December 23, 2003

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[edit] December 23, 2003

• The Supreme Court of Canada announces (in a 6-3 decision) that the criminalization of marijuana was not unconstitutional. [1]
• The United States Department of Agriculture confirms the first case of BSE (mad cow disease) in the United States, detected at a small slaughter house. The USDA has found no evidence that the infected materials made it into the food supply. Specimens have been sent to the United Kingdom for further analysis. Authorities quarantined a ranch near Yakima where the animal was raised. [2] [3]
• California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declares a state of emergency in San Luis Obispo County, following an earthquake in that county on the previous day. [4]
• Beltway sniper attacks: A Virginia jury recommends a life sentence without possibility of parole for Lee Boyd Malvo, who was earlier convicted of capital murder, among other charges, in connection with the shootings. Malvo had faced the possibility of execution.[5]