Sarah and Rachelle discuss the failures of punitive drug policies. They discuss Maryland’s efforts to reduce drug trafficking, who should be held responsible when someone overdoses while incarcerated, and why compassion makes a difference. Big changes in Arizona and Florida are also on the agenda, but the highlight this week is a story about nuclear missiles and LSD.

News Updates:

• To cut prison drug smuggling, Maryland is restricting inmates’ access to books
• If an inmate dies of an overdose, who is to blame? This lawsuit says jailers are.
• ‘I need help,’ addicted dealer begs judge, ‘I’ve been coming to jail since I was 13’
• Bangladesh’s Philippines-style drugs war creating ‘atmosphere of terror’

Headlines:

• The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that medical marijuana patients have the legal right to carry their medicine on campus at colleges and universities. Card-carrying medical marijuana patients may, however, still be subjected to disciplinary action or even eviction from campus housing.
• Florida Governor Rick Scott approved budget cuts which will target programs offering substance use treatment for incarcerated people across the state. Treatment providers and employers of inmates on work release oppose the cuts, with one employer stating “Not only are you taking jobs, you’re taking lives.”
• Fourteen members of the United States Air Force, responsible for guarding the country’s nuclear missiles at FE Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming, have been disciplined for the use and distribution of LSD. According to officials, none of the use occurred while on duty.
• On Wednesday, while speaking at an American College of Emergency Physicians forum, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams announced his support for supervised injection sites. Citing the success of harm reduction efforts in France, he said simply “we know that this can work.”

Forecast:

• A bill in the legislature, SB 336, would allow individuals who qualify for opioid prescriptions to apply for the state’s medical cannabis program. Has already been approved by the Senate, and has been voted out of committee 8-3. Now, it will go before the House floor for final approval, before being sent to Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner for his signature. But, Gov. Rauner has previously opposed attempts to expand the medical marijuana program. The legislation is expected to receive a full house vote by the end of the week.
• On Thursday, June 7, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction will release the European Drug Report 2018: Trends and Developments. The report includes a comprehensive analysis of patterns across the EU, the 2018 Statistical Bulletin, and 30 Country Reports. The actual launch will take place at 11:30 am CET on the 7th

Sponsor:

• Sponsor Us

Patreon Supporters

Thank you to all who support us on Patreon, including:

• Tom Angell’s Marijuana Moment
• Ogden Studios
• Matt Garland
• Zachary Ferguson
• Get your name or business listed here for as little as $10/month!

Music Credits:

Intro: Dance for Sport by the2ba

Like what we do? Help pay our bills.

The post News: Law Enforcement & the War on Drugs [#144] appeared first on This Week in Drugs.

Sarah and Rachelle take on the week’s biggest drug stories, including overdose prevention centers in New York City, amnesty for marijuana convictions in Canada, and more.

News Updates:

• Liberal MP hints criminal records for marijuana possession will be cleared
• Delays In Issuing Licenses For New Methadone Clinics Hurting Rural Communities
• Miami Cops Broke Law by Forcing Woman’s Pants Down in Wynwood, Panel Says
• De Blasio Moves to Bring Safe Injection Sites to New York City

Headlines:

• In the hotly contested Senate race between incumbent Ted Cruz and Democratic nominee Beto O’Rourke, not just marijuana legalization, but the decriminalization of all drugs has become a major campaign topic.
• Last week, Delaware’s Senate Minority Whip introduced legislation that would expunge convictions for using or possessing under one ounce of marijuana if the offense occurred before decriminalization took effect. More than a quarter of the General Assembly has signed on to co-sponsor the bill.
• Zimbabwe has just legalized growing marijuana for medicinal and research purposes. It is the second African country do so, after Lesotho.
• In Massachusetts, the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery approved a bill which allows doctors to hold individuals for up to three days if their addiction is deemed dangerous.

