The Associated Press
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Virginia to allow recreational marijuana to be sold in retail stores beginning in 2027
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Five years after becoming the first Southern state to legalize possession of marijuana, Virginia has approved a legal way to sell it to recreational users. State budget legislation enacted Monday will allow up to 350 cannabis…
A Moroccan court sentences 29 prominent people in major drug trafficking and corruption case
CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — A Moroccan court handed prison sentences to 29 people, including prominent politicians and sports and business figures, in an international drug trafficking and corruption scandal that has rocked the country. The court also ordered the defendants…
Myanmar torches $600 million in seized heroin, meth and other drugs
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Thick clouds of black smoke billowed into the sky on the outskirts of Myanmar’s largest city Friday as authorities burned more than 50 tons of heroin, opium, ketamine, methamphetamine, marijuana and crystal meth — some $600…
New Mexico governor calls for criminal probe of DEA allowing fentanyl shipments to hit streets
New Mexico’s governor on Wednesday called for a criminal investigation into the Drug Enforcement Administration after an Associated Press investigation found federal agents allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to reach the streets over a two-year period while pursuing…
Olympian skier Bode Miller pleads not guilty to Idaho misdemeanor drug charges
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Olympic gold medalist skier Bode Miller has pleaded not guilty to a pair of misdemeanor drug charges after he was arrested on a charge of possessing psilocybin mushrooms. Miller was arrested June 6 in eastern Idaho,…
Australian police uncover 3 tons of cocaine
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Police found 2.7 metric tons (3 tons) of cocaine on a property on Sydney’s outskirts in Australia’s largest-ever seizure of the drug, officials said Monday. The drug was found on June 19 in plastic tubs buried…
Germany seizes tons of cocaine and suspects are arrested in Spain
BERLIN (AP) — German authorities said Wednesday they have seized more than 8 metric tons of cocaine from a container that was supposed to be carrying cacao beans, and two suspects were later arrested in Spain. German customs investigators put…
Nigeria’s anti-drug agency shut down large meth laboratory in a raid
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s anti-drug agency said it has busted a transnational organized drug syndicate involving Nigerians and Mexicans in the southwestern region of the country. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency said late Wednesday that its special operations…
Chiefs’ Rashee Rice ordered to jail after testing positive for marijuana
DALLAS (AP) — Chiefs’ Rashee Rice ordered to jail after testing positive for marijuana.
Michigan teen tobacco use ticks up as prevention funding lags
While teen tobacco use in Michigan remains far below historic highs, data shows it’s beginning to rise again, fueling renewed calls to boost prevention spending that has fallen far short of federal recommendations. Tobacco use among high school students rose…
Rapper Kodak Black arrested in Florida on felony MDMA trafficking charge and pleads not guilty
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Rapper Kodak Black was arrested this week on a drug trafficking charge in central Florida in his latest run-in with law enforcement. The rapper, whose real name is Bill Kapri, was booked into the Orange County…
Federal authorities arrest 18 for alleged drug distribution around Los Angeles park
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal authorities said they arrested 18 people Wednesday on charges related to selling illicit drugs including fentanyl and methamphetamine around a Los Angeles park. The area, called MacArthur Park, is a densely populated immigrant neighborhood west…
FBI searches Virginia Senate leader’s office as part of corruption probe, AP sources say
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (AP) — The FBI searched the Virginia state Senate leader’s hometown office and her neighboring cannabis shop Wednesday, bringing into public view what two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press was a corruption investigation. One…
Virginia Sen. L. Louise Lucas has been vocal advocate for marijuana legalization
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (AP) — Virginia Sen. L. Louise Lucas has carved out a reputation as a fierce and outspoken advocate during her political career. One issue, in particular, has been at the forefront of her agenda: legalization of marijuana, which…
Will Trump’s reclassifying of medical marijuana have any impact on criminal justice reform?
The Trump administration’s historic move to reclassify state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug was cheered by some advocates but for others, it fell far short for the thousands still incarcerated on federal cannabis-related convictions. The executive order, which acting…