For those of you who don't regularly see our video features, I present to you the MPP Insider #009.  You can access the HD version by right-clicking and viewing on YouTube, or by viewing the video in fullscreen mode.

Could the tiny island of Guam become the first U.S. territory to pass a medical marijuana law? Yesterday, a bill was introduced into Guam’s 15-member legislature that would give qualified patients legal access to medical marijuana and create a system of “compassionate health care centers” to grow and dispense it. Guam now joins more than a dozen U.S. states that have considered or are considering medical marijuana legislation this year. It’s still unclear what chances the Guam bill has of passing,…

In a shocking series of events that is still under investigation, Las Vegas police on Friday shot and killed Trevon Cole, 21, while serving a warrant that claimed Cole was selling marijuana. According to reports, Cole’s 20-year-old fiancé, Sequioa Pearce—who is 9 months pregnant—was forced to kneel and held at gunpoint in the moments just before Cole was shot. A police spokesman told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that undercover officers had bought marijuana from Cole three times before the warrant…

Sarah Palin says she doesn’t support making marijuana legal, but during an appearance on Fox Business News this weekend, she agreed with fellow panelist Ron Paul that police have better things to do than arrest nonviolent marijuana offenders. Check out the video and read her comments below: “I think we need to prioritize our law enforcement efforts. And if somebody is going to smoke a joint in their house and not do anybody else any harm, then perhaps there are other things our cops should be looking…

As we’ve noted previously, not even celebrities are immune to the government’s war on marijuana users. The latest example is Chace Crawford, a 24-year-old actor from the TV show “Gossip Girl,” who was charged Friday with possession of less than two ounces of marijuana. Crawford and his friend were arrested two weeks ago in Texas while driving in a car—with an unlit marijuana cigarette. The charge is a misdemeanor, but if convicted, Crawford could face up to six months in prison. Six months in prison.…

Earlier this week, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D) signed two bills that will regulate the state’s booming medical marijuana industry and bring definitive legal status to about half of Colorado’s estimated 1,100 dispensaries. The new law will make Colorado home to the largest number of state-licensed dispensaries anywhere in the United States. A state-regulated medical marijuana program is up and running in New Mexico and similar programs will soon be operational in Rhode Island, Maine, New Jersey,…

The City of Brotherly Love just got a little kinder. Beginning today, anyone in Philadelphia who is found possessing up to one ounce of marijuana could have his or her charge downgraded from a misdemeanor to a summary offense. Under the new policy, which was announced in April by new district attorney Seth Williams, offenders will still be processed by law enforcement, but most can have their records expunged after they take a class and pay a $200 fine. Officials hope the change will help clear the…

Today, the City of Los Angeles will begin enforcing its ordinance regulating storefront medical marijuana dispensing collectives.  The ordinance will force most of the city’s collectives to shut down (over 400 establishments), while the remaining 138 or so (those who registered with the city prior to Nov. 13, 2007) will have to comply with new zoning laws that are stricter than those for adult entertainment businesses, retail alcohol vendors, and pharmacies. I will be the first to acknowledge that…

A ballot initiative in Detroit that would make it legal for adults to possess up to one ounce of marijuana for personal use has been certified by city election officials, according to local reports. A local group called Coalition for a Safer Detroit turned in more than 6,000 signatures to place the initiative on November’s ballot. According to the Detroit News, the City Council now has 30 days to pass the initiative into law or it will be up to voters to pass it in November. Should the initiative…

Even when medical marijuana patients are protected from arrest and provided safe access under their state’s law, they may still face forms of discrimination, as we are unfortunately reminded time and time again. Perhaps the most tragic and emotionally charged instance is when parents lose custody of their children because a court or judge rules that their marijuana use, even if it’s medicinal, constitutes child endangerment. Luckily, a ruling last week by the Colorado Court of Appeals may help prevent…