Forecast:

• 5/7: Senate Third Reader on marijuana delivery bill
• 5/11: Drug use in Upstate New York: Strategies for Change and Reducing the Harms

Sponsor:

• Sponsor Us

Patreon Supporters

Thank you to all who support us on Patreon, including:

• Tom Angell’s Marijuana Moment
• Ogden Studios
• Matt Garland
• Zachary Ferguson
• Get your name or business listed here for as little as $10/month!

Music Credits:

Intro: Dance for Sport by the2ba

Like what we do? Help pay our bills.

The post News: Supervised Injection Comes to NYC [#143] appeared first on This Week in Drugs.

Sarah and Rachelle talk about harm reduction measures in Vermont, the latest developments in Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, and exciting research about ketamine and depression.

News Updates:

• Vermont Lawmakers Vote to Make Opioid Treatment Widely Available in Prison
• Roque to do ‘legal audit’ of PNP files on drug killings
• Health Department Program Gives Fentanyl Testing Kits to Heroin Users
• Ketamine has ‘fast-acting benefits’ for depression

Headlines:

• On Wednesday, Maine Governor Paul LePage vetoed legislation removing age restrictions on naloxone access. The legislation received a total of seven no votes in both the House and Senate combined. The legislature will reconvene next week and would need a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override the veto.
• Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, representing the District of Columbia, is set to introduce legislation that would allow for the use of medical marijuana in federally-assisted housing. “Individuals living in federally funded public housing who are prescribed legal, medical marijuana should not fear eviction for simply treating their medical conditions,” Norton said in a statement.
• A report by the UK’s National Union of Students and the drug policy organization Release details concerns about punitive drug policies students encounter at university. Almost 3000 students responded, with nearly 60% reporting lifetime drug use.
• The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has appointed a special committee to study the decriminalization of all drugs, as a potential solution to the opioid crisis. This comes just a week after the Liberal Party of Canada, the current ruling party, officially endorsed the decriminalization of all drugs.

Forecast:

• 5/3: Drugs, Harm Reduction & The Law
• 5/4-5/6: The Museum of Drug Policy 2018

Sponsor:

• Sponsor Us

Patreon Supporters

Thank you to all who support us on Patreon, including:

• Tom Angell’s Marijuana Moment
• Ogden Studios
• Matt Garland
• Zachary Ferguson
• Get your name or business listed here for as little as $10/month!

Music Credits:

Intro: Dance for Sport by the2ba

Like what we do? Help pay our bills.

The post News: Harm Reduction in Vermont [#142] appeared first on This Week in Drugs.

Rachelle and Sarah talk about drug testing of all kinds: for food stamps, for biohacking, and for middle and high school students. They also cover drug-induced homicide laws in Maryland, ayahuasca in Montreal, and much more.

News Updates:

• Maryland court deals blow to homicide charges in overdoses
  • Drug-Induced Homicide Resource from the Drug Policy Alliance
• Drug testing for food stamps may be coming soon
  • Resource from the Center for Law and Social Policy
• The Company That Tests Drugs On Itself
• Evangelist Scott Dawson, GOP candidate for governor, calls for drug testing in all Alabama schools

Headlines:

• Second Cup, Canada’s second largest coffee shop chain, has signed an agreement with National Access Cannabis, a marijuana clinic operator, to develop and operate a network of marijuana dispensaries, once marijuana is legal for adults in Canada, later this year.
• On Wednesday, Former Mexican President Fox called for opium poppy legalization. Fox also encouraged politicians to debate the legalization of all drugs in the months leading up to the general election in July.
• Two religious groups in Montreal, Canada have been granted legal exemptions from Health Canada, allowing them to import Ayahuasca for religious purposes, which is generally banned in Canada because of its active ingredient (Dimethyltryptamine) DMT. The two groups, affiliates of religions based in Brazil, consider the consumption of ayahuasca tea a sacrament.
• Backpedaling on a previous position, the Victorian government announced Tuesday that ice (or meth) will be allowed in Melbourne safe injecting room. People will be able to take up to three grams, or what is considered a trafficable offense, into the injecting center.

