Philippine forensic evidence is prompting a call to investigate drug war death certificates. In the US, the first federal registrations for medical marijuana dispensaries have gone to operators in seven states.

Drug Policy

Cohen Bill Would Overhaul Federal Drug Scheduling and End Weight-Based Mandatory Minimums. Outgoing Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) has introduced HR 10923, which would rewrite the Controlled Substances Act to remove marijuana from its schedules and move responsibility for scheduling drugs from the attorney general, who has delegated that authority to the DEA, to the secretary of Health and Human Services. Cohen's bill would also scrap mandatory minimum sentences based on drug weights and direct the US Sentencing Commission to provide for retroactive sentencing reductions. The bill was referred to six different House committees on October 29. Cohen announced on May 15 that he would not seek reelection after Tennessee redrew his district. He will serve through the end of his term.

Marijuana Policy

DEA and Rescheduling Opponents Split Over What Federal Watchdog Report Shows. In briefs filed October 29 in the marijuana rescheduling hearing, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and opponents of the proposed move to Schedule III drew different conclusions from a Government Accountability Office (GAO) review. DEA argued that the GAO review did not address the merits of the rescheduling proposal but instead examined how federal agencies make scheduling decisions. The GAO report identified gaps in the written procedures federal agencies use to evaluate drugs for scheduling. Opponents urged the hearing officer to give the report decisive weight and reject the change. Marijuana Moment reports that parties may reply by November 5. The briefs and orders are available on the DEA hearing docket.

Fact-Check Examines Driving Claims Behind Massachusetts Question 8. Massachusetts voters will decide November 3 whether to end adult-use retail marijuana sales. Question 8 would retain the medical program and allow adults to possess up to one ounce. Chris Che of the Boston University Statehouse Program, writing in the Worcester Guardian, examined two driving claims the repeal campaign used. In a AAA survey of 2,000 current cannabis users in eight other states, nearly 85 percent reported driving on the same day after using cannabis and 53 percent within an hour. The survey did not measure how often Massachusetts drivers drove impaired.

A second claim came from coroner records in one Ohio county, where nearly 42 percent of deceased drivers tested positive for THC. The study found no significant change in that proportion after Ohio legalized recreational sales. A positive test alone does not establish impairment at the time of a crash, and Massachusetts has no blood THC threshold for impairment. Che also reported that psychiatrists shared some of the campaign's concern about psychosis risks associated with high-potency products.

Medical Marijuana

DEA Issues First Federal Registrations to More Than 900 Medical Marijuana Dispensaries. The Justice Department announced October 30 that dispensaries in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia had received federal registrations under the attorney general's April order. Six of the seven states have a Republican governor and Republican majorities in both legislative chambers. Virginia has Democratic control. The registrations give qualifying state-licensed dispensaries a way to distribute marijuana for medical use under federal rules while the broader rescheduling proceeding continues.

Massachusetts Senate Committee Keeps Veterans' Medical Marijuana Provision in Budget Bill. An October 29 revision by the Massachusetts Senate Ways and Means Committee kept a House budget provision concerning veterans who receive care at a VA facility. The provision would let a veteran submit official VA records documenting a diagnosis of a debilitating medical condition to obtain a state medical marijuana card without a separate clinician certification. The Senate put the measure on its November 5 calendar.

Six Multistate Brands Run More Than Half of Pennsylvania's Medical Marijuana Dispensaries. Hannah Frances Johansson reports for NewsWorks Lab that six multistate brands now operate more than 100 of Pennsylvania's medical marijuana dispensaries, over half the statewide total. In southwestern Pennsylvania, multistate companies hold at least 10 of the 16 original permits to grow or sell medical cannabis. Industry sources described limited access to conventional bank financing as one factor behind the acquisitions that began in 2018. The program had originally sought to award permits to local operators.

