USA: The Opioid Crisis Should Make Libertarians Rethink the Drug Legalization Argument

The Opioid Crisis Should Make Libertarians Rethink the Drug Legalization Argument

by JONAH GOLDBERG November 1, 2017 12:00 AM @JONAHNRO Legalizing opioids may give Americans greater freedom over their decision-making, but at what cost? One painful aspect of the public debates over the opioid-addiction crisis is how much they mirror the arguments that arise from personal addiction crises. If you’ve ever had a loved one struggle with drugs – in my case, my late brother, Josh – the national exercise in guilt-driven blame-shifting and finger-pointing, combined with flights of sanctimony and ideological righteousness, has a familiar echo. The difference between the public arguing and the personal agonizing is that, at the national level, we can afford our abstractions. When you have skin in the game, none of the easy answers seem all that easy. For instance, “tough love” sounds great until you contemplate the possible real-world consequences. My father summarized the dilemma well. “Tough love” – i.e., cutting off all support for my brother so he could hit rock bottom and then start over – had the best chance of success. It also had the best chance for failure – i.e., death. There’s also a lot of truth to “just say no,” but once someone has already said “yes,” it’s tantamount to preaching “keep your horses in the barn” long after they’ve left. Roy Moore Preyed on Teenage Girls: Washington Post

Substance abuse among older people \’growing rapidly

Substance abuse among older people \’growing rapidly as binge drinking becomes commonplace for ageing population\’

Women are especially prone to drinking in later life – particularly when it’s triggered by retirement, bereavement, losing contact with family and friends and social isolation

Our ageing population is throwing up unexpected problems. Who would have guessed that substance abuse among older people would ever cause health concerns? Well, it is.

The number of older people (over 50) having problems from substance misuse is growing rapidly, with the number receiving treatment expected to double in Europe by 2020 according to the British Medical Journal.

The surprising fact is that risky drinking is declining overall — except among people aged 50 and older. There’s also a great increase in binge drinking in this age group.

In Australia, the largest percentage increase in drug misuse between 2013 and 2016 was among people aged 60 and over, mainly involving prescription drugs. However, people over 50 also have higher rates than younger age groups of illicit drug misuse (particularly cannabis).

Women are especially prone to drinking in later life, particularly when it’s triggered by retirement, bereavement, losing contact with family and friends, and social isolation. Alcohol misuse is also on the rise among “baby boomers” (people born 1946 to 1964) in Asian countries. For complete article (Growing Old Dysfunctionally)

US: DEA News: Prosecute Opioid Traffickers by Emergency Scheduling all Fentanyls

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: DEA Public Affairs (202) 307-7977

Press Release

DEA News: Department of Justice Announces Significant Tool to Prosecute Opioid Traffickers by Emergency Scheduling all Fentanyls

Washington, D.C. – The Department of Justice today announced that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) intends to take immediate action against the flow of illicit fentanyl analogues into this country and the alarming increase in overdose deaths linked to synthetic opioids by scheduling all fentanyl-related substances on an emergency basis.

When the DEA’s order takes effect, anyone who possesses, imports, distributes, or manufactures any illicit fentanyl analogue will be subject to criminal prosecution in the same manner as for fentanyl and other controlled substances. The action announced today will make it easier for federal prosecutors and agents to prosecute traffickers of all forms of fentanyl-related substances.

“President Trump has made it a cornerstone of his presidency to combat the deadly drug crisis in America, and today the Department of Justice is taking an important step toward halting the rising death toll caused by illicit fentanyls in the United States,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “By scheduling all fentanyls, we empower our law enforcement officers and prosecutors to take swift and necessary action against those spreading these deadly poisons. I also urge the many members of Congress who clearly share our concern and alarm over fentanyl’s role in our opioid overdose epidemic to do their part by permanently scheduling these lethal substances.”

The bulk of illicit fentanyls arrive in the United States through the mail or express shipping systems, or are imported into the United States across the southwest border. Overseas chemical manufacturers, aided by illicit domestic distributors, currently attempt to evade regulatory controls by creating structural variants of fentanyl that are not directly listed under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Without the action announced today, prosecutors must overcome cumbersome evidentiary hurdles to secure convictions of these traffickers under the Analogue Act.

The DEA’s action is a proactive approach to minimize the potential harm of these substances with no medical or industrial use and will facilitate criminal, civil, and administrative actions against anyone trafficking in fentanyl variants. The temporary scheduling will go into effect no earlier than 30 days after the DEA publishes its notice of intent and will last up to two years, with a possibility of a one-year extension if certain conditions are met.

