Australia: Drug Supply Reduction = Crime Reduction!!

Psychiatrist claims drug-crime-mental health link

An Adelaide psychiatrist says he has established a link between drug use, mental illness and crime.

Dr Craig Raeside has assessed about 2,000 South Australians charged with offences ranging from shoplifting to homicide, over the past four years.

He says of those using heroin, nearly 95 per cent have a mental illness, along with more than 70 per cent of the offenders using amphetamines.

Mr Raeside say drug abuse is one of the main causes of pressure on state mental health services.He believes reducing drug abuse will lead to less crime and mental illness.(25/10/2005, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2005-10-25/psychiatrist-claims-drug-crime-mental-health-link/2131356?pfm=ms&pfmredir=sm)

This now ‘archived’ research was given little airtime on release, but consistent findings and current evidence from police will confirm this is completely accurate.  I have contacts in senior positions in police agencies and it is fascinating to hear their experiences of drugs and crime. Of course, most agree that you ‘can’t arrest your way out of the drug problem’, but it’s not the punishment of ‘crime of possession’ solely, that will lead to a deterrent of use that we are referring to here — no, it is the crime committed because of and/or during drug use that is changed when drug supply and judicial educators are put into play.

One very recent report from a key regional police commander (State deliberately omitted) revealed that, quite literally, when the local ‘Biker run’ Meth/Drug lab and distribution network was busted and all immediate supply removed, the crime rate plummeted and all activity virtually and I’m quoting now, ‘stopped — there was nothing happening at all!’

Yes that’s right, who knew,  when people are not taking drugs, they are not affected by the psychotropic toxins. Even ‘withdrawal’ has not the drivers for crime… no point stealing to get resources to try and purchase a drug that is not available!

We saw this with the heroin ‘drought’ in the early 1990’s. After hearing cataclysmic warnings of the skyrocketing of ‘deaths in our streets’ from Dr Penington, if we didn’t open an injecting room, the government decided to move on supply, and this saw an absolute plummeting of Heroin related deaths and the crime that accompanying the ‘easy use’ that is now so thoroughly promoted by the misuse of Harm Reduction drug policy vehicles.

It is time to focus on Demand Reduction and drug use exiting Recovery.

This is better for health and well-being of the hapless drug user — Better for families and communities — Better for economy and welfare system.  However, the perpetual push for ongoing empowering, endorsing, equipping and enabling drug use, is what is continuing to dig the ever increasing hole of chronic dysfunction and harm to all those involved in the poisoning of our generation.

Dalgarno Institute

 

USA: WEED DUI & Cyclists DON\’T Mix

MARIJUANA-IMPAIRED DRIVERS POSE THREAT TO BICYCLISTS

On October 23, a 21-year-old woman drove through a California neighborhood and rear ended a cyclist riding in front of her.  The cyclist died at the scene, but the driver survived.  Police detected the strong smell of marijuana in her car.

Police charged the driver, Korina Machuca, with DUI and vehicular homicide.    Detectives in Fresno County say they’ve seen a rise in drug-related crashes.  Last year they had 54 drug-related crashes, but this year 141 crashes involved drugs.

Tracing bicycle deaths of 3 children and 5 adults killed by marijuana-impaired drivers shows how justice for victims is reduced after marijuana decriminalization and legalization.

Drugs outpace alcohol as a primary factor in DUI fatalities.  In 2016, 44 percent of fatally-injured drivers tested positive for drugs–up from 28 percent in 2006. Alcohol DUI fatalities dropped from 41 percent to 38 percent. Of all the drug impaired fatalities, marijuana was present in half of these.

According to a law firm specializing in bicycling accidents, almost 25 percent of all DUI accidents are caused by marijuana impairment.    This problem is worse in states that have legalized marijuana.

In legalization states, the justice system excuses drivers under the influence of marijuana much more readily than they excuse drunk driving. Marijuana lobbyists take advantage of the fact that it’s far more difficult to test and deter stoned drivers.

Children no longer safe on their bikes

Marijuana impairs drivers because it affects vision and leads to inaccurate perception of depth.  With more states planning to legalize marijuana, children face greater risks when riding their bikes.  Reviewing the cases of some children killed by stoned drivers proves the point

Scene of crash that killed 8-year-old Peyton Knowlton in Longmont, Colorado, May 20, 2016. She was riding home from school with her stepfather.

Peyton Knowlton, 8, of Longmont, Colorado,  was riding her bike home from school in May 2016.  A 20-year-old driver who used  pot struck her, and she died.  Although the driver was impaired and he had used pot, he only had to serve 150 days in jail.

But Peyton’s stepfather, who was riding with her at the time, spoke to John Ferruggia for the PBS show, The State of High (watch the video here).  The 5-nanogram limit Colorado uses for judging impairment is not an accurate measure, as the program explains. The driver’s measure had gone down, because of the time delay to get a blood test.

Last summer in Michigan, five-year-old Blake Huffman rode his bike out of the driveway. A 33-year-old delivery driver, a daily marijuana user, crashed into him and killed him. She pled no contest to attempted operating under the influence causing death. Despite the family’s loss, the judge sentenced her to only 11 months in jail.

