New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate John Liu made headlines this week when he proposed regulating and taxing marijuana sales for adults 21 and older. In a formal statement, he said:

New York City’s misguided war on marijuana has failed, and its enforcement has damaged far too many lives, especially in minority communities. It’s time for us to implement a responsible alternative. Regulating marijuana would keep thousands of New Yorkers out of the criminal justice system, offer relief to those suffering from a wide range of painful medical conditions, and make our streets safer by sapping the dangerous underground market that targets our children. As if that weren’t enough, it would also boost our bottom line.

Although the city comptroller isn't in a position to make legislative changes to marijuana laws — such as in Albany, where politicians have repeatedly failed to pass medical marijuana legislation — it is very noteworthy that a citywide elected official in the nation's largest city is speaking out on the issue.

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell (D) informed state lawmakers Thursday that the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will be moving forward with drafting regulations for a medical marijuana dispensary program. This is very welcome news that is long overdue. In a letter to the legislators who sponsored the state's medical marijuana law, Markell said:

As a result of our review of policies in Rhode Island, New Jersey and other states, I have become convinced that proceeding with our program, while making considered modifications to address federal concerns, is the appropriate course for Delaware. Therefore, I am writing you to inform you that [the Department of Health and Human Services] will proceed to issue a request for proposal (RFP) for a pilot compassion center to open in Delaware next year.

Despite enacting the law in 2011 and ordering DHHS to issue regulations for medical marijuana patient ID cards, Markell halted the process of setting up compassion centers in 2012 after receiving a somewhat threatening letter from the U.S. attorney. As a result, patients have not been able to legally obtain medical marijuana because the law does not allow home cultivation. If you live in Delaware, please take a moment to email our legislative champions to thank them for their hard work on behalf of medical marijuana patients. You can also email Gov. Markell to thank him for moving forward. Finally, please share this great news with your friends and family in The First State.

CNN reports today that it's not just the network's medical expert Dr. Sanjay Gupta who has come around on marijuana policy reform.

[caption id="attachment_6862" align="alignright" width="104"] Beau Kilmer[/caption]

The nation has moved from the abstract matter of "if" to the more tangible debate over "how," said Beau Kilmer, co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center and co-author of "Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know."

Changing attitudes about weed are part of a larger shift in the country's collective thoughts on federal drug policy. Just this week, on the heels of CNN's Sanjay Gupta reversal of his stance on medical marijuana, Attorney General Eric Holder announced an initiative to curb mandatory minimum drug sentences and a federal judge called New York City's stop-and-frisk policy unconstitutional.

MPP  released a video last week listing the country's "Worst State Legislators of 2013" on marijuana policy issues. The seven state representatives and one state senator were selected based on their legislative efforts to maintain or expand marijuana prohibition policies, as well as statements they made, during the 2013 legislative sessions. Watch the video countdown below. 

The Huffington Post reports:

The video counts down the MPP's top eight marijuana policy offenders, alongside some direct quotes that are questionable, to say the least.

Take, for instance, Rep. Darryl Rouson (D-St. Petersburg), who called bongs and pipes "utensils of death;" Rep. Luke Malek (R-Coeur d'Alene) who called medical marijuana a "farcical predatory scheme;" and Rep. David Howard (R-Park City) -- whose home state of Montana has been battling a crippling meth epidemic -- who called marijuana a "poison" and "the most dangerous drug there is."

The list also garnered some local media attention in Colorado, where the #1 worst legislator of 2013, Sen. John Morse (D), is facing a highly talked-about recall election, and in Iowa, where the #7 worst legislator, Rep. Clel Baudler (R), bragged about being listed.

One of the more horrific examples of how the war on marijuana hurts families is making the rounds right now, and it illustrates just one of the more serious hypocrisies of prohibition.

Last week, the story broke that a two-year-old child had sustained fatal injuries at the hands of her foster care provider. After the parents were called to the hospital for the last days of their Alexandria Hill's life, the death was ruled a homicide and the foster guardian charged with murder.

[caption id="attachment_6853" align="alignright" width="270"] Alexandria Hill[/caption]

This would be tragic by itself, if not for the additional circumstances surrounding the case. According to the parents, the child was removed from their custody because it was discovered that they used marijuana while the child was asleep. She was kept in state custody even after her father reported noticing bruises and other signs of abuse and neglect during their visits.

According to child protection services around the country, marijuana use is synonymous with neglect. There are a shocking number of cases where families are ripped apart because of a parent’s marijuana use, even in states where that use is legal for medical reasons. Marijuana is also frequently employed as a weapon in divorce custody battles.

There are many reasons to place children in foster care, but that placement should never put the child at greater risk. Responsible marijuana use alone is nowhere close to a good enough reason for inflicting such trauma on a family.

After all, this would not have happened if the parents were responsibly sipping a glass of wine after they had put their daughter to bed.

[caption id="attachment_6849" align="alignright" width="180"] Dr. Sanjay Gupta[/caption]

CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has spent the last year creating an investigative report on marijuana, and the former critic of marijuana policy reform has changed his mind drastically on the subject.

On Wednesday night, Dr. Gupta told Piers Morgan that "We've been terribly and systematically misled in this country for some time and I did part of that misleading,” when it comes to marijuana and its medical applications.