Oklahoma Changes Workplace Drug Testing Rules for Medical Marijuana Patients. Under a state law that went into effect on November 1, employers with a written drug testing policy that complies with state law can now act on a positive marijuana test, although they generally cannot penalize someone for holding a medical marijuana card. For applicants and workers in safety-sensitive positions, including jobs that involve operating machinery or carrying a firearm, the law requires zero tolerance for drugs and alcohol. Employers may use impairment-based testing or other standards for other positions.

German Courts Split on Whether Patients Can Keep Insurance Coverage for Cannabis Flower. Ben Stevens reports in Business of Cannabis that after Germany removed dried cannabis flower from statutory health insurance coverage in July, courts have issued split rulings on whether patients whose insurers had already approved the treatment can keep that coverage. Courts in Frankfurt and Leipzig said no to interim coverage, but one in Landshut said yes, in the case of a dialysis patient. The Federal Constitutional Court has yet to opine on the issue, and in a September 15 order, declined to hear a patient's direct challenge, saying he had to pursue his claim in the social courts first.

See Research below for the New York study on medical cannabis use and gaps in opioid prescriptions among patients with chronic pain.

Hemp

New Jersey Hemp Bill Clears Both Houses. The New Jersey Assembly voted 75–2 on October 29 to pass S4635, replacing the identical Assembly bill, A5604. The Senate had passed S4635 on October 22. The measure went to Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) for consideration. It would allow state-licensed sellers of intoxicating hemp beverages to continue sales until the applicable federal restrictions take effect. The legislature's fiscal estimate says products containing cannabinoids the cannabis plant cannot naturally produce face the November 13 restriction. Other covered products containing naturally producible cannabinoids may be sold until at least December 11.

House Bill Would Add a 50 Percent Duty on Certain Hemp Imports From China. Rep. Val Hoyle (D-OR) introduced HR 10929, the Protecting American Hemp Farmers Act, on October 29. The bill would impose an additional duty of 50 percent of customs value on covered hemp-derived cannabinoid imports originating in China. It would also require testing of specified cannabinoid imports regardless of their country of origin. The House referred it to the Ways and Means Committee.

FDA Regulation

American Medical Association Urges FDA to Require Clinical Evidence for Botanical Drugs. Tom Angell reports for Marijuana Moment that in comments to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the physicians' organization called for clinical trials before allowing products derived from cannabis, kratom, and other plants to be marketed to treat diseases. It also called on federal agencies to provide cannabis of consistent potency to qualified researchers for approved studies and for the creation of a special schedule for cannabis research.

Harm Reduction

Colorado Overdose Caller Wins Appeal After Declining to Give Police Her Name. The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled on October 29 that an overdose caller qualified for the state's Good Samaritan protections when she identified herself to police as the person who called 911, even though she declined to give her name. Williams had called when her roommate overdosed and stayed until help arrived. Officers later learned her name, arrested her on outstanding warrants and found drugs during a search. The court vacated her drug-possession convictions and directed the trial court to dismiss the charges. The ruling concerns immunity for those possession charges.

Canberra Syringe Program Limits Supplies as Demand Grows From People Injecting Peptides. Lish Fejer and Tahlia Roy report for Australia's ABC News that Directions Health Services, which runs a Canberra syringe exchange program, says so many people are showing up seeking equipment to inject peptides that suppliers are unable to meet demand and the program has had to limit how much equipment it hands out so that people who rely on the service for sterile supplies can still get them.

The program had previously attracted mainly heroin and amphetamine users, said Directions Health Services acting chief executive Stephanie Stephens. "But in the past year … we've seen an enormous surge in people accessing sharps and needles to administer peptides. Month-by-month we see an increase," she said.

Psychedelics

Usona Seeks FDA Approval for Psilocybin to Treat Major Depression. Psychedelic Alpha reported November 2 that the nonprofit Usona Institute has completed its new drug application for psilocybin as a treatment for major depressive disorder. Usona holds an FDA priority voucher intended to shorten the review. The agency's decision on whether the treatment can be marketed is pending.