In 2012, a stoned driver killed Carter Vo, an 9-year-old boy riding his bike on the sidewalk in Skokie, Illinois.  In 2013, a judge sentenced the 23-year-old driver to five years in prison. She said that Carter’s death could not be called an “accident,” because the driver had smoked marijuana before Carter died and her choice was deliberate. At that time, before decriminalization, driving under the influence of pot was treated comparably to alcohol DWI. It’s no longer the case.

Other notable bicyclists who died

Janice and Mark Wendling of Morris, Illinois, died when a teen who drove under the influence crashed into them. The 16-year-old driver threw his bag of marijuana out of the car. With Illinois’

Mark and Janice Wendling of Morris, IL. The 16-year-old driver who threw out his bag of marijuana, struck and killed his middle school teacher and her husband.

decriminalization law, legislators raised the DWI threshold for marijuana impairment from 0 to 5 nanograms of THC. The driver had 2.8 ng at time of testing, but police only charged him with failure to reduce speed. The crash occurred on June 21, 2016. The new law would take effect on July 1, 2016. The 16-year-old, who had a past record for unsafe driving, got away with two murders.

In Vermont, a 17-year-old stoned driver hit and killed Richard Tom, an experienced cyclist, back in April, 2015. Both Tom and the teen driver, who had 36 nanograms of THC in his blood, died instantly. Richard Tom worked for VBT Vermont Biking and Walking Vacation.

Kallie James, 19, who was driving under the influence of marijuana on November 24, 2014, in Puyallap, Washington. She critically injured Pastor Eric Renz who was on his bike, riding between the two homeless shelters where he worked. Two weeks later, he died.
She used both marijuana and Paxil, an antidepressant. Marijuana doesn’t treat depression, and her situation reminds us that having age limits in legal pot states doesn’t reduce teen usage. Pastor Renz was a well-respected community leader.

Teen study in states that allow pot

Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and Students Against Destructive Decisions conducted a study of 2800 teens in states that have legalized marijuana.

One third of those surveyed thought that driving under the influence of marijuana is legal in states where it’s recreational. More than 20% of teens reported it’s common among their friends. The study also found that parents’ perceptions were not much different. Of the 1,000 who took the survey, 27% said it’s legal and 14% said it’s common among their friends.

Among all those who took the survey, 88% thought drunk driving was dangerous. But only 68% thought stoned driving was also dangerous.

We have blogged on this subject previously, bicycling can’t be safe with stoned drivers on the road.

“Because marijuana impaired driving fatalities peak during the peak travel hours and shortly thereafter, both pedestrians and bicyclists are more likely to be killed by stoned drivers than drunk drivers,” according to Phillip Drum, PharmD.  “Peak time for fatalities from only alcohol impaired drivers is late at night (when the bars close) and not many pedestrian and bicyclists are on the roadways.”

There were at least two other bicycle crashes in California in the last two weeks. Read hit-and-run driver strikes kills woman on bicycle in Hollywood, Oct. 25, and bicyclist dies after being struck by 2 cars in North Hills, Oct. 19.   Bicycling on roads is dangerous regardless of drug use, but it gets worse with more drivers impaired by THC.

For complete story https://poppot.org/2019/10/30/marijuana-impaired-drivers-pose-threat-to-bicyclists/

USA: Smart Approaches to Marijuana – NEWS ROUNDUP November 2019

 

News Roundup
November 2019
Here is a brief rundown of marijuana news as well as an update on what we have been up to over the last month.  
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Marijuana Vaping Outbreak Update
As you are well aware, the marijuana vaping epidemic that first hit the headlines in the summer continues to rage. As it stands, more than 1,800 cases of the debilitating lung illness have been reported and at least 33 people have lost their lives.
According to the CDC, 86% of cases of the illness and deaths are tied to the use of marijuana vaping products. Moreover, at least three deaths and cases of illness in Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, and Tennessee have been linked to products purchased in \”legal\” stores.
Some things to remember:
  • At a time when we are investigating the causes of this rash of deaths and illnesses connected to marijuana oils and vapes, all marijuana legalization efforts and THC vaping oil sales should pause.
  • This is not a black-market issue, it is the result of allowing Big Marijuana – an addiction- for-profit drug industry backed by Big Tobacco and companies like Juul – to mass produce these oils and vapes, along with candies, gummies, and other dangerously potent forms of the drug.
  • Big Tobacco, E-Cigarette and vaping companies and the marijuana industry share many of the same investors. The industries are connected by billions in investments.

