The man who was once Colombia's most powerful cocaine traffickers gets decades in US prison, New Hampshire will study the state liquor store model for potential legal marijuana sales, and more.

Open-air drug scene in San Francisco's Tenderloin. There is a crackdown going on. (AdamChandler86)

Gallup Poll Now Has Republican Majority for Marijuana Legalization but Partisan Gap Remains. New polling data from Gallup on partisanship among the American electorate shows that a majority of Republicans -- 55 percent -- now support marijuana legalization, but Democrats supported it at a much higher level -- 83 percent. Support among independents was not measured.

While Democrats have historically been more likely to be legalization supporters, the partisan gap has widened over the past decade because support among Democrats has risen much faster than among Republicans. Overall, though, support for legalization among all Americans remain near or at an all-time high -- with majorities of self-identified Democrats, Republicans, and Independents all backing legalization.

New Hampshire Governor Signs Bill for Commission to Study State Marijuana Sales. Gov. Chris Sununu (R) has signed into law House Bill 611, which will create a commission to study on how the state could handle legal marijuana sales in a way similar to the state liquor store model already in place in the Granite State.

"New Hampshire has an opportunity to safely regulate the sale of marijuana with a model few others can provide," Sununu said. "By establishing a commission to study state-controlled sales, this bill will bring stakeholders from across New Hampshire together to ensure that preventing negative impacts upon kids remains our number one priority."

The state-control model of cannabis legalization the governor favors was met with widespread skepticism from both Democrats and Republicans in the state legislature earlier this year, but the legislature has failed to pass any form of legalization so far.

Drug Policy

Former Leader of Colombia's Gulf Clan Cartel Sentenced to 45 Years in US Prison. On Wednesday, Dairo Antonio Úsuga David, known by various aliases, including "Otoniel," a citizen of Colombia, was sentenced by United States District Judge Dora L. Irizarry to 45 years’ imprisonment for engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise as a leader of the multibillion-dollar paramilitary and drug trafficking organization known as the "Clan del Golfo" (CDG -- the Gulf Clan).

Úsuga David was also sentenced to 45 years' imprisonment for engaging in a maritime narcotics conspiracy and 45 years' imprisonment for engaging in a narcotics importation conspiracy. The sentences will run concurrently. As part of the sentence, the Court ordered Úsuga David to pay $216 million in forfeiture. The defendant pleaded guilty to all three charges in January 2023.

Úsuga David controlled an armed force of about 1,800 men, mainly recruited from former rightist paramilitary groups and operated Colombia's biggest drug trafficking organization until his arrest in 2021 by the government of Conservative then-President Ivan Duque. He was then extradited to the US to face charges, although there are also suggestions that he was extradited to avoid having him answer questions that could link rightist paramilitaries to Conservative Party politicians.

"Otoniel led one of the largest cocaine trafficking organizations in the world, where he directed the exportation of massive amounts of cocaine to the United States and ordered the ruthless execution of Colombian law enforcement, military officials, and civilians," said Attorney General Merrick Garland. "This sentence sends a clear message: the Justice Department will find and hold accountable the leaders of deadly drug trafficking organizations that harm the American people, no matter where they are and no matter how long it takes."

San Francisco Jail Population Jumps as Drug Arrests Mount. For the first time in years, the jail population in the city has hit the 1,000 mark, driven largely by a renewed emphasis on drug arrests. The average daily jail population was 1,277 in 2019 and dropped to 850 in 2020 amidst the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.

Even though crime reports in the city are down slightly over last year, drug arrests are up a dramatic 36 percent, especially since the city launched an initiative on May 30 to arrest people for public drug use. That push tipped the jail population past the 1,000 mark; it hit 1,001 on Tuesday.

David Mauroff, executive director of a nonprofit called the San Francisco Pretrial Diversion Project, which provides resources to people who are awaiting criminal trial, said the increase in arrests has squeezed his organization's ability to properly serve clients.

"The city has now decided that arrest, prosecution and incarceration is the answer to our public safety issues," Mauroff said. "It's been demonstrated by volumes of research and science that the war on drugs failed."

Drug arrests are not the only thing fueling the jail population jump. The Public Defender's Office has been holding sit-in all summer to protest court backlogs that have denied more than 1,100 people the right to a speedy trial. The office said 115 people have been held in jail for months or even years past their speedy trial deadlines.

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)

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.)

Dispensaries are finally coming to Georgia (though product choice is limited), a trio of 4/20 week polls show continuing strong support for marijuana legalization, and more.

