• Drug War Chronicle, Issue #1019 -- 5/10/18 -- Table of Contents with Le

    From Bobbie Sellers@21:1/5 to All on Thu May 10 10:01:27 2018
    XPost: alt.drugs, alt.hemp, rec.drugs.psychedelic
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    Drug War Chronicle, Issue #1019 -- 5/10/18
    Phillip S. Smith, Editor,psmith@drcnet.org https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/1019

    A Publication of StoptheDrugWar.org
    David Borden, Executive Director,borden@drcnet.org
    "Raising Awareness of the Consequences of Drug Prohibition"

    Table of Contents:

    1. NYC MAYOR DE BLASIO ENDORSES SAFE INJECTION SITE PLAN
    New York City now joins Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle in pushing for safe injection sites. But the DEA says they're illegal.
    https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/may/03/nyc_mayor_de_blasio_endorses

    2. ILLINOIS COP'S WARNING: IF YOU LEGALIZE WEED, WE'LL HAVE TO KILL OUR DRUG DOGS
    The stench of desperation is in the air. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/may/09/illinois_cops_warning_if_you

    3. MEDICAL MARIJUANA UPDATE
    A pair of Missouri medical marijuana initiative campaigns have handed in lots and lots of signatures, a federal appeals court upheld a DEA rule that CBD is a Schedule I controlled substance, the Utah initiative campaign gets organized opposition, and
    more.
    https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/may/09/medical_marijuana_update

    4. THIS WEEK'S CORRUPT COPS STORIES
    We have a pill-peddling former deputy, a Baton Rouge cop who made a joint mysteriously disappear, and more.
    https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/may/09/weeks_corrupt_cops_stories

    5. CHRONICLE AM: WORKPLACE DRUG TESTING FOR MARIJUANA BEGINS TO FADE, NYC SAFER INJECTION SITE RALLY, MORE... (5/3/18)
    Pre-employment workplace drug testing for marijuana appears to be going out of style, a federal appeals court disappoints on scheduling cannabinoids, a Vermont saliva drug testing bill is killed, and more.
    https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/may/03/chronicle_am_workplace_drug

    6. CHRONICLE AM: NYC MAYOR ENDORSES SIFS, CO CANNABIS TASTING ROOM BILL PASSES, MORE... (5/4/18)
    Colorado could become the first state with a marijuana social consumption law, a new poll suggests New Yorkers are ready to free the weed, New York City's mayor gets behind safer injection facilities, a leading Colombian presidential contender trashes
    the drug war, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/may/04/chronicle_am_nyc_mayor_endorses

    7. CHRONICLE AM: MO MMJ INITS HAND IN BEAUCOUP SIGNATURES, OH RACIAL PROFILING DRUG DOGS, MORE... (5/7/18)
    Two separate Missouri medical marijuana initiatives appear set to qualify for the November ballot, the Utah medical marijuana initiative is generating organized opposition -- including the DEA -- Canada's prime minister says it's full steam ahead for
    marijuana legalization, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/may/07/chronicle_am_mo_mmj_inits_hand

    8. CHRONICLE AM: NO HOME GROW FOR NH THIS YEAR, AUSTRALIA WELFARE DRUG TEST PLAN, MORE... (5/8/17)
    A new report finds legal marijuana makes a marginal contribution to state budgets, a major Las Vegas casino quits pre-employment testing for marijuana, an Australian Senate panel advances a controversial plan to drug test welfare recipients, and more.
    https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/may/08/chronicle_am_no_home_grow_nh

    9. CHRONICLE AM: MCCONNELL JUST SAYS NO TO LEGAL WEED, WALMART TIGHTENS PRESCRIBING, MORE... (5/9/18)
    Mitch McConnell just says no, a House committee advances a VA medical marijuana bill, Pennsylvania's governor and attorney general aren't down with a Philadelphia safe injection site, and more.
    https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/may/09/chronicle_am_mcconnell_just_says

    (Not subscribed? Visithttps://stopthedrugwar.org to sign up today!)