Forecast:

• April 17-20: Semana Psicoactiva
• 2018 Mamas’ Day Bailout

Sponsor:

• Sponsor Us

Patreon Supporters

Thank you to all who support us on Patreon, including:

• Tom Angell’s Marijuana Moment
• Ogden Studios
• Matt Garland
• Zachary Ferguson
• Get your name or business listed here for as little as $10/month!

Music Credits:

Intro: Dance for Sport by the2ba

Like what we do? Help pay our bills.

The post News: Let’s Talk About Drug Testing [#141] appeared first on This Week in Drugs.

Rachelle and Sarah talk about harm reduction in the US, what it means to take a public health approach to drug policy, and how we navigate the world of drug use and consent.

News Updates:

• Surgeon General Urges Americans to Carry Drug That Stops Opioid Overdoses
  • Kaleo expanding access in U.S. to drug to reverse opioid overdose
• FDA orders mandatory recall for kratom products due to risk of salmonella
• Poll: Most Americans wary of those suffering from addiction, despite recognition of medical condition
  • Americans Recognize the Growing Problem of Opioid Addiction
• Chemsex exemplifies much wider issues with drugs and sexual consent

Headlines:

• Last week, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ordered the dismissal of more than 11,000 convictions impacted by the misconduct of Sonja Farak, the drug lab chemist accused of stealing and using drugs from her workplace. 
• A former Georgia police officer has been indicted of stealing more than $150,000 during fake traffic stops. Between 2014 and 2015, Officer Lori Monique Johnson worked with one group of drug dealers to target a rival gang, pull them over while in uniform, steal their cash, and then split it with the dealers she was working with. Johnson resigned from the force in October 2017 while under investigation by both the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI.
• On Wednesday, the FDA’s Scott Gottlieb called on internet providers and social media platforms to do more to stop the sale of opioids online. Gottlieb noted many internet providers are hesitant to take on a “broader policing role,” but said “insidious threats” on the web platforms should serve as motivation.
• Netflix is launching a new series called “Amo,” which is a dramatization of the Philippines’ deadly drug war. In it, a high school student starts selling crystal meth and ends up tangled in a nightmarish world populated by violent kingpins and corrupt officials. The series is directed by an international award-winning Filipino director, Brillante Mendoza, who has been vocal about his support for President Rodrigo Duterte.
  • Sign the open letter to Netflix

Forecast:

• April 20-21: National Cannabis Policy Summit and Festival (Washington, DC)
• April 23-25: Southern Harm Reduction and Drug Policy Conference (Lake Junaluska, NC)

Episode Sponsor:

• Sponsor Us

Patreon Supporters

Thank you to all who support us on Patreon, including:

• Tom Angell’s Marijuana Moment
• Ogden Studios
• Matt Garland
• Zachary Ferguson
• Get your name or business listed here for as little as $10/month!

Music Credits:

Intro: Dance for Sport by the2ba

Like what we do? Help pay our bills.

The post News: Opioids, Kratom, and Harm Reduction [#140] appeared first on This Week in Drugs.

For Sarah and Rachelle’s first news episode together, they discuss benzodiazepines in the US, pill testing in Australia, and what exactly the DEA wants to do to your cell phone.

News Updates:

• The Mystery of the Terrifying Xanax Resurgence in America
• Daily cannabis use could delay at-risk youth from moving to higher risk drug use: study
• In moving to vacate marijuana convictions, Seattle also tries to help immigrants
• Call for pill testing at festivals to help emergency services treat overdose victims

Headlines:

• The DEA Says It Wants that New iPhone Unlocking Tool ‘GrayKey’
• Punjab constitutes committee to prohibit songs promoting drug abuse
• UN denies calling for legalisation of cannabis in Nigeria
• US investigating treatment of addicted prisoners in Mass.