Washington state lawmakers can't agree on how to replace the state's drug felony law. (Pixabay)

Three New Polls Show Continuing Strong Support for Marijuana Legalization. Polls from CBS News, YouGov, and Civic Science released during 4/20 week all show continuing strong support for marijuana legalization. CBS News had 64 percent of respondents wanting marijuana legalized in their states, including 73 percent of Democrats, 66 percent of independents, and even 53 percent of Republicans. YouGov had support for legalization in the respondents' state at 58 percent, while Civic Science had 64 percent supporting legalization.

South Carolina Bill Would Pardon One-Fifth of Marijuana Possession Inmates Each Year. Introduced on informal marijuana holiday 4/20, a bill from Rep. JA Moore (D-Berkeley, Charleston), House Bill 4358, would pardon one fifth of people convicted of simple marijuana possession each year on 4/20. Under state law, simple possession is possessing less than an ounce and typically involves a jail sentence of no more than 30 days, but a second offense can garner up to six months. "We need to make sure that people that are doing petty crimes, like simple possession of marijuana, aren't filling up our justice system; we need to save those spaces for violent criminals or people that are victimizing our community," Moore says. The state has the second-highest marijuana possession arrest rate in the country, and Black people are 3.5 times more likely to be arrested for it.

Medical Marijuana

Georgia Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Finally Coming, Maybe Next Month. Nearly eight years after the state first approved a medical marijuana program, dispensaries are finally set to open their doors within weeks, as early as late May. But the state's 26,000 registered patients will be limited in their purchases to "low THC oil" with less than 5 milligrams of THC. Buds, edibles, and vaping cartridges are banned under the state's limited program. The state issued production licenses to two firms last September, but legislators and regulators have been slow to pass laws to implement the program. Under rules approved in January, the state will eventually license up to six companies to make and sell the oil.

Sentencing

Washington Drug Sentencing Deal Fix Falls Apart. After the state Supreme Court threw out the state's felony drug possession law, legislators had until July to come up with a replacement. They thought they had one in Senate Bill 5536, which would have made simple drug possession a gross misdemeanor, but the bill unexpectedly failed in the House Saturday night as several Democrats joined 40 Republicans in voting no. The dissident Democrats felt that the bill was too harsh, while the Republicans thought it was too soft. Now, with no chance of passing the bill before the regular legislative session ends, pressure is mounting on Gov. Jay Inslee (D) to call a special session to clean up the mess. Without legislative action, the state would no longer have a uniform policy on drug possession, leaving localities to set their own laws.

A Florida marijuana legalization initiative has passed its first hurdle on the way to the ballot, a new Texas poll shows very strong support for marijuana reforms, and more.

Luke Scarmazzo. Freed after 14 years for running a California medical marijuana dispensary. (Mission Green)

Florida Marijuana Legalization Initiative Passes Initial Hurdle. A proposed constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana has passed the first hurdle on the way to the ballot. The Smart & Safe Florida initiative first challenge was to come up with 222,298 valid voter signatures to trigger a judicial and financial impact review. On Thursday, it reported that it had 294,000 valid signatures. If the measure now gets through the reviews, organizers would then have to gather an additional 891,589 valid signatures to get the issue to ballot position. And if it manages to qualify for the ballot, it will need 60 percent of the vote to be approved.

Minnesota Marijuana Legalization Bill Wins Another Committee Vote. The marijuana legalization bill, House File 100, continues to advance. On Thursday, it was approved by the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee, the sixth House committee to advance it. That puts the bill at the half-way point in the chamber, where another six committee votes are anticipated. Companion legislation has also been moving in the Senate, although a Senate committee hearing set for Thursday was postponed. Gov. Tim Walz (D) has called on supporters to join lawmakers and the administration in their push legalize marijuana this session.

Texas Poll Finds Supermajority for Medical Marijuana and Decriminalization, Two-Thirds for Legalization. A new YouGov/University of Houston poll has support for legalizing medical marijuana at 82 percent, support for decriminalization at 81 percent, and support for legalization at 67 percent. On medical marijuana, 93 percent of Democrats, 79 percent of independents, and even 73 percent of Republicans were in favor. Similarly, one legalization, 80 of Democrats, 66 percent of independents, and 55 percent of Republicans were on board. The Republican-dominated state legislature, however, has balked at advancing reform legislation.

Medical Marijuana

Medical Marijuana POW Luke Scarmazzo Freed After 14 Years in Federal Prison. Luke Scarmazzo, sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for operating a California medical marijuana dispensary is scheduled to walk free today after winning a case for compassionate relief in federal court in the Eastern District of California. He was most recently imprisoned at the federal prison in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Scarmazzo and business partner Ricardo Montes opened California Healthcare Collective in Modesto in 2004, operating a business legal under state law. But the DEA raided his operation in 2006, arresting the pair, and they were charged with manufacture of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute, and operating a continuing criminal enterprise, which carries a mandatory minimum of 20 years. Scarmazzo is believed to be the last California medical marijuana provider to be held in federal prison.