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Psychedelics

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MN Supreme Court Rules Weed Odor No Cause for Search, Scottish Safe Injection Site Plans, More... (9/13/23)

Nebraska advocates kicked off their third campaign for a medical marijuana initiative on Wednesday, a pair of psychedelic amendments to the defense spending bill will get a House floor vote, and more.

The odor of marijuana alone is not probable cause for a vehicle search, the Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled. (Creative Commons
Marijuana Policy

Minnesota Supreme Court Rules Weed Odor Alone Does Not Justify a Vehicle Search. The state Supreme Court has ruled that that the mere odor of marijuana does not establish probable cause for police to search a vehicle. The state now becomes the latest marijuana legalization state to see such a ruling.

The ruling came in the case of a Litchfield man was pulled over in 2021 for having "too many auxiliary lights on his grill." Two police officers claimed they smelled marijuana coming from an open car window. The man denied having marijuana and police search of the vehicle turned none up, but it did turn up a small amount of methamphetamine, for which the man was charged.

The trial court noted that the man was not driving erratically, nor was there any evidence of a crime in plain view when police approached the car and ruled the search inadmissible. (Even though the state did not legalize marijuana until this year, at the time of the search, medical marijuana was legal and pot possession was decriminalized.

The state appealed the decision to the appeals court and lost and then to the state Supreme Court, where it has now lost again.

Medical Marijuana

Nebrasksa Medical Marijuana Proponents Hope Third Time Is the Charm. Backers of a proposed 2024 medical marijuana ballot initiative kicks off their campaign in Lincoln Wednesday. Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana is hoping the third time is the charm after a first effort was sidelined by the state Supreme Court and a second effort ran short on signatures after losing a major donor.

The group’s co-chairs, State Senator Anna Wishart and former State Senator Adam Morfeld, are meeting with patients, families, caregivers, and volunteers in an initial fundraiser.

To qualify for the 2024 ballot, campaigners will need to come up with 87,000 valid voter signatures by the first week of July 2024.

Psychedelics

House Committee Clears Psychedelic Amendments to Defense Bill for Floor Vote. The House Rules Committee on Tuesday declared that two psychedelic amendments to the defense spending bill are in order, meaning they can advance to House floor votes. But the committee also blocked separate marijuana-related amendments from advancing.

One of the psychedelic amendments, from Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), would allow active-duty service members suffering from PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury to participate in clinical trials of the efficacy of psychedelic substances. The second, from Crenshaw and Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-TX), would appropriate $15 million in funding for the Pentagon's Psychedelic Medical Clinical Trials.

While Republican-led committee advanced the psychedelic amendments sponsored by fellow Republicans, it blocked the marijuana amendments that came from Democrats. One would have ended the disqualification of potential enlistees for THC; the other would have barred federal funds for marijuana testing upon enlistment.

International

Scottish Safe Injection Site Could Be Approved Within Weeks. After Scotland's Lord Advocate, the Scottish government's highest legal official, confirmed that users of a proposed safe injection would not be prosecuted, the proposed pilot scheme is set to be approved by local officials—the next step toward its realization.

Scottish drugs minister Elena Whitman told members of the Scottish Parliament Tuesday that the plan would go before the city’s integrated joint board of council and health officials on 27 September, where it is expected to be approved and put out to public consultation.

While the Conservative government in London sets drug policy for the United Kingdom, it is the Scottish Lord Advocate who decides whether to prosecute.

Lord Advocate Bain said she believed it would "not be in the public interest to prosecute drug users for simple possession offences committed within a pilot safer drugs consumption facility."

The Scottish government and the Glasgow city council, both of which are led by the Scottish National Party, have been supportive of a pilot project for years, but now Scottish Labor, the Scottish Liberal Democrats, and the Scottish Greens are all on board, and the Scottish Tories have agreed not to try to block the proposal.

CA Natural Psychedelic Legalization Bill Goes to Governor, Colombia Cocaine Production at All-Time High, More... (9/11/23)

You could soon be able to get some munchies when you buy your weed in California, Afghanistan is the world's fastest-growing meth producer, and more.

Colombia continues to crank out cocaine. (Creative Commons)
Marijuana Policy

California Senate Approves Marijuana Café Bill. The Senate has approved Assembly Bill 374, which would allow marijuana retailers to offer food and drinks in they get local approval. The bill has already passed the Assembly, but because it was slightly amended in the Senate, it must return to the Assemly for a final concurrence vote before heading to the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).