Be sure to download the latest fact-sheet and one-pager we have on this issue by clicking the button below:
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Chicago City Council Black Caucus Raises the Alarm on Social Justice Concerns
SAM Science Advisory Board Pens Letter to Congress on Vaping Crisis
In an unsurprising turn of events, members of the Chicago City Council\’s Black Caucus are threatening to slow walk the implementation of marijuana sales in the city due to the fact that no businesses slated to sell the substance once it is legal in January are owned by people of color.
\”We hate to say, \’I told you so\’, but once again we see legalization as being about one thing: profits. It is not about social justice,\” said Dr. Kevin Sabet. \”Upon passage of the bill, promoters of legalization declared Illinois would set the industry standard for social equity in the marijuana industry. Those remarks are only sad, empty promises now.
\”In state after state that has chosen to expand upon this reckless experiment, grand promises of social justice and equity were made. And in state after state, we have seen these promises fail to materialize. In the end, the wealthy, white men such as Governor JB Pritzker and his family who are heavily invested in marijuana, will profit, while disadvantage communities foot the bill. Marijuana legalization is not social justice-it is social injustice.\”
   

SAM\’s award-winning Science Advisory Board , comprised of researchers from institutions such as Johns Hopkins , Harvard , and Yale , sent a comprehensive letter to Congressional leadership outlining the fact that cases of severe respiratory illness and subsequent deaths from vaping are decisively tied to marijuana products and linked to purchases made in state \”legal\” stores. Additionally, the letter outlines several recommended courses of action to address the crisis.

\”We have a marijuana vape epidemic in the US, and we urge Congress and the Administration to act now. Across the country, this outbreak is proving fatal and health officials are struggling to identify the single element or contaminant responsible for these illnesses and deaths,\” said Dr. Kevin Sabet. \”Two deaths in Oregon and a number of cases tied to products purchased from marijuana dispensaries tell us this is more than just a nicotine or underground market issue.\”
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SAM Expands Presence on Capitol Hill to Oppose Passage of Marijuana Banking Legislation During Vaping Epidemic
In its largest expansion of federal policy efforts yet, SAM announced a partnership with Tripp and Jenn Baird of Off Hill Strategies and Luke Albee, former Chief of Staff to Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT).
Luke Albee has many years experience serving as top staff to Democratic senators and will assist SAM in outreach to Democratic members of the Senate.  Tripp and Jennifer Baird of Off Hill Strategies have over twenty years of experience both on and off the Hill with

extensive ties to conservatives and will work to assist SAM with outreach to Republican members.

\”Historically, efforts to reduce drug use have always bridged the gap in partisan politics; our lobbying efforts continue this tradition,\” said Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of SAM and former drug policy advisor to the Clinton, Bush, and Obama Administrations. \”We believe these experienced government relations professionals, in conjunction with former Congressman Patrick Kennedy and former Clinton Drug Czar Barry McCaffery, will round out our federal outreach and further the goals of SAM.\”
  
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New Study: Marijuana Industry Social Media Presence Encourages Youth Use of The Drug
USDA Guidance on Hemp is a Good Start; More is Still Needed
A study set to be published in the November issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence found that roughly one in three youth (aged 15-19) engaged with marijuana advertisements on social media. Those who engaged with said promotions were five times more likely to have reported past-year marijuana use.
The study, authored by researchers including Dr. Pamela Trangenstein – a presenter at the 2019 Smart Approaches to Marijuana Summit – examined how marijuana brands\’ social media presence and advertising affected youth use of the drug in states that have \”legalized\” the substance.
\”Studies such as this indicate the commercialization of marijuana, and its subsequent normalization, are indeed contributing to more use of the drug among our youth,\” said Dr. Kevin Sabet. \”Given the preponderance of data we have on the health hazards of marijuana use on young brains, and the ongoing marijuana vaping crisis, this is extremely disturbing.\”
\”Each day it becomes clearer that Big Marijuana is hurting public health and safety,\” continued Dr. Sabet. \”Any attempt to expand this industry and continue to grant it legitimacy is severely misguided and setting us up for decades of harmful consequences. It\’s time for federal agencies to step up and address this problem before it is too late.\”
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released draft guidelines on the cultivation and production of hemp. While SAM believes the guidelines to be a good start, there are a few areas of concern.
\”We are thankful USDA is trying to take a careful approach in issuing guidance to farmers interested in growing hemp after it was fully legalized (de-scheduled) in the 2018 Farm Bill. However, we are concerned that the rule is missing some key areas:
  • It does not provide guidance to federal and state law enforcement as to how they can tell the difference between legally grown hemp and illicit marijuana,
  • It does not address the byproducts of extraction, processing, or products that are made from hemp that may contain appreciable amounts of THC,
  • USDA should work with the FDA to place a moratorium on \’smokable hemp\’ until the health effects can be fully understood,
  •  USDA or the FDA should immediately make clear that cannabinoids are not approved for use in animal feed because they may accumulate and be passed on to humans who consume those animal products.
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60 Minutes: How Black Market Weed Deflates California\’s \”Legal\” Marijuana Industry
 
