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Drug War Chronicle

comprehensive coverage of the War on Drugs since 1997

Minneapolis Enacts Psychedelic Reform, Albania Legalizes Medical Marijuana, More... (7/24/23)

New York GOP politicos want to ban public pot smoking, California is paying meth users who test negative, and more.

Magic mushrooms are among the natural psychedelics that are now the lowest law enforcement priority in Minneapolis. (CC)
Marijuana Policy

New York Republicans Want to Ban Public Marijuana Use. Republican state lawmakers are calling for a ban on public marijuana smoking and have proposed a bill, Assembly Bill 7612, that seeks to achieve that end by allowing local governments to put bans in place at the county or municipal level. The bill also would require local governments to affirmatively act to allow public marijuana use.

"State residents, including children, are now regularly assailed with the pungent odor of marijuana on public sidewalks, in parking lots and other public spaces," said Sen. George Borrello (R), sponsor of the Senate version of the bill (Senate Bill 7604). "Many New Yorkers don't want to be exposed to either the effects of marijuana smoke or its smell and don't want their children subjected to it."

The Republican bills seek fines of up to $125 for public marijuana consumption.

Drug Treatment

California Fights Meth Addiction with Gift Cards. After receiving a waiver from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the state is beginning a pilot program in 24 counties to treat methamphetamine dependency by contingency management, a non-pharmaceutical intervention that reduces use by paying program participants who stay off the drug. Successful participants get gift cards for not testing positive for meth.

Without the federal waiver, the program had been blocked because the state could not cover the costs of the program. California is the first state in the nation to obtain such a waiver.

Among the localities participating in the pilot program are Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Francisco. In the latter city, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital opened enrollment for the pilot program last week and ultimately seeks to serve 50 participants. They will be tested once or twice a week and will receive a $10 gift card each time they test negative, up to $599. That's the limit because payments of $600 or more need to be reported to the Internal Revenue Service.

A similar program in the Department of Veterans Affairs has been ongoing since 2011 and has proven successful.

Psychedelics

Minneapolis Mayor Makes Psychedelics Lowest Law Enforcement Priority. Mayor Jacob Frey (DFL) last Friday issued an executive order making the use and possession of certain psychedelic drugs the lowest law enforcement priority. That makes the city the latest major city after Denver, Detroit, and Washington, DC, to adopt a more permissive stance toward psychedelics. A number of smaller cities have also enacted psychedelic reforms.

Frey said he hoped the move would contribute to national rethinking of prohibitionist drug laws and that it would draw attention to the role plant-based psychedelics can play for people dealing with depression, trauma and addiction.

"We have a mass proliferation of deaths of despair," he said, citing the nation's high rates of suicide and opioid abuse. "This is something that is known to help."

International

Albania Parliament Approves Medical Marijuana. The parliament last Friday voted 69-23 to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. It is not clear how it will be regulated, but the government believes legalizing it can boost tax revenues.

The country had been a leading illegal marijuana producing country in Europe, but after a police officer was killed raiding a marijuana operation in 2014, the government instituted a crackdown on the black market, which at the time accounted for more than two-thirds of the country's gross national product.

DC Law Protecting Pot-Smoking Workers Now in Effect, Ghana Okay Hemp & MedMJ Production, More... (7/14/23)

A Minnesota Native American reservation will have marijuana for sale on the first day of legalization (unlike most of the rest of the state), the US government quietly quits monitoring coca cultivation in Colombia, and more.

The US has suspended its satellite monitoring of Colombian coca leaf cultivation. (Creative Commons)
Marijuana Policy

Minnesota Tribe Will Have Pot Shop Open on Day One of Legalization. The Red Lake Reservation already has an existing medical marijuana dispensary, and when marijuana legalization goes into effect on August 1, it will switch to adult-use recreational marijuana sales. For the vast majority of the state that is not sovereign Native American territory, adult-use sales are not expected until 2025, when the fledgling Office of Cannabis Management sets up a regulatory framework.

Under the state's new marijuana law, adults will be able to buy and possess up to two ounces in public. They will also be able to grow up to eight plants, with up to four of them in flowering state, and possess up to two pounds from their harvest.

DC Law Barring Employers from Punishing Most Workers for Marijuana Use Is Now in Effect. A Washington, DC, law that bans most private employers from firing or otherwise punishing workers for off-duty marijuana use went into effect Thursday. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the bill into law exactly a year ago, and it survived a 60-day congressional review period. The new expands employment protections enjoyed by government workers who use medical marijuana by covering workers of private businesses. Some categories of workers are excluded, such as those safety-sensitive positions in construction, police officers, and people whose jobs require a commercial drivers license or work with childcare and patients.

The law will "prohibit employers from firing, failing to hire, or taking other personnel actions against an individual for use of cannabis, participating in the medical cannabis program, or failure to pass an employer-required or requested cannabis drug test, unless the position is designated safety sensitive or for other enumerated reasons."

Foreign Policy

Biden Administration Halts Satellite Monitoring of Colombian Coca Crops. Without explanation, the Biden administration has suspended satellite monitoring of coca crops in Colombia, a program the US has maintained for years. According to the State Department, the suspension is "temporary," but no timeline for resumption was given, nor was any reason for it articulated.

"We are constantly assessing the effectiveness of various counternarcotics efforts and make changes to our efforts as needed," a State Department spokesperson said. "We continue to work with the Government of Colombia on the monitoring of illicit coca crops."

The government of President Gustavo Petro has deemphasized coca crop eradication even as cocaine production in the country remains at record levels and is instead seeking to refocus law enforcement efforts away from the countryside and instead go after large scale traffickers and money launderers.

Congressional Republicans, some of whom have been calling for Colombia to be decertified for failing to cooperate in US anti-drug efforts, have said they are outraged by the move. "This is a gift to the Petro Administration," Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and a senior member of the Committee on Foreign Relations, said in a statement to The Associated Press. "It's another example of the Biden Administration giving concessions to far-left governments in the region."

President Petro has pushed back, saying the US would be best served by dealing with the fentanyl crisis, as well as noting that nothing is forever. "Things change. The structure of drug consumption is changing for the worse, reducing [US] demand for cocaine, which is starting to flow to other parts of the planet."

International

Ghana Parliament Approves Medical Marijuana, Hemp Production. The parliament has approved amending the Narcotics Control Commission law, clearing the way for cannabis cultivation for medicinal and industrial purposes. The Ministry of the Interior has been given the responsibility for regulating the nascent industry.

Federal Drug Prisoner Population Declines, CA Psychedelic Legalization Bill Advances, More... (7/13/23)

A GOP-led House committee has killed marijuana and psychedelic reform amendments to the defense spending bill, a Mexican drug cartel uses roadside bombs against the police, and more.

There has been a remarkable drop in federal drug prisoners in recent years. (Creative Commons)
Marijuana Policy

House Committee Kills Every Marijuana and Psychedelic Amendment to Must-Pass Defense Spending Bill. The GOP-led House Rules Committee has killed more than a dozen bipartisan marijuana and psychedelic policy amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act. The Republican leadership of the committee declined to accept any of them for floor votes. Among the proposed amendments killed was one to end marijuana testing for people trying to join the armed forces, one protecting federal workers from losing security clearances because of marijuana, one allowing servicemembers to use CBD and other hemp-derived products, and one investigating the therapeutic potential of certain psychedelics.

Michigan Ends Pre-Employment Marijuana Screening for Most State Jobs. Following months of public comment, the Michigan Civil Service Commission has voted unanimously to adopt new rules ending the practice of pre-employment marijuana screening for most state workers. Under the new policy, most public employees will no longer be required to undergo pre-employment marijuana testing. (Exceptions to the new rules will remain for those in certain safety sensitive positions, like law enforcement personnel.) Those previously denied positions because of a failed marijuana test are also now eligible to immediately reapply for employment.

Psychedelics

California Psychedelic Legalization Bill Wins Another Committee Vote. A bill that would legalize the possession and use of certain psychedelics, Senate Bill 58, which has already been approved by the Senate, has now won a second committee vote in the Assembly. The measure passed the Assembly Health Committee on a 9-2 vote Tuesday. It must now pass only one more committee, the Assembly Appropriations Committee, before heading for an Assembly floor vote. The bill would legalize the "possession, preparation, obtaining, transfer, as specified, or transportation of" specific amounts of psilocybin, psilocyn, DMT, ibogaine and mescaline for personal or facilitated use. Notably, "synthetic" psychedelics like LSD and MDMA would not be legalized, unlike the provisions of the previous version of legislation from Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco).

Berkeley City Council Effectively Legalizes Some Psychedelics. The city council of the East Bay city voted Tuesday to effectively legalize a range of psychedelics by voting unanimously to make the enforcement of state and federal laws against psychedelic plants and fungi the lowest law enforcement priority. The resolution passed, however, bars the "giving away, sharing, distributing, transferring, dispensing, or administering" of psychedelics.

Sentencing

Nearly a Quarter Fewer Persons Were in Federal Prison for Drug Offenses in 2018 Than in 2013. The number of people held in Federal Bureau of Prisons' facilities on a drug offense fell 24% from fiscal yearend 2013 (94,613) to fiscal yearend 2018 (71,555), according to Sentencing Decisions for Persons in Federal Prison for Drug Offenses, 2013-2018, a new report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. These persons accounted for 51% of the federal prison population in 2013 and 47% in 2018.

Between 2013 and 2018, there were large decreases in persons serving time in federal prison for marijuana (down 61%), crack cocaine (down 45%) and powder cocaine (down 35%), with a smaller (4%) decline in persons imprisoned for opioids. These reductions were partly offset by growth in the number of persons serving time for heroin (up 13%) and methamphetamine (up 12%).

During the 5-year period, there was also a 33% decrease in the number of people in federal prison who, because of the type and amount of drugs involved in their offense, faced the possibility of mandatory minimum penalties at sentencing. A similar decline trend was observed in the number who ultimately received penalties (down 26%) and received relief from penalties (down 52%).

