Chronicle AM: Psychedelics Could Treat Anxiety, PTSD; British MPs to Debate Marijuana Legalization, More (9/9/15)

Another Indian tribe will grow marijuana, Arkansas voters want medical marijuana, British MPs will debate marijuana legalization, psychedelic drugs may have value in treating some mental conditions, and more.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) moves forward on welfare drug testing. (wi.gov)

Maine Indian Tribe to Grow Marijuana. The Passamaquoddy tribe has signed a letter of intent with Denver-based Monarch America, Inc. to design, construct, and manage a marijuana cultivation facility on tribal land, Monarch said Tuesday. The company has also contracted with the Flandreau Santee Sioux tribe in South Dakota to run a similar operation there. The Justice Department has taken a hands-off approach to marijuana cultivation by Indian tribes.

Medical Marijuana

Arkansas Poll Has Support for Medical Marijuana at 84%. A new Talk Business & Politics poll shows very strong support for medical marijuana in the state. More than half (56%) strongly agreed that adults should be able to use marijuana with a doctor's prescription, with another 28% somewhat agreeing. Only 14% disagreed. A medical marijuana initiative barely failed there in 2012, winning 48.5% of the vote. That initiative included a provision for home grows, but this poll found a slight majority opposing home grows. Support for outright legalization was much lower, at 42%.

Heroin and Prescription Opiates

Wisconsin Lawmaker Prepares Anti-Heroin Legislative Package. Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette), who introduced seven bills last year to address opiate addiction, said at a Tuesday news conference he's preparing four more. He said the new bills would be designed to go after addiction to opioid pain medications, which he said was at the root of rising levels of heroin use. Nygren offered up few details, though.

Psychedelics

Study Says Psychedelics Could Be Useful in Treating Some Mental Disorders. A meta-study reviewing small-scale and preliminary studies finds that psychedelic drugs may be beneficial for people suffering from anxiety, addiction, or PTSD. "In the right context, these drugs can help people a lot, especially people who have disorders that we generally treat poorly, such as end-of-life distress, PTSD, and addiction issues involving tobacco or alcohol," said study coauthor Matthew Johnson, an associate professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. The study is available behind a pay wall here.

Drug Testing

Wisconsin Governor Takes First Steps Toward Welfare Drug Testing. Gov. Scott Walker, a contender for the GOP presidential nomination, Tuesday approved "scope statements," the first step in implementing drug testing of some welfare recipients. The state will test "certain applicants for unemployment benefits as well as for able-bodied adults seeking benefits and/or training through FoodShare, Transform Milwaukee, Transitional Jobs, noncustodial parents on the W-2 program, and Children First." Those "certain applicants" are ones the state deems likely to have been using controlled substances without a prescription.

International

British MPs Will Debate Marijuana Legalization. After a citizens' petition drew more than 200,000 signatures from Britons, Parliament has agreed to hear debate on the issue. The debate will be October 12 and will be led by long-time drug reformer MP Paul Flynn (Labor-Newport West). The Conservative government has already insisted it will not legalize marijuana, but the debate will go on nonetheless.

(This article was prepared by StoptheDrugWar.org's lobbying arm, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also pays the cost of maintaining this web site. DRCNet Foundation takes no positions on candidates for public office, in compliance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and does not pay for reporting that could be interpreted or misinterpreted as doing so.)