Forecast:

• Have you had an encounter with a seemingly autonomous entity after taking DMT?
• 4/5: End Overdose, Open Safer Consumption Spaces Rally

Episode Sponsor:

• Sponsor Us

Patreon Supporters:

Thank you to all who support us on Patreon, including:

• Tom Angell’s Marijuana Moment
• Ogden Studios
• Matt Garland
• Zachary Ferguson
• Get your name or business listed here for as little as $10/month!

Music Credits:

Intro: Dance for Sport by the2ba

Like what we do? Help pay our bills.

The post News: Rachelle’s Back! [#139] appeared first on This Week in Drugs.

For Sam’s last episode co-hosting the news (don’t worry, he’ll be back soon with more discussion segments!), Sam and Sarah talk about some bad news from across the United States. Two of the stories concern the Trump Administration: while Kellyanne Conway told college students to eat french fries instead of doing drugs, President Trump blamed the opioid crisis on immigrants. In Connecticut, wine companies publicly admitted that they want people arrested for marijuana so that they will buy wine instead, and New Jersey police are going to be subjected to random drug testing.

Big Stories:

• Kellyanne Conway Recommends Eating Ice Cream and French Fries Instead of Buying Fentanyl
• Trump breaks promise on treatment, blames opioid crisis on immigrants | Editorial
• Connecticut Vineyard and Winery Association opposes marijuana legalization because they think it will hurt wine sales
• Police officers in N.J. subject to random drug testing, AG orders

Headlines:

• The city of Detroit, Michigan, has reached a settlement where it will pay $225,000 to the owner of three dogs after a police officer shot and killed all three of them during a marijuana raid. The owner was a legal medical marijuana patient who was allowed to grow plants, and her only violation was growing them in her backyard instead of indoors. One officer involved has killed 73 dogs during his career.  
• On Wednesday, Reddit announced a decision to take down and ban any subreddits affiliated with darknet drug markets. Citing its policy against transactions involving prohibited goods or services, the move appears to be part of a wider crackdown on illegal activities by the site.
• An Arkansas judge has thrown out the five medical marijuana cultivation licenses recently granted by the state, in a ruling on a case that alleged the state’s process was deeply flawed and violated due process and equal protection clauses of the states’ constitution, partly because some application reviewers had financial ties to winning applicants. It’s unclear how the program will proceed, options could include re-scoring the same applications, or possibly starting the process all over.
• A study out of the University of Zurich found “LSD reduces your sense of integrated self” and “blurs the boundary between what is you and what is another person.” The goal of the study was to learn how the brain creates a sense of self. Here’s the link to the study!

Forecast:

• Tuesday, March 27 in Mentor, Ohio: The Sound of Ideas Community Tour: Opioid Crisis in Lake County
• Friday, April 20 in DC: the National Cannabis Festival Policy Summit! The schedule and full list of speakers were released this week and the lineup looks stellar. Many of our former guests will be there speaking about everything from tax reform to criminal justice.

Episode Sponsor:

• Listeners Like You!

Patreon Supporters:

Thank you to all who support us on Patreon, including:

• Tom Angell’s Marijuana Moment
• Ogden Studios
• Matt Garland
• Zachary Ferguson
• Get your name or business listed here for as little as $10/month!

Music Credits:

Intro: Dance for Sport by the2ba

Like what we do? Help pay our bills.

The post News: Sam’s Final News Episode! [#138] appeared first on This Week in Drugs.

This week, Sam and Sarah talk about the latest drug news, which bring up a lot of old and new questions. How can a judge rule that Chicago drug raids “have an ugly racial component and should be discontinued,” but not admit that people of color were unfairly targeted? Why does the liquor industry have such a strong interest in self-driving cars, and what other drug industries should pay more attention? How does Singapore — and some other countries — continue to give the death penalty for drug crimes? And finally, should terminally ill patients have the right to try experimental drugs — and who are the groups pushing for and against such a law? Learn about all of this, and more, in this week’s episode.