About 60% of all people in BOP custody for drug offenses at fiscal yearend 2018 had received mandatory minimum penalties: 22% for methamphetamine, 15% for powder cocaine, 14% for crack cocaine, 5% for heroin, 4% for marijuana and less than 1% for opioids. When the federal prison population was analyzed by persons who could have received penalties for their drug offense, those serving time for crack cocaine were more likely to receive penalties (94%) than those held for marijuana (82%), powder cocaine (81%), heroin (80%), methamphetamine (79%) or opioids (70%).

International

Montreal Police Raid Illegal Magic Mushroom Shop on Opening Day. FunGuyz, a chain of shops selling illegal magic mushrooms, has already had several of its stores raided in Ontario, and on Tuesday, it could add one in Montreal to the list. Montreal police raided the shop hours after it opened offering a menu of pills, dried mushrooms, and chocolate bars laced with psilocybin.

A FunGuyz spokesman called the raid a "simple" product seizure and a "waste of taxpayers' money." He said opening FunGuyz was a form of protest to challenge the illegality of psychedelic drugs. "We do expect the police to come in and raid us because obviously what we're doing, it's illegal," he said on Tuesday. "The idea behind everything is, are the police willing to… use the taxpayers' money for mushroom stuff?"

Mexican Drug Cartel Use Roadside Bomb to Kill Cops. Four police officers and two civilians were killed by a series of roadside bombs in the western state of Jalisco on Tuesday. Authorities said an anonymous caller reported a tip about a supposed clandestine burial site, and when police went to investigate, seven roadside bombs went off simultaneously. The blasts were so powerful they left craters in the road, destroyed at least four vehicles, and wounded 14 more people. The state prosecutor blamed an unnamed drug cartel. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel has significant experience with improvised explosive devices, as well as bomb-dropping drones.

Ukraine Parliament Gives Initial Approval to Medical Marijuana Bill. The parliament has given initial approval to a bill to legalize medical marijuana in the country. It must still be approved in a second reading and then sent to President Volodymyr Zelensky for his signature. Zelensky has already said he supports the bill.

Biden Administration Rolls Out Plan to Confront Xylazine-Fentanyl Phenomenon [FEATURE]

In its latest move to confront the rapidly rising incidence of overdose deaths and other deleterious consequences of the combination use of the veterinary tranquilizer xylazine ("tranq") and fentanyl, the Biden administration on Tuesday released a National Response Plan to coordinate a whole-of-government approach to the threat.

The veterinary tranquilizer and pain reliever xylazine is bad news in combo with fentanyl. (NY OASAS)
The plan calls for a public health campaign of increased testing and treatment and more data collection to see how the drug combo spreads and contributes to overdose numbers. But it also calls for looking into whether to schedule xylazine and includes the reflex resort to law enforcement to try to suppress supply.

This is just the latest in a series of steps the administration has taken since late last year to address the emerging phenomenon. Last December, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP -- the drug czar's office) head Dr. Rahul Gupta hosted a listening session with public health and public safety leaders and subject matter experts from several states and territories about trends they are seeing related to xylazine and efforts to address these trends. In January, Dr. Gupta convened the Evolving and Emerging Threats Committee to discuss the emergence of fentanyl adulterated with xylazine in the illicit drug supply.

In February, the Food and Drug Administration took action to restrict the unlawful entry of xylazine active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished dosage form drug products into the country and in March, the Drug Enforcement Administration issued a public safety alert to warn the American public of a sharp increase in the trafficking of fentanyl mixed with xylazine. In April, Dr. Gupta named the xylazine-fentanyl combination an emerging public health threat, the first time such a designation has been used since Congress authorized it in 2018.

"Since we announced the emerging drug threat earlier this year, we've been working tirelessly to create the best plan of attack to address this dangerous and deadly substance head-on," said Dr. Gupta in a statement. "Now, with this National Response Plan, we are launching coordinated efforts across all of government to ensure we are using every lever we have to protect public health and public safety, and save lives. As a doctor, I have seen the devastating consequences of xylazine combined with fentanyl firsthand. And as President Biden's drug policy advisor, I am laser-focused on finding every tool we have and following the best evidence-based practices to take on this new challenge. This will be an all-hands-on-deck effort -- but I am confident we can take action together and eradicate this emerging threat."

Fentanyl first emerged as a significant actor in the illicit drug market in the early to mid-2010s, while xylazine entered the scene in the late 2010s. Now, xylazine has been detected in nearly every state in the country, and xylazine-involved overdose deaths are skyrocketing, albeit from very low initial levels. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported last month that the monthly percentage of fentanyl deaths with xylazine detected jumped from 2.9 percent in January 2019 to 10.9 percent in June 2022. CDC also found that the death rate from xylazine overdoses jumped 35-fold from 2018 to 2021.

Xylazine is a tranquilizer, not an opioid, and thus does not respond to opioid overdose reversal drugs such as naloxone. It also has other serious potential health effects, including wounds that may eventually require amputations, as well as breathing difficulties.

"If we thought fentanyl was dangerous, fentanyl combined with xylazine is even deadlier," Dr. Gupta said in a press call previewing the plan Monday.

But he warned that the plan will need Congress to step up with funding if it is to be be fully implemented. He noted that the Biden administration Fiscal Year 2024 budget request includes funding for emerging threats.

"We will do what we can with what we have until we get the resources from Congress," Dr. Gupta said. "It's a matter of utilizing what we have right now in order to save lives while we're encouraging Congress to pass the president's budget and provide those resources as quickly as possible. We're going to move ahead as quickly as possible because the fact is that lives are on the line."

Medical Marijuana Update

It looks like there will be no medical marijuana for North Carolina this year, Minnesota's program adds 19 new qualifying conditions to its already lengthy list, and more.

Florida

Florida Governor Signs Bill Okaying Telehealth for Medical Marijuana. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has quietly signed into law a measure allowing the use of telehealth to renew medical marijuana recommendations, House Bill 387. To obtain a medical marijuana patient card, however, an in-patient examination by a physician is still required.

Minnesota

Minnesota Adds 19 New Qualifying Conditions, Waives Fees for Patients. Irritable bowel syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder are among the 19 different medical conditions just added to the state's very lengthy list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana. That went into effect July 1.

Also in effect as of July 1 is the waiving of registration fees for patients. Until now, it cost $200 a year. And patients can now be certified by a health practitioner, expanding the number of medical personnel who can make recommendations.

"They will enter that into our patient registry and then you are sent a link to go ahead and register for the medical cannabis program," said Office of Medical Cannabis Director Chris Tholkes. "As of July 1st, there is no longer an annual fee of 200 dollars. It's now zero to participate in our program."

New York

New York Town Must Pay $200,000 After Firing Medical Marijuana Patient. The city of Amsterdam must pay almost $200,000 to a city worker fired after failing a drug screening for marijuana. A jury found that the city discriminated against Thomas Apholz, a wastewater treatment plant worker who was first suspended and then fired after the drug test.

The state legalized medical marijuana in 2014. State law grants registered medical marijuana patients disability status, which gives protection from employment discrimination for using medical marijuana.

After he was fired, he filed suit in state Supreme Court in Montgomery County, alleging unlawful employment discrimination and failure to accommodate his disability as required by the New York Humans Rights Law. And now he has won.

North Carolina

North Carolina Medical Marijuana Bill Probably Dead for This Year. Legislation that would legalize medical marijuana in the state is probably dead for the rest of this year's legislative session, House Speaker Tim Moore (R) said Tuesday. The Senate had passed a medical marijuana bill, Senate Bill 3, four months ago, but other than a single committee hearing, it has languished in the House.

Moore said he agreed with the assessment of House Majority Leader John Bell (R) that there was not enough support in the Republican caucus for the bill to advance further. The GOP caucus has a rule that a majority of its members must be willing to vote for a bill on the House floor for it to get heard, even if the measure could pass with support from Democrats.

Complying with the rule "would require a number of House members who've taken a position of 'no' to literally switch their position to want to vote for it, and I just don't see that happening," Moore said.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Bill to Allow Medical Marijuana for Any Condition Advances. A bill that would loosen up the state's medical marijuana program, most notably by eliminating the requirement that a patient have a specified medical condition to qualify for its use, has passed the Senate Law & Justice Committee on a 10-1 vote.

Senate Bill 835 would also eliminate the expiration date on medical marijuana cards, allow medical marijuana to be sold in edible form, and give independent medical marijuana growers and processors additional retail dispensary permits.

The committee also passed Senate Bill 538, which also allows for medical marijuana edibles, as well as vaping, and Senate Bill 773, which also allows new licenses for growers and processors. All three bills now head for a Senate floor vote.

RI Pot Shop Sues over Labor Agreement Requirement, Trouble in Chilpancingo, More... (7/12/23)

North Carolina will go another year without approving medical marijuana, San Francisco gets $1 million in state funding to do mobile drug checking, and more.

San Francisco is getting $1 million in state funds to support mobile drug checking services in a bid to reduce overdoses. (CC)
Marijuana Policy

Rhode Island Marijuana Shop Sues State over Labor Union Requirement. Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center in Portsmouth, which has operated as a medical marijuana dispensary since 2013, has filed a lawsuit against the state, charging that its adult-use legalization law's requirement that pot retailers sign labor agreements with "bona fide labor organizations" is unfair and "oppressive."

Greenleaf's CEO, Seth Bock, said once the law was passed, he lost leverage in labor negotiations: "You either meet their demands and obtain a peace agreement or you go out of business under Rhode Island law," he said.

The lawsuit seeks to have the labor agreement requirement declared unconstitutional and for a collective bargaining agreement he was negotiating that included a $1,000 bonus for employees to be nullified. Greenleaf employees had voted to join the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 328 in 2021 but had not completed the agreement when the adult-use law came into effect.

Advocacy group Reclaim Rhode Island, which was among groups lobbying for the union requirement, called the lawsuit "absurd."