“Today’s action represents just one step in the ongoing fight to battle the opioid epidemic,” said DEA Acting Administrator Robert W. Patterson. “DEA is committed to using all of its tools to aggressively fight and address the opioid crisis and growing fentanyl problem plaguing the United States.”

This action is the latest in a series of aggressive and innovative actions by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Department of Justice to stem the opioid epidemic through support to law enforcement and public health authorities.

US: New Colorado Based Coalition to Hold Cannabis Industry Accountable

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Contact: Justin Luke Riley

720-401-5500 or [email protected]

New Group Formed,

Marijuana Accountability Coalition, To Push Back on Recreational Marijuana Industry

In the wake of 5th year anniversary of legalization MAC says \”we\’re not better off\” with a massive new pot industry

(November 6, 2017 – Denver, CO) – A new group, the Marijuana Accountability Coalition (MAC), formed today to push back against the marijuana industry in Colorado. MAC, which will be based in Denver but have satellites across the state, came together from discussions of recovery advocates, parents, doctors, and other concerned citizens who do not think Colorado is better off after five years of legalization, despite industry claims.

\”While the marijuana moguls are celebrating their financial success at the posh Ritz-Carlton Hotel, we\’re here standing with our friends and neighbors who have been hurt, whose families have been hurt by commercialized, legal pot,\” said Justin Luke Riley, MAC\’s founder. \”Colorado continues the pay the price for marijuana\’s rapid spread into our communities, our schools and our families.\”

\”For too long, pot lobbyists in Colorado have gotten away with too much,\” said Kevin A. Sabet, a former White House drug policy advisor and President of SAM Action. \”We applaud the Marijuana Accountability Coalition for dedicating themselves to keeping the industry on their toes.\”

Passed in 2012, Amendment 64 allows for the recreational sale and grow of marijuana in Colorado. But marijuana has been rapidly commercialized and normalized in the state. Since 2012, an entire industry has been created with recreational stores in cities and towns across the state selling and promoting items that range from bud to edibles to highly pure (sometimes 99.9%) concentrates. Few sideboards have been placed on this industry, particularly related to the fast growing edibles market that is pushing frighteningly common products laced with THC.

\”It\’s one thing to decriminalize marijuana, it\’s an entirely different thing to legalize an industry that has commercialized a drug that is devastating our kids and devastating whole communities,\” observed Riley. \”Coloradans need to know, other states need to know, that Colorado is suffering from massive normalization and commercialization of this drug which has resulted in Colorado being the #1 state for youth drug use in the country. Kids are being expelled at higher rates, and more road deaths tied to pot have resulted since legalization.\”

Now, five years into this dangerous \”experiment,\” the commercialized marijuana industry is holding a gala in their own honor at the Ritz Carlton in Denver. MAC\’s mission is to expose these marijuana millionaires and to hold them accountable for the horribly negative effects their products are causing across Colorado.

\”Turning a blind eye to those who are hurt is typical of a big business like this. The millionaires make their money and real people get hurt,\” said Riley. \”Even today, the industry refuses to fess up to the astronomical societal costs of this experiment.\”

The mission of the Marijuana Accountability Coalition is to fearlessly investigate, expose, challenge, and hold the marijuana industry accountable.

www.MarijuanaAccountability.CO

US: Dallas Area Families Push Back Against Predatory Marijuana Industry

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Dallas-Area Families and Leading National Marijuana Policy Group Team Up to Support Congressman Pete Sessions\’ Stance Against Predatory Marijuana Industry

SAM Action launches Dallas-area billboard in support

Contact:

Local Contact National Contact Becky Vance S AM Press Office

713-705-3594, [email protected] [email protected]

Dallas, Texas — A coalition of Texas families and doctors, alongside leading national marijuana policy group Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action), came out in support of Congressman Pete Sessions\’ stance against drug legalization. SAM Action is the 501(c)(4) sister organization of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a non-profit co-founded by former Congressman Patrick Kennedy and Dr. Kevin A. Sabet, policy advisor to three U.S. administrations.

The campaign features a digital billboard that supports Congressman Sessions\’ fight to protect his constituents against the predatory tactics of the marijuana industry. The sign, located near his district office on U.S. Highway 75 and paid for by SAM Action, features a local Dallas-area mother expressing her thanks for Sessions\’ standing up to the marijuana industry. Members of drug prevention group Drug Prevention Resources, based in Irving, TX, issued messages of support for the billboard, shown here:

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\”The marijuana industry, egged on by a politician from Portland, Oregon who is bankrolled by the pot lobby, has decided to target Congressman Sessions for championing his constituents health and safety,\” said Kevin A. Sabet, President of SAM Action. \”The pot lobby can\’t stand having someone standing up to their addiction-for-profit tactics. But his constituents know better, and our billboard reflects their gratitude.\”

\”As an adolescent counselor, and more importantly as a mom of small children, I just can\’t stand by while attempts are made to misrepresent the facts about marijuana,\” said Amanda Esquivel.

