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The Oakland Tribune, 06 Sep 2010 - Tempers flared as the evening of July 22 wore on, turning an Oakland City Council meeting into a marathon debate over the future of medical marijuana in one of the country's most pot-friendly cities. For months the media had chronicled the unfolding of a modern-day Gold Rush -- quickly dubbed the "Green Rush." Now, the path to El Dorado rested in a bid to permit pot growing on an industrial scale. Opposition to the plan by dispensary operators erupted publicly after quiet lobbying failed.

New York Times, 07 Sep 2010 - People with chronic pain who took just a puff of marijuana three times a day got some mild pain relief and, with rare exceptions, did so without getting high, a Canadian study reports. (Yes, they inhaled.) The patients, who suffered from persistent nerve damage that did not respond to other pain drugs, also reported better sleep and less anxiety, the researchers said.

Ledger-Enquirer, 04 Sep 2010 - One of the most underreported ongoing stories around is the war in Mexico between the government and the drug cartels. Here are the grisly stats: More than 28,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence since 1996. In Iraq, 4,421 Americans have been killed. In Afghanistan, 1,141. The truth is that Mexican drug merchants are even more deadly than al-Qaida. They have more firepower and more money and are just as willing to kill civilians as are the homicidal jihadists. Yet, we Americans know little about the chaotic situation south of the border.

Sydney Morning Herald, 06 Sep 2010 - Huge Profits Ensure That New Traffickers Are Always Ready to Fill Any Gaps. THE report by The Age and Four Corners on a major drugs bust (code-named Operation Hoffman) by state police forces under the direction of the Australian Crime Commission was a cracking story. A fascinating cast of goodies and baddies was set against the background of a global drugs distribution chain, which was broken by following the money trail.

Calaveras Enterprise, 07 Sep 2010 - Judge John E. Martin ruled Aug. 25 that there was enough evidence to go to trial in a case against a San Andreas man who tried to start a medical marijuana collective. Jay Smith, 37, faces felony charges of sales, cultivation and possession of marijuana, according to Calaveras County Deputy District Attorney Seth Matthews.

Los Angeles Times, 08 Sep 2010 - Owners and Patients Rally at City Hall After 75% or Registered Stores Are Disqualified Incensed by the city's determination that just a quarter of the registered Los Angeles medical marijuana dispensaries are qualified to remain open, about 80 operators and advocates held a subdued rally Tuesday and then trooped into City Hall to demand that the council intervene.

The News-Herald, 07 Sep 2010 - SOUTHGATE - Members of the Downriver Community Conference are looking into developing a unified ordinance regarding medical marijuana. Downriver communities, like many municipalities across Michigan are struggling with regulation of medical marijuana, dispensaries, growing warehouses, patient care, caregiver clubs and medical marijuana schools.

San Gabriel Valley Tribune, 07 Sep 2010 - COVINA - The campaign opposed to the Proposition 19 marijuana-legalization campaign has some big names lending their influence. Last week, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca announced they would co-chair the effort against the proposed law.

Denver Daily News, 07 Sep 2010 - Medical Pot Advocates Concerned About Draft Rules for Industry Medical marijuana advocates are concerned that proposed new regulations for the industry will result in patient tracking, scaring patients away from wanting to be a part of the system.

Morning Sun, 07 Sep 2010 - The village of Lake Isabella has become the first mid-Michigan community to adopt an ordinance regulating medical marijuana distribution. Village Manager Tim Wolff said the Village Council adopted a law that classifies an individual medical marijuana caregiver as a "home occupation," not subject to further village review. At the same time, it outlaws medical marijuana dispensaries, where groups of caregivers provide medical marijuana to groups of patients.

The Record, 07 Sep 2010 - Mexico is setting the stage for a multifaceted, multimillion-dollar, star-studded celebration. Sept. 16 is the bicentennial of the country's independence. It's a day known as "El Grito," or "The Call," for independence from Spanish rule. But the celebration risks being overshadowed by the many challenges the Mexican government faces regarding security issues.