Dr. Kevin Sabet Discusses New York Vaping Death on Fox & Friends
CBS\’s \”60 Minutes\” recently presented a segment on how the marijuana black market in California is \”burning up profits\” of the state\’s \”legal\” marijuana industry.
As you know, the promoters of legalization routinely claim that creating a \”legal\” marijuana market will completely eliminate the black market trade and be a windfall for tax revenues. This segment completely obliterates that talking point.
A seventeen-year old became the first individual in New York to pass away from the marijuana vaping epidemic earlier this month.
Fox & Friends brought on SAM President Dr. Kevin Sabet to discuss the unfortunate development and to talk about the vaping crisis overall.
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SAM Op-Ed Corner
\”The rush to profit from legal marijuana is leaving black neighborhoods in the dust. Chicago\’s Black Caucus and others should keep pushing…\”
\”Public health, not profit, should dictate Pennsylvania decision on legal marijuana…\”
 
  
 
New Jersey State Sen. Ron Rice: \”Legalizing pot won\’t stop social injustice in the black and brown community…\” 
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Billboards and Other Large Advertisements
Interested in really making a splash on the marijuana issue ?  Use our artwork on a billboard, bus ad, building-sized poster, or other installation that is sure to draw public attention, and maybe even media coverage! We have successfully used billboards such as the one above to drive media and policymakers\’ attention to the harms of marijuana legalization and you can, too!
Contact us at  [email protected]  to jump-start your marijuana awareness work.
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SAVE THE DATE!
2020 SAM SUMMIT
Registration is now open for the  The 2020 SAM Summit  taking place in Nashville, TN alongside the Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit.  This is the perfect option for interested and concerned parties to learn more about what the current research says about the negative effects of marijuana normalization on public health and safety.
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MARIJUANA: PREVENTING ANOTHER BIG TOBACCO MEDIA CAMPAIGN TOOLKIT NOW AVAILABLE  

Big Marijuana is borrowing the playbook of Big Tobacco in search of the same deep profits at the expense of addicted users. It is time to combat their game with the facts! To help you do so, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) has partnered with Communities for Alcohol and Drug Free Youth (CADY) to offer a comprehensive media campaign prevention toolkit.
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As always, thank you for being a SAM supporter. If you can, please chip-in with a small donation by clicking here.
If you can\’t chip-in, then at the very least,  and help grow the SAM community.
All the best,
Colton Grace
Communications Associate
Smart Approaches to Marijuana

GLOBAL: Time for Cannabis Vaping Ban!

VAPING CRISIS: POPPOT SUGGESTS BAN ON CANNABIS VAPORIZERS

 MEDIA

A CDC report issued October 28, 2019, tells of staggering numbers of lung illnesses (1604) and  deaths (36) caused by vaping.  It also reveals that the majority of victims (63%) were vaping THC with cannabis vaporizers .  Vaping is widely perceived as a safer alternative to smoking tobacco. However, teens and adults are increasingly using it as a means of delivering the THC high. By November 1, there were 1,888 confirmed and probable cases of the respiratory illness and 39 deaths.

Now that deaths are being reported, we must take a pause while trying to discover the exact cause of the danger.

Consuming THC and CBD via a vape pen is aggressively promoted by the marijuana industry.  Dispensaries push it as a discreet, clean and easy way to use these drugs. The vaporizer pen and other vaping devices are relatively new.  Young people, who adapt easily to new technologies, eagerly embraced this craze. Because vaped marijuana has no detectable odor, it’s easy to camouflage use in school, at home or in the workplace.

USA Today reporter Jayne O’Donnell is following this crisis closely. Her article, How Patchwork Regulation on E-Cigarettes Led to the Vaping Crisis, clarifies the issues. O’Donnell explains that the CDC and FDA are warning consumers against vape products, while they investigate causes of the illnesses.  In a subsequent article, Vaping Devices Under Scrutiny, she details components of the vape pen. She shows how the technology itself may be contaminating the vapor with heavy metals and other toxins. The lung health risks may be posed by the heat, atomized oils, chemical additives, liquids, metals, and THC according to the experts she interviewed.

PopPot Seeks Ban on Cannabis Vaporizers

State and federal governments are making an effort to curb the vaping trend, by implementing bans on flavored vaping oils. These flavors may hold a special appeal to young smokers. But, since the majority of these deaths occurred while vaping THC, Parents Opposed to Pot would like to see a total ban on THC and even CBD vape products, both of which are federally illegal drugs.

A recent case in Florida is a cautionary tale about vaping flavored CBD. A woman vaped mango-flavored CBD  bought while on vacation and ended up with multi-organ damage. She was so sick and, because of blood clots in her legs, the doctors had to amputate both legs to save her life.

Even without taking into account the additives and reactive metals in these vaping devices, it is evident that cannabis oils are a hazard to the lungs. We also know that this toxic drug causes a cyclical vomiting illness, Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome. It is well established that marijuana is a hazard to mental health.

Parents Opposed to Pot recently published a video which asked citizens to raise their voices against the pro-marijuana industry bill, The Safe Banking Act. This bill deserves to be defeated because of how it would increase the vaping crisis.

 

For those of you who want to see a lengthy presentation about vaping, this is an excellent academic lecture on Vaping by Dr. Aaron Weiner who looks at this emerging trend among college students. for more go to Time to Reduce Demand

CANADA: Cannabis Chaos Continues – Drug Driving & Black Market UP! (As Predicted)

Quebec pot arrests behind the wheel up 54% since legalization

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Police forces in the province collected 795 blood samples from motorists suspected of driving while under the influence.