The bill would let local governments authorize the preparation and sell of non-marijuana food and drinks. Sale of alcohol would continue to be prohibited, as would the smoking of tobacco.

The bill would also authorize "live musical or other performances on the premises of a retailer or microbusiness licensed under this division in the area where the consumption of cannabis is allowed, and the sale of tickets for those performances."

Psychedelics

California Natural Psychedelic Legalization Bill Heads to Governor's Desk. A bill that legalize the possession of personal use amounts of natural psychedelics, including ibogaine and psilocybin (magic mushrooms)—but not peyote—has won final passage in the legislature and now heads to the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).

Senate Bill 58, filed by Sen. Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco), was first introduced in 2021 but was pulled by Weiner after it was heavily amended in the Assembly during the last session. But it came back this session and has now made its way through the legislative process.

The bill would allow people 21 and over to possess up to four grams of mescaline, one gram of DMT, and one gram each of psilocybin and psilocyn.

Newsom has until Oct. 14 to make a decision on the bill becoming law. If approved, it would go into effect in 2025.

International

UNODC Says Afghanistan is World's Faster-Growing Meth Producer. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNOD C) reported Sunday that Afghanistan has became the world's fastest-growing manufacturer of methamphetamine. The report comes as the Taliban are busily prosecuting a crackdown on opium production.

Afghan meth production derives largely from legally available substances or the ephedra plants, which grows in the wild in the region, UNODC said. It said Afghan meth production could disrupt the synthetic drug market and fuel addiction. Afghan meth has been seized in Europe and East Africa.

Afghan meth seizures rose from less than 100 pounds in 2019 to nearly 6,000 pounds in 2021.

Annual meth seizure totals from inside the country rose from less than 100 kilograms (220 pounds) in 2019 to nearly 2,700 kilograms (6,000 pounds) in 2021, suggesting increased production, the report said. But it couldn’t give a value for the country’s meth supply, the quantities being produced, nor its domestic usage, because it doesn’t have the data.

Angela Me, the chief of the UNODC’s Research and Trend Analysis Branch, said  that making meth, especially in Afghanistan, had several advantages over heroin or cocaine production. "You don’t need to wait for something to grow," said Me. "You don’t need land. You just need the cooks and the know-how. Meth labs are mobile, they’re hidden. Afghanistan also has the ephedra plant, which is not found in the biggest meth-producing countries, Myanmar and Mexico. It’s legal in Afghanistan and it grows everywhere. But you need a lot of it."

UNODC Says Colombia Coca Cultivation at All-Time High. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported Sunday that coca leaf cultivation in Colombia last year was at the highest level recorded since the agency started monitoring the crop in 2001. Coca cultivation was up 13 percent over 2021, and that generated 1,400 tons of cocaine, up from 1,738 in 2021.

Most Colombian cocaine is destined for markets in the US and Europe.

Key coca growing areas, accounting for two-thirds of national production, are the southern departments of Narino and Puumayo on the Ecuadorian border and North Santander on the Venezuelan border. Nearly half of Colombia's coca production is located on indigenous lands or in parks and nature reserves.

Scottish Lord Advocate Endorses Safe Injection Sites. The senior law enforcement officer in the Scottish government, the Lord Advocate, has issued a position statement on safe injection sites saying it would not recommend the prosecution of people using a safe injection site. The Lord Advocate provides legal advice on the full range of the government's responsibilities, policies, and legislation, including advice on the legal implications of government proposals. : 

"On the basis of the information I have been provided, I would be prepared to publish a prosecution policy that it would not be in the public interest to prosecute drug users for simple possession offences committed within a pilot safer drugs consumption facility," Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC said.

"I have not been asked to sign-off or approve any facility and it would not be appropriate for me to do so. However, prosecution policy is for me alone to set and this policy, and the consequences which flow from it, have been considered deeply and thoroughly. 

"The requested statement will not extend to any criminal offences other than possession of controlled substances, contrary to section 5(2) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. It does not amount to an exclusion zone whereby a range of criminality is tolerated. 