\”Science tells us that the adolescent brain isn\’t completely developed until the mid-20s,\” said Dr. David Henderson, clinical psychiatrist with Four Stones Collaborative Group. \”The use of marijuana can have a detrimental and potentially long-term effect on that development.\”

The billboard will run all this week in its current location.

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About SAM Action

SAM Action is a non-profit, 501(c)(4) social welfare organization dedicated to promoting healthy marijuana policies that do not involve legalizing drugs. Learn more about SAM Action and its work at visit www.samaction.net.

www.samaction.net

CANADA: Cannabis & Workplace Safety – A Real Issue!

Consider workplace safety in legalized marijuana rules, groups urge

NEWS Nov 04, 2017 by Gemma Karstens-Smith The Canadian Press Hamilton Spectator

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The BC Trucking Association, meanwhile, is asking for a “legalized framework” for random drug and alcohol testing. – Ron Ward,The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER – New rules for legalized marijuana need to consider the impact on workplaces and clarify the rights of both employers and employees, say some business groups.

Ottawa has set July 1 as the deadline for regulations to be in place and many provinces and territories are still working to craft legislation, including British Columbia, where a public consultation on legal pot wrapped up this week.

Anita Huberman, CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade, said large and small companies need guidance from the provincial and federal governments on how they should balance employee privacy with safety in the workplace.

\”For any employer, what are their rights and responsibilities in the face of an employee who is under the influence of cannabis?\” she said.

\”How is an employer supposed to be able to deal with that type of situation without compromising their business and their workplace?\”

Huberman said the board of trade wants to see the provincial Employment Standards Act amended to specifically address marijuana usage. For more UNSAFE WORKPLACE

UK: N.H.S Young Persons Drug Survey 2016

Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England – 2016

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Publication date: November 02, 2017

Summary

This report contains results from an annual survey of secondary school pupils in England in years 7 to 11 (mostly aged 11 to 15). 12,051 pupils in 177 schools completed questionnaires in the autumn term of 2016.

This is the most recent survey in a series that began in 1982. Each survey since 1998 has included a core set of questions on smoking, drinking and drug use. In 2000, the survey questions changed to focus on smoking and drinking or on drug use in alternate years and in 2016, the survey reverted back to including both drinking/smoking and drugs focused questions in one survey.

The survey report presents information on the percentage of pupils who have ever smoked, tried alcohol or taken drugs and their attitudes towards these behaviours. It also includes breakdowns by age, gender, ethnicity and region.

Other areas covered include the use of new psychoactive substances (also known as legal highs), beliefs about drinking, whether pupils had ever got drunk and consequences of drinking. Questions on the use of nitrous oxide have also been asked for the first time.

The attachments below include a summary report showing key findings in slides format, excel tables with more detailed findings, technical appendices and a data quality statement. An anonymised record level file of the underlying data on which users can carry out their own analysis will be made available via the UK Data Service in 2018.

Key Facts

In 2016

19 per cent of 11-15 year old pupils had ever smoked, which is similar to 2014.
44 per cent of pupils had ever drunk alcohol which is not comparable with earlier surveys.
24 per cent of pupils reported they had ever taken drugs. This compares to 15 per cent in 2014. Part of the increase since 2014 may be explained by the addition of questions on nitrous oxide and new psychoactive substances. After allowing for this however, it still represents a large increase which has not been observed in other data sources¹. Therefore an estimate from the next survey in 2018 is required before we can be confident that these survey results reflect a genuine trend in the wider population. In the meantime the results for drug taking from this survey should be treated with caution.
3 per cent of pupils were weekly (regular) smokers, 10 per cent had drunk alcohol in the last week and 10 per cent had taken drugs in the last month

For complete SURVEY

US: S.A.M. Launches National Driving Campaign

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Smart Approaches to Marijuana

Launches National Driving Campaign

High Means DUI to Raise Awareness on the Harms of Driving While High and Support Pro-Active Legislation

E MBARGOED FOR RELEASE

TUESDAY, November 7, 2017, 9am pacific

Local Contact: Dana Stevens 760-317-6716

National Contact: [email protected]

(SAN DIEGO) – SAM, Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a 501 c-3 nonprofit organization, launched \”High Means DUI\” today to combat the growing perception that driving under the influence of marijuana is safe. The campaign, which launched in San Diego this week and will be unveiled across the nation, will encompass a website, toolkit for community-based organizations, stories of the tragic consequences of driving while high, billboards, and artwork for use by local groups. The campaign also aims to support policies that reduce the prevalence of driving while high.

