Luxembourg is on a path to be the first European Union country to legalize marijuana, Alabama Medicaid is being challenged for blocking access to Hep C treatment for people who use drugs or alcohol, and more.

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) has vetoed a bill that could have led the way to drug decriminalization. (vt.gov)

Federal Pot Busts Continue to Decline. The DEA arrested 2,576 people on federal marijuana charges in Fiscal Year 2020, down dramatically from 2010, when the DEA made 8,215 pot arrests. Arrests have declined on an average of 11 percent a year in the past decade. Some of the decline is because of the coronavirus pandemic, which the Bureau of Justice Statistics said, "drove an 81 percent decline in arrests and 77 percent decline in cases charged from March to April 2020." But the decline also reflects discretionary decisions by the Justice Department as state after state legalizes marijuana.

Drug Policy

Alabama Medicaid Sued for Denying Hep C Treatment for People Who Use Drugs. The Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation and AIDS Alabama have filed an administrative complaint with the Justice Department, charging that Alabama Medicaid is discriminating against people with substance use disorder by denying "[Hep C] treatment to otherwise eligible Medicaid enrollees who cannot prove they did not use drugs or alcohol within the last six months." Prospective enrollees must promise not to use illegal drugs or alcohol, even though only alcohol has an effect on the liver. Alabama Medicaid patients who are found to be using drugs, including alcohol, could see their access to treatment, which otherwise costs tens of thousands of dollars, blocked. "On an individual level, for a single person seeking hep C treatment, it means the difference between being cured of hepatitis C and continuing to live with this very dangerous illness that, in many cases, can lead to liver scarring, liver cancer and even death," said Suzanne Davies, an attorney and CHLPI clinical fellow.

Vermont Governor Vetoes Drug Decrim Study Bill. Gov. Phil Scott (R) has vetoed House Bill 505, which would have created a Drug Use Standards Advisory Board as a first step toward drug decriminalization. The board would have been charged with determining a way to decriminalize the personal possession of currently illicit drugs, as well as ending the legal distinction between powder and crack cocaine. But in his veto message, Scott complained that the bill "places no limits on which drugs can be contemplated for legalization or the amounts, and while rightly saying we need to view substance abuse as a public health matter -- a point where I agree -- it includes absolutely no recognition of the often-disastrous health and safety impacts of using drugs."

International

Jordanian Armed Forces Kill Four Drug Smugglers from Syria. Four people trying to smuggle a large quantity of drugs from Syria into Jordan have been killed, with an unspecified number of others wounded and others escaping back into Syria, the Jordanian armed forces said. Jordan is both a destination and a transit route for captagon, an amphetamine now manufactured in Syria. The military did not specify who killed the smugglers, but in January, Jordanian soldiers killed 27 armed smugglers as they crossed the border.

Luxembourg Council of Government Set to Review Draft Marijuana Legalization Bill Next Month. The Council of Government will review a draft of a marijuana legalization bill next month. The government has committed to legalization, and in the current draft, would allow for home cultivation and would legalize the possession of up to three grams of marijuana. If the bill passes, Luxembourg would be the first country in the European Union to legalize marijuana, although Germany is now following a similar process.