MONTREAL GAZETTE   October 17, 2019

One year after the legalization of recreational use of cannabis in Canada, the black market for the drug – as well as its use behind the wheel – continues to keep Quebec police forces busy.

In 2018, police collected 795 blood samples from motorists suspected of driving while under the influence, and sent them to Quebec’s medical legal centre for processing. That’s 254 more than in the previous year.

The presence of cannabis was detected in 46 per cent of those cases.

The Sûreté du Québec says cannabis is the most commonly detected drug in its traffic stops.

The provincial force said that since legalization, cannabis was detected in the systems of 113 persons pulled over for impaired driving, compared with 73 cases a year earlier – an increase of 54 per cent.

More than 670 officers trained in drug use evaluation have been deployed across the province.

In a statement issued Thursday detailing its operations over the past year, the SQ said it had opened 1,409 investigations into the illegal production, supply and distribution of cannabis, which led to 1,458 warrants being executed and charges filed against 1,403 individuals.

Meanwhile, raids on illegal outdoor cannabis fields were carried out in August and September, and saw 37,000 plants seized.

Over the past year, the SQ seized 71,500 cannabis plants, 161 kilograms of cannabis, 15.8 kilograms of cannabis oil and resin, 23,460 units of edible cannabis and $180,000 in cash.

For complete article https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/quebec-pot-arrests-behind-the-wheel-up-54-since-legalization

Portugal: Policy Framework Always Limited – Now Failing

Troubled Portugal Bad Example For Drug Advocates in NZ

Friday, 18 October 2019,
Press Release: Family First  (for immediate release)

Portugal has been painted by pro-cannabis legalisation groups as a model to follow. Yet just last month, the mayor of Porto contradicted his previous pro-harm reduction position and endorsed reintroducing criminal penalties for drug use in public spaces.

The mayor said he was “a little tired of hearing just about the dignity” of people who use drugs, adding that the policy of decriminalisation “simply does not protect the overwhelming majority of the population,” giving as an example the people who, in the most troubled areas of Porto, \”cannot go to the window because they are threatened\”. He is advocating for the installation of over 100 new video surveillance cameras to monitor public streets in an attempt to clamp down on drug use. \”It is necessary to criminalise, nobody is arrested for an offense,\” he said.

In addition, some political parties in Portugal are now pushing for the legalisation of marijuana in their country. The Left Bloc (BE) and People-Animals-Nature (PAN) are proposing legalisation of cannabis for recreational use, with two bills tabled to the Portuguese parliament. They say that the effect of decriminalisation has been to increase trafficking and consumption every year and the use of psychoactive substances.

“For years, and especially recently, we have heard that Portugal’s decriminalisation is the perfect model of marijuana legislation. Ironically, the referendum in 2020 is about legalisation, not decriminalisation,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

But Portugal shows troubling results. The most recent statistics show that between 2012 and 2017 Lifetime Prevalence statistics for alcohol, tobacco and drugs for the general population have risen by 23%. There has been an increase from 8.3% in 2012, to 10.2% in 2016/17, in the prevalence of illegal psychoactive substance use. The National Survey on the Use of Psychoactive Substances in the General Population in Portugal 2016/17, reports, “We have seen a rise in the prevalence of alcohol and tobacco consumption and of every illicit psychoactive substance (affected by the weight of cannabis use in those aged 15-74) between 2012 – 2016/17.”

“It is also significant to note that Portugal recently voted down a bill proposing to legalise medicinal — including grow-your-own — cannabis, and opted for a more confined law allowing use of some medicinal cannabis,” says Mr McCoskrie.

“If Portugal has been such a success since 2001, why are countries not rushing to replicate their approach — and why are politicians within the country even now saying it has failed. It is clear that the claims of success in Portugal well exceed the reality.”

For complete article http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1910/S00204/troubled-portugal-bad-example-for-drug-advocates-in-nz.htm

USA: STOP THE GREEN RUSH – 7 Reasons NOT to Legalize WEED!

Stop the “green rush”

Progressives tend to believe legalizing pot is a good idea. Here are 7 reasons they should think twice.

10/14/2019

Colorado’s vote in 2012 to legalize marijuana united the progressive end of the liberal political spectrum with conservative libertarians. Progressives had long felt that the war on drugs was cruel and unfairly targeted minorities and, in many cases, agreed with libertarians that folks should be allowed to smoke a joint in peace without government interference.

For most of my life, I supported both these arguments. When I lived in Colorado, medical marijuana was legal, plenty of my friends had medical marijuana cards and smoked for bad backs and bum knees. It was really a nonissue.

When I set out to film a documentary on Colorado’s experience with legalization, I felt neutral about the issue. For sure, Colorado had changed – cannabis and cannabusinesses were suddenly dominating the landscape, from warnings at the car rental counter at the Denver airport to the profusion of shiny, colorful stores in my former hometown. It looked like a buzzed new world, and I wanted to document it.

