Hot Docs: Marijuana Stats, Emergency Communications, Private Security Contractors in Iraq, and More

Marijuana: The Greatest Cause of Illegal Drug Use. The Office of National Drug Control Policy offers its largest-ever compilation of data relating to marijuana, including health effects, the criminal justice side, sources of supply, and the latest use patterns.

National Emergency Communications Plan. To address serious deficiencies in the communications technology used by responders, the Department of Homeland Security is offering a plan to strengthen emergency communications capabilities nationwide. It focuses on "technology, coordination, governance, planning, usage, training and exercises at all levels of government." DHS says that many first responders still have trouble communicating during routine incidents and natural disasters.

Rebuilding Iraq: DOD and State Department Have Improved Oversight and Coordination of Private Security Contractors in Iraq, but Further Actions Are Needed to Sustain Improvements. While the Defense Department has boosted the number of security personnel in Iraq to provide oversight over controversial private security firms like Blackwater, the Government Accountability Office worries that the Pentagon won't be able to sustain this increase because it has a limited number of oversight personnel.

Ballistic Missile Defense: Actions Needed to Improve Process for Identifying and Addressing Combatant Command Priorities. The GAO finds that the Pentagon is having trouble matching up the development of ballistic missile defenses with the risks perceived by commanders in the field and that the Defense Department "remains at risk of not effectively providing the combatant commands with the missile defense capabilities they need."

A Look at Terrorist Behavior: How They Prepare, Where They Strike. From the National Institute of Justice, this study looks at the behavior that goes into planning and executing a terrorist attack.