"It seems absurd to me that the owner of a cannabis dispensary benefiting from a highly regulated, limited-supply cannabis license is objecting to a law simply because it ensures that their workers receive good wages, dignity on the job and the protection of the union," Reclaim Rhode Island organizer Daniel Denvir said.

Medical Marijuana

North Carolina Medical Marijuana Bill Probably Dead for This Year. Legislation that would legalize medical marijuana in the state is probably dead for the rest of this year's legislative session, House Speaker Tim Moore (R) said Tuesday. The Senate had passed a medical marijuana bill, Senate Bill 3, four months ago, but other than a single committee hearing, it has languished in the House.

Moore said he agreed with the assessment of House Majority Leader John Bell (R) that there was not enough support in the Republican caucus for the bill to advance further. The GOP caucus has a rule that a majority of its members must be willing to vote for a bill on the House floor for it to get heard, even if the measure could pass with support from Democrats.

Complying with the rule "would require a number of House members who've taken a position of 'no' to literally switch their position to want to vote for it, and I just don't see that happening," Moore said.

Harm Reduction

San Francisco Gets $1 Million in State Funding to Expand Drug Checking Program. Gov. Gavin Newsome (D) has approved $1 million in new state funding to expand San Francisco's drug checking program, which aims to reduce drug overdoses from illicit drugs. This comes after the state granted the city $60 million to buy and stock the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone, another harm reduction move to cut the state's overdose toll. The new money will go to the city Department of Public Health to fund four mobile drug checking units.

"This generous grant will enable San Francisco to significantly expand access to no-questions-asked drug checking services for recreational users of all drugs -- and it will save lives," said San Francisco Supervisor Matt Dorsey.

International

Mexican State Capital Besieged by Thousands of Protestors After Arrests of Two Cartel Leaders. Supporters of a local cartel in Chilpancingo, the capital of the south-central state of Guerrero besieged government buildings, battled with police and national guard troops, took government employees hostage, and crashed an armored vehicle through the gates of the state legislature.

The unrest came after state police arrested two leaders of the criminal gang Los Ardillos (the Squirrels) and indicted them Monday on drugs and weapons charges. That triggered a massive march by residents of villages on the outskirts of the city of 300,000. It took more than 24 hours for the state government to defuse the violence by promising future public works. Protestors then released 13 state police officers, national guard soldiers, and civilian government employees and ended their blockade of the toll road from Mexico City to Acapulco, which sits on Guerrero's Pacific Coast.

"Today criminals don't benefit only from a frightening arsenal, but a terrifying capacity to bring people into the streets and confront security forces," said the left-wing daily La Jornada in an editorial. The Mexico City newspaper said state and federal authorities had ignored the problems of the impoverished state, allowing crime groups to "create a social base."

"What was different about this was the scope of the whole thing," said Falko Ernst, Mexico analyst for the International Crisis Group. The protesters "took over not just a whole city, government installations and a major highway in Mexico, but they also took public officials hostage."

MA Therapeutic Psychedelic Init, CA Pot Companies Used Fake Unions, More... (7/11/23)

Oregon's most populous county backs away from a widely criticized harm reduction program, California pot companies tied to fake labor unions could lose their licenses, and more.

Massachusetts could be the next state to vote on a therapeutic psychedelics initiative. (Creative Commons)
Marijuana Policy

California Pot Companies Tied to Fake Unions Could Lose Their Licenses. In a bid to evade state law that requires marijuana businesses to sign a "labor peace" agreement with a "bona fide" labor union, at least a dozen marijuana businesses signed agreements with a bogus "labor union." Now, they stand to lose their licenses. Those businesses have not yet been named.

Who has been named is a group calling itself Professional Technical Union Local 33 (ProTech), which the state Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) last Thursday designated as "not a bona fide labor organization." A bona fide labor organization demonstrates "a sincere and good faith intent to organize and represent employees as a collective bargaining representative, including the capacity or ability to do so," the ALRB wrote in its ruling. ProTech failed "to respond to basic inquiries," such as providing information on membership and organization, suggesting "impropriety," the ALRB added.

After the ALRB ruling last week, the Department of Cannabis Control on Monday issued a bulletin warning marijuana businesses that "any labor peace agreements entered into by licensees with (ProTech) are null and void" and any "(l)icensees who have entered into a labor peace agreement with (ProTech) will be notified that they are out of compliance with licensure requirements."

The ALRB said that, according to ProTech president Joe Senense, ProTech has signed between "20 and 100" labor peace agreement with state marijuana businesses.

Psychedelics

Massachusetts Therapeutic Psychedelic Initiative In the Works. A newly formed group calling itself Massachusetts for Mental Health Options has quietly submitted initial documents to the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance in a bid to put a therapeutic psychedelic initiative on the 2024 ballot.

An organization statement the group filed last week says its purpose is to "expand mental health treatment options in Massachusetts by providing new pathways to access natural psychedelic medicine therapy." The filing adds that the initiative would focus on "creating access to natural psychedelic medicine therapy and removing criminal penalties for personal possession of these medicines."

The effort appears to be backed by New Approach PAC, which played a major role in getting psychedelic initiatives on the ballot in Colorado and Oregon in 2022. At the Psychedelic Science conference in Denver last month, David Bronner of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, a major contributor to New Approach PAC, said he was supporting reform efforts in Massachusetts, as well as Arizona.

The state already has active psychedelic reform groups that have waged successful campaigns to decriminalize psychedelics is six localities, and there are murmurs that New Approach PAC needs to be consulting with them. Bronner said initiative backers are trying to do that.

"Conversations are happening in all directions to see if it is viable, and if so the policy will reflect input from all stakeholders and iterate / learn from / improve on CO, on both decrim and regulated access, within Mass's single issue constraints," he said, referring to a rule that says ballot initiatives in the state must only cover a single subject.

Those conversations need to happen quickly. The deadline to submit an initiative petition is August 3.

Harm Reduction

Oregon's Multnomah County Suspends Distribution of Drug Paraphernalia in Wake of Backlash. The county, home to Portland, has suspended a harm reduction program that handed out drug paraphernalia, such as crack pipes, tin foil, and straw following intense criticism. County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson said the health department had proceeded with the program without "proper implementation protocols."

"In that light, I am suspending the program pending further analysis," she said in a statement. "My focus has been on saving lives. We've seen overdose deaths from fentanyl increase 8-fold since 2019, from 26 deaths to 209 deaths in 2022."

The health department said it will continue to push for the program: "For the time being, our focus will be on expanding our legal analysis to deepen our confidence and assurance in the scope of our operations. Additionally, we are collaborating with the chair's office and the full board of county commissioners to establish resources and communications to support the public's understanding of the roles of harm reduction in our communities," Multnomah County Health Communications Coordinator Sarah Dean said.

The policy faced opposition from the time it was announced, with Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler calling it "deeply misguided" and saying it encourages "illegal drug use." And the county buckled under the pressure.

New Qualifying Conditions for MN MedMJ, PA Pot Poll Shows Declining Support, More... (7/10/23)

Virginia's GOP governor indicates he is not interested in legal marijuana sales, a New York city has to pay for firing a medical marijuana patient, and more.

Marijuana Policy

Pennsylvania Poll Has Declining but Still Majority Support for Marijuana Legalization. A new poll from the Muhlenberg College Public Health Program has support for marijuana legalization at 50 percent, but that number also marks the a decline in support for legalization. Support peaked at 58 percent in 2021 and dropped to 56 percent in 2022. But the survey also has a relatively high margin of error, +/- 6 percentage points, meaning the drop could be a polling artifact instead of revealing a true decline.

The poll comes on the heels of the announcement last week that a bipartisan pair of state senators have introduced a marijuana legalization bill, Senate Bill 846.

Virginia's GOP Governor Says No to Legal Marijuana Sales. In 2021, Democratic lawmakers approved marijuana legalization but failed to reach an agreement on a legal marketplace, deferring resolution of the issue to the next legislative session. But that session flipped control of the legislature and the governorship to Republicans, who are much less interested in legalizing sales.

Now, the administration of Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has given its clearest indication yet that he is not interested in getting a retail market up and running. "Governor Youngkin has stated that he is not interested in any further moves towards legalization of adult recreational use marijuana," Joseph Guthrie, Youngkin's commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Safety, said during a recent state meeting on marijuana.

Medical Marijuana

Minnesota Adds 19 New Qualifying Conditions, Waives Fees for Patients. Irritable bowel syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder are among the 19 different medical conditions just added to the state's very lengthy list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana. That went into effect July 1.

Also in effect as of July 1 is the waiving of registration fees for patients. Until now, it cost $200 a year. And patients can now be certified by a health practitioner, expanding the number of medical personnel who can make recommendations.

"They will enter that into our patient registry and then you are sent a link to go ahead and register for the medical cannabis program," said Office of Medical Cannabis Director Chris Tholkes. "As of July 1st, there is no longer an annual fee of 200 dollars. It's now zero to participate in our program."

New York Town Must Pay $200,000 After Firing Medical Marijuana Patient. The city of Amsterdam must pay almost $200,000 to a city worker fired after failing a drug screening for marijuana. A jury found that the city discriminated against Thomas Apholz, a wastewater treatment plant worker who was first suspended and then fired after the drug test.

The state legalized medical marijuana in 2014. State law grants registered medical marijuana patients disability status, which gives protection from employment discrimination for using medical marijuana.

After he was fired, he filed suit in state Supreme Court in Montgomery County, alleging unlawful employment discrimination and failure to accommodate his disability as required by the New York Humans Rights Law. And now he has won.

Scotland Calls for Drug Decrim, Germany Unveils Draft Legalization Bill, More... (7/7/23)

Florida's governor signs a bill allowing medical marijuana patients to use telehealth, a trio of Pennyslvania medical marijuana bills is heading for a Senate floor vote, and more.

Florida medical marijuana patients will be able to re-up using telehealth once a new law goes into effect. (Pixabay)
Medical Marijuana

Florida Governor Signs Bill Okaying Telehealth for Medical Marijuana. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has quietly signed into law a measure allowing the use of telehealth to renew medical marijuana recommendations, House Bill 387. To obtain a medical marijuana patient card, however, an in-patient examination by a physician is still required.

