother is lobbying on behalf of influential insurers to kill the bill."
• Big Pharma still betting on "messed up" Indian drugs market

Anti-Vax

• Thanks, Anti-Vaxxers. You Just Brought Back Measles in NYC.—"Measles was considered eliminated at the turn of the millennium. Now it’s back, thanks to the loons who refuse to vaccinate their children."
• Cavallari: She and Cutler not vaccinating their kids—More loons.
• Chilliwack pastor tells congregation vaccines interfere with God's care
• Jenny McCarthy Asks; the Internet Slam Dunks—The body count keeps climbing.
• Australian Vaccination-skeptics Network loses its charity status for fundraising over misinformation claims

Hazardous

• Doctors are top source of prescription drugs for chronic abusers—"Results of federal study show more focus is needed on doctors who are 'problem prescribers,' says the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prescription drugs contribute to more than 16,000 fatal overdoses a year."
• Virginia Beach police officer sues drug company over psychotic outburst—"A Virginia Beach police officer who was jailed for three months after stabbing two Accomack County firefighters and shooting at a third says there should have been warning labels on an antibiotic that briefly turned him psychotic."
• How Industry and the Feds Suppressed Evidence That Plastics Wreak Havoc on Our Hormones
• Woman's stomach explodes after eating too much
• Herbalife wilts on news of FTC

Pollution

• Energy company caught pumping from toxic pond—"Rachel Maddow reports on the discovery by environmental activists of water being pumped from Duke Energy coal ash ponds into local waterways, and a new report that NC law has been changed to protect Duke's coal ash pits."
• Kentucky coal-ash dumping tracked by hidden cameras
• Seafood processing company fined in Kodiak ammonia dumping case
• Cotter negotiates amid spills and uranium spike by river in Canon City
• Ohio groups seek U.S. EPA coal review—"Two Ohio environmental groups asked federal regulators Monday to investigate circumstances surrounding expired pollution-discharge permits at an agency where allegations of coal-industry influence arose during a personnel flap last year."
• Today, Paris's Air Pollution Is Worse Than Beijing

Big Energy

• Wyoming rejects science education standards over climate change—"Reality, legislator argues, needs to comport with the state's economic interests."
• Emails show close ties between Duke, NC regulators—"Internal emails between staff at North Carolina's environmental agency suggest state regulators were coordinating with Duke Energy before intervening in efforts by citizens groups trying to sue the company over groundwater pollution leeching from its coal ash dumps." NYT
• Duke's Coal Ash Pits Protected By Provision In North Carolina Regulatory Bill
• $175M tax break for Marathon refinery buys Detroiters only 15 jobs—"Marathon Petroleum, which received a $175-million tax break from the City of Detroit in a mammoth expansion project, is coming under fire from City Council for failing to hire enough Detroiters."
• Nigerian gold mining: farmers choose death by lead poisoning over poverty—"Unregulated mining in rural northern Nigeria is causing blindness and paralysis among children and making adults infertile."

MH370

• Lost Jet's Path Seen as Altered via Computer—Curiouser and curiouser. NYT
• Key moments emerge in tracking of missing Malaysia Airlines plane
• CNN Host Speculates Whether Malaysia Jet's Disappearance Was 'Supernatural'—More believable than Courtney Love finding the plane.

Ukraine

• Crimea applies to be part of Russian Federation after vote to leave Ukraine—And Russia accepts.
• Ukraine 'will never accept' Crimea annexation, President says
• Ukrainian government refuses to remove troops from Crimea, prepares for war
• Ukraine Is Training Young Protesters to Fight the Russian Army
• Russian government admits economy in crisis as Ukraine weighs
• Russia Will Sanction U.S. Senators—"Putin is set to respond to Obama's sanctions of Russian officials with his own list. Several U.S. Senators and officials will be banned from visiting Russia, including Sen. Dick Durbin."
• China warns of dangerous Russia sanctions 'spiral'