News Updates:

• Federal judge finds ATF drug stash house stings distasteful but not racially biased
• Why the liquor industry wants to get self-driving cars on the road
  • Coalition for Future Mobility membership list
• Singapore claims it is winning the drugs war because of death penalty
• House Rejects Bill to Give Patients a ‘Right to Try’ Experimental Drugs

Headlines:

• According to a report released Monday by the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, Colorado prosecutors filed more than 15,000 felony drug charges in 2017 – twice as many as in 2012. 75% of those charges were for simple possession. Check out the full report!
• UN Secretary-General António Guterres touted the drug decriminalization policies he passed while the prime minister of Portugal in a speech at the Commission on Narcotics Drugs’s annual meeting in Vienna. Portugal decriminalized the possession – not sale – of all drugs in 2001 and has seen great public health results.
• Scott Gottlieb announced Thursday that the FDA is pushing to amend federal regulations that would reduce the level of nicotine in cigarettes to “minimally or non-addictive levels.” The announcement kicks off a multi-year process and formally requests public input.
• Rodrigo Duterte, president of the Philippines, has announced he is withdrawing the country from the treaty that established the International Criminal Court, a month after the ICC announced it was opening an investigation into his bloody crackdown under the guise of a war on drugs. Some countries, including the United States, were never members of the treaty.

Forecast:

• Tuesday, 4/17:  Public Meeting for Patient-Focused Drug Development on Opioid Use Disorder (OUD)
• Two more hearings on marijuana legalization in Connecticut
  • Monday, 3/19: Judiciary Committee
  • Wednesday, 3/28: Appropriations Committee

Sponsor:

• Listeners Like You

Music Credits:

Intro: Dance for Sport by the2ba

Like what we do? Help pay our bills.

The post News: Police Bias, Self-Driving Cars, and the Death Penalty [#137] appeared first on This Week in Drugs.

This week, Sam takes on the news solo. He talks about a baseball coach’s opposition to marijuana, the failure of roadside drug tests, Martin Shkreli’s future in prison, and medical marijuana legislation in Maryland.

News Updates:

• Texas Wesleyan coach fired after turning away Colorado recruit over state’s pot laws
• Another field drug test mistake sends woman to jail — for months
  • How a $2 Roadside Drug Test Sends Innocent People to Jail

Headlines:

• Martin Shkreli, who first got public attention for raising the price of an AIDS drug by 5000% while in charge of Turing Pharmaceuticals, has been sentenced to 7 years in federal prison. This was not related to the price hike, which was very unpopular but totally legal, but was instead due to him defrauding investors of about $10 million by lying to them about his companies’ earnings.
• A bill proposed in the Maryland state legislature would prevent medical marijuana patients from being denied buying a firearm because of their status as a patient. This is in response to a lot of confusion across the country, as federal law says someone cannot purchase a gun if they use illegal drugs, including medical marijuana. The sponsor, Delegate Glen Glass, said, “Maryland is the Free State and someone who is not breaking Maryland State Law should not lose their Second Amendment Rights.”

Forecast:

• Thursday-Saturday, March 22-24, in Denver Colorado, the Minority Cannabis Business Association is partnering with the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business and Hoban Law Group to host the first ever Cannabis Opportunity Summit. MCBA is a great group, and this seems like a great event for anyone who wants to get involved with the Colorado marijuana industry or ensure that the broader marijuana industry includes minorities and people impacted most by the war on drugs.

Episode Sponsor:

• Tom Angell’s Marijuana Moment

Patreon Supporters:

Thank you to all who support us on Patreon, including:

• Tom Angell’s Marijuana Moment
• Ogden Studios
• Matt Garland
• Zachary Ferguson
• Get your name or business listed here for as little as $10/month!

Music Credits:

Intro: Dance for Sport by the2ba

Like what we do? Help pay our bills.