Pennsylvania Bill to Allow Medical Marijuana for Any Condition AdvancesA bill that would loosen up the state's medical marijuana program, most notably by eliminating the requirement that a patient have a specified medical condition to qualify for its use, has passed the Senate Law & Justice Committee on a 10-1 vote.

Senate Bill 835 would also eliminate the expiration date on medical marijuana cards, allow medical marijuana to be sold in edible form, and give independent medical marijuana growers and processors additional retail dispensary permits.

The committee also passed Senate Bill 538, which also allows for medical marijuana edibles, as well as vaping, and Senate Bill 773, which also allows new licenses for growers and processors. All three bills now head for a Senate floor vote.

International

Germany Unveils Draft Marijuana Legalization Bill. The Health Ministry has released a draft of its proposed marijuana legalization bill, providing it to state officials and the public for review. The bill would allow people over 18 to possess up to 25 grams of marijuana and grow up to three plants for personal use, but they would not be allowed to extract oils or more concentrates from their harvests. It would also set rules for the creation of social clubs where members could purchase marijuana.

Officials are also planning to introduce a complementary second measure that would establish pilot programs for commercial sales in cities throughout the country.While the first pillar of the draft law is expected to be taken up by the cabinet next month, the pilot program for commercial sales is set for later this year after consultations with European Union officials.

Scottish Government Calls for Drug Decriminalization, British Home Office Says No Way. Scotland's Drugs Policy Minister Elena Whitman has announced that the government is calling for drug possession to be decriminalized, saying people should be "treated and supported rather than criminalized and excluded." It is also calling for British law to be changed to allow for safe injection sites, as well as for more drug checking and more access to emergency treatment for drug overdoses.

"The war on drugs has failed," she said. "That's a fact. I don't think we can dispute that. Our current drug law does not stop people from using drugs, it does not stop people from experiencing the harm associated and, critically, it does not stop people from dying. "In fact, I would say today here, that criminalization increases the harms people experience. Criminalization kills."

The Tory Home Office in London, which controls drug policy across Britain, was having none of it: "Illegal drugs destroy lives and devastate communities," a Home Office spokesman said. "We are committed to preventing drug use by supporting people through treatment and recovery and tackling the supply of illegal drugs, as set out in our 10-year drugs strategy. We have no plans to decriminalize drugs given the associated harms, including the risks posed by organized criminals, who will use any opportunity to operate an exploitative and violent business model."

Delaware Fentanyl/Xylazine Test Strip Pilot, SAFE Banking Act Could Get Committee Vote, More... (7/6/23)

A bipartisan marijuana legalization bill is filed in Pennsylvania, New York puts legal weed sales at farmers markets on hold, and more.

A farmers market. There is no weed for sale at New York farmers markets -- at least not yet. (Pixabay)
Marijuana Policy

Senate SAFE Banking Act Committee Vote Could Come This Month. Key senators have said they want to hold a vote on the long-awaited Safe and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act (S. 1323) this month as the Senate reconvenes after the 4th of July holiday. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-OH) said he would "like" to hold a vote this month but that "it depends" on whether unrelated bills the committee has already passed make it to a Senate floor vote.

Similarly, bill sponsor Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) said legislators were "going to do a deep plunge now and try to set the stage, hopefully, for a markup when we return from break."

The bill, which repeatedly passed the House in previous years only to die in the Senate, would provide state-legal marijuana businesses with access to the financial system. Currently, the industry must deal almost exclusively with cash, leaving workers and owners vulnerable to theft and robbery.

New York Governor Delays Plan to Allow Legal Weed Sales at Farmers Markets. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) is pausing a program to allow licensed marijuana growers and retailers to sell marijuana at farmers markets before it even got started. The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) had announced the plan last month as part of an effort to help legal growers sitting on a mountain of weed -- more than 300,000 pounds -- because of the extreme slowness of opening up state-licensed retail outlets. Only 16 retailers and delivery services are open across the state.

But the Hochul administration made clear Wednesday that farmers market sales were not happening yet. "We are committed to the success of New York's equitable cannabis industry, and are always open to considering opportunities to strengthen the program. No final decisions have been made with respect to farmers markets," said Office of Cannabis Management spokesman Aaron Ghitelman.

The industry isn't happy: "The failure to roll out the farmer's market program is just the latest in OCM's long list of broken promises," said Rev. Kirsten John Foy, spokesman for the Coalition for Access to Regulated & Safe Cannabis. OCM has been ineffective at every turn; growers, CAURD licensees, disabled veterans, workers, consumers, medical cannabis patients and individuals harmed by cannabis prohibition are paying the price for its ineptitude -- all while the illicit market booms."

Pennsylvania State Senators File Bipartisan Marijuana Legalization Bill. Sens. Dan Laughlin (R-49) and Sharif Street (D-3) have introduced bipartisan legislation, Senate Bill 846, to legalize adult use of marijuana in Pennsylvania.

"Legalized adult use of marijuana is supported by an overwhelming majority of Pennsylvanians and this legislation accomplishes that while also ensuring safety and social equity," said Laughlin. "With neighboring states New Jersey and New York implementing adult use, we have a duty to Pennsylvania taxpayers to legalize adult-use marijuana to avoid losing out on hundreds of millions of dollars of new tax revenue and thousands of new jobs."

The legislation would grant licenses to sell marijuana to social and economic equity applicants while providing room for new and existing licensees to ensure demand in Pennsylvania is met. Moreover, it expunges non-violent marijuana convictions for medical marijuana patients, which has also been championed in a bipartisan fashion, and goes further to expunge all nonviolent marijuana convictions.

Harm Reduction

Delaware Begins Pilot Program to Test for Both Fentanyl and Xylazine. State health officials have launched a pilot program to test substances for the presence of both fentanyl and xylazine, the veterinary tranquilizer known as "tranq" that has now made its way into unregulated drug markets. The testing strips used detect the presence of either drug.

The test strip is the new HARMGuard FX test strip and cost about $3 each -- although the price could go down with bulk orders. The state initially ordered 500 of the test strips.

This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

We have a pair of Customs and Border Patrol miscreants this week, and more. Let's get to it:

In Indiantown, Florida, a prison guard at the local federal prison was arrested June 27 for peddling pills inside the walls. Guard Tamara Riche went down in a sting where she delivered what she thought was MDMA to a prisoner with whom she was having a romantic relationship. She is charged with the sale and distribution of narcotics.

In San Diego, a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer was arrested Monday for taking bribes to allow vehicles carrying fentanyl, meth, and other drugs into the country. Officer Leonard Darnell George. He is one of seven people charged with conspiring to import cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, and meth into the country. George's charges include receiving bribes, conspiracy to import controlled substances, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in a drug crime. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.

In McAllen, Texas, a former US Customs and Border Patrol officer was convicted June 27 on drug smuggling charges. Juan Posas Jr., 51, got caught with 20 pounds of cocaine he picked up in Weslaco, Texas, and authorities had recordings of him helping to plan the smuggling attempt. He claimed he thought he was getting a box fruit and never looked in the box, but the jury did not buy that, convicting him of trafficking cocaine and conspiracy to do so. He's looking at a mandatory minimum 10-year sentence and up to life.

Medical Marijuana Update

Oklahoma medical marijuana operators don't like the state's new fee structure, and more.

Florida

Florida Governor Signs Bill Barring Medical Marijuana at Sober Living Facilities. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has signed into law Senate Bill 210, which bars sober living facilities from allowing residents to use or possess medical marijuana, even if that use is medically authorized. The law does not apply to any other doctor-approved drugs. Now, people seeking licenses to run recovery residences will need to certify that they don't allow the use of marijuana, "which includes marijuana that has been certified by a qualified physician for medical use."

 

He also signed Senate Bill 1676, which bars the sale of smokeless hemp products such as "snuff, chewing gum, and other smokeless products) to people under 21. Previously, hemp regulations only barred the sale of smokable hemp products to people under 21.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Regulators Sued over New Fees. Several medical marijuana businesses have filed a lawsuit against the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) over a new law that will increase fees for marijuana businesses. Legislators passed a package of bills designed to reign in the state's Wild West medical marijuana scene and eliminate "bad actors," including House Bill2179, which it broadens licensing requirements for medical marijuana dispensaries, commercial growers, and processors. In effect since last month, the bill mandated new fees ranging from $2,500 to $50,000, based on a tiered fee schedule.

Plaintiffs argue that while lawmakers aimed to weed out illegal grow operations, the new fees will only hurt legitimate businesses. "The state is hitting the good guys and it’s only helping the bad guys," said plaintiff Jed Green.

 

The lawsuit charges that the fee increases are unconstitutional under state law because it passed with less than three-quarters majority support, which is required for any tax increases. It also notes that the bill passed during the last five days of the legislative session, even though the state constitution says revenue-related bills cannot be passed during that period.

Ohio Legalization Initiative Hands in Signatures, Mexico Violence Flares in Morelos, More... (7/5/23)

Maryland saw a big opening weekend for legal marijuana sales, Oklahoma medical marijuana operators are suing regulators over a new fee schedule, and more.

Buckeye voters could finally vote on freeing the weed in November. (Creative Commons)
Marijuana Policy

Maryland Celebrates 4th of July Weekend with More Than $10 Million in Marijuana Sales. With legal weed going into effect on July 1, Marylanders embraced it enthusiastically over the holiday weekend, generating more than $10 million in sales over the 4th of July weekend. Adult use sales accounted for about 85 percent of that figure. Adult use sales are estimated to reach $275 million this year and $2.1 billion by 2027.

Ohio Marijuana Legalization Campaign Hands in Signatures. The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol handed in more than 222,000 signatures Wednesday for its proposed marijuana legalization initiative. If the signatures are verified by state officials, legalization will appear on the November ballot.