Daily Democrat, 07 Sep 2010 - A cop pulls over a motorist who's driving like he's drunk, but the officer suspects the driver may be high on marijuana. Unlike with alcohol, there's no objective way for police to detect whether somebody is impaired while driving under the influence of marijuana. There's no breath test for THC, pot's active ingredient, and no 0.08 limit to drive like California law sets for alcohol in the blood. Now, as Californians consider making the state the first in the country to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, police officials are concerned that Proposition 19 could put an extremely difficult burden on police: How will they determine whether a driver is too drugged to drive?

Vancouver Sun, 07 Sep 2010 - Law professor declares that U.S. marijuana laws endanger the public - -- a week before Marc Emery is sentenced Canada's prince of pot, Marc Emery, spent Labour Day in a U.S. prison reading a newspaper column by his former prosecutor saying anti-cannabis laws are "dangerous and wrong."

Los Angeles Times, 02 Sep 2010 - Medical Marijuana Industry 'Hijacked by Underground' Drug Dealers, Baca Says Sheriff Lee Baca said Wednesday that the recent triple murder in West Hollywood during an illegal sale of medical marijuana is another example of how the collectives have been taken over in part by enterprising criminals.

The Calgary Sun, 06 Sep 2010 - The past successes of a provincial policing group in fighting organized crime are proof unified efforts can bring gangs to their knees, says a Calgary alderman. Ald. Diane Colley-Urquhart, who sits on the board of the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT), said the co-ordinated policing model is the way of the future because it works so effectively.

Santa Cruz Sentinel, 06 Sep 2010 - SANTA CRUZ -- Jon Castaline, a middle-aged disabled handyman, was looking for a place to store his tools and his medicinal marijuana plants. The rental units Jill Escher oversees on Beach Hill were perfect. While the one-car garage below a motel-turned-apartment complex didn't have electricity or water, Castaline was allowed to install one power outlet so he could put up a light and do his handyman work in the storage area. For $145 a month, it was hard to beat.

The Age, 06 Sep 2010 - Huge Profits Ensure That New Traffickers Are Always Ready to Fill Any Gaps. THE report by The Age and Four Corners on a major drugs bust (code-named Operation Hoffman) by state police forces under the direction of the Australian Crime Commission was a cracking story. A fascinating cast of goodies and baddies was set against the background of a global drugs distribution chain, which was broken by following the money trail.

South Oakland Eccentric, 06 Sep 2010 - FERNDALE - Nine defendants charged in last month's medical marijuana bust in Ferndale will face a pre-exam conference at 1 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20, before Judge Joseph Longo, according to a spokeswoman in 43rd District Court in Ferndale. The exam set for last Thursday was adjourned. The co-owners of a medical marijuana facility on Hilton Road were among nine arraigned Aug. 27 in Hazel Park, the other jurisdiction of 43rd District Court, on felony charges, including allegations of conspiracy and the illegal manufacture and delivery of marijuana. The charges followed an Aug. 25 raid by deputies from the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

AlterNet, 06 Sep 2010 - Prohibition has failed -- again. Drug prohibition has proven remarkably ineffective, costly and counter-productive. 500,000 people are behind bars today for violating a drug law - and hundreds of thousands more are incarcerated for other prohibition-related violations. There is a smarter approach usually called harm reduction. Reducing the number of people who use drugs is not nearly as important as reducing the death, disease, crime, and suffering associated with both drug misuse and failed policies of prohibition. Ethan Nadelmann is the founder and executive director of the DRUG POLICY ALLIANCE, the leading organizations in the United States promoting alternatives to the war on drugs, grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights. He received his BA, JD, and PhD from Harvard, and a Master's degree in international relations from the London School of Economics. He authored COPS ACROSS BORDERS and co-authored POLICING THE GLOBE: Criminalization and Crime Control in International Relations.