    ================

    1. NYC MAYOR DE BLASIO ENDORSES SAFE INJECTION SITE PLAN https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2018/may/03/nyc_mayor_de_blasio_endorses

    Just a day after close to a hundred community activists, reform advocates, and local elected officials took to the streets outside New York City's City Hall Wednesday to demand that Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) move on a long-delayed feasibility study on
    safe injection sites, the mayor has moved -- and further than they expected.

    On Thursday evening, the mayor's office announced de Blasio's support (https://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/992158726802018304) for a plan to open four of the sites, which the office refers to as Overdose Prevention Centers, a year from now, after a
    period of consultation with stakeholders.

    "After a rigorous review of similar efforts across the world, and after careful consideration of public health and safety expert views, we believe overdose prevention centers will save lives and get more New Yorkers into the treatment they need to beat
    this deadly addiction," de Blasio said in a statement.

    Safe injection sites (SISs) -- or safe injection facilities or supervised injection facilities or supervised consumption sites or overdose prevention centers -- allow drug users to inject (or sometimes inhale) their own drugs under medical supervision.
    They typically also have a social services component that aims to assist drug users in finding drug treatment and other services.

    Operating in around 90 cities in Europe, Australia, and Canada, they are a proven harm reduction intervention (http://sifnyc.org/index.php/library/). Numerous peer-reviewed scientific studies have shown they reduce public disorder; increase access to
    treatment, reduce the risk of HIV, Hep C, and bacterial infections; reduce drug overdose deaths; and reduce medical costs thanks to a reduction in disease and overdose, while at the same time increasing access to cost-saving preventive healthcare. What
    SISs don't do, the studies have found, is increase crime, injection drug use, or the initiation of new drug users.

    Yet no such sites operate in the United States. Pushes are underway in several cities, including Philadelphia (http://www.philly.com/philly/health/addiction/safe-injection-sites-overdose-deaths-opioids-philadelphia-officials-support-20180123.html), San
    Francisco (http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/10/25/safe-injection-sites-board-of-supervisors-committee/), and Seattle (https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/seattle-king-county-move-to-create-2-injection-sites-for-drug-users/), but all have
    faced challenges ranging from moralism and NIMBYism to the fact that they would appear to violate federal law. Just this week, DEA spokesman Melvin Patterson said they violate the Controlled Substances Act and are "subject to being prosecuted (https://
    www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-health-202/2018/04/30/the-health-202-supervised-injection-facilities-are-illegal-in-the-united-states-these-cities-want-to-open-them-anyway/5ae5dbc630fb043711926901/)." Given the proclivities of the Trump
    administration, that is probably not a threat to be taken lightly.

    Still, the cities are willing to push on the issue, the American Medical Association has endorsed the notion (https://www.ama-assn.org/ama-wants-new-approaches-combat-synthetic-and-injectable-drugs), and legislatures in a number of states are pondering
    bills to allow them. And now, with the country's largest city coming on board, momentum for the sites is only growing stronger.

    In New York City, where the SIF NYC Campaign (http://sifnyc.org/index.php/library/), a coalition of dozens of community, drug reform, public health, medical, and religious groups has been pressuring the administration to act for months, the mayor's
    announcement was greeted with relief.

    "Mayor de Blasio's embrace of safer consumption spaces is a critical step forward in preventing overdose deaths in New York City. We know that safer consumption spaces are an evidence-based solution that can help dramatically in saving lives, reducing
    criminalization, and improving public health," said Kassandra Frederique, New York state director at the Drug Policy Alliance. "New York can and must be a leader now in saving lives by opening safer consumption spaces swiftly."

    That will take some political acumen in dealing with city district attorneys and the state Health Department, which answers to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, with whom de Blasio's relations are strained at best. It will also take some political fortitude in taking
    on the Sessions Justice Department and the DEA.

    De Blasio's announcement marks the successful culmination of the campaign to bring the city on board with safe injection sites as a harm reduction and overdose prevention measure, but it's just the beginning of the fight to actually get them up and
    running.



    ================  ...


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