"Police Scotland have operational independence and it has been of the utmost importance to me to ensure that Police Scotland retain the ability to effectively police the facility and ensure that the wider community, those operating the site and

The Lord Advocate's decision has been shared with the Scottish Parliament cross-committee on tackling drug deaths and drug harm on September 11. 

CA Assembly Passes Natural Psychedelic Bill, Youth Weed Treatment Admissions Drop, More... (9/7/23)

A pair of Massachusetts psychedelic initiatives are cleared for signature-gathering, new research finds marijuana legalization is driving down youth pot treatment admissions, and more.

Illinois pot shop workers organized by the Teamsters win a labor victory. (Teamsters.org)
Marijuana Policy

Court-Mandated Marijuana Treatment Admissions for Young People Declined Significantly Following Legalization.Far fewer young people are referred by the criminal courts to attend marijuana-specific treatment programs following the adoption of statewide adult-use legalization laws, acording to data published in the journal Addiction Medicine

Researchers with Temple University in Philadelphia analyzed ten years (2008 to 2019) of admissions data from the US government’s Treatment Episode Data Sets (TEDS). They reported that the total number of marijuana-related drug treatment admissions declined significantly among adolescents (ages 12 to 17) and young adults (ages 18 to 24) during this time period. Much of this decline was the result of fewer court-mandated admissions. 

"Our results indicate that the proportion of referrals to CUD [cannabis use disorder] treatment from the criminal justice system fell following recreational legalization in the United States among young adults, likely due to post-legalization declines in cannabis-related arrests," the study’s authors concluded. 

In 2010, courts ordered nearly 60,000 teens and another 70,000 young adults to attend marijuana treatment. Those totals fell to fewer than 20,000 adolescents and approximately 30,000 young adults in 2019.

"In addition to ending tens of thousands of needless low-level marijuana arrests, cannabis legalization is also freeing up space in drug treatment centers for those people who truly need it," said NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano. "Most people arrested for violating marijuana possession laws do not require mandatory drug treatment, and historically, these referrals were provided primarily to divert people away from the criminal justice system."

Illinois Teamsters Ratify Contracts with Rise Dispensaries. Teamsters Local 777 members at three dispensaries operated by Rise – a subsidiary of Green Thumb Industries (GTI) – have ratified their first collective bargaining agreements with the multi-state cannabis operator. The contract will cover workers at two locations in Joliet and another in Niles. This victory marks the end of a protracted fight with GTI that included a 13-day work stoppage that ended back in May – the longest Unfair Labor Practice strike at a cannabis retailer in U.S. history.

"This fight should be a lesson to cannabis companies all across the country and not just Illinois – Teamsters don’t back down," said Jim Glimco, Local 777 President. "A lot of people who went through what these men and women went through would’ve thrown in the towel. Not this group. They’re young, energetic, tough, smart; they look out for one another, and they embody what being a part of this union is all about."

The strong contracts not only codify a number of benefits, but also include significant improvements. Improvements include wage increases of 18 percent over the lifetime of the agreement, attendance bonuses, a scheduling policy based on seniority, guaranteed tips and discounts, improved safety standards, and protection against unjust termination or discipline.

Psychedelics

California Assembly Approves Amended Psychedelic Legalization Bill, Sending it Back to Senate for Final Passage. The Assembly on Wednesday approved Senate Bill 58, which would legalize the possession of small amounts of certain plant- and fungi-based psychedelic substances, but not without first amending it so it has to go back to the Senate for a final vote.

"California’s veterans, first responders, and others struggling with PTSD, depression, and addiction deserve access to these promising plant medicines," said bill sponsor Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco). "SB 58 has prudent safeguards in place after we incorporated feedback from three years of deep engagement with a broad array of stakeholders. We know these substances are not addictive, and they show tremendous promise in treating many of the most intractable conditions driving our nation’s mental health crisis," he said. It’s time to stop criminalizing people who use psychedelics for healing or personal well-being."

But whether Weiner and the rest of the Senate can live with the Assembly's amendments remains to be seen. The Assembly stripped ibogaine from the list of legalized substances, lowered possession limits, eliminated sharing provisions, and pushed back the effective date to 2025.

Massachusetts Attorney General Certifies Two Psychedelic Decriminalization Initiatives for Signature-Gathering. Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell (D) has certified two nearly identical ballot proposals to decriminalize psychedelic substances. The proposals are coming from Massachusetts for Mental Health Options, which aims "to expand mental health treatment options in Massachusetts by providing new pathways to access natural psychedelic medicine therapy."

