A bipartisan bill addressing xylazine gets filed, Texas Republican senators block a fentanyl test strip bill, and more.

Fentanyl test strips. Texas GOP senators are blocking a bill to decriminalize them. (Creative Commons)

Colorado Senate Advances Psychedelic Regulation Bill Without Local Ban Authority. The Senate on Tuesday approved Senate Bill 23-290, which amends the regulatory framework created by the voter-approved Natural Medicine Act. The bill creates regulations for unlicensed psychedelic facilitators, restrictions on home mushroom and natural medicine cultivation, and criminal penalties for the unlicensed sale of those substances. Under the bill, the Department of Revenue, which already oversees the state's liquor, marijuana, and gambling industries, would regulate licensed psychedelic manufacturing, distribution, and other business activities. The bill does not include language allowing local governments to ban psychedelic businesses. The bill now goes to the House, where it first heads to the House Finance Committee.

Drug Policy

Senators Cruz and Welch File Bill Targeting Xylazine. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Peter Welch (D-VT) on Wednesday filed the Testing, Rapid Analysis, and Narcotic Quality (TRANQ) Research Act to address the rapid rise of the veterinary tranquilizer as a drug used in conjunction with street narcotics. The Office of National Drug Control Strategy (ONDCP -- the drug czar's office) designated xylazine mixed with fentanyl as an "emerging threat" earlier this month.

While xylazine has some opioid-like properties, it is not an opioid and is not responsive to opioid overdose reversal drugs. It is also linked to physical ailments such as necrosis, which can result in the loss of limbs.

The TRANQ Research Act "directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to take steps to enhance understanding of tranq and other novel synthetic drugs, develop new tests for detection, and establish partnerships with front-line entities that are often the first points of contact with new street drugs." It does not contain any criminal provisions. Companion legislation has also been filed in the House.

Harm Reduction

Texas Fentanyl Test Strip Decriminalization Bill Stalled in Senate. Even as the state faces a fentanyl overdose crisis, Senate Republicans are blocking action on a bill to decriminalize fentanyl test strips, House Bill 362, that has already passed the House. Senate Criminal Justice Committee Chairman Sen. John Whitmire (D-Houston) said Republican members of the committee fear that the move will encourage drug use. "It's just illogical, but there's a belief by some members that it might safeguard the use," he said Tuesday. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) supports the legislation, and the legislative session still has a few more weeks left, so supporters continue to hope it can still pass this year.

International

Singapore Ignores International Appeals, Executes Man for Two Pounds of Marijuana. Singapore hung Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, on Wednesday after he was convicted of conspiring to traffic two pounds of marijuana. The execution came despite an international campaign to spare his life, including an appeal from the UN Human Rights Commission and another from Global Drug Policy Commission member Richard Branson. While many other countries, including some of Singapore's neighbors are moving towards a more lenient approach to drugs and rejecting the death penalty, Singapore remains unmoved. "Tangaraju was accorded full due process under the law and had access to legal counsel throughout the process," the Central Narcotics Bureau said, adding without a hint of irony that the death penalty is "part of Singapore's comprehensive harm prevention strategy."

Houston's DA tells the cops not to jail people for less than four grams of drugs, Washington's House votes to keep drug possession a misdemeanor, and more.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Grisham Lujan (D) has vetoed two sentencing reform bills. (nm.gov)

Illinois Senate Approves Bill to Ban Car Searches Over Marijuana Odor. The Senate has approved Senate Bill 125, which bars police from conducting car searches based on the smell of marijuana emanating from a vehicle. Now, state residents will no longer have to store their weed in an odor-proof container as they travel the state's roads and highways. "People -- especially people of color -- are unnecessarily pulled over far too often," said bill sponsor Sen. Rachel Ventura (D). "The odor of cannabis alone shouldn't be one of those reasons. Cannabis is legal in Illinois and it's a pungent scent that can stick to clothes for extended periods of time."

Medical Marijuana

Oklahoma House Committee Approves Package of Medical Marijuana Bills. The House Alcohol, Tobacco and Controlled Substances Committee on Wednesday approved eight different medical marijuana bills, including one that would limit the THC content of edibles. Senate Bill 440 would limit Delta-9 THC content to 1,000 milligrams per package. Among other bills, Senate Bill 437 would force the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority to rebid its contract for seed-to-sale technology. Senate Bill 645 would require packaging of all products, including flower. Senate Bill 801 would allow authorities to monitor water and power usage of grow facilities. Senate Bill 913 would require grow operators to post a $50,000 bond unless they've owned the property for at least five years.

Texas House Passes Bill to Expand Medical Marijuana Program. The House on Wednesday approved a bill that would add people with chronic pain to the state's list of people eligible to use medical marijuana, House Bill 1805. Texans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), autism, ALS, cancer and epilepsy already qualify under the program.

