Chicago officer fatally shoots armed black man running away

A Chicago police officer fatally shot a 24-year-old black man who authorities said pulled a gun while running away, prompting questions from the man's family about why the encounter turned deadly. Sgt. Rocco Alioto said the "armed confrontation" Wednesday evening on the city's South Side happened as officers conducted a narcotics investigation.

Is North Carolina Ready to Take Marijuana Reform Seriously?

Since taking his oath of office in 2009, N.C. Rep. Kelly Alexander, Jr. has filed a marijuana-related bill in the North Carolina General Assembly six times - and six times those bills have languished in committee, failing to make it to the House floor for a debate, much less a vote. That count includes Alexander's most recent bill, House Bill 994, bluntly titled "Reform Marijuana Laws," filed on May 23 during the General Assembly's short session.

Glut of marijuana in Oregon is cautionary tale, experts say

In this Tuesday, May 29, 2018 photo, Adam Smith, left, founder and executive director, Oregon Craft Cannabis Alliance, is shown a marijuana variety called Cherry Skunk by Tree PDX marijuana shop owner Brooke Smith at her shop in Po... . In this Tuesday, May 29, 2018 photo, Tree PDX marijuana shop owner Brooke Smith poses for a photo outside her small shop in Portland, Ore.

California, US team up on an issue that divides them: pot

An alarming increase in the use of a highly toxic and banned pesticide at illegal marijuana farms hidden on public land in California is leading U.S. and state officials to team up on an issue that recently divided them: pot. They announced Tuesday that they will use $2.5 million in federal money to target illegal grows even as they remain at odds over the drug and other issues.

PTSD & Pot: Veterans making Memorial Day push for legal marijuana

Veterans from across the country will be gathering in our nation's capital on Memorial Day this year to not only honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice, but to advocate for a cause that isn't typically associated with our nation's heroes -- the legalization of marijuana. Derek Cloutier , president and founder of the New England Veterans Alliance, meets with other veterans at the NECANN cannabis & hemp convention in Burlington, Vermont.

Ordering opioids online? Mail carrier may also deliver handcuffs

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer Christopher Avila and his dog Jack check packages for contraband at the JFK mail facility in New NEW YORK - He looked like a regular mail carrier, dropping off an unremarkable package at an upscale New York City apartment tower, but neither the man nor the package were quite what they seemed. The mail carrier was really a federal agent, conducting a so-called controlled delivery, a tactic the U.S. government employs to help stem the flow of heroin, prescription painkillers and other opioids fueling the nation's epidemic of fatal overdoses.

Report: Legal marijuana linked to opioid-use declines amid drug crisis

Some states allowing medical marijuana and recreational pot saw declines in opioid prescribing as authorities pushed urgent efforts to combat the historic American drug crisis. Medicaid patients, for example, are getting about 5.9 percent fewer prescription painkillers in medical marijuana states.

Inside Mexico’s violent drug cartel operations fueling heroin addiction in the US

Up a dusty road, in a sun-dappled field in northwest Mexico, a small team of workers bent over, quietly tending to the crops on a farm. But hidden in between the legal crops of corn and garbanzo beans are fields of pretty purple flowers that have become the root of an American catastrophe.

Blame Game: Drug supply firm execs say they didn’t cause opioids crisis

Top executives of the nation's leading wholesale drug distributors told Congress under oath Tuesday that their companies didn't help cause the nation's deadly opioid epidemic, drawing bipartisan wrath that included one lawmaker suggesting prison terms for some company officials. The confrontation came at a House subcommittee hearing at which legislators asked why huge numbers of potentially addictive prescription opioid pills had been shipped to West Virginia, among the states hardest hit by the drug crisis.

California teen charged with recruiting classmates for drug smuggling operation

A California high school student was charged on Monday after he allegedly recruited classmates into a drug and human smuggling ring, authorities said. Phillip Junior Webb, 18, was arraigned Monday at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California in San Diego on federal charges of human smuggling and conspiracy to distribute illicit narcotics.

Californian teen, 18, charged with recruiting classmates for drug ring across Mexico border

Californian teen, 18, charged with recruiting FIVE classmates for drug ring across Mexico border and for trying to traffic illegal immigrants in the trunk of his car The students were said to have strapped fentanyl and methamphetamine to their bodies and would cross the border 15 to 20 times A former senior of a Californian high school was charged on Monday with recruiting classmates in a drug and human trafficking scheme from Mexico to the United States. Phillip Junior Webb, 18, was said to have recruited his peers from Castle High School in Chula Vista, California .

US Sen. Baldwin talks about late mother’s opioid addiction

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, left, tells for the first time publicly the story of her mother's mental illness and addiction to prescription narcotics during a conversation with Morgan Thomas, of Milwaukee, as she runs for re-election, on Tuesday, May 1, 2018, in Milwaukee. Thomas's father struggles with addiction and Baldwin had never previously told the story of her mother's problems which led to her being raised by her grandparents.

CAS Legal Mailbag Question of the Week – April, 2018 #2

I have long suspected that one of the students at my high school is a dealer and I would love to prove it. Yesterday, another student told me confidentially that he saw the student rolling a joint in the bathroom and I called the suspected student down to the office for a little questioning.

Marino sues elderly woman for defamation

SHAMROCK FILE U.S. Rep. Tom Marino alleges Michael and Marlene Steele distributed an email that falsely accuses him of taking a drug industry kickback. U.S. Rep. Tom Marino sued an elderly woman and her son for defamation, alleging they distributed an email that falsely accuses him of taking a drug industry kickback and having a "big hand" in spreading heroin and opioids at the heart of an addiction epidemic.

Baker accepts GOP convention endorsement for gov; Lively also qualifies for ballot

Putting some substance behind his so far quiet re-election effort, Gov. Charlie Baker on Saturday said he wants to reduce the sales tax and fired up Republican delegates at their nominating convention by emphasizing his support for the death penalty for cop killers. Running again with Lt.