The two proposals are the Natural Psychedelic Substances Act (Version A) and the Natural Psychedelic Substances Act (Version B).

The certification clears the way for signature-gathering to place the measures on the November 2024 ballot. Organizers will need to file 74,574 valid voter signatures by December 6 to qualify for nest year's ballot.

The proposals would create the Natural Psychedelic Substances Commission, a five-member body appointed by the governor, attorney general and treasurer, that would administer the law around the use and distribution of psychedelics.

Adults at least 21 years old would be able to purchase psychedelics like psilocybin, ibogaine and mescaline at an "approved location," according to the ballot petition.

CO Lawmakers Call for Safe Injection Sites, CA Psychedelic Decrim Bill Heads for Final Vote, More... (9/5/23)

A North Carolina Republican congressman files a bill to punish localities that legalize marijuana, Peruvian Shining Path remnants tied to the cocaine trade clash with Peruvian army troops, and more 

Magic mushrooms and other natural psychedelics would be decriminalized under a California bill that heads for a final vote. (CC)
Marijuana Policy

North Carolina Congressman Files Bill to Punish Legal Weed States. Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) has filed a bill that would punish states or reservations where marijuana is legal by withholding 10 percent of highway funding to them. Edward's Stop Pot Act, filed last Friday, targets jurisdictions "in which the purchase or public possession of marijuana for recreational purposes is lawful."

It was spurred by his ire at the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which will vote on whether to legalize marijuana this week. He argues that such laws are an affront to federal law.

"The laws of any government should not infringe on the overall laws of our nation, and federal funds should not be awarded to jurisdictions that willfully ignore federal law," he said in a press release. "During a time when our communities are seeing unprecedented crime, drug addiction, and mental illness, the Stop Pot Act will help prevent even greater access to drugs and ease the strain placed on our local law enforcement and mental health professionals who are already stretched thin."

The tribe does not think much of Edwards' move. Principal Chief Richard Sneed noted that Edwards is "a non-Indian, elected official telling a sovereign tribal nation how they ought to handle their business" and that he "overstepped his authority."

Psychedelics

California Psychedelic Decriminalization Bill Heads for Assembly Floor Vote. A bill to decriminalize certain plant- and fungi-based psychedelics is heading for a final Assembly floor vote after clearing a final committee vote last Friday. Senate Bill 58 , from Sen. Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) has already passed the Senate and cleared the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Friday.

The bill would decriminalize plant-based and other natural hallucinogens such as psilocybin, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ibogaine, and mescaline, but in deference to the Native American Church, not peyote. Police would be unable to charge those in possession of personal use amounts of those substances, which range from two grams for psilocybin to 15 grams for ibogaine. The substances would remain illegal for minors.

The bill is a scaled back version of a bill first filed by Weiner in January 21 that would also have decriminalized synthetic psychedelics, such as ketamine, LSD, and MDMA. And as doubts lingered over whether the bill could pass this year, Weiner amended it to add a provision requiring the California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHSA) to create a workgroup tasked with studying and making recommendations on the establishment of a framework for the therapeutic use of psychedelics.

"I’m particularly excited to see that a vote will be held for decriminalizing psychedelics, an idea whose time has come I," said Weiner."I look forward to working with my colleagues and a wide array of stakeholders to deliver these bills to the governor."

But whether Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) will sign the bill remains an open question.

"The bill does have a good shot of passing the Assembly," said former police officer and current drug counselor Marty Ribera. "But Newsom is the big one. He’s looking to run for president either next year or in 2028, and being the Governor who legalized a bunch of drugs would not be a good look."

Harm Reduction

Colorado Legislative Opioid Study Committee Calls for Safe Injection Sites. Lawmakers last year tried and failed to clear the way for safe injection sites last year, and this year they will be back again. The legislature's opioid study committee has called for a bill to be drafted to allow cities to create "overdose prevention centers" or safe injection sites.

The committee vote followed party lines, with Republicans opposed.

The need is evident. Opioid overdose deaths, most implicating fentanyl, rose 50 percent from 2019 to 2020 and another 27 percent from 2020 to 2021.

