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Drug War Chronicle, Issue #1065 -- 5/10/19
Phillip S. Smith, Editor, psmith@drcnet.org https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/1065

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

Table of Contents:

1. IN HISTORIC COME-FROM-BEHIND VICTORY, DENVER MAGIC MUSHROOM DECRIMINALIZATION INITIATIVE PASSES [FEATURE]
Even initiative proponents had all but conceded defeat when hours after
the polls closed, the initiative decriminalizing magic mushrooms went
over the top. Just barely. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2019/may/09/historic_comefrombehind_victory

2. LEGAL MARIJUANA IS A JOB CREATION MACHINE [FEATURE]
The jobs in the marijuana industry aren't going to stop coming anytime soon. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2019/may/08/legal_marijuana_job_creation

3. MEDICAL MARIJUANA UPDATE
A trio of federal bills dealing with veterans and medical marijuana hit
some bumps, the New Hampshire Senate approves home cultivation, Texas
CBD bills pass the House, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2019/may/08/medical_marijuana_update

4. CHRONICLE AM: TRUMP VA REJECTS VETS' MEDMJ BILLS, PHILIPPINES DRUG
WAR CALLED OUT, MORE... (5/2/19)
The Trump Veterans Administration rejects medical marijuana bills for
veterans, DC's mayor unveils a bill to allow for taxed and regulated
marijuana sales, the Louisiana legislature is moving on medical
marijuana issues, the Philippines is in the hotseat as global harm reductionists gather, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2019/may/02/chronicle_am_trump_va_rejects

5. CHRONICLE AM: VA GOVERNOR VETOES OVERDOSE HOMICIDE BILL, VT LEGAL MJ
SALES BILL ADVANCES, MORE... (5/3/19)
A Vermont bill to legalize recreational marijuana sales takes another
step forward, a New Hampshire bill to let patietns grow their own heads
to the governor's desk, Virginia's governor vetoes an overdose homicide
bill, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2019/may/03/chronicle_am_va_governor_vetoes

6. CHRONICLE AM: IL GOVERNOR UNVEILS MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION BILL, MEXICO PONDERS DRUG DECRIM, LEGAL SALES, MORE... (5/6/19)
Reform measures are piling up on the Colorado governor's desk, the
Illinois governor rolls out a marijuana legalization bill, Denver votes
on decriminalizing magic mushrooms tomorrow, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2019/may/06/chronicle_am_il_governor_unveils

7. CHRONICLE AM: TX CBD EXPANSION BILL ADVANCES, NEW ZEALAND TO VOTE ON MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION, MORE... (5/7/19)
A man who has done 39 years in federal prison for pot gets out tomorrow
and faces an uncertain future, Arizona activists lay plans for a 2020 legalization initiative, so does the New Zealand government, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2019/may/07/chronicle_am_tx_cbd_expansion

8. CHRONICLE AM: URGE NC GOV TO VETO OVERDOSE HOMICIDE BILL, MEXICO
WANTS OUT OF PLAN MERIDA, MORE... (5/9/19)
Congress members call on DEA to permit more research marijuana grows,
the Denver magic mushroom initiative comes up short (or so we thought at publishing time), Mexico's president wants an end to Plan Merida and
economic development help instead, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2019/may/08/chronicle_am_urge_nc_gov_veto

9. CHRONICLE AM: DENVER VOTES FOR MUSHROOM DECRIM, IVANKA TRUMP COMMENTS
ON COLOMBIA POLICY, MORE... (5/9/19)
Denver's magic mushroom decriminalization initiative comes from behind
to win, Ivanka Trump voices support for crop substitution in Colombia,
the Alabama legislature is busy, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2019/may/09/chronicle_am_denver_votes

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

1. IN HISTORIC COME-FROM-BEHIND VICTORY, DENVER MAGIC MUSHROOM DECRIMINALIZATION INITIATIVE PASSES [FEATURE] https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2019/may/09/historic_comefrombehind_victory

Hours after numerous media outlets (https://www.apnews.com/8aaa48465b1d42f38014433f61a879df) (including us (https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2019/may/08/chronicle_am_urge_nc_governor))
had the Denver magic mushroom initiative going down to defeat Tuesday
night, it managed a near-miraculous last-minute comeback to squeak out a victory by a margin of 50.56% to 49.44%, late Wednesday afternoon,
according to unofficial Denver Election Division results (https://www.denvergov.org/electionresults#/results/20190507).

