Cuts, cannabis and clicktivism

As a government online petition takes off and austerity forces police to rethink their approach, is the UK drug debate finally catching up with the rest of the world? And could legalisation be in sight?

Those enjoying their freedom to indulge in legal marijuana consumption in states like Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska had better take advantage now, because Chris Christie is coming for you.

“If you’re getting high in Colorado today, enjoy it,” the New Jersey governor said at a town-hall meeting at the Salt Hill Pub in Newport, New Hampshire, according to Bloomberg. “As of January 2017, I will enforce federal laws.”

Drug and alcohol addicts could lose their sickness benefits if they refuse treatment under a review now under way.

Medical expert Dame Carol Black is to examine the support given to addicts - and obese people - on sickness benefits to "better support them in work".

David Cameron, who ordered the review, says there is currently no requirement for such groups to undertake treatment and suggested that this could change.

But one Tory MP said it was "ethically unacceptable" to coerce people.

The idea of requiring drug users to seek treatment or lose their benefits was first suggested by the last Labour government although it was not adopted following a consultation.

In a Chris Christie administration, there would be no such thing as legal marijuana use.

“Marijuana is against the law in the states and it should be enforced in all 50 states,” the New Jersey governor said on “Fox and Friends” Wednesday morning. “That’s the law and the Christie administration will support it.”

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Christie’s comments came a day after he discussed marijuana enforcement at a town hall in Newport, New Hampshire.

“If you’re getting high in Colorado today, enjoy it,” Christie warned. “As of January 2017, I will enforce the federal laws.”

Cannabis is going global fast – Italy’s Parliament just voted for a legalized, regulated cannabis market, Denmark’s youth is consuming cannabis in droves but it’s no gateway, and the United Kingdom just reached a record high number of supporters for legalization in the isles. On this side of the pond, United States lawmakers are thinking ahead and making plans that could change the game completely. We’ve got the latest in cannabis legalization efforts:

U.S. Cannabis Updates

NATIONWIDE

'I'm not an expert,' he adds.

The new leader of the Drug Enforcement Administration said Tuesday heroin probably is more dangerous than marijuana, diverging in tone from his embattled predecessor.

Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg, a former prosecutor whose stance on drug reform is somewhat of a mystery, also said his agents are not prioritizing marijuana enforcement -- though he's not ordered them off it.

Senator Schumer Joins NY Senator Gillibrand in Sponsoring the CARERS Act, a Bill that Would End Federal Prohibition of Medical Marijuana

New York Patients and Families Applaud Schumer for His Support

Proposals that would largely decriminalize marijuana in Italy currently have the support of 250 MPs – but does that mean Italy will be legalizing the drug any time soon?

Under the new proposals, people over the age of 18 could cultivate up to five plants at home and growers could set up social clubs involving a maximum of 50 people and 250 plants.

The scope of such social clubs would be to provide spaces for growers to consume and share their product, but would prohibit them from profiting from the sale of cannabis.

WASHINGTON — For several years, a handful of lawmakers in Congress have tried to scale back tough sentencing laws that have bloated federal prisons and the cost of running them. But broad-based political will to change those laws remained elusive.

Now, with a push from President Obama and, perhaps even more significant, a nod from Speaker John A. Boehner, Congress seems poised to revise four decades of federal policy that greatly expanded the number of Americans who are incarcerated, to roughly 750 per 100,000, by far the highest rate of any Western nation.

Syracuse, N.Y. -- A state legislator who sponsored the law legalizing medical marijuana in New York says the state is being too secretive about the process it will use to award licenses to grow and distribute medical pot.

The state health department is expected to award licenses to five applicants by the end of this week.

Assemblyman Richard Gottfriend, D-Manhattan, told Capital New York the state should publicly release documents providing more details about the 43 businesses that have applied for licenses.