Safe injection sites are arguably illegal under federal law, specifically the 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act, which forbids the use of premises for illicit drug use—the crack house act. The Trump administration Justice Department sued to block a Philadelphia safe injection site, but the Biden Justice Department is now in negotiations that could clear the way for it to open.

Rhode Island has authorized safe injection sites, but the only locally-authorized sites opened in New York City in late 2021. And now, the US attorney there is making noises calling into question whether they can remain.

International

Peru Clashes Between Military and Shining Path Leave Six Dead. Remnants of the Shining Path, a Maoist insurgency from the 1980s that left tens of thousands dead and has since devolved into players in the coca and cocaine trade, clashed with an army patrol Monday, leaving four soldiers and two Shining Path members dead.

The early morning attack by the rebel traffickers came in the province of Huanta in the Ayacucho region—the historic Shining Path stronghold.

"During the confrontation, the security forces managed to kill two terrorist criminals, who fell with their long-range weapons," the army said in a press release. "Unfortunately, during this action, four brave members of the armed forces died, whose remains will be transferred shortly to the city of Huamanga." The army said three wounded soldiers were also transferred to a nearby hospital.

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte paid tribute to the soldiers shortly afterwards on social media, referring to the Shining Path as "narcoterrorists."

The violence occurred in the Valley of Apurimac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers (VRAEM), a center of coca cultivation and cocaine production. In 2021, the government estimated that 70 percent of the country's total coca leaf production came from the VRAEM. The VRAEM is also the last outpost of the Shining Path. 

CA Initiative Would Have State Fund Psychedelic Research, Fentanyl Bills Pass Senate, More... (7/31/23)

A Georgia prosecutor's bid to seize a landlord's rural trailer beause a tenant got caught with meth gets thrown out of court, Colombia's president proposes buying up the coca crop, and more.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro proposes buying up the coca crop and turning it into fertilizer. (Creative Commons)
Opiates and Opioids

Two Fentanyl Bills Pass Senate as Part of Defense Spending Bill. The Senate approved the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act (S.2226) late last week. Because of its must-pass nature, the bill was loaded with other measures sponsors sought to get through the Congress, including a pair of fentanyl-related bills.

Sponsored by Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), the Eradicating Narcotic Drugs and Formulating Effective New Tools to Address National Yearly Losses of Life (END FENTANYL) Act (S.206) would require the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to regularly update its drug interdiction guidance. Currently, many CBP policies that outline drug interdiction practices are outdated and do not provide guidance on how to handle drugs such as fentanyl. Sponsored by Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), the Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act, which would require the President to sanction drug rings involved in international drug trafficking, including suppliers in China and cartels from Mexico.

Psychedelics

California Initiative Would Fund Psychedelic Research to Tune of $5 Billion. A group calling itself TREAT California has filed a proposed initiative for the 2024 ballot that would allocate $5 billion for a new state agency that would fund and promote psychedelic research with an eye toward accelerating the progress toward federal legalization of certain psychedelics, such as psilocybin and ibogaine.

The campaign is not led by magic mushroom fans but by seasoned initiative campaigners. They want to create an agency they are calling the Treatment, Research, Education, Access and Therapies (TREAT) Institute to identify opportunities for advancing science into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics to address serious mental health conditions like depression and addiction.

"The TREAT Institute will not be a typical government agency; it will be an innovative, effective, and lean organization that will provide a consistent, sustainable funding source," the text of the proposed constitutional amendment says. "TREAT California is not a direct decriminalization or legalization effort; and it is not an initiative driven by an elected official," it continues. "Rather, it is a path for citizens to authorize legislative change."

Meanwhile, another initiative campaign already underway seeks to put psilocybin legalization on the 2024 ballot. That campaign recently got approval from the state to begin signature gathering.

Asset Forfeiture

Georgia Prosecutor's Bid to Seize Landlord's Property over Tenant's Drug Possession Rejected. An effort by the Ogeechee Circuit District Attorney's Office to seize the property of a landlord because of her tenant's arrest for drugs has gone up in flames. The tenant of a trailer and utility shed on a small rural property had been arrested on methamphetamine possession charges in January but has never been indicted or even had her case appear before a grand jury.

