A Colorado lawsuit filed this past June contends that special taxes placed on recreational marijuana sales are illegal and unconstitutional. Today, the group filing the lawsuit, No Over Taxation, has a hearing in the case. Cannabis advocates encouraging attendance contend that should the suit be successful, it could spell the end for marijuana licensing and registration regulations statewide.
Plaintiffs in the suit include marijuana activist Kathleen Chippi and Miguel Lopez, founder of the Denver 4/20 rally. Read the full breakdown as well as the official complaint at the Denver Westword.

Though marijuana possession remains a jailable crime in Harris County, the law of the land is shifting toward leniency for offenders. Both contenders in the November race for Harris County District Attorney have presented alternatives to convicting those caught with pot.
DA incumbent Devon Anderson and challenger Kim Ogg agree that the old ways need to change, but they clash on how much. The confusion likely stems from the fact neither candidate has the numbers to back her plan. One lacks a cost-savings analysis, and the other has provided practically useless estimates. Houston Press has more.

An Orange County federal judge showed no patience with a dope-loving, convicted felon who sold three firearms to undercover government agents in 2012 and handed him a high-end punishment based on sentencing guidelines.
Brandon Fitzpatrick entered U.S. District Court Judge Josephine L. Staton’s courtroom on Aug. 15 with three prior felony convictions and watched federal prosecutor’s recommendation of a 33-month sentence turn into a 41-month prison punishment. The OC Weekly has the rest.

On a few weeks back, $330,000 worth of methamphetamine was just found at the San Clemente border checkpoint. Perhaps it was part of a great big drug convoy because two busts at the same border stop last week uncovered more than a half-million dollars worth of meth, marijuana and cocaine, according to federal authorities.
After the driver of a 2007 Dodge Ram truck was sent to a secondary inspection area around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, a canine alerted agents to the tailgate area, where 16 plastic bundles were seized, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.