Drug Policy

Drug Policy Alliance Reacts to Biden Administration Designating Fentanyl Combined with Xylazine as an Emerging Threat. In response to the White House today designating fentanyl combined with xylazine as an emerging threat, Maritza Perez Medina, Director of the Office of Federal Affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance, released the following statement:

"We, too, are concerned about xylazine and agree that more public health tools are urgently needed. This should include public education, evidence-based treatment and harm reduction, xylazine test strips and other life-saving overdose prevention services, such as overdose prevention centers. And because xylazine is most often combined with opioids, we should continue to double down on increasing access to naloxone and medications to treat opioid use disorder, like methadone and buprenorphine. We should also fund further research into xylazine, its potential harms and benefits, and possible antagonists that could reverse xylazine-involved overdoses, similar to the way naloxone can reverse opioid-involved overdoses.

"Yet, in order for these to be fully effective, the Biden Administration must learn from the mistakes of the past and not push more supply-side interdiction policies. They are incredibly counterproductive and lead to a more unknown and potentially more potent drug supply. Crackdowns on prescription opioids and heroin created the conditions for fentanyl analogues to flourish and overtake the drug supply. And now history is once again repeating itself, with newer, potentially more harmful substances -- like xylazine -- popping up and already overtaking some markets. Make no mistake, focusing on supply-side interdiction will only dig us deeper into this crisis and inevitably result in more loss of life."

New Mexico Governor Vetoes Two Sentencing Reform Bills. In a nod to law enforcement, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) has vetoed two sentencing reform bills saying prosecutors needed tools to "encourage" defendants to get drug treatment. Senate Bill 187 would have no longer allowed courts to count a drug possession charge or a DWI charge from another jurisdiction when considering sentencing someone as a "habitual offender." Senate Bill 84 would have revised the state's probation and parole system and tied punishments to the severity of the violation -- rather than the crime that originally sent them to prison.

Washington House Votes to Keep Drug Possession a Misdemeanor. The House voted early Wednesday morning to keep drug possession a misdemeanor, which it had been temporarily since the state Supreme Court threw out the state's felony drug possession law in 2021. Senate Bill 5536 will allow police to arrest drug possessors on a first offense, but also give them full discretion to divert offenders. The maximum sentence for a gross misdemeanor is one year in jail. The bill also allows drug charges to be wiped from someone's record if he commits no new offenses in a year, even if they have not completed drug treatment. Efforts to decriminalize or re-felonize drug possession both came up short.

Law Enforcement

Houston DA Tells Police Not to Jail Small-Time Drug Offenders. Harris County (Houston) District Attorney Kim Ogg (D) has sent a memo asking local law enforcement to not take people into custody for possessing less than four grams of drugs. Citing a backlog of criminal cases in the county, Ogg said the move will shorten the time between case filing and the final disposition of the case. "This means people will not languish in jail as long, cases will not crowd up dockets as long, and we will continue to prioritize the serious violent crimes over those cases,"said Ogg. "If there's a public safety threat, there's an exception to the policy."

Psychedelics

Washington House Passes Bill Setting Framework for Psilocybin Use. The House on Tuesday approved Senate Bill 5263, which would allow the state to establish an advisory board and task force to provide advice and recommendations on developing a regulatory framework for access to psilocybin. If ever legalized, only Washington residents who are 21 and older would be able to access the drug. The Senate has already approved the bill, but because the House amended it to add a pilot program psilocybin to serve veterans and first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and substance use disorder, it must now go back to the Senate for a concurrence vote.

International

Germany Waters Down Marijuana Legalization Plan After Talks with European Union. After discussions with the European Union, the German government says it now plans to legalize the possession and private cultivation and distribution of marijuana but not widespread sales in pot shops. The legislation does include a pilot project for a small number of licensed pot shops to evaluate the effect of a commercial marijuana supply chain on public health, the black market, and the protection of minors. Under the plan, possession of up to 25 grams would be legal. The government gave no time line for moving the legislation.

Michigan's former GOP House Speaker pleads guilty to marijuana bribery, a natural psychedelic legalization bill is filed in Uruguay, and more.

enough fentanyl to kill you (DEA)

Indiana Democrat Forces Marijuana Legalization Vote: GOP Lawmakers Defeat It. After years of being unable to get the Republican-dominated state legislature to consider marijuana legalization, one Democratic lawmaker came up with a creative way to get the issue heard. Rep. Justin Moed filed an amendment to Senate Bill 20, which addresses rules for businesses that sell alcohol and hemp products, that would strike language defining hemp as cannabis containing no more than 0.3 percent THC. By removing that language, the bill would have effectively legalized marijuana, with the regulations for hemp applying to any cannabis product. That amendment was defeated, but not before six Republican representatives joined Democrats in supporting it, demonstrating a hint of bipartisan support for legalization.

Former Michigan GOP House Speaker Pleads Guilty to Taking Bribes from Marijuana Company. Former Republican House Speaker Rick Johnson was one of four people who pleaded guilty Wednesday to bribery in a case where a medical marijuana company seeking a license paid him more than $110,000 to ensure it got its license. The other three defendants were the owner of the company and two lobbyists working with yet another company. Johnson, who left the speakership in 2004, was chairman of the state marijuana licensing board at the time the scheme occurred.