Election officials tweeted that "the results remain unofficial" until
the city certifies them on May 16. If they hold, Denver will become the
first locality in the United States to effectively decriminalize the use
and possession of a psychedelic substance.

Even Decriminalize Denver, the group behind the measure, had conceded
defeat (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/05/07/denver-votes-no-magic-mushrooms-historic-vote-psilocybin/1131741001/)
Tuesday night, with group leader Kevin Matthews saying "it's not a loss,
it's a lesson," as the measure trailed by thousands of votes throughout
the evening. But then the worm turned, and now Denver has broken new ground.

With passage of I-301, the Denver Psilocybin Mushroom Decriminalization Initiative (https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5bb4f9c27046803ce123a760/t/5c6360158165f54e1f1b090a/1550016533926/DPMDI.pdf),
voters have told the city they want to "deprioritize, to the greatest
extent possible, the imposition of criminal penalties on persons 21
years of age and older for the personal possession of psilocybin
mushrooms." The measure also "prohibits the city and county of Denver
from spending resources on imposing criminal penalties on persons 21
years of age and older for the personal use and possession of psilocybin mushrooms."

Personal possession is defined under the measure to include growing
one's own mushrooms, but the mushrooms not be "used or displayed in
public." The measure does not decriminalize sales, saying they are still subject to prosecution under state law.

Decriminalize Denver campaigned on the criminal and social justice
implications of the proposal, as well as touting the potential
therapeutic benefits of magic mushrooms. Interest in those benefits is
part of a psychedelic renaissance (https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wj3kqz/were-in-the-midst-of-a-psychedelic-renaissance)
underway for years now that is manifested not only in significant
increases in the number of young people reporting having used
hallucinogens, but also an explosion of research (https://maps.org/news/bulletin/articles/420-bulletin-spring-2017/6620-a-psychedelic-renaissance-historical-reflections-on-the-future)
into the therapeutic properties of psychedelics.

]Denver may be the first place where the psychedelic renaissance passes
an electoral test, but it won't be the last where it's tried. The Oregon Psilocybin Society is already in the signature-gathering phase of its
2020 Oregon Psilocybin Service Initiative
(https://psi-2020.org/the-measure/), while just to the south, a group
calling itself Decriminalize California is just beginning efforts to get
on the 2020 ballot with a statewide decriminalization there. Those same activists tried but failed to get on the ballot last year.

For the Drug Policy Alliance, Wednesday's victory in Denver was only the beginning.

"No one should be arrested or incarcerated simply for using or
possessing psilocybin or any other drug," said the group's Colorado
state director, Art Way. "If anything, this initiative doesn't go nearly
far enough. Given the scientific and public support for decriminalizing
all drugs (http://www.drugpolicy.org/resource/its-time-us-decriminalize-drug-use-and-possession),
as Portugal has done successfully, we need broader reforms that can
scale back the mass criminalization of people who use drugs."

The state -- and the nation -- need to go further, Way said: "More than
a million people are arrested each year in the US for drug possession,
but this has done nothing to reduce the availability of drugs or the
harms they can cause. More comprehensive decriminalization of drug use
and possession (http://www.drugpolicy.org/issues/drug-decriminalization)
is necessary to achieve the cost savings and public health outcomes that
will maximally benefit Colorado."

But Denver's magic mushroom decriminalization is a beginning.

[Drug Policy Alliance is a financial supporter of Drug War Chronicle.] ================ ...
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