This is the second round of signature gathering for the effort. A successful first round put the issue before the state legislature, which had four months to approve legalization but failed to do so. That provided the opening for the campaign to move to phase two: putting the issue directly before the voters -- provided they came up with enough signatures to qualify. It looks like they did: The campaign only needed 124,000 valid voter signatures and now has a cushion of 98,000 signatures. State officials will make that determination by July 20.

The initiative would legalization the possession of up to 2.5 ounces by people 21 and over, as well as allowing for the home cultivation of up to six plants, with a maximum of 12 per household. There would be a 10 percent tax on retail sales. Some licenses will be reserved for people who qualify under social equity provisions.

Medical Marijuana

Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Regulators Sued over New Fees. Several medical marijuana businesses have filed a lawsuit against the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) over a new law that will increase fees for marijuana businesses. Legislators passed a package of bills designed to reign in the state's Wild West medical marijuana scene and eliminate "bad actors," including House Bill2179, which it broadens licensing requirements for medical marijuana dispensaries, commercial growers, and processors. In effect since last month, the bill mandated new fees ranging from $2,500 to $50,000, based on a tiered fee schedule.

Plaintiffs argue that while lawmakers aimed to weed out illegal grow operations, the new fees will only hurt legitimate businesses. "The state is hitting the good guys and it's only helping the bad guys," said plaintiff Jed Green.

The lawsuit charges that the fee increases are unconstitutional under state law because it passed with less than three-quarters majority support, which is required for any tax increases. It also notes that the bill passed during the last five days of the legislative session, even though the state constitution says revenue-related bills cannot be passed during that period.

International

Mexico's Morelos Sees Violence Flare After Anti-Cartel Vigilante Leader Killed. Morelos anti-cartel vigilante leader Hipolito Mora and two of his men were gunned down last Thursday, sparking a new round of violence in and around the city of Apatzingan, which has been embroiled in a long-running conflict between rival drug trafficking organizations, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Viagras. Roads in and out of the city were blocked over the weekend as cartel gunmen pulled trucks and buses across roads. Shoot-outs also took place in and around the city, leaving at least one more person dead.

The Mexican government has tolerated Viagras control of Apatzingan as a means of keeping the Jalisco cartel out, but residents of the agricultural hub are left paying higher prices for goods than anywhere else in Mexico because Viagras extortion drives prices up. The Jalisco cartel is now battling the Viagras along the banks of river just 15 miles south of the city.

Mora was one of the last leaders of the citizens' anti-cartel armed movement that emerged in the area a decade ago. His death is likely the death knell of any hope of reviving armed civilian resistance to the cartels in the area.

WHO Calls Out Global Morphine Pain Relief Disparities, Vance Wants US Military Force Against Cartels, More... (7/3/23)

A British festival organizer is reaming the Home Office over its sudden requirement that pill testing efforts be licensed, another Republican politician wants to use the US military to fight Mexican drug cartels, and more.

morphine prescription bottle (Creative Commons)
Medical Marijuana

Florida Governor Signs Bill Barring Medical Marijuana at Sober Living Facilities. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has signed into law Senate Bill 210, which bars sober living facilities from allowing residents to use or possess medical marijuana, even if that use is medically authorized. The law does not apply to any other doctor-approved drugs. Now, people seeking licenses to run recovery residences will need to certify that they don't allow the use of marijuana, "which includes marijuana that has been certified by a qualified physician for medical use."

He also signed Senate Bill 1676, which bars the sale of smokeless hemp products such as "snuff, chewing gum, and other smokeless products" to people under 21. Previously, hemp regulations only barred the sale of smokable hemp products to people under 21.

Foreign Policy

Senator JD Vance Endorses Use of Military Against Mexican Drug Cartels. Freshman Senator JD Vance (R-OH), an acolyte of former President Donald Trump, has suggested giving American presidents the power to use the US military to go after drug trafficking organizations in Latin America.

"I want to empower the president of the United States, whether that's a Democrat or Republican, to use the power of the US military to go after these drug cartels," Vance said on Meet the Press on Sunday. "We have to recognize the Mexican government is being, in a lot of ways, destabilized by the constant flow of fentanyl," Vance added.

Vance is only the latest Republican office holder to call for the US military to be deployed against the cartels. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, said last week that he supported using "deadly force" to fight them, and fellow Republican presidential contender Sen. Tim Scott (SC) said he would dispatch US special forces to fight the cartels.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is having none of it. "We are not going to permit any foreign government to intervene in our territory, much less that a government's armed forces intervene," he said at a news conference in March.

International

WHO Report Calls Out Global Disparities in Use of Morphine to Relieve Pain. The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a report saying the use of morphine to treat pain, ease end-of-life experiences, and helping people get through medical emergencies is vital but suffers from great disparities. "Millions of people continue to suffer preventable pain," the report notes.

In the Western Hemisphere, for example, the US utilizes nearly 80 percent of the supply, leaving Latin America in the lurch. More broadly, wealthy countries consumed an estimated 125.9 does per million people a day in 2021, compared with just two doses per million people in low-income countries.

The report's authors recommend establishing affordable pricing policies worldwide, expanding access to people beyond those suffering from cancer and HIV/AIDS, and setting up distribution hubs.

"Leaving people in pain when effective medicines are available for pain management, especially in the context of end-of-life care, should be a cause of serious concern for policymakers," said Yukiko Nakatani, WHO assistant director general for medicines and health products.

British Festival Head Threatens Legal Action over Ban on Pill Checking. Sacha Lord, founder of the Parklife music festival, has formally threatened legal action against the government over its moves against checking pills and powders that attendees turn it at festivals and other events. The Home Office recently barred other festivals from doing pill checking, saying they needed licenses to do so, even though pill checking has gone on at festivals for the past 10 years.

Large festivals, such as Glastonbury and Reading, have used private companies to do the pill checking, while smaller festivals have relied on charities such as The Loop, which has agreements with local police and governments to be able to test at events.

In a letter to the Home Office, Lord said the Home Office was "well aware" of those arrangements and that former ministers had publicly stated that they would not interfere with them. He also chided the Home Office for announcing the licensing requirement just two days ahead of the Parklife festival, making it impossible to obtain in time and jeopardizing the health of festival-goers. The letter demands that the government allow testing without a license to proceed or to take steps to ensure festivals have enough time to comply with the license requirement.

(This article was prepared by StoptheDrugWar.org's 501(c)(4) lobbying nonprofit, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also pays the cost of maintaining this website. 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.)

Luxembourg Passes Limited Legal Weed Bill, FL Decriminalizes Fentanyl Test Strips, More... (6/29/23)

Amsterdam wants a city district to be part of a national regulated marijuana supply experiment, Florida's attorney general challenges a marijuana legalization initiative, and more.

Florida becomes the latest state to decriminalize fentanyl test strips. (Creative Commons)
Marijuana Policy

Florida Attorney General Files Challenge to Marijuana Legalization Initiative. Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) this week filed a challenge to the Smart & Safe Florida marijuana legalization initiative with the state Supreme Court, arguing that it should not appear on the November ballot.

In her brief filed with the court, Moody argued that the measure misleads voters because it fails to make plain that marijuana is and would remain illegal under federal law. Moody also told the court that although it had approved similar language in other marijuana legalization initiatives, it was wrong to do so: "In previously approving similarly worded ballot summaries, the court erred," she wrote.

The ballot summary does say that the initiative does not change federal law, but that statement is "inadequate to resolve the confusion," Moody wrote.

Supreme Court approval is the last step for the initiative before it can appear on the November ballot. If it does, it will need 60 percent of the vote to be approved.

Harm Reduction

Florida Governor Signs Fentanyl Test Strip Bill into Law. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has signed into law Senate Bill 164, which decriminalizes fentanyl test strips by removing them from the state's definition of drug paraphernalia. Some 6,000 Floridians died of fentanyl overdoses in 2020, but a test strip decriminalization bill was defeated last year after some lawmakers said the move encouraged drug use.

International

Luxembourg Lawmakers Approve Marijuana Legalization Bill. Deputies approved limited marijuana legalization bill, Bill 8033, on Wednesday. The bill allows people to grow up to four plants at home and consume the fruits of their harvest at home. But use or possession of up to three grams outside the home can bring a fine of between 25 and 500 Euros, and offenses involving more than three grams can bring fines of up to 2500 Euros and jail terms ranging from eight days to six months.

The Pirate Party criticized the bill as "false legalization" because it does not address black market dealing.

Amsterdam Wants City District to Be Part of National Marijuana Cultivation Trial. Amsterdam has nominated the Amsterdam-Oost district to take part in a national experiment to regulate the supply of marijuana to coffeeshops, the city announced Wednesday. uring the experiment, which is expected to run for four to five years, coffeeshops will sell regulated, quality-controlled marijuana produced by selected growers.

Mayor Femke Halsema and city aldermen argued for the city to be included in the experiment because "the results of the experiment may eventually lead to changes in the tolerance policy, which may greatly affect the coffeeshops and cannabis market in Amsterdam." The city had initially been excluded from the trial because it had too many coffeeshops, but the cabinet recently decided to allow city districts to participate. With 100,000 inhabitants and 10 coffeeshops, Amsterdam-Oost now meets the qualifying conditions.

But the Ministers of Justice and Security and Health, Welfare, and Sport will have to decide whether the Amsterdam-Oost district can be included in the experiment. The other municipalities set to participate are Groningen, Almere, Arnhem, Nijmegen, Zaanstad, Hellevoetsluis, Breda, Tilburg, Maastricht and Heerlen.

Cannabis Will Be Legal in Maryland This Saturday -- Here Is What It Will Look Like [FEATURE]

On Saturday, the era of legal recreational use marijuana in Maryland begins. Here are the key things to know:

The possession of up to 1.5 ounces is legal. Possession of more than 1.5 ounces but less than 2.5 ounces is subject to a $250 fine. Possession of more than 2.5 ounces could subject you to criminal charges. You can grow up to two plants at home.

You can either supply yourself from your own grow or buy legal marijuana in a licensed retail outlet, You must be at least 21 to partake in legal marijuana.