Death Penalty

Documentary Follows Two People Sentenced to Death for Drug Offenses and Their Families. An October 31 documentary from Al Jazeera English follows two people sentenced to death, one in each country, and their families. Malaysia repealed its mandatory death penalty in 2023. Since then, more than 700 people sentenced to hang for drug offenses have been resentenced, the program reports. Singapore continues to execute people for drug trafficking and defends the practice as a deterrent. Watch the 101 East documentary on YouTube.

Extrajudicial Killings

Dahas Records Eight Drug-Related Killings in the Philippines From October 1 to 23. The Philippine monitoring project lists two deaths for October 16–23. In Bacolod, police shot and killed a 26-year-old man known as "Toto Trabungco." Bombo Radyo Bacolod reported that he had taken a guard's gun and fired at police. A witness interviewed by the station suspected drug use. In Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat, police killed Robin Panangilan, 25, on October 20. Police said he fired at them as they approached, according to The Mindanao Sentinel.

Dahas also added Miguel Tinaan Jr., 28, to its October 8–15 list, bringing the count through October 15 from five to six. The security guard was riding his motorcycle in Valencia, Negros Oriental, on October 15 when two people on another motorcycle shot him. Police were investigating the motive, Digicast Negros reported. For October 1–23, Dahas recorded eight deaths this year, compared with 16 in 2025, 25 in 2024 and 19 in 2023.

Philippine Truth Commission Seeks Investigation of Drug War Death Certificates. At its October 30 press conference, the nongovernmental Philippine Truth Commission challenged the death certificates of 13 people who died in Caloocan and Quezon City between 2016 and 2018. The certificates listed illnesses such as pneumonia. The commission said forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun found gunshot wounds in all 13 exhumed bodies. Clarist Zablan reports for News5 that the commission asked the Professional Regulation Commission and the Philippine Medical Association to investigate the doctors who signed the certificates. Watch the commission's full press conference.

ICC Sets Hearing Schedule for Duterte Trial and Expects Him to Attend Daily. Jairo Bolledo reports for Rappler that at the November 2 status conference, Presiding Judge Joanna Korner excused former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte from that day's hearing but said she expected him to attend court daily when his trial begins November 30. The judges set four one-hour sessions per hearing day, with breaks, through the Christmas recess. Prosecutors plan to call their first five witnesses in 2026 and expect about 29 witnesses to testify remotely over the course of the trial.

Victims' counsel Paolina Massidda asked to quote victims in Tagalog during her opening statement so that families following from the Philippines could hear their own words. The judges required the statement to be delivered in English, GMA News reports.

ICC Registry Forwards More Victim Applications in Duterte Case. The International Criminal Court's Registry assessed 96 people covered by 46 applications as clearly qualifying to participate as victims in the case against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippine Star reports. In a separate October 28 submission, the Registry forwarded four applications for which it could not determine eligibility.

The Registry also asked the judges for guidance about 16 previously admitted participants whose cases appeared to fall outside the confirmed charges, GMA News reported. The Registry sought a ruling on their participation. The trial is scheduled to begin November 30.

Dela Rosa Misses Surrender Deadline as Philippine Police Expand Search. Panay News reported November 2 that Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa remained at large after the deadline for his voluntary surrender expired. Police Lt. Gen. Wilson Lopez said national and regional units are looking for the former police chief, who faces an ICC arrest warrant over killings during the Philippine drug war. The government is offering 50 million pesos for information leading to his arrest.

Rappler Checks Claim That Filipinos Can Arrest Marcos Over Dela Rosa Reward. A widely shared Facebook post urged people to arrest President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., describing the government's 50-million-peso reward for information leading to Dela Rosa's arrest as a bribe. In an October 30 fact-check, Eirene Manatlao of Rappler traced the claim to an October 26 post and found no warrant against Marcos on those allegations. It also explained the Philippine Supreme Court's recognition of a sitting president's immunity from suit.