You can watch the segment here:

Dr. Gupta’s documentary, “Weed,” will premiere on CNN Sunday, August 11 at 8:00 pm ET.

A recent investigation into drug treatment centers in southern California found rampant financial corruption and inflated reporting of patient attendance.

The investigation, conducted by the nonprofit Center for Investigative Reporting and CNN, found that dozens of clinics showed signs of deception and questionable billing practices. The two worst offenders, Able Family and GB Medical Services, were virtually empty storefronts run by convicted criminals that bribed clients and submitted fake names to a government insurance provider in order to collect millions in taxpayer money. Over the past two years alone, the clinics indicted by the investigation received $94 million in public funds.

According to CNN’s interviews with former state officials, California’s Department of Health Care Services has “fielded concerns about rehab clinic fraud for at least five years yet has done almost nothing to combat it.”

While these findings demonstrate the need for reform in California’s regulation of drug treatment centers, they also provide additional evidence that the number of people in treatment for marijuana use is inflated.

A 2010 report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that a majority (57%) of participants in drug treatment programs for marijuana were referred there by the criminal justice system. In other words, users who were arrested for simple possession were offered the choice of “treatment” or jail time.

With all of the money to be made from these programs – through forced attendance or unscrupulous government agencies forking over taxpayer money for fake clients – it is of little surprise that some of the most vocal critics of marijuana policy reform own and operate treatment clinics.

[caption id="attachment_6842" align="alignright" width="183"] District Attorney Mitch Morrissey confused by science[/caption]

At a Denver City Council hearing held on Monday to discuss implementing a 5% marijuana sales tax, Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey held the floor to claim that medical marijuana dispensaries are a haven for assaults, robberies, and murder.

“We have had 12 homicides related directly to medical marijuana,” Morrissey told the council. “We have had over 100 aggravated robberies and home invasions. Many of you probably didn’t read about the double-execution-style homicide that we had here in Denver… This is an ugly secret.”

Several council members expressed their shock and concern over the DA’s previously unheard-of claims. When questioned about the validity of his statistics on Tuesday, though, Morrissey clarified that he’d cited “loose figures” and that none of the homicides actually occurred at a medical marijuana facility. In reality, most of the homicides happened during home invasions, and in some cases, it is uncertain whether marijuana played a role.

Mason Tvert, communications director at MPP, spoke to The Huffington Post to help set the record straight:

 “Morrissey’s suggestion that the state- and locally-regulated medical marijuana industry is somehow at fault for crimes that occurred entirely outside of its scope is ludicrous and irresponsible. I cannot imagine any other instance in which he would place blame for violent crimes on law-abiding businesses and citizens who have fallen victim to them.”

Tvert’s claim that dispensaries are not causing violent crime is backed by police statistics. In 2009, the Denver Police Department found that robbery and burglary rates at dispensaries were lower than area banks and liquor stores and on par with those of pharmacies. In 2010, police in Colorado Springs found that robbery and burglary rates at area dispensaries were no higher than at non-marijuana-related businesses. Discussing the findings, Sgt. Darrin Abbink said, “I don’t think the data really supports [dispensaries] are more likely to be targeted at this point.”

Of the robberies and assaults that have occurred, industry representatives say that medical marijuana dispensaries may only be targeted because current banking laws force them to deal in cash rather than credit.

Tvert continued, “If Morrissey is truly concerned about enhancing public safety, he should be testifying in support of policies that will eliminate the underground marijuana market and replace it with a system in which marijuana is regulated like alcohol. He should not be resorting to scare tactics and reefer madness.”

Following the city’s first medical marijuana sale earlier this week, Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray said that the city should discuss the possibility of legalizing marijuana.

“I don’t have a position on whether to legalize it or not, but we should have that discussion,” Gray told News Channel 8.

[caption id="attachment_6838" align="alignright" width="220"] Mayor Vincent Gray[/caption]

He said that the topic is an important one because current prohibitionist policies result in harmless young people getting criminal records.

The mayor’s statement comes after growing call for reform in the District. On July 10, D.C. Councilmember and mayoral candidate Tommy Wells proposed legislation to remove criminal penalties for the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana.

The Marijuana Policy Project is gearing up for a 2016 campaign to tax and regulate marijuana in another Southwestern state, Nevada.

Although a recent poll found that a majority of Nevada residents (54%) support legalizing marijuana for adults and 39% voted in favor of legalization on a 2002 ballot, MPP’s communications director Mason Tvert said that there are several reasons to wait until the November 2016 election to launch a petition. By 2016, Tvert said, the campaign will almost certainly have the funds and public support necessary to launch a successful petition drive and secure a victory.

“Given the costs, is it worth trying in 2014 and getting 49.9% of the votes when if we wait until 2016 [we can] get well over 50%?,” Tvert said.

[caption id="attachment_6834" align="alignright" width="158"] Assemblyman Joe Hogan[/caption]

Politicians in Nevada have already expressed their support for ending the current prohibitionist regime. Assemblyman Joe Hogan introduced a bill to tax and regulate marijuana in March, saying that the state wastes barrels of money “spoiling teenagers’ lives.” Assemblyman Andrew Martin testified in favor of legalization, arguing that it could secure nearly $500 million a year in tax revenue for schools.

MPP expects that by 2017 as many as seven states will allow for legal marijuana, including Rhode Island, Alaska, Maryland, and Hawaii.