It is illegal to smoke in public places, with the exception of shops with licenses to allow for on-site consumption. Smoking weed in public can net you a $50 fine for a first offense. People who rent or lease their housing space will want to check their leases to make sure you don't run afoul of your landlord.

There are already 94 medical marijuana dispensaries ready to sell recreationally as of Saturday because they have already paid a one-time fee to convert from medical to general adult use sales. That high number of retail outlets means opening day lines should not be too bad.

But supply may be short. Some analysts put the current state of supply at only 20 to 30 percent of expected demand.

Supply will be varied. In addition to buds to smoke or vape, there are also lollipops, gummies, milkshakes, cookies, chocolates, sodas, oils, creams, vapes, waxes, tinctures, dermal patches, salves and even suppositories.

Current medical marijuana patients will have some accommodations. Stores must allot certain hours to medical marijuana-only sales or set up a fast lane for patients and they must set aside some high-potency products for patients.

Welcome to world of legal cannabis, Maryland.

CA Psychedelic Legalization Bill Advances, First Federal MJ Super PAC Formed, More... (6/28/23)

A bill in play in Guam would end the ban on SNAP benefits for drug felons, Ukraine's president calls for the legalization of medical marijuana, and more.

Psilocybin mushrooms would be legalized under a California bill that is advancing. (Creative Commons)
Marijuana Policy

Legalize America Becomes First Federal Marijuana Super PAC. Legalize America became the nation's first Super PAC devoted to reforming cannabis laws across the United States with its June 28 launch. The independent expenditure organization, created with support from leading US regulated cannabis companies, will work to raise the profile of cannabis as a national issue in the 2024 election and beyond.

"Legalize America is committed to ending cannabis prohibition and advancing expungement efforts and responsible use" said Legalize America Chair Matt Harrell of Curaleaf. "We will use all available tools -- including scorecards, endorsements and targeted independent expenditure campaigns -- to advance cannabis reform, with the goal of creating a prosperous and equitable cannabis industry."

Legalize America will partner with high-profile public figures and brands to raise funds to advance its reform agenda. The group will also explore working with industry partners to enable customers at regulated cannabis dispensaries to directly support the campaign through "round up" donations.

Drug Policy

Guam Bill Would End Ban on SNAP Benefits for Drug Offenders. Every state and national territory except for Guam and South Carolina have opted out of a punitive 1990s drug law that banned drug felons from food assistance programs such as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), and now, Guam could be the next to opt-out. Sen. Will Parkinson has filed a bill to do just that.

"More often than not, people coming out of our prison system need some form of assistance to adjust back into society. SNAP and TAMP provide basic food assistance to those who could not otherwise afford it," the first-time policymaker said. "We have also seen how natural disasters like Typhoon Mawar have made it increasingly difficult for our people to buy necessities like food with the Disaster SNAP program currently ongoing. Thousands of people every day are lining up for assistance and those with former drug felonies should be allowed to line up with them."

The bill was approved Tuesday for a third and final reading -- yet to be scheduled -- but only after it was amended to require that drug felons receiving the benefits be subject to regular drug testing.

Portland, Oregon, Mayor Backtracks on Plan to Criminalize Public Drug use. Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) has reversed course on his plan to criminalize public drug use, acknowledging that it would have run afoul of a state law that says "a political subdivision in this state shall not adopt or enforce any local law or regulation" that makes "using cannabis or controlled substances in public" a crime.

Wheeler's plan to criminalize public drug use also contradicted the voter-approved Measure 110 drug decriminalization law, which treats possession of small amounts of drugs as a civil violation -- not a criminal offense. He said he had hoped he had found "a loophole" in Measure 110 by going after drug use instead of possession.

"Use of illicit drugs in public spaces -- especially dangerous and highly deadly substances like fentanyl -- create significant public safety and public health issues in Portland," Wheeler said Tuesday. "While Measure 110 has challenged the way cities across the state address drug use, I believe the City of Portland has an obligation to do what we can to protect our community now."

Now, Wheeler is counting on Gov. Tina Kotek (D) to sign into law a bill that would make possession of more than a gram or more than five pills of any substance containing fentanyl a Class A misdemeanor. That legislation, House Bill 2645, has already passed the legislature.

Psychedelics

California Psychedelic Legalization Bill Advances in Assembly. A bill to legalize the use and possession of small amounts of certain psychedelics, Senate Bill 58, has already passed the Senate and on Tuesday, it was approved by the Assembly Public Safety Committee on a 5-2 vote. It now goes to the Assembly Health Committee before heading for an Assembly floor vote.

The bill was amended by the committee to delay implementation of the legalization of facilitated use of psychedelics until a regulated framework for that activity is developed, and Wiener said he will work with the Health Committee to "flesh out requirements" in that regard.

The bill would legalize the "possession, preparation, obtaining, transfer, as specified, or transportation of" specific amounts of psilocybin, psilocyn, DMT, ibogaine and mescaline for personal or facilitated use. Non-plant-based psychedelics, such as LSD and MDMA, are not covered by the bill.

International

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for medical marijuana to be legalized. "In particular, we must finally fairly legalize cannabis-based medicine for everyone who needs it. Relevant scientific research and controlled Ukrainian production," he said.

The Ministry of Health reported last summer that the Cabinet of Ministers supported a draft medical marijuana law. With the president and the cabinet behind it, the legislature should act on it relatively quickly.

DeSantis Calls for Executing Drug Smugglers, Psychedelic Poll, More... (6/27/23)

The UN drug agency's annual report says cocaine is surging and meth is expanding worldwide, Peru's drug agency reports record levels of coca leaf production, and more.

Cocaine use is surging worldwide, says UNODC. (Creative Commons)
Psychedelics

Poll Finds Majority Support for Legalizing Psychedelic Therapy, Near-Majority for Psychedelic Decriminalization. A poll from the University of California-Berkeley's Center for the Science of Psychedelics released at the Denver Psychedelic Science conference finds that 61 percent of registered voters support "creating a regulated legal framework for the therapeutic use of psychedelics" and 49 percent said they supported decriminalizing the use and possession of psychedelic plants and fungi.

The poll also found that 78 percent of respondents backed making psychedelic research easier and 56 percent said they could support a medical model where psychedelics would have to be approved by the Food & Drug Administration and prescribed by a physician.

"This is the first clear picture we have of what the American public think and feel about psychedelics," BCSP Executive Director Imran Khan said in a press release. "The Berkeley Psychedelics Survey shows that the majority of American voters are interested in, and supportive of, the field. They want fewer barriers to research for scientists, and they want regulated, therapeutic access for the public."

Drug Policy

DeSantis Calls for Executing Drug Smugglers at the Border. Seeking to out-Trump Trump with aggressive border policy positions, Florida governor and GOP presidential nomination contender Ron DeSantis called Monday for a slew of harsh measures, including a plan to use "deadly force" against people trying to come through the border wall with drugs.

He called for "rules of engagement" allowing US personnel to kill people trying to do that. He said "of course" deadly force would be justified against people carrying drugs and showing "hostile intent," but he did not specify exactly what that meant.

"If you go, if you drop a couple of these cartel operatives trying to do that, you're not going to have to worry about that anymore," DeSantis told reporters.

"If someone was breaking into your house, you would repel them with the use of force, right?" DeSantis said. "But yet if they have drugs, these backpacks, and they're going in and they're cutting through an enforced structure, we're just supposed to let 'em in? You know, I say use force to repel them. If you do that one time, they will never do that again."

International

UN Report Says Global Cocaine Market Booming, Meth Trafficking Spreading. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released its annual World Drug Report 2023 Sunday and reported that cocaine demand and supply are surging worldwide and methamphetamine trafficking is expanding to new markets.

Coca bush cultivation and total cocaine production were at record highs in 2021, the most recent year for which data is available, and the global number of cocaine users, estimated at 22 million that same year, is growing steadily, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime said in its annual World Drug Report.

"The world is currently experiencing a prolonged surge in both supply and demand of cocaine, which is now being felt across the globe and is likely to spur the development of new markets beyond the traditional confines," the UNODC report said. "Although the global cocaine market continues to be concentrated in the Americas and in Western and Central Europe (with very high prevalence also in Australia), in relative terms it appears that the fastest growth, albeit building on very low initial levels, is occurring in developing markets found in Africa, Asia and South-Eastern Europe," it said.

While meth trafficking has been centered in two regions -- North America and East and Southeast Asia -- it is increasing in other areas such as the Middle East and West Africa. UNODC also mentioned meth production in Afghanistan, which may be a replacement for heroin production after the Taliban's opium ban.

Peru Coca Farming at Record Levels. The amount of land under coca leaf cultivation was at record levels last year after growing 18 percent over the previous year, the Peruvian anti-drug agency DEVIDA reported Monday. It said most of the increase was in protected lands and indigenous Amazon villages close to the borders with Brazil and Colombia. Altogether, 367 square miles were devoted to coca leaf production.

Cultivation has been increasing since 2015 and while coca leaf is used for traditional purposes in the country, DEVIDA said that 90 percent of the crop is destined to be turned into cocaine and fed into the global illicit drug trade. Peru vies with Colombia for the title of world's largest coca producer, with Bolivia in third place.

(This article was prepared by StoptheDrugWar.org's 501(c)(4) lobbying nonprofit, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also pays the cost of maintaining this website. 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.)

FDA Issues First Guidance on Psychedelics, Fed Ban on DC Pot Sales Advances Again, More... (6/26/23)

A pair of senators file a bill to allow Mexican troops to be trained by the US military to fight drug cartels, the FDA issues its first draft guidance on psychedelics, and more.

GOP presidential contender Ron DeSantis does not want to free the weed. (florida.gov)
Marijuana Policy

Federal Ban on DC Weed Sales Advancing Again in This Congress. A Fiscal Year 2024 spending bill that includes a ban on legal marijuana sales within the District of Columbia advanced in Congress last week. The spending bill was approved last Thursday by the House Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee. The ban on DC weed sales was included as a rider to the spending bill, a move Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) denounced as "outrageous."