But prosecutors moved to seize the property through civil asset forfeiture even though the woman arrested was not the property owner. District Attorney Daphne Totten and ADA Barclay Black argued in the filing that the property is 'contraband and subject to forfeiture' because the property "was found in close proximity to the controlled substance, namely methamphetamine" and "was possessed, used, or available for use to facilitate a violation of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act."

The landlord responded that she was not privy to the criminal conduct, did not consent to the criminal conduct, did not know of the criminal conduct, could not have reasonably known that criminal conduct was going to occur, and thus the property should not be forfeited. The judge in the case agreed.

"No evidence was adduced at trial that Walker was privy to Keaveny's criminal conduct, consented to or had any knowledge of criminal conduct, had any reason to believe it would or was occurring, or derived any financial benefit from the conduct," Judge Roland Thompson wrote, dismissing the seizure request.

International

Colombia President Proposes Buying up Coca Crop to Use for Industrial Purposes. With the country's rural coca economy in crisis because of years of overproduction, President Gustavo Petro has proposed buying up the crop and using it to make fertilizer. He also called for strategies to boost infrastructure development for the project.

"And that is done with research and technology and the form has already been invented. The Government proposes at the national level in the regions with the highest production of coca leaf used in another way, to set up factories to buy that coca leaf and turn it into carbonless fertilizer, decarbonized fertilizer, or if we want another word, 'biofertilizers,' Petro said. "So, I propose to SENA [the National Training Institute] to see if with the Government we can put these industrial complexes of cooperatives, indigenous peoples and neighbors, in order to use the coca leaf in a different way, which is to produce fertilizer for food in Colombia, zero carbon. That is, in the conditions that are needed in the 21st Century," he added.

Bipartisan Bill to Let Pot Smokers Get Security Clearances Filed, GA Asset Forfeiture Outrage, More... (7/27/23)

The House approves veterans' medical marijuana and psychedelic research amendments to a must-pass spending bill, a new House bill would clear the way for security clearances for past or present pot smokers, and more.

Jamie Raskin (house.gov
Marijuana Policy

Bipartisan House Bill to Allow Pot Smokers to Get Security Clearances Filed. Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC) hae introduced the Cannabis Users Restoration of Eligibility (CURE) Act, legislation to prevent prior or current marijuana use from becoming grounds for failing to receive security clearance or for being found unsuitable for federal employment. The CURE Act will also allow for someone who has previously been denied a security clearance or a federal job opportunity based on marijuana use the chance to have that denial reviewed.

"Every year, qualified and dedicated individuals seeking to serve our country are unable to secure federal jobs and security clearances because the federal government has not caught up with the widely established legal use of medical and recreational cannabis," said Rep. Raskin. "I am proud to partner with my friend Representative Mace to introduce the bipartisan CURE Act that will eliminate the draconian, failed and obsolete marijuana policies that prevent talented individuals from becoming honorable public servants in their own government."

The CURE Act has been endorsed by the Drug Policy Alliance, the Due Process Institute, Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), and the US Cannabis Council.

Medical Marijuana

House Approves Veterans Medical Marijuana Access and Psychedelic Research Amendments to Defense Spending Bill. The House on Wednesday approved amendments to a large-scale spending bill that would allow Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) doctors to recommend medical cannabis to military veterans and promote research into substances like psilocybin and MDMA.

The medical marijuana measure, which was filed by the co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus -- Reps. Brian Mast (R-FL), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Dave Joyce (R-OH) and Barbara Lee (D-CA) -- passed in a voice vote.

Their amendment would specifically prohibit the use of VA funds to enforce provisions of an existing directive that bars doctors from making medical cannabis recommendations to veterans.

The House also adopted, by a voice vote, an amendment from Reps. Lou Correa (D-CA) and Jack Bergman (R-MI) that would encourage research into the therapeutic potential of certain psychedelics.

Asset Forfeiture

Georgia Prosecutor Seeks to Seize Landlord's Property Because Tenant Possessed Meth. In a bid to stretch the fabric of asset forfeiture, the Ogeechee Circuit District Attorney's Office is seeking to seize the property of a landlord because of her tenant's alleged drug use. There is no allegation that the landlord was involved with or even aware of the alleged drug use, and there is no allegation that the tenant sold drugs -- only that she possessed them.

The case arose when a January raid of the tenant's home and utility shed turned up methamphetamine and the tenant was arrested on meth possession charges. But the criminal case has since stalled. Six months after the raid, the case has not even made it to the grand jury. There has been no indictment and no action since January.

