Usual Suspects Oppose North Dakota Legalization Init, Fears Rise of Sinaloa Cartel Civil War, More... (9/12/24)

Massachusetts psychedelic initiative analyzed, Zurich legal weed pilot program evaluated at the one-year mark, and more.

Zurich, Switzerland. The city seems happy with its year-old pilot program of legal marijuana sales. (Pixabay)

North Dakota Marijuana Legalization Faces Organized Opposition from Usual Suspects. The Measure 5 marijuana legalization initiative from New Economic Approach is drawing organized opposition from some unsurprising sources. The state's Medical Association, Hospital Association, Peace Officers Association, Chiefs of Police Association, and Sheriffs and Deputies Association say they are uniting to block the measure.

"Don't buy into the argument that legalization of recreational marijuana will free up law enforcement to focus on more serious crime," Mandan Police Chief Jason Ziegler said in a statement. "In fact, quite the opposite will happen. Legalization will lead to an increase in traffic accidents and fatalities."

While the cops emphasized law enforcement, the North Dakota Medical Association emphasized health risks of the measure.

"Studies have shown that frequent use of marijuana is associated with the development of substance use disorders, impaired cognitive function, cancer, and mental health issues such as anxiety, psychosis and depression," Dr. Stephanie Dahl, president of the North Dakota Medical Association, said in a statement.

But Steve Bakken, chair of New Economic Frontier and the Measure 5 sponsoring committee, pushed back, saying a legal, regulated market would reduce the size of the black market.

"A regulated market helps insure the availability of safer, uncontaminated products, reducing health risk associated with legal marijuana," Bakken said.

The North Dakota Petroleum Council, Association of General Contractors, North Dakota Motor Carriers, North Dakota Farmers Union, North Dakota Catholic Conference, and North Dakota Family Alliance also have come out against the recreational marijuana measure, according to the news release.

Psychedelics

Massachusetts Psychedelic Legalization Initiative Analyzed. The Center for State Policy Analysis (CSPA) at Tufts University Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life has released a report evaluating the potential impact of Ballot Question 4, which would legalize a group of naturally occurring psychedelic drugs -- psilocybin, psilocyn, mescaline, DMT, and ibogaine -- for use at home and eventually in a network of therapy centers.

"Two other states have legalized select psychedelics," said Evan Horowitz, executive director of CSPA. "But Question 4 goes further, with therapy centers that can offer a wider array of psychedelic drugs. Massachusetts voters need to decide if they want to be at the vanguard of this experiment."

The fairly anodyne report found that:

• Psilocybin (found in "magic mushrooms") shows promise as a treatment for some serious mental health conditions, including anxiety among patients with terminal illnesses.
• Psychedelics are associated with some substantial harms. For instance, ibogaine can cause acute cardiac problems, while DMT (used in ayahuasca) may have lasting neurological effects.
• The rules for using psychedelics would be different from current laws around marijuana. Adults will not be able to purchase psychedelics at a retail outlet. They will need to grow their own, find a person willing to share, or use at a licensed facility.
• Treatment at licensed psychedelic therapy centers would likely be expensive, encouraging more at-home and personal use, where the lack of guidance and oversight brings heightened risk.
• Federal authorities consider all of these drugs illegal, so passing Question 4 could lead to a federal backlash.

International

Mexican Cartel Clashes Raise Fears of Civil War within Sinaloa Cartel. Culiacan, the Sinaloa state capital, saw heavily armed gunmen on foot and riding pick-up trucks Monday, with a soundtrack of background gunfire. At least one soldier and two civilians were killed in gunbattles that day, raising fears that a factional dispute within the Sinaloa Cartel is about to turn into a cartel war.

Tensions within the Sinaloa Cartel have been on the rise ever since one of imprisoned cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's sons kidnapped cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and delivered him to US authorities in July. The junior Guzman also turned himself in to the feds. El Mayo led one cartel faction, while Guzman's sons, "Los Chapitos," led the other. In response to Monday's violence, Mexican authorities sent another 90 special forces to the state on Tuesday.

"It is believed that there may be more fighting and that these clashes are between the same two groups (within the cartel)," said America Armenta, an independent Sinaloan journalist in Culiacan.

Outgoing Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the government is "watching and taking action" to ensure calm. "It's a confrontation, and I hope it's temporary," Lopez Obrador said.

Switzerland Legal Marijuana Experiment Assessed Positively at One-Year Mark. After a year of a pilot project on marijuana legalization in Zurich, an initial assessment finds that some 2,100 participants made 36,000 transactions, with nearly nine-out-of-ten (88%) praising product quality.

The city began allowing the sale of marijuana products in August 2023 under the rubric "Züri Can -- Cannabis with Responsibility."

"We show that modern preventive work can go hand in hand with controlled access to cannabis products," said Andreas Hauri, the councilor responsible for health and environment.

Employees of sales points have established relationships with project participants, which allows them to offer not only products but also knowledge on safer and less risky use of cannabis.

"90% of participants rate the sales staff as competent and helpful," said Barbara Burri, project manager.

Not everything was rosy. One recurring complaint from participants was a lack of selection of marijuana products. Project managers plan to introduce four new marijuana strains next year. The pilot program itself is set to run through October 2026.