DC voters approved marijuana legalization in 2014, but Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) has used riders ever since to block the District from allowing sales by barring the use of any federal funds to do so. The riders survived even when Democrats controlled the House and now, under Republican control of the House, is included in the base spending bill.

Ron DeSantis Says He Would Not Decriminalize Marijuana if Elected President. President Ron DeSantis would not decriminalize marijuana, Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis said at a campaign event last Thursday. DeSantis was responding to a question from a person representing wounded veterans who asked him to "please" decriminalize the plant.

"I don't think we would do that," DeSantis responded, then pointed to Florida'' medical marijuana program, saying it "actually allowed access" for veterans to use marijuana, but that it was "controversial because obviously there's some people that abuse it and are using it recreationally."

He also made familiar claims about marijuana potency and repeated unfounded assertions that marijuana is being adulterated by other drugs such as fentanyl.

Psychedelics

FDA Issues First Draft Guidance on Clinical Trials with Psychedelic Drugs. The US Food and Drug Administration last Friday published a new draft guidance to highlight fundamental considerations to researchers investigating the use of psychedelic drugs for potential treatment of medical conditions, including psychiatric or substance use disorders. This is the first FDA draft guidance that presents considerations to industry for designing clinical trials for psychedelic drugs.

There has been growing interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs in recent years. They are being evaluated for use in the potential treatment of conditions such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders and other conditions. However, designing clinical studies to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of these compounds presents a number of unique challenges that require careful consideration.

The purpose of the draft guidance is to advise researchers on study design and other considerations as they develop medications that contain psychedelics. Within the draft guidance, the term psychedelics refers to "classic psychedelics," typically understood to be drugs such as psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) that act on the brain's serotonin system, as well as "entactogens" or "empathogens" such as methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA).

Foreign Policy

Cornyn, King Introduce Bill to Increase US-Mexico Military Cooperation to Combat Cartels. US Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Angus King (I-ME) introduced the Partnership for Advancing Regional Training and Narcotics Enforcement Response Strategies (PARTNERS) Act, which would allow the Department of Defense (DoD) to train Mexican military forces in the United States to combat cartels in Mexico.

The PARTNERS Act would create a military-to-military pilot program through the DoD to bring Mexican military forces to the US to receive tactical training that they can employ in Mexico to counter transnational criminal organizations (TCO), including cartels, weapons dealers, drug traffickers, and human smugglers.

(This article was prepared by StoptheDrugWar.org's 501(c)(4) lobbying nonprofit, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also pays the cost of maintaining this website. 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.)

Aaron Rodgers Calls for Psychedelic Legalization, PA MedMJ Bill Package Advances, More... (6/22/23)

A House committee has approved a defense spending bill with a pair of drug provisions, the Maine Senate kills a safe injection site bill but offers a study substitute, and more.

Pennsylvania is moving to liberalize its medical marijuana program. (Creative Commons)
Medical Marijuana

House Committee Approves Medical Marijuana, Psychedelic Study Amendments to Military Appropriations Bill. The House Armed Services Committee approved the National Defense Authorization Act on Wednesday after first accepting amendments to create a medical marijuana pilot program and mandate a study into the potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelics for active-duty military members.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) offered the medical marijuana amendment, which would create a pilot program studying the health impacts of marijuana use by veterans and service members who are Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) patients. The program would be limited to VA patients suffering from PTSD, depression or anxiety, or who have been prescribed pain management.

Rep Morgan Luttrell (R-TX offered the therapeutic psychedelic amendment.

Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Expansion Bill Package Advances. The Senate Law and Justice Committee has approved a package of bills that would broaden the state's medical marijuana program, including permitting the sale of edibles and removing the need to have a specified qualifying condition. The package won on a near-unanimous vote. The package now heads for a Senate floor vote.

Psychedelics

At Psychedelic Science Conference, NFL Quarterback Aaron Rodgers Calls for Psychedelic Legalization. NFL quarterback and ayahuasca aficionado Aaron Rodgers advocated for psychedelic legalization as he addressed the Psychedelic Science conference in Denver Wednesday.

"Is it not ironic that the things that actually expand your mind are illegal and the things that keep you in the lower chakras and dumb you down have been legal for centuries?" said Rodgers.

He also discussed his use of ayahuasca, calling it "radically life-changing" and said many pro athletes had reached out to him after he spoke out earlier about his experiences. "The response from other people in the sports industry has been incredible. To see basketball players and baseball players and surfers, entertainers and my own teammates and colleagues across the league reach out and either share their story about their own medicine journey or ask to be a part of an upcoming one was pretty special."

Harm Reduction

Maine Senate Kills Safe Injection Site Bill. The Senate on Wednesday killed a bill that would have allowed for safe injection sites, but advanced a different version of the bill that would require Gov. Janet Mills (D) to create a study group the issue before deciding on whether to allow them. Gov. Mills has opposed safe injection sites.

Psychedelic Science Conference Is On in Denver, Colombia Senate Rejects Weed Legalization, More... (6/21/23)

A marijuana legalization bill is rolled out in three Australian states, Donald Trump reiterates his call for the death penalty for drug dealers, and more.

Donald Trump was talking death penalty for drug dealers again, but apparently had not thought it through. (CC/Gage Skidmore)
Psychedelics

Largest Psychedelic Conference Ever Is On In Denver This Week. This year's Psychedelic Science conference is happening this week in downtown Denver. Sponsored by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies and soap maker Dr. Bronner's, it is being billed as the "largest psychedelic conference in history." Some 10,000 people are expected to attend, as well as 300 exhibitors. guests include New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, musical artist Melissa Etheridge, co-founder of Whole Foods John Mackey, and National Institute of Mental Health director Joshua Gordon.

The five-day event includes dozens of panels pondering everything from the possibilities of psychedelics on mental health to new business opportunities, greater community impacts and how these substances fit into religion. Some researchers will announce results from their clinical trials.

MAPS founder and president Rick Doblin said Denver was a natural fit for the event. "Denver has been a pioneer in this whole area," he said, alluding to the city's status as the first major city to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms in 2019 and Colorado's status as the second state (behind Oregon) to decriminalize them. "We felt mainly that the political environment and facilities were ideal."

Drug Policy

Trump Again Calls for Death Penalty for Drug Dealers, Is Reminded it Would Have Applied to Woman He Pardoned. Former president and current criminal defendant and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump reiterated his call for the death penalty for drug dealers in an interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier. Baier noted that the policy would have applied to Alice Johnson, who Trump granted clemency as she served a long sentence on cocaine distribution charges.

"But she'd be killed under your plan," Baier noted.

"Huh?" Trump responded.

"As a drug dealer," Baier replied.

"No, no, no. Oh, under that? It would depend on the severity," Trump added.

Trump also suggested that Johnson would not have committed her crime if the death penalty had been hanging over her.

"She wouldn't have done it, if it was death penalty," Trump said. "In other words, if it was death penalty, she wouldn't have been on that phone call."

International

Australia Sees Marijuana Legalization Bills Pushed Simultaneously in Three States. A marijuana legalization bill, the Regulation of Personal Adult Use of Cannabis Bill 2023, was introduced simultaneously in the state parliaments of New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia on Tuesday. It was a nationally coordinated move by the Legalize Cannabis Party.

The bill is modeled on the law in the Australian Capital Territory (Canberra), which decriminalized pot possession and allowed adults to grow up to two plants in 2020, but are a bit more expansive.

"The Bill… will allow households to grow up to six plants, for that cannabis to be (gifted and) shared, and for the trade in seeds," said Legalize Cannabis NSW MP Jeremy Buckingham. It also allows for the possession of up to 50 grams of marijuana.

The bills will not pass in any of the states without major party support, which has so far been lacking.

Colombia Senate Rejects Marijuana Legalization in Final Vote. The Senate on Tuesday defeated a marijuana legalization bill on its final vote just as the legislative session came to an end. The bill won a majority of votes cast -- 47 to 43 -- but fell short of the 54 votes needed for final passage.

Bill backers vowed to bring it back: "I don't consider this a defeat; we have taken a giant step, four years of putting such a controversial issue at the top of the public agenda, of the public debate," Liberal Party Senator Juan Carlos Losada, who presented the bill, said, adding that it would be introduced again in the next legislative session. "Continuing to leave a substance that is legal in the hands of the drug traffickers and drug dealers is detrimental to the children of Colombia and detrimental to the country's democracy," Losada said.

Colombia decriminalized the possession of up to 20 grams of marijuana and the cultivation of up to 20 plants in 1986 and legalized the use of medical marijuana more recently, but former President Alvaro Uribe put marijuana prohibition in the Constitution, which is why it needed eight debates over two years instead of the normal four. It got through seven of them this time.

(This article was prepared by StoptheDrugWar.org's 501(c)(4) lobbying nonprofit, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also pays the cost of maintaining this website. 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.)

NCAA Panel Recommends Ending Weed Testing, UK Policing Minister Okay with Heroin for Addicts, More... (6/20/23)

The Wisconsin Supreme Court uses an outdated precedent to rule that the odor of marijuana is enough for a police search, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler wants to clean up the streets by criminalizing public drug use, and more.

Portland. The mayor wants to make public drug use a crime. (Creative Commons)
Marijuana Policy

NCAA Panel Recommends Dropping Marijuana from Banned Drugs List. The NCAA's Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sport proposed Friday that marijuana should be removed from the group's list of banned drugs and that drug testing should be limited to performance enhancing drugs.

The NCAA has conducted drug tests at championship events since 1986, but the committee recommended halting marijuana testing at such events until a final decision is made, probably in the fall.

After the committee's recommendation, all three of the NCAA's divisions will have to approve the move. Divisions II and III had sought a committee decision on the issue.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Reverses Lower Court, Holds that Odor of Marijuana is Sufficient to Justify Police Searches. Even though the state has legalized CBD products with an odor indistinguishable from that of marijuana, the state's conservative Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the odor of marijuana in a vehicle is probable cause for police to search a person in that vehicle.