But after spending 18 months shooting the film “Pot Luck: The Altered State of Colorado,” I had a change of heart. I became convinced that progressives need to rethink our support of legal pot.

What I learned is that just because prohibition failed, it does not mean legalization is succeeding. Few of the most significant benefits legalization advocates promised were materializing. The thirst for profit and the interests of powerful corporations were swiftly sidelining small-scale producers and retailers, even as we filmed. The need to provide justice to the victims of the war on drugs has been lost in the “green rush.” It was the same old story: powerful corporate interests coopt a nominally progressive social movement and warp it to their own benefit.

Marijuana flower on sale in Seattle, top left, and cannabis-infused lollipops on sale in Colorado, top right. Below, a woman walks past a dispensary in Nederland, Colorado. | AP Photo

There’s a strong case to be made that we on the left are making a naive mistake in our headlong rush to legalize. Here are seven reasons why:

  1. Pot is increasingly dangerous because of high THC levels.

THC is the psychoactive component of cannabis. In the 1990s, the average potency of weed at the national level was 3.8 percent THC. Due to the combination of consumer demand and advances in botany and technology, THC potency climbed steadily higher over the past two decades. The introduction of corporate-funded science was like injecting nitrous oxide into a race car engine. By 2017, the average THC potency of the cannabis flower had reached nearly 20 percent. Today, concentrates that claim potency rates of 100 percent are marketed.

This rise in potency is alarming. The research recently published in The Lancet, the world’s most prestigious medical journal, argued that daily users of high-potency cannabis were roughly five times as likely to experience a first-episode psychosis. In Amsterdam, one of the cities included in the study, the researchers concluded that about 50 percent of first-episode psychosis disorders could be prevented if high-potency cannabis were no longer on the market.

Politicians in Colorado are aware of these kinds of findings but because of the strength of the cannabis lobby in the state, they are unable to act. Proponents of Initiative 139, a Colorado ballot measure which would have capped THC potency, withdrew the initiative because of well-funded opposition from the Marijuana Industry Group.

  1. There are unforeseen legal and social side effects including drugged driving, home-grow explosions and homelessness.

Many of the law enforcement officers I interviewed for my film expressed distress at how the public fails to understand the new pressures which legalization has created. The problems extend from the high drama of organized crime to the ordinary rituals of daily life in Colorado.

  1. Legalization doesn’t lower crime. (Some crimes diminished, but organized crime has increased.)

Less than a year after Colorado legalized cannabis, the Drug Policy Alliance was beating its chest while making bold pronouncements about how legal cannabis would mean the end of drug cartels trafficking in weed, distinguished academics at Stanford were creating pie charts showing the destructive effects of cannabis legalization on the profit margins of organized criminals and Rolling Stone was publishing articles with headlines like “Five Reasons Cops Want to Legalize Marijuana.”

Cannabis outside a warehouse in Boise, Idaho. | AP Photo

Like most promises made in the lead-up to the vote that legalized marijuana, these claims do not hold up to scrutiny. Colorado’s new cannabis status quo has plenty of space in the shadows for black-market operators who move excess product to states where the drug is still illegal for recreational purposes. Many of the entities participating in the underground marijuana economy in Colorado and other states with legal weed have ties to international crime, from the cartels harvesting thousands of cannabis plants in Colorado’s forests and mountains to the 100-plus grow houses run by a Chinese criminal enterprise in Sacramento, Calif. Across Colorado, organized crime charges have gone up in recent years.

  1. The boost to public coffers is not manifesting the promised social benefits.

In Colorado and in other states with legal recreational cannabis, legalization advocates made huge promises about surging tax revenue. In turn, Colorado voters expected that more funding would stabilize the state’s underfunded education system and social safety net. It’s taken time for promises about tax revenue to materialize, but as of June Colorado has indeed passed more than $1 billion in tax revenue from cannabis sales.

However, the actual gains to Colorado’s balance sheet from cannabis are minimal given the overall size of the annual state budget ($27 billion). The new funding hasn’t resulted in much concrete change in a state with massive funding shortfalls. While few ambitious public policy ventures are actually being realized because of cannabis taxes, Colorado’s new class of cannabusiness millionaires are perpetuating the same income inequality here which is aggravating social tensions across the United States.

  1. Minority communities disproportionately bear the downside of legalization.

The real, enduring hypocrisy embedded in the legacy of the cannabis legalization movement is how marginalized people, particularly people of color, have been affected by legalization.

  1. Legalization has not redressed the injustices of the war on drugs.

The evils of the war on drugs were quite rightly front and center during the campaign to legalize in Colorado, as advocates made the suffering of people jailed for minor drug possessions a central argument for legalization. But that supposed fairness didn’t apply retroactively.

  1. The commercial cannabis industry will not and cannot regulate itself.

A marijuana plant at an indoor growing facility in River Rock, Colorado. | AP Photo

Over the past five years, spending by the corporate cannabis lobby in Colorado has tripled. Pro-cannabis groups spent nearly $1 million on state-level lobbying in Colorado last year, while Smart Colorado, the largest voice of opposition to legalization in the state, spent only $346,121 on lobbying over the preceding five years. Even when the Colorado Legislature can overcome opposition from the cannabis lobby, it’s difficult for both Colorado legislators and bureaucrats at the Marijuana Enforcement Division to keep up with the dizzying pace of change in the cannabis industry.