Cleveland Mayor Plans to Expunge Thousands of Marijuana Arrest, Conviction Records. Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb (D) announced Tuesday that the city will move forward with sealing thousands of marijuana records. The move comes after a state law allowing municipalities to process mass relief took effect. The mayor said there would be about 4,000 marijuana expungements for Cleveland citizens. Mayor Bibb sought to implement a mass marijuana clemency last year, only to be told by state officials that local officials did not have that authority. So he then worked with legislators to pass that state bill.

Foreign Policy

China Blames US for American Fentanyl Problem; Supports Mexico Against GOP Threats. In response to a letter from Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador seeking Chinese help in quelling the illicit fentanyl trade, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson placed the blame for the fentanyl crisis squarely on the US. "The root cause of the overdose lies in the US itself. The problem is completely 'made in USA, '"the foreign ministry's Mao Ning said at a press briefing Thursday. "The US needs to face up to its own problems, take more substantial measures to strengthen domestic regulation and reduce demand. It cannot relapse into the illness of 'letting others take the pill when it is sick,' she added.

In his letter, Lopez Obrador falsely claimed that the drug is produced in China and only transits through Mexico, but US officials and independent observers say precursor chemicals are sent from China to Mexico, where the fentanyl is then produced in underground laboratories. And that gave China an opening to deny a role in the crisis.

"There is no such thing as illegal trafficking of fentanyl between China and Mexico," Mao said. "We two countries have a smooth channel of counternarcotics cooperation, and the competent authorities of the two countries maintain sound communication. China has not been notified by Mexico on the seizure of scheduled fentanyl precursors from China," she added.

Mao rebuked the US for threats by GOP lawmakers to unleash military force against Mexican cartels in Mexico, but also called on Mexico to step up its anti-drug efforts. "China firmly supports Mexico in defending independence and autonomy and opposing foreign interference and calls on the elevant country to stop hegemonic practices against Mexico. At the same time, we hope the Mexican side will also take stronger counternarcotics actions," Mao said.

International

Uruguay Natural Psychedelic Legalization Bill Filed. Led by Sen. Juan Sartori, the National Party is getting behind a bill that would legalize natural psychedelics for therapeutic use under a psychiatrist's supervisions. The substances that would be legalized include psilocybin, psilocin, ibogaine, and DMT. The National Party, a center-right formation, is the current governing party in Uruguay.

Hawaii's Democratic House speaker pumps the brakes on marijuana legalization, and Idaho medical marijuana bill emerges, and more.

Increased coca and cocaine production in Colombia is leading to paradoxical hard times for coca growers. (dea.gov)

Hawaii Marijuana Legalization Bill Dies for Lack of House Hearing. A marijuana legalization bill, Senate Bill 669, that already passed the Senate and had the support of Gov. Josh Green (D) appears dead for the year after it failed to get a House hearing before a legislative deadline last week. The House leadership earlier this year killed off three other legalization bills in the same fashion, and House Speaker Scott Saiki (D) said  he preferred that lawmakers spend the summer "studying" legalization rather than acting now. The bill may be dead for this year, but the session extends into next year, so the bill could still arise again.

Medical Marijuana

Idaho Restrictive Medical Marijuana Bill Filed. A bill that would allow for the use of medical marijuana "for substantial health conditions," including AIDS, ALS, cancer, and more was filed in the House last Friday. Medical marijuana could not be smoked or vaped but is defined as "ingestible cannabis processed to a tablet, chewable, droplet or pill." The measure, House Bill 370, was introduced by Rep. John Vander Woude (R).

Psychedelics

California Psychedelic Drug Decriminalization Bill Passes Senate Public Safety Committee. The Senate Public Safety Committee has approved a measure to decriminalize the possession of plant- and fungi-based psychedelic drugs, Senate Bill 58. The bill would also remove bans on having psilocybin or psilocyn spores that can produce mushrooms and on having drug paraphernalia associated with all decriminalized drugs. The bill is the brainchild of Sen. Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) and is a pared down version of broader psychedelic decriminalization he first introduce in 2021. That bill would have applied to synthetic psychedelics, including LSD and MDMA, as well, but was gutted until all that was left was a study bill. This year's bill continues the paring back; it removes peyote from the list of natural psychedelics to be decriminalized in a nod to the concerns of the Native American Church, which seeks to protect a scarce supply of peyote for spiritual purposes.

International

. Coca farmers from around the country are complaining that cocaine sales have collapsed after production of the drug hit record levels last year. The situation is causing a food crisis in Catatumbo, where the economy depends almost entirely on the coca and cocaine trade, said coca farmers' representative Leidy Diaz. "Coca paste has not been purchased for several months and this causes many families to be unable to meet their basic needs, such as food," she said. The situation is similar in other coca-growing regions, such as Narino and Cauca in the southeast and southern Putumayo province.