FL GOP At Odds Over Marijuana Init, Federal Fentanyl Bill Filed, More... (9/11/24)

Iran human rights display, courtyard of the United Nations Office at Vienna building (David Borden)

Rhode Island marijuana regulators are moving toward a hybrid licensing process, Iran's new president says his country needs new drug policies, and more.

Marijuana Policy

Florida's Young Republicans Clash with Trump Over Marijuana Legalization. Donald Trump's endorsement of the Florida Amendment 3 marijuana legalization initiative is causing ruptures among Florida Republicans, with young GOP members strongly opposing the measure. That leaves them siding with Gov. Ron DeSantis and state GOP Chairman Evan Power against the measure, with their party's presidential candidate on the other side.

The Capital Young Republicans of Tallahassee released a statement slamming Trump's "rushed endorsement" of the measure. The group and other Florida Young Republican organizations said the endorsement displayed "a clear lack of judgment" and undermined thoughtful consideration of important policies.

"Amendment 3 is bad policy," the statement says. "It was written by a small cadre of corporations to try to enrich their monopoly and profits while destroying the Florida we all know and love. This Amendment is for corporations, not conservatives."

[Editor: Go ahead. Fight amongst yourselves. - DB]

The GOPers are correct that the initiative would benefit existing medical marijuana operators, including the multistate operator Trulieve, which has spent more than $70 million to try to get it passed. But the licensing system the initiative calls for would be open for other businesses to apply, at least if they are able to surmount manage the admittedly high capital requirement and other challenges to winning one of the admittedly small number of initial licenses.

In any case, legalization is needed to remove the fear of arrest and prosecution for marijuana possession in Florida. More than 16,000 Floridians were arrested on small-time pot possession charges last year.

Rhode Island Regulators Propose Lottery for Pot Business Licenses. The Rhode Island Cannabis Control Commission, charged with implementing the state's two-year-old marijuana legalization law, voted unanimously last Friday to give preliminary approval to a hybrid process for deciding who will get one of the two dozen marijuana business licenses to be handed out by the state.

The two-part process would first screen applicants for their "ability and readiness for licensure," and then have a lottery to determine who gets the licenses. However, the lottery would only apply in zones where the demand for licenses outweighs the supply.

Under the state's marijuana law, retail licenses are spread across six geographic zones, with a maximum of four per zone, two are reserved for social equity applicants and workers' cooperatives.

But licensing won't happen until regulators finalize regulations for the industry. Draft regulations have been getting adopted on a piecemeal basis though the summer, and it's not clear when they'll be finalized.

"If you take one thing away from my feelings about this, it is to avoid further delay for the industry," Commission Chair Kimberly Ahern said during Friday's meeting. "It is what I have heard over and over and over again."

Drug Policy

Bipartisan Federal Bill Aims to Catch Fentanyl Packages, Among Other Things. Five senators -- Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Bob Casey (D-PA) -- have filed a bill "to help Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stop the flow of illicit goods, including fentanyl, counterfeits, and products made with forced labor, into the country by tightening import requirements for low-value packages," according to a statement from the Senate Finance Committee.

"Foreign corporate giants are inundating our borders with millions of low-value packages, making it tough for customs agents to stop dangerous goods like fentanyl from falling into Americans' hands," Wyden said. "Americans should feel confident that anything arriving on their doorstep is safe, legal, and ethically produced. Our legislation would crack down on foreign companies abusing the law and make sure they play by the rules."

The legislation takes aim at de minimis entry, which allows low-value packages to undergo an expedited process of entry into the US with lower levels of customs scrutiny. The cutely-acronymed Fighting Illicit Goods, Helping Trustworthy Importers, and Netting Gains (FIGHTING) for America Act "would tighten the rules for de minimis entry and help CBP more effectively stop unlawful imports," the statement explained.

The legislation is supported by Oregon AFL-CIO, AFL-CIO, National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), Parents Against Vaping e-Cigs (PAVe), Voices for Awareness | Facing Fentanyl Now, National Association of Police Organizations, Fraternal Order of Police, United Steelworkers (USW), United States Footwear Manufacturers Association (USFMA), National Treasury Employees Union, and the Outdoor Industries Association.

International

Iran's New President Says Drug Fighting Strategies Need to Be Revised. As long as there is demand for illegal drugs, there will be a supply, so strategies for dealing with illicit drugs must focus on tamping down demand, President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday in remarks at the nation's anti-drug headquarters.

While referring to addiction as a significant social problem, Pezeshkian said efforts to combat it in recent years have been ineffective.

"Despite the many efforts that have been made in the country, we are still a long way from optimal conditions, which makes it necessary to review and change the current methods by learning from the successful experiences of other countries," Pezeshkian added.

Focusing on cutting supply is a mistake, he said. Better to try to identify at-risk populations, develop preventive strategies, provide treatment, and reintegrate addicts back into society, he said.

In recent years, Iran has expanded its treatment modalities and embraced harm reduction in response to high levels of addiction. But the country has also increasingly resorted to the death penalty for some drug offenses, in numbers that have widely varied through the years -- but especially in the last two years, after an uprising against the regime followed the death two years ago this month of Mahsa Amini, who was beaten by religious police for not properly wearing a head scarf.