Beyond the financial and lobbying power of the industry is the serious issue of legislative overload. Legislation seeking to regulate cannabis accumulates on the state docket in response to a constant stream of new problems like out-of-control home-grow operations, candied edibles identical to those marketed to children and dispensaries that attract crime and become a nuisance to entire neighborhoods. One glaring example of how Colorado has missed the boat on cannabis regulation is the aptly titled “legal looping” loophole.

Legal looping describes how customers repeatedly return to the same retailer to purchase the maximum legally permitted amount of marijuana. At the infamous Denver retailer Sweet Leaf, a group of straw buyers may have acquired as much as two tons of cannabis for illegal resale outside of Colorado. Unfortunately, the backlog of regulations weighing down the Colorado legislature means that effective enforcement is a long way away.

Progressive House member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) caught the nation’s attention earlier this year when she slammed the racial makeup of the cannabis industry. To her credit, AOC also focused on the need to do justice to the communities harmed by the war on drugs. Perhaps the legalization movement will also start to acknowledge the very real inequities that cannabis legalization has wrought.

But for far too long, progressives have stumbled blindly onward in a race to legalize cannabis. There’s more to this story, and it’s time we all paused the green rush to national legalization and reached consensus on what the benefits and harms truly are.

Jane Wells is an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker and the founder of 3 Generations, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Her film “Pot Luck: the Altered State of Colorado,” will be released in December 2019.

Authors: Jane Wells

for complete article go to  https://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2019/10/14/marijuana-cannabis-legal-000986

Pakistan: Drug Free Nation – Effects of Drug Abuse on Society


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W.F.A.D: Regional Forum Newsletter!

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Newsletter – Regional Forum issue 2019

WFAD Newsletter

The World Federation Against Drugs hosts Regional Forums across the globe each year. The aim of the Regional Forums is to gather member organisations and other Civil Society organisations working in different regions to share best practices and strengthen capacity in networking and advocacy work.

Our members continue to work hard all across the world to create change in policies, implementation and better the lives of people facing addiction. With focus on prevention, treatment, and recovery WFAD\’s network reaches all areas of the field – moving towards our mutual goal to harness the awesome power of the world\’s NGO\’s to reverse the drug abuse epidemic by supporting the drug-free goal and the drug abuse prevention treaties of the United Nations.

This Newsletter highlights the past Regional Forum and invites members to partake in the coming forums. This year, USA, India, Singapore and Serbia has/will host regional forums.

Join us in planing for the coming year!
Email [email protected] with you suggestions.

We hope you enjoy!

The Asian Pacific Forum Against Drugs is directed to members in the region working within the area of Prevention.
RSVP by emailing the AFPAD-WFAD Secretariat [email protected]
Including the following details:
1. Full Name
2. Email Address
3. Organisation
4. Designation
Should you require any assistance, please email to [email protected]
(Mondays to Fridays, 10am to 6pm).

Accommodation*
For delegates whom are intending to stay at the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel for APFAD-WFAD Conference, please email to [email protected] for reservations to enjoy a 15% discount.

For more information, visit National Council Against Drug Abuse (NCADA) Facebook Page or email to [email protected] for assistance.

*WFAD are not able to offer sponsorships for this event.

Membership

WFAD is a multilateral community of organisations and individuals that continues to grow, with now over 250 member organisations! Seeing an increase of 30 new members since the 2018 Congress.

With our member’s support and collaboration, WFAD continues to be one of the largest networks within the field. As a member of WFAD you are part of our growing network of organisations and individuals working towards a drug-free world. The membership includes contacts and updates amongst and between members as well as the Secretariat, displaying your activities on the website and social media, participation in Regional and World Forums, as well as the possibility of joint projects, conferences, and other activities in collaboration with the WFAD Secretariat and members. Member organisations have full voting rights at the annual Congress.

The membership is free, however members who have capacity are encouraged to pay a voluntary membership fee.

If you are yet to update your membership, do so via the following link.

Become a member?
Read the platform, guidelines and apply via the following application form.

Regional Forum on Drug Addiction and Recovery
The Balkan Regional Forum on Drug Addiction and recovery will be hosted on the 19-20th November 2019 in Serbia.

The conference is a joint cooperation between World Federation Against Drugs and three leading Civil Society organisations in the Balkan region: Izlazak, Celebrate Recovery and Preporod. With over 240 member organisations WFAD organises a World Forum Against Drugs every two years and hosts regional conferences together with members throughout the year. Izlazak, Celebrate Recovery and Preporod are leading Civil Society organisations working within Recovery. The three organisation deploy a joint project, providing telephone hotline and in-person meeings to active users, individuals in recovery and members of their families.