In so doing, the Supreme Court cited a 1999 court decision that held police were justified in searching a driver because of the smell of marijuana, but dissenting justices in the 4-3 decision, saying the 1999 decision was outdated because it did not account for the legalization of substances that smelled like marijuana. "Officers who believe they smell marijuana coming from a vehicle may just as likely be smelling raw or smoked hemp, which is not criminal activity," Justice Rebecca Frank Dallet wrote in the dissent.

Drug Policy

Portland, Oregon, Mayor Has Plans to Criminalize Public Drug Use. Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) is drafting a municipal ordinance to make the public consumption of hard drugs a crime. After voters decriminalized drug possession statewide in 2020, public drug use on the city's streets has exploded, angering downtown businesses and property owners.

Under decriminalization, the biggest penalty for drug possession is a $100 fine. Portland police initially tended not to act against people with drugs, but have begun handing out more of those fines to drug users downtown. How Wheeler can criminalize drug use under decriminalization is unclear. A spokesman for Wheeler said more details would be released "mid-next week."

International

British Policing Minister Calls for Free Daily Heroin Injections for Addicts. Tory Policing Commissioner Chris Philip is backing calls to provide heroin to addicts, saying the move would be "cost effective" and cut drug-related crime. He is supporting injectable opioid treatment (IOT), under which treatment-resistant addicts are given twice daily injections of heroin. In a pilot program in Middlesbrough, a 98 percent reduction in street drug use was observed, albeit at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"The cost-effectiveness of IOT programs, despite high up-front costs, has been demonstrated," Philip said.

But the Home Office does not appear to be listening to the policing minister, responding to his remarks by saying, "We published a ten-year drugs strategy last month which will support recovery, as well as a tougher response to criminal supply chains."

AR Judge Voids Laws Altering MedMJ Law, EU Releases Annual Drug Report, More... (6/16/23)

There are signals that a federal marijuana rescheduling decision will be reached this year, a Senate bill to crack down on drug cartel use of social media wins a committee vote, and more.

Europe is being flooded with cocaine. Spanish authorities caught this batch in 2014. (minisdef.es)
Marijuana Policy

Top Biden Official Says Marijuana Rescheduling Decision Will Go to President This Year. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra said Thursday that the department is working to present a marijuana rescheduling decision to President Biden "this year." Agencies are working "as quickly as we can" to complete the administrative review, Becerra added.

"What I can tell you is that the president instructed us at HHS -- FDA in particular -- to take a look at how we treat marijuana to see if we can update our review of marijuana as a drug and how we can make sure how we treat it going forward on the federal level," Becerra told Marijuana Moment. "Places like California have already changed the laws, the federal government has not, and so we've been instructed and we're underway with that review as we speak."

The administration is under pressure from lawmakers as well as activists and the industry to get the job done even as Congress works on incremental marijuana law reforms, such as giving marijuana businesses access to the banking history.

Medical Marijuana

Arkansas Judge Throws Out Slew of Laws Modifying Voter-Approved Medical Marijuana Law. Pulaski County Judge Morgan "Chip" Welch on Wednesday threw out 27 laws adopted by the legislature to modify the Amendment 98 medical marijuana initiative approved by voters in 2016. Welch deemed the laws unconstitutional because they made changes to Amendment 98 without letting residents vote on them, which is required by state law.

The voided laws include one barring the use of telemedicine for patients to get a written certification, one prohibiting National Guard members from being caregivers, one that added criminal background checks and changed "excluded felony offenses," one that regulated advertising, one that allowed for the transfer of licenses among dispensaries and cultivation companies, and many, many more.

Drug Policy

Senate Homeland Security Committee Approves Bill to Crack Down on Cartel Recruitment and Smuggling on Social Media. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee today approved bipartisan legislation offered by the Border Management Subcommittee Ranking Member Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and Chair Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ). The Combating Cartels on Social Media Act (S. 61) aims to crack down on cartels that recruit teenagers through social media to conduct smuggling and trafficking.

Lankford accused big social media companies of "pick[ing] and choos[ing] which illegal activities they like and which they do not like, and clearly, they like people illegally crossing the US border. Social media companies need to be held accountable for turning their heads to human trafficking at the cost of human lives."

Sinema accused the companies of effectively helping the cartels recruit teenagers on both sides of the border.

The bill would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to analyze cartels' illicit usage of social media and establishes a process for technology companies to voluntarily report cartel recruitment efforts in the US to DHS and state and local partners.

International

European Union Drug Report Finds Continent Exposed to More Drugs Than Ever. In its annual report released Friday, the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) finds that the availability of illicit drugs remains high and that people on the continent are being exposed "to a wider range of psychoactive substances."

The report noted massive increases in drug seizures between 2011 and 2021, led by cocaine (up 416 percent), marijuana (up 260 percent), meth (up 135 percent) and MDMA ( up 123 percent).

The report found that, though there is demand for these drugs within the EU, "it is likely that increases in quantities seized reflect, at least partially, the larger role played by Europe as a place of production, export and transit for these drugs."

"Almost everything with psychoactive properties can appear on the drug market, often mislabeled or in mixtures. This is why illicit drugs can affect everyone, whether directly through use, or indirectly, through their impact on families, communities, institutions and businesses," EMCDDA Director Alexis Goosdeel said in a statement.

"While western and southern Europe remain the main markets for cocaine, there are signs of cocaine consumption becoming increasingly more common in cities in eastern Europe -- indicating that the cocaine retail market is also developing in other regions. In terms of high-risk opioid use, the countries with the highest number of users per 1,000 inhabitants are Italy, Austria, France, Greece, Spain and Germany," wrote Teodora Groshkova, principal scientific analyst at EMCDDA and Gregorio Planchuelo, database management development officer at EMCDDA.

Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill Advances in House, RI House Passes Psilocybin Decriminalization, More... (6/15/23)

Oklahoma's governor vetoes a medical marijuana regulation bill, Texas's governor signs into law a bill allowing murder prosecutions for fentanyl overdose deaths, and more.

Texas will now allow prosecutors to seek murder charges in cases of fentanyl overdoses. (Creative Commons)
Medical Marijuana

Oklahoma Governor Vetoes Medical Marijuana Regulation Bill. Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) has vetoed a bill that would have imposed more regulations on the state's medical marijuana industry, Senate Bill 437. Among other provisions, the bill would have required the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority to maintain a registry of physicians recommending medical marijuana and would have required dispensary workers to comply with continuing education requirements. Stitt did not issue a veto message or give any other indication of why he vetoed the bill.

Opiates and Opioids

Texas Governor Signs into Law Bill Allowing Murder Charges for Fentanyl-Related Overdose Deaths. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Wednesday signed into law House Bill 6, which increases penalties for selling and distributing fentanyl and allows prosecutors to seek murder charges for fentanyl makers or sellers if someone dies as a result of a fentanyl overdose.

"Fentanyl is an epidemic that very simply, is taking too many lives," Abbott said during the bill signing ceremony. "Because of the courageous partnership of grieving family members Texas legislators and our office, we are enshrining into law today new protections that will save lives in Texas."

The legislature's commitment to saving lives of fentanyl users only goes so far, though. A bill that would have legalized fentanyl test strips died in the Senate after passing the House.

Psychedelics

Rhode Island House Approves Psilocybin Decriminalization Bill. The House on Monday approved House Bill 5923, which would decriminalize the possession of personal use amounts of psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms. The bill would also allow for the therapeutic use of psilocybin to treat chronic mental disorders if the Food & Drug Administration approves it.

"This is a step toward addressing mental health treatment in a modern way based on evidence and research," said bill sponsor Rep. Brandon Potter (D). "Psilocybin can be used safely, both recreationally and therapeutically, and for our veterans and neighbors who are struggling with chronic PTSD, depression and addiction, it can be a valuable treatment tool. Adults in our state deserve the freedom to decide for themselves and have access to every treatment possible, rather than have our state criminalize a natural, non-addictive, effective remedy."

The bill would allow people to possess up to one ounce of psychedelic mushrooms or grow mushrooms containing psilocybin at home for personal use. It would also require the Rhode Island Department of Health to create rules for the use of psychedelic mushrooms.

Companion legislation, Senate Bill 0806, awaits action in the Senate.

Asset Forfeiture

House Judiciary Committee Approves Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill. The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved HR 1525, the Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration (FAIR) Act, clearing the way for a House floor vote on the measure.

Sponsored by Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Tim Walberg (R-MI), the act would increase the burden of proof on law enforcement and prosecutors to show that the seized property is related to criminal activity. It would also shorten the time authorities have to return seized goods. And it eliminates administrative forfeiture, forcing law enforcement to seek a court order before seizing property.

"This can create a perverse incentive to seize and sell the private property of potentially innocent citizens to increase agency revenues, despite some states' efforts to protect property rights," Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) said. "The result is a system that unjustly infringes on the liberties of innocent American citizens."

This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

It's all guards gone bad this week. Let's get to it:

In Indianapolis, Indiana, a Marion County Jail guard was arrested last Thursday after a search by coworkers turned up drugs on her person. Guard Njell Holmes, 25, faces preliminary charges of drug dealing and drug trafficking, both of which are level four felonies with maximum sentences of 12 years. She is now a former guard.

In Montgomery, Alabama, a state prison guard was arrested last Saturday after confessing to smuggling in methamphetamine and possibly other drugs for an inmate. Guard Charlie Townsend, 28, was to receive $1,500 for bringing 88 grams of meth. He is suspected of also brining fentanyl, marijuana, and Xanax into the prison. He is charged with trafficking methamphetamine, use of position for personal gain and promoting prison contraband.

In Lisbon, Ohio, a former Columbiana County jail guard was sentenced last Friday to three years' probation and 90 days of house arrest for smuggling crack cocaine, methamphetamine and suboxone into the jail. Keith McCoy, 53, was caught red-handed bringing the dope into the lock-up. He pleaded guilty in March to illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto the grounds of a specified government facility, possession of fentanyl-related compound and two counts aggravated possession of drugs and misdemeanor possession of drugs.

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