International System

UN Human Rights Committee Questions Jamaica's Ban on Broadcasts Deemed to Glorify Drugs. At an October 27 review of Jamaica's human rights record, UN Human Rights Committee members asked how the government justified a 2022 directive restricting broadcasts deemed to glorify drugs, violence or fraud. Members asked whether warnings or limits on airtime would suffice and whether broadcasters could seek independent review of censorship decisions. Jamaica's delegation said it had received no human rights complaints about the ban and that the Broadcasting Commission continued to review how it regulates digital content.

Civil Society Speakers Have Until November 3 to Apply for UN Drug Policy Discussions. The Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs is seeking 17 speakers for the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs' December 7–9 meetings in Vienna. Participants can join online or in person. Topics include links between drug trafficking and other criminal markets, the use of digital technology in the drug trade, and drug scheduling. Applicants should submit an English abstract explaining what they would cover in a two- to three-minute presentation.

Research

Syrian Captagon Trade, Ecuadorian Drug Trafficking, Medical Cannabis and Opioid Prescriptions, Afghan Poppy Cultivation, Compulsory Treatment in Taiwan

Syria's Captagon Trade Shifts After the Fall of Assad. Syria's new authorities dismantled 16 industrial-scale drug labs in 2025, but producers found places to operate beyond the central government's reach. In an October 27 analysis, Ebru Erkan of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime identifies the southern province of Suwayda as a hub for manufacturing Captagon and moving it into Jordan. Citing UN drug-agency data, Erkan describes shortages in some destination markets and higher prices in parts of the Gulf and in countries bordering Syria. She interprets these changes as signs of disruption even as trafficking routes shifted.

How the Breakup of Ecuador's Choneros Changed Drug Trafficking. Writing for InSight Crime on October 27, Stella Horrell traces today's competing gangs to a prison-based federation led by Jorge Luis Zambrano, known as Rasquiña. Under his leadership, local gangs took control of trafficking routes and sold their services to international traffickers. After his murder in 2020, the federation splintered. Four groups the United States later designated as foreign terrorist organizations, including the Choneros and the Lobos, once belonged to that same network.

New York Study Links Longer Medical Cannabis Use to Gaps in Opioid Prescriptions. Researchers followed 8,358 chronic pain patients who received both long-term opioid therapy and medical cannabis in New York from 2017 to 2019. During 90 days of follow-up, 15.5 percent of those who received cannabis for more than 30 days went at least 45 days without an opioid prescription, compared with 7.6 percent of those who received cannabis for 30 days or less. The association was not statistically significant among patients who started at the highest opioid doses. The October 28 study in the Journal of Addiction Medicine used prescription records and could not establish whether cannabis caused patients to stop taking opioids.

UN Survey Finds Afghan Poppy Acreage More Than Quadrupled in a Year. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime estimated that farmers planted about 43,300 hectares of opium poppy in 2026, up from about 10,000 hectares in 2025 despite the Taliban's ban. Estimated opium production rose to nearly 1,500 metric tons, roughly five times the previous year's figure. At the October 29 release in Kabul, the Interior Ministry disputed the estimates and said the survey understated its eradication work, Pajhwok Afghan News reports. In Baba Yusuf, farmers told Reuters that growing wheat brought in barely enough to cover their costs. One farmer, Gul Nazar, said cotton fetched about a third of its former price, leaving families with fewer ways to earn a living without planting poppy.

Taiwan Study Finds Support for Compulsory Drug Treatment Among Staff Who Favor a Health Response. Researchers asked 635 staff members at Taiwan's 22 drug prevention centers how they would respond to hypothetical cases involving methamphetamine use. Staff who saw a client as dangerous were more likely to favor compulsory treatment. So were staff who favored a health-based response, even after the researchers accounted for other factors. The study, published October 30 in the International Journal of Drug Policy, measured staff judgments about the scenarios rather than actual treatment orders.

(AI technology assisted in the news gathering and initial stage drafting of this Daily Digest.)