The Forum will focus on Drug Addiction and Recovery within the Balkan region, bringing together Civil Society, authorities and country representatives. During a two-day Forum, participants are welcomed to a mixture of testimonies, speeches and workshops highlighting themes such as life in Recovery, International standards on prevention, the Icelandic model of prevention, as well as the legal status of cannabis. The Forum will further present the results of the three organisation’s joint project “Choose Recovery” in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia.

The aim of the Forum is to gather member organisations of WFAD and other civil society organisations in the region to share best practices and strengthen capacity within the area of Recovery. In order to carry out a fruitful Forum we welcome your participation in the Conference.

Read more on the website: https://forum.biramoporavak.com/

Asian Regional Forum Against Drugs in Cochin, India, 25-27th sept.

The Asian Regional Forum Against Drugs was a success! The regional Forums against Drugs are hosted in strategic location throughout the world. This year, Cochin, India was selected to host the Asian Regional Forum Against Drugs. The conference was a joint cooperation between World Federation Against Drugs and the Fourth Wave Foundation, Project VENDA. WFAD and Fourth Wave Foundation are two organisations with vast experience within the field.

We thank all participants and speakers for participating in the Asian Regional Forum Against Drugs 2019 and making it a success. The main objective of the forum was to bring together civil society members, key decision makers and practitioners across Asia to empower and enable advocacy and networking in the region. The 3 days of the forum saw key stakeholders from across sectors coming together to share, understand and plan on how to work together.

The forum engaged over around 500 and more participants from across the world through live streaming online.

The program agenda, key themes and topics discussed during the forum was designed to address issues and solutions at regional and country levels. The general feedback suggest that the forum helped in understanding the perspectives on prevention, care & recovery and various best practices. The forum also examined challenges like stigma associated with recovery, legalisation debates and gender perspectives in dealing with the world drug problem.
The response by the local print and online media was very encouraging. Many of the speakers were interviewed and the media coverage during the conference had opinion articles and best practices stories published. The local press rendered due attention to the conference agenda all three days making the conference message reach target audience of youth and local communities by spreading the message of prevention approach in solving the issue of Narcotics and drugs in our communities and among youth.

See the presentations here.
For more information and videos follow this link.
For photos visit WFADs Flickr page and Project Vendas Flickr page.

The webcast will be available in a months time on the Youtube Channel of Fourth Wave Foundation.

Guest post on WFAD\’s Instagram!

WFAD is currently working making our Instagram into a platform for our members to share their work and best practices. By doing so, member organisations of WFAD have the possibility to guest-post on WFAD\’s instagram account for a one-or two-week period. We are hoping to create an account that shows WFAD\’s many members and their great work, while opting for prevention and recovery — through creating an easy accessible platform for, and by, our members.

Would you like to be our next guest poster?

Send an email to [email protected] and tell us why your organisation should be guest poster on the WFAD Instagram account.
We look forward to hearing from you!

Regional Forum Arizona
Regional Forum and Board Meeting in Arizona, USA.
June 2019
Think Globally, Act Locally: A Global Drug Policy Summit on June 26, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona.

The program included an impressive group of national and international presenters that you won\’t want to miss. Attendees can choose between two informative presentation tracks: \”Local and National Impacts of Changing Marijuana Policy\” and \”International Drug Policy Perspectives and Innovations.\”

Around 80 individuals in the US, the Western Hemisphere and from countries around the globe attended the forum , who are all engaged in community drug prevention, policy and public health, health care professionals, advocates and families in recovery, law enforcement officers, local officials and lawmakers, and more.

After the Global Drug Policy Summit, part of the Board of WFAD met for an in-person Board meeting.

WEBINARS
Throughout the year, WFAD will host online Webinars that are accessible to all members. The Webinars will be held by different professionals and discussing themes such as:
– Prevention
– Recovery
– Global Drug Policies
We will send out more detailed information including how to access the webinars shortly, until then, make sure to keep yourself posted via our Facebook and Newsletters.

The 62nd Session of the CND – Ministerial Segment
The reconvened Intersessionals with the Commission on Narcotic Drugs were held in December in preparations for the 62nd Regular Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs.
In the political Declaration and plan for Action on the international Cooperation towards a more integrated and balanced strategy to counter the World drug problem, adopted in 2009, Member States decided to establish 2019 as a target date or the goals set in the operative paragraph of the Political Declaration. Read more here.

7th World Forum Against Drugs
Every second year, WFAD hosts the World Forum Against Drugs. The World Forum is a meeting place for people from all continents who are working to prevent drug abuse at grass-root, on a voluntary basis, professionally or as policy makers. The World Forum is one of its kind where people from all over the world meet to share ideas and experiences about the work against illicit drugs, based on a balanced and restrictive policy. Read more about the 6th World Forum Against Drugs here and view our Flickr for photos.

The 7th World Forum Against Drugs will be held in Vienna, in connection ti the 63rd Commission on Narcotic Drugs, in March 2020. More information to come.

Are you a member of WFAD and want news from your organization published on the WFAD website or Newsletters? Get in touch with us via email: [email protected].
WFAD · Ragvaldsgatan 14 · Stockholm 11846 · Sweden

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