The District Attorney's Office has nonetheless filed paperwork to seize the property where the tenant was arrested through civil asset forfeiture, which does not require a prior criminal conviction before seizing the property. In this case the property is a third of an acre of land, the utility shed, and a mobile home parked on the property where the tenant resided.

District Attorney Daphne Totten and ADA Barclay Black argued in the filing that the property is 'contraband and subject to forfeiture' because the property "was found in close proximity to the controlled substance, namely methamphetamine" and "was possessed, used, or available for use to facilitate a violation of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act."

The landlord is fighting the attempted seizure, and a hearing is set for tomorrow. Stay tuned.

CA Psychedelic Research Initiative, Colombia Coca Price Crash Causing Misery, More... (7/24/23)

Ab Ohio marijuana legalization initiative needs more signatures but has the time to get them, Singapore is set to hang two more drug offenders, and more.

A Colombia coca farmer. It is hard times in coca land. (DEA.gov)
Marijuana Policy

Ohio Marijuana Legalization Initiative Comes Up Short on Signatures, But Has Ten Days to Get More. A signature gathering campaign by the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol to put a legalization initiative on the November ballot came up 679 signatures short, according to Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R). The campaign, though, has through August 4 to come up with more.

"It looks like we came up a little short in this first phase, but now we have 10 days to find just 679 voters to sign a supplemental petition -- this is going to be easy, because a majority of Ohioans support our proposal to regulate and tax adult use marijuana," coalition spokesman Tom Haren said in a statement.

The initiative would allow adults 21 and over to buy and possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis and to grow plants at home. A 10% tax would support administrative costs, addiction treatment, municipalities with dispensaries and social equity and jobs programs.

Psychedelics

California Initiative Would Create State $5 Billion Psychedelic Agency. A campaign calling itself TREAT California is gearing up for a signature gathering campaign to put an initiative on the 2024 ballot that would create a $5 billion state agency to fund and promote psychedelic research to help speed the federal legalization of substances such as psilocybin and ibogaine.

The initiative would not legalize or decriminalize psychedelics in the state, but wants to create the Treatment, Research, Education, Access and Therapies (TREAT) Institute to look into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics to treat mental health conditions.

"The TREAT Institute will not be a typical government agency; it will be an innovative, effective, and lean organization that will provide a consistent, sustainable funding source," the text of the proposed initiative says. "TREAT California is not a direct decriminalization or legalization effort; and it is not an initiative driven by an elected official," it continues. "Rather, it is a path for citizens to authorize legislative change."

International

Colombia Coca Price Collapse Causing Rural Misery. Over the past two years, the farmgate price of coca has fallen by a third in Cauca department, while in neighboring Narino department, the price of coca paste has dropped from $975 a kilo to around $240.

As a result, a good number of the 400,000 coca-growing families in the country are facing collective impoverishment an acute social crisis. Food insecurity due to price inflation and forced displacements of people in search of brighter prospects are now common.

While there are multiple causes for the price drop, the most direct one appears the massive increase in coca cultivation between 2018 and 2021, which led to an oversupply that sank prices. In addition, cultivation has spread to other countries in South and Central America, and other synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl, have gained ground.

Singapore Set to Hang Two More Drug Convicts. The city-state is set to hang two people convicted of drug offenses this week, including a 56-year-old man convicted of trafficking under two ounces of heroin and a 45-years-old woman sentenced to death for an ounce and a half of heroin. She would be the first woman sent to the gallows in Singapore in nearly 20 years.

Singapore has some of the world's toughest drug laws, including the death penalty for more than 500 grams of marijuana or 15 grams of heroin. At least 13 people have been executed for drug offenses since the government ended a moratorium in place during the coronavirus pandemic.

Amnesty International called on the government to halt the executions: "It is unconscionable that authorities in Singapore continue to cruelly pursue more executions in the name of drug control," Amnesty's death penalty expert Chiara Sangiorgio said in a statement. "There is no evidence that the death penalty has a unique deterrent effect or that it has any impact on the use and availability of drugs. As countries around the world do away with the death penalty and embrace drug policy reform, Singapore's authorities are doing neither," Sangiorgio added.

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.

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.)

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