\”The reckless marijuana industry has rushed to profit from highly-potent THC products, but they have done nothing to prevent or address the high prevalence of marijuana-impaired driving,\” said Kevin A. Sabet, President and CEO of SAM, a group co-founded by former Congressman Patrick Kennedy. \”Decision makers often don\’t know where to go on this issue, so we wanted to elevate its importance and get this issue on the national agenda. We have made incredible strides with drunk driving over the past few decades, but little attention has focused on marijuana-impaired driving, especially because THC can impair a driver long after one feels intoxicated.\”

Parents and loved ones who have lost family and friends to drivers impaired by marijuana will join public safety advocates and other concerned citizens at a press conference in San Diego on Tuesday. The campaign\’s goals are to raise awareness about drugged driving and dangers of driving under the influence of THC and to advocate for sensible marijuana driving policies that promote road safety.

\”I think that making the public aware about the danger of marijuana impaired driving is so important because I don\’t want another family to suffer the devastating loss my family and our community have felt,\” said Corinne LaMarca Gasper, an Ohio mother whose daughter was killed by a marijuana impaired driver.

\”It\’s time the voices of victims are heard,\” said Dana Stevens, SAM\’s Grassroots and Field Coordinator, who is in charge of the campaign. \”There are thousands of victims due to marijuana on the roadways every year, and we intend to help amplify their voice.\”

States that have approved either medical marijuana and/or commercial, legal marijuana have experienced a rapid increase in traffic crashes and fatalities where marijuana was a factor, including:

Marijuana was the #1 drug in the US found by Drug Recognition Experts in 2015. (2015 Annual DRE Report)
Marijuana related traffic deaths increased 66% since Colorado legalized pot (2013-2016). (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2006-2011 and Colorado Department of Transportation 2012-2016)
Fatal crashes involving drivers who recently used marijuana doubled in Washington after the state legalized the drug. (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety)

High Means DUI ( www.HighMeansDUI.org ) is a project of

Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) ( www.learnaboutsam.org )

US: SAM Applauds FDA Action on Medical Pot Companies Making Dishonest Medical Claims

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SAM Applauds FDA Action on Medical Pot Companies Making Dishonest Medical Claims

SAM and partners have been urging action;

FDA sends warning letters to four companies today

(Alexandria, Va., November 1, 2017) – Today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it was sending warning letters to companies illegally selling marijuana products with unsubstantiated medical claims. SAM and its partners have written to FDA numerous times over the past few years urging action, and applaud this latest move.

\”Seriously ill people deserve access to regulated, safe medications that are properly labeled, dosed, and do not contain harsh additives or unadvertised components, let alone false promises\” said Kevin Sabet, President and CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM). \”We applaud FDA for taking action and protecting public health.\”

In a press release, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said, \” Substances that contain components of marijuana will be treated like any other products that make unproven claims to shrink cancer tumors. We don\’t let companies market products that deliberately prey on sick people with baseless claims that their substance can shrink or cure cancer and we\’re not going to look the other way on enforcing these principles when it comes to marijuana-containing products,\” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. \”There are a growing number of effective therapies for many cancers. When people are allowed to illegally market agents that deliver no established benefit they may steer patients away from products that have proven, anti-tumor effects that could extend lives.\”

The claims made by these companies include:

\”Combats tumor and cancer cells;\”
\”CBD makes cancer cells commit \’suicide\’ without killing other cells;\”
\”CBD … [has] anti-proliferative properties that inhibit cell division and growth in certain types of cancer, not allowing the tumor to grow;\” and
\”Non-psychoactive cannabinoids like CBD (cannabidiol) may be effective in treating tumors from cancer – including breast cancer.\”

The companies targeted are Greenroads Health, Natural Alchemist, That\’s Natural! Marketing and Consulting, and Stanley Brothers Social Enterprises LLC.

\”This is hopefully just the tip of the iceberg,\” said Sabet. \”We should absolutely support medical research into the components of marijuana and find legal pathways for seriously ill people to access products reviewed by FDA, but these companies and others like them refuse to go the FDA route and should therefore be shut down. We encourage the FDA to continue to protect public health.\”

USA: The Opioid Crisis Should Make Libertarians Rethink the Drug Legalization Argument