Mexico drug cartels growing marijuana on US National Parks and Forests are severely polluting the area due to the highly toxic chemicals used in cultivation. From the AP (via Yahoo News): National forests and parks — long popular with Mexican marijuana-growing cartels — have become home to some of the most polluted pockets of wilderness in America [...]

In an effort to focus on large-scale drug trafficking, Mexico President Felipe Calderon is seeking to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana and cocaine use in the country.  From Reuters: Mexican President Felipe Calderon, locked in a bloody battle with drug cartels, wants to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of street drugs in a plan likely to [...]

The main ingredient in marijuana, THC, could be used as an antibacterial agent, according to a new study.  From the IHT: Marijuana may be something of a wonder drug — though perhaps not in the way you might think. Researchers in Italy and Britain have found that the main active ingredient in marijuana — tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC — and [...]

In a first for the Japanese sport of Sumo Wrestling, a wrestler was arrested for marijuana possession in Japan.  From CNN: For the first time that sumo wrestling’s governing body can recall, one of its revered athletes has been nabbed for drug possession. On Thursday, the Japanese Sumo Association fired 335-pound Soslan Aleksandrovich Gagloev, better known in Japan [...]

The Los Angeles Times has a feature article on the pros and cons of medical marijuana. DEPENDING ON whom you ask, marijuana is a dangerous drug that should be kept illegal alongside heroin and PCP, or it’s a miracle herb with a trove of medical benefits that the government is seeking to deny the public — [...]

A new study has found that teenagers are finding it easier to purchase marijuana and prescription drugs, yet have not lead to an increase in use. From the Christian Science Monitor: Teenagers can get their hands on marijuana and prescription drugs more rapidly and easily this year than last, according to a new study. However, greater drug [...]

The United States Drug Czar held a press conference in the middle of a national forest to display marijuana grown by Mexican cartels. From CNN: Beyond the towering trees that have stood here for thousands of years, an intense drug war is being waged. Illegal immigrants connected to Mexico’s drug cartels are growing hundreds of millions of dollars [...]

According to Foreign Policy Magazine, in the United States “roughly 40 percent of the country’s 1.8 million annual drug arrests are for cannabis possession.” Source: Ethan Nadelmann, “Think Again: Drugs,” Foreign Policy, Sept/Oct 2007.

The New Yorker has a cover story of the medical marijuana industry in the state of California and the difficulties of operating in a gray area industry. From the New Yorker: In the past five years, an unwritten set of rules has emerged to govern Californians participating in the medical-marijuana trade. Federal authorities do not generally bother arresting [...]

Last week, the National Drug Intelligence Center released a report on drug availabilities in Native American Communities.  From the findings of the report: The illicit drug threat to Indian Country varies geographically across Native American communities. Overall, marijuana is the most widely available illicit drug on reservations. Ice methamphetamine, powder and crack cocaine, diverted pharmaceuticals, heroin, and MDMA [...]