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Drug War Chronicle, Issue #898 -- 8/13/15
Phillip S. Smith, Editor, psmith@drcnet.org http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/898

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

Table of Contents:

1. FOR SOME, BEST CURE FOR HEROIN MAY BE LEGALITY
A new study from the British Journal of Psychiatry suggests as much. http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/aug/11/some_best_cure_heroin_may_be_leg


2. MEDICAL MARIJUANA UPDATE
With state legislatures adjourned and the dog days of summer upon us,
it's pretty quiet on the medical marijuana front this week. But there is
some news from the Northeast. http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/aug/12/medical_marijuana_update

3. THIS WEEK'S CORRUPT COPS STORIES
A North Carolina cop already in prison for stealing pain pills is now
charged with marijuana trafficking, a Texas narc gets probation for
stealing and using drug dog training drugs, and another prison guard
goes down. Just another week of drug war-related law enforcement
corruption. http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/aug/12/weeks_corrupt_cops_stories

4. CHRONICLE AM: STUDY SUPPORTS PRESCRIPTION HEROIN, STATES WANT FEDS
OUT OF MJ POLICIES, MORE (8/06/15)
The DEA admits the screamingly obvious, the National Council of State Legislatures tells the feds to let states set their own marijuana
policies, another South Florida community decriminalizes, and more. http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/aug/06/chronicle_am_study_supports_pres


5. CHRONICLE AM: JUDGE THROWS OUT MORE PHILLY CASES, INDIA SHIVA
PILGRIMS TOKE UP, MORE (8/7/15)
An Oregon congressman calls for down-scheduling marijuana, an Oklahoma
US senator wants to punish tribes that allow marijuana, Boston's first dispensary is likely coming soon, drug hair-testing for truck drivers
edges closer, and more. http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/aug/07/chronicle_am_judge_throws_out_mo


6. CHRONICLE AM: OH INIT LOOKS SET, ISRAEL ANTI-DRUG UNIT SHUTTERED, NY
"FAKE POT" BAN, MORE (8/10/15)
The New York Times has a strong editorial on marijuana reform, the ResponsibleOhio initiative should qualify for the ballot on a second
try, Philly pot busts plummet after decrim, Israel zeroes out its
anti-drug agency, and more. http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/aug/10/chronicle_am_oh_init_looks_set_i


7. CHRONICLE AM: AK REGULATORS WANT TO BAN MJ SOCIAL CLUBS, ME GOV
THREATENS TO CALL OUT GUARD, MORE (8/11/2015)
Alaska regulators want to ban marijuana social clubs, Chris Christie
signs a bill allowing methadone in drug court programs, a new report
says Illinois needs to do better on heroin treatment, Russia wants to
censor Reddit, and more. http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/aug/11/chronicle_am_ak_regulators_want


8. CHRONICLE AM: OH INIT CLAIMS TO MAKE BALLOT, CLINTON TALKS DRUG ABUSE
IN NH, MORE (8/12/2015)
Legal marijuana states still have issues, an Ohio group says it has
qualified a legalization initiative for the November ballot, a video
game league institutes drug testing, Hillary Clinton talks drugs on the campaign trail, and more. http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/aug/12/chronicle_am_oh_init_claims_make


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

1. FOR SOME, BEST CURE FOR HEROIN MAY BE LEGALITY http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/aug/11/some_best_cure_heroin_may_be_leg


The article was produced in collaboration with AlterNet and first
appeared here (http://www.alternet.org/drugs/fighting-heroin-addiction-heroin-works).

It may seem counterintuitive, but the best way to deal with heroin
addiction among some hardcore users may be to give them heroin. That's
the takeaway from a seminal study
(http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/207/1/5) just published by the British
Journal of Psychiatry.

The study, "Heroin on trial: systematic review and meta-analysis of
randomized trials of diamorphine-prescribing as treatment for refractory
heroin addiction," focused on the findings of six randomized controlled
trials on supervised injectable heroin treatment in six different
countries: Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Canada, and
England.

What the meta-analysis found across all trials was a greater reduction
in the use of illicit "street" heroin in patients receiving
pharmaceutical heroin compared to the control groups (who generally only received methadone). "Heroin-prescribing, as a part of highly regulated regimen, is a feasible and effective treatment for a particularly difficult-to-treat group of heroin-dependent patients," the study
concluded.

It's not just heroin users who benefit. In most of the trials, the
researchers found reductions in criminal justice, imprisonment, and
health care costs, while finding no negative effects on public safety.

Providing heroin to especially treatment-resistant users is known as heroin-assisted treatment (HAT) or heroin maintenance therapy. While
heroin maintenance trials have been underway in several European
countries, as well as Australia, and Canada, none have ever been done in
the United States.

"The feasibility and effectiveness of heroin-assisted treatment has,
once again, been borne out in the scientific literature," said Lindsay
LaSalle, a harm reduction attorney with the Drug Policy Alliance (http://www.drugpolicy.org). "The question that remains is not whether
heroin maintenance is backed by science, but whether it will ever be
backed by politicians and government officials in the United Sates. As
of now, the only thing that stands in our way is ideology and stigma."

Nevada became the first state to try to break down the walls preventing
heroin maintenance trials when state Sen. Tick Segerblom (D-Las Vegas) introduced a bill that would have created a four-year heroin maintenance
pilot project. But that bill didn't pass.

================ ...


___________________

It's time to correct the mistake:
Truth:the Anti-drugwar <http://www.briancbennett.com>

Cops say legalize drugs--find out
why:
<http://www.leap.cc>

Stoners are people too: <http://www.cannabisconsumers.org>
___________________

bliss -- Cacao Powered... (-SF4ever at DSLExtreme dot com)

--
bobbie sellers - a retired nurse in San Francisco

"It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.
It is by the beans of cacao that the thoughts acquire speed,
the thighs acquire girth, the girth become a warning.
It is by theobromine alone I set my mind in motion."
--from Someone else's Dune spoof ripped to my taste.

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