Search Results for: marijuana

California’s 1996 ballot initiative protecting medical marijuana users from state criminal prosecution kicked off the modern marijuana reform era in the United States. In part due to federal prohibition, state medical marijuana laws prompted an array of interesting and intricate legal questions. Some issues concerned the reach of federal law after state reforms. Could doctors [...]

President Joe Biden Tuesday pardoned three convicted felons – Abraham Bolden Sr., Betty Jo Bogans and Dexter Jackson – and commuted the prison sentences of 75 others. The individuals granted clemency came at the recommendation of the Department of Justice’s pardon attorney. The first to be pardoned was Abraham Bolden Sr., a former Secret Service [...]

The US House of Representatives Friday passed a bill that would decriminalize marijuana by removing it from the list of scheduled substances under the Controlled Substances Act. HR 3617 passed with a 220-204 vote. The bill would replace statutory references to marijuana with cannabis. In addition to decriminalization, the bill establishes a trust fund to [...]

Italy’s Constitutional Court rejected a request Wednesday to hold a referendum on legalizing the cultivation of both marijuana and other psychoactive plants and fungi. In December, activists were able to compile more than 630,000 signatures for the measure, validated by a separate court last month. Although there were more than enough valid signatures for the [...]

Mississippi’s House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill to legalize medical marijuana in the state by an overwhelming 103-13 vote. Earlier this year, the state Senate passed the bill with a 46-4 vote. The voting margins in both chambers are considered “veto-proof,” enough to override a governor’s veto should Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves refuse [...]

Newly elected District Attorney for Manhattan, Alvin L. Bragg Jr., announced changes for the office’s charging, bail, plea and sentencing policies to promote safety and fairness on Monday. In his staff memo, DA Bragg outlined critical changes and continuities that will define his office’s approach to particular crimes in Manhattan. The memo outlines five key principles [...]

Colorado Governor Jared Polis on Thursday reduced by a century the sentence of 26-year-old truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, whose brakes failed, resulting in four deaths. Originally sentenced to 110 years for an offense with no criminal intent, public outcry against Aguilera-Mederos’ harsh treatment prompted the governor’s and the district attorney’s offices to reconsider the sentence. [...]

US President Joe Biden Wednesday signed two new executive orders targeting transnational criminal and drug trafficking networks. Between April 2020 and April 2021, over 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses. This represents a 28 percent increase from the previous 12-month period. One of the executive orders imposes sanctions on foreign persons involved in the global [...]

The South Dakota Supreme Court Wednesday ruled that a state constitutional amendment legalizing recreational marijuana is unconstitutional. In 2020, South Dakota voters passed a ballot measure to legalize medical marijuana for qualifying patients. They also passed a constitutional amendment, Amendment A, to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for individuals 21 years or older. Following the [...]

Srinivas Kodali, a Hyderabad-based privacy researcher, issued a legal notice Friday to the Commissioner of Hyderabad Police, Anjani Kumar. The release demands a halt to the illegal searches of mobile phones being carried out by police personnel across the city. The Internet Freedom Foundation, an organization dedicated to safeguarding the online freedoms and rights of Indian citizens, [...]