Drug War Chronicle

Comprehensive coverage of the War on Drugs since 1997

The MDMA molecule. (NIDA)

FDA Panel Rejects MDMA for PTSD Application, But Recommendation Is Not Binding [FEATURE]

The Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee had doubts approving a treatment program that uses MDMA in psychotherapy as a treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Advocates are dismayed and say it's a lifesaver.
A hospital emergency room. A new bill aims to provide guidelines for fentanyl testing at ERs. (Pixabay)

US Sentencing Commission Seeks Your Input, Bipartisan Senators File Emergency Room Fentanyl Testing Bill, More... (6/5/24)

A New Jersey poll finds majority support for therapeutic psilocybin, the White House has been busy on the harm reduction front this week, and more.
Could the longstanding congressional ban on DC pot sales be coming to an end? (Creative Commons)

House Panel Removes Ban on DC Pot Sales, SD Will Vote on Marijuana Legalization in November, More... (6/4/24)

House and Senate conferees in New Hampshire are trying to hammer out a compromise to save a marijuana legalization bill, Ohio prepares for its first legal pot shop applicants, and more.
Kratom. The state of California is moving to regulate -- not prohibit -- it. (Project CBD)

CA Kratom Regulation Bill Advances, VT Governor Vetoes Safe Injection Site Bill, More... (6/3/24)

Customs and Border Patrol has cut the period of acceptable last marijuana use for recruits from two years to 90 days, the federal defense bill is the locus of several drug policy-related amendments, and more.
Rogue opium plants beware! Inspector Kawamura Yuki, 3, is on the job.

One-Third of Americans Know Someone Who Died of an Overdose, LA Bans "Gas Station Heroin," More... (5/31/24)

A new Tennessee poll has a strong majority for marijuana legalization, a Japanese three-year-old is honored for spotting an opium poppy, and more.
A police bust in the Tenderloin. There have been a lot of them in the last year. (AdamChandler86)

CA Cops Now Support Marijuana Legalization, One-Year Anniversary of San Francisco Drug Crackdown, More... (5/30/24)

A dangerous new substance is entering the nation's illicit powder drug supply, the New Hampshire marijuana legalization bill is now going to conference committee, and more.
Chronicle Book Review: Smoke and Ashes

Amitav Ghosh creates a rich, provocative, and eye-opening portrait of the rise of the opium trade.
Methamphetamine. The UN reports that production and trafficking is rampant in East and Southeast Asia. (Creative Commons)

South Africa Legalizes Marijuana, DE Governor Signs MedMJ Expansion Bill, More... (5/29/24)

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime issues a new report on East and Southeast Asian drug trafficking, California psychedelic reform proponents ponder a 2026 initiative, and more.
The abortion drug mifeprestone. It is now a controlled substance in Louisiana. (Genbiopro)

LA First State to Make Abortion Drugs Controlled Substances, NH Senate Approves Marijuana Legalization Bill, More... (5/28/24)

South Korea threatens to arrest its citizens if they smoke pot in countries where it is legal, Ireland wields harm reduction services as summer festival season arrives, and more.
Harvesting opium poppies. There is not a lot of that going on in Afghanistan anymore. (UNODC)

MN Lawmakers Set Stage for Legal Weed Industry, Afghans Eradicate Miles of Opium Poppies, More... (5/24/24)

The DEA releases its annual drug threat assessment, a new poll finds Texans are ready to legalize weed even if their political leaders are not, and more.

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