Law & Crime

The Miami-Dade County commission meets on Tuesday, June 30, 2015. David Santiago ? El Nuevo Herald

Miami-Dade adopts $100 fine for pot possession

Douglas Hanks ~ Miami Herald ~

Miami-Dade commissioners voted Tuesday to let police treat marijuana possession the same way they do littering and loitering — by issuing a civil citation with a $100 fine that keeps the offense out of the criminal system.

Law & Crime 30 June 2015

Image of Medical marijuana at a dispensary in Seattle. While even recreational marijuana use is legal in Washington State, Colorado and elsewhere, federal prohibitions remain rigid. Credit:Ian C. Bates for The New York Times

State Marijuana Laws Complicate Federal Job Recruitment

Matthew Rosenberg and Mark Mazzetti ~ New York Times ~

WASHINGTON — For all the aspiring and current spies, diplomats and F.B.I. agents living in states that have liberalized marijuana laws, the federal government has a stern warning: Put down the bong, throw out the vaporizer and lose the rolling papers.

Law & Crime 29 June 2015

May 2013 video surveillance shows an armed robbery at the ReLeaf medical marijuana dispensary in Portland

Will legal marijuana in Oregon set off surge in robberies? Police wait to see

Aimee Green ~ Oregon Live ~

Officials say home invasion robberies again could increase when Oregonians begin cultivating marijuana crops in their homes and backyards after July 1.

Law & Crime 26 June 2015

Image of First Church of Cannabis founder Bill Levin in Indianapolis (Photo: John Tuohy/The Star)

Cops warn of arrests at Church of Cannabis

Tim Evans, Jill Disis and Mark Alesia ~ Indianapolis Star ~

Authorities in Indianapolis warn that anyone caught smoking marijuana at the First Church of Cannabis’ planned service next week could end up arrested.

Law & Crime 26 June 2015

image of Erika and Michael Zorn with daughters Lily, 2, and Emma, 6. The couple faces charges for possessing and manufacturing marijuana that the young wife used to relieve debilitating symptoms. (TOM GRALISH/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

One family's medical-marijuana story

Ronnie Polaneczky ~ Philly.com ~

A Pennsylvania couple faces charges for possessing and manufacturing marijuana that the young wife used to relieve debilitating symptoms.

Law & Crime 25 June 2015

Fed study: Booze impact greater than pot on driving

René Marsh~ CNN ~

(CNN) -- A new study, funded in part by the federal government, suggests alcohol has a more extreme impact on drivers than marijuana.

Law & Crime 25 June 2015

image of Genny Barbour playing in her living room. 4/10/14 Maple Shade, NJ (John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

N.J. lawmakers push bill allowing sick kids to use medical marijuana oil in school

Susan K. Livio ~ NJ.com ~

Two NJ lawmakers introduce a bill requiring school boards to set policies for mmj use in statewide schools.

Law & Crime 23 June 2015

The Obama administration just made medical marijuana research easier

Christopher Ingraham~ Washington Post ~

A long-standing bureaucratic obstacle to privately-funded medical marijuana research has just been removed, effective immediately.

Law & Crime 22 June 2015

image of Texas state flag and cannabis/Graphic by Todd Wiseman

In pockets of Texas, prosecutors just say no to marijuana prosecutions

Terri Langford~ The Texas Tribune ~

Local prosecutors across the state are looking for ways to keep minor marijuana cases out of court.

Law & Crime 22 June 2015

1st Massachusetts MMJ dispensary gets OK to sell amid concerns about testing standards

Shira Schoenberg ~ MassLive.com ~

A Salem medical marijuana dispensary is the first to receive permission to sell marijuana - after obtaining a temporary waiver from the state's strict testing guidelines.

Law & Crime 20 June 2015