The post News: Shkreli Goes to Prison [#136] appeared first on This Week in Drugs.

This week’s news is focused on new research in a broad range of topics, from linguistics to biology. One study looks at slang terms for commonly used recreational drugs across the United States, with a wider variety of popular terms than you may expect. Another found that people over 90 years old actually benefit from drinking two alcohol beverages per day, but that study has been widely mis-reported. And finally, another study found that there are not enough prescribers of buprenonorphine in eleven states, including some hit hardest by the opioid overdose crisis.

Big Stories:

• Illinois voters could be asked in November about legalizing marijuana
  • Bill is SB2275 – the Marijuana Legalization Referendum Act
  • March 27, 2017 poll
• Is It Weed or Bud? Rolls or Molly? Blow or Snow?
• UCI press release: “The 90+ Study Finds Link Between Moderate Alcohol Consumption And Longevity”
  • Best headline: Chicago Tribune, “Study: For those over 90, alcohol better than exercise for longevity”
  • Worst headline: Maxim, “DRINKING ALCOHOL IS BETTER FOR YOU THAN EXERCISE WHEN IT COMES TO LIVING LONGER, SAYS AWESOME NEW STUDY”
• Study: Not enough providers to address opioid epidemic in 11 states

Headlines:

• The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled police can search your vehicle with a drug dog if you voluntarily admit to past drug possession. The defendant in the original case told the officer he had legally possessed marijuana in Washington. The ruling may now be appealed to the state’s supreme court.
• Marijuana Business Daily has a good feature up on The Hershey Company’s multiple trademark lawsuits against cannabis companies in the past year. Strangely, they make a habit of going after retailers rather than producers, even though retailers aren’t the ones branding those products.
• Legislation (HB1) in Kentucky could alter state policy to allow the state to label any baby born with drug dependency issues an “abused or neglected child,” requiring officials to begin an investigation into terminating parental rights.
• This week, Manitoba Canada awarded four licenses for companies to sell recreational cannabis when it becomes legal this summer. And as a shout-out to the team at my day job with 4Front Ventures, this was the first time we’ve won a license outside the United States, as part of a team with Tokyo Smoke and BOBHQ.

Forecast:

• SSDP2018 is this coming weekend! Come to our panels!
  • Rachelle has 2 panels
    • Incubating ideas – 10:30am Saturday
    • Expungement – 2:45pm Saturday
  • Sam has 1 panel
    • Ballot initiatives – 2:45pm Saturday
  • Sarah has 1 panel
    • Mental health – 4pm Sunday
• April 28 – May 1, 2019: HR19 Host City Announced as Porto, Portugal

Episode Sponsor:

• Listeners like you!

Patreon Supporters:

Thank you to all who support us on Patreon, including:

• Tom Angell’s Marijuana Moment
• Ogden Studios
• Matt Garland
• Zachary Ferguson
• Get your name or business listed here for as little as $10/month!

Music Credits:

Intro: Dance for Sport by the2ba

Like what we do? Help pay our bills.

The post News: New Research On Linguistics, Nonagenarians, and Buprenonorphine [#135] appeared first on This Week in Drugs.

This week, Sam and Sarah talk about the latest drug news, and each story brings up a big decision about how society approaches drugs. First, Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court may rule on whether using drugs while pregnant should constitute child abuse. The next big decision is a hypothetical one, with the New York Times asking 30 experts how they would spend $100 billion over five years to fight the opioid epidemic. Then they discuss a decision already made by a court, where a man will be forced to take anti-psychotic drugs in order to stand trial – but should someone who isn’t competent to stand trial be legally responsible for crimes they committed while also incompetent? And finally, a big decision our society seems to have already made: that it’s perfectly reasonable to serve alcohol to people throwing axes at targets. But why is that allowed when marijuana bars are still banned, even with zero axes being thrown? Tune in to hear the TWiD team talk about these issues and more.

Big Stories:

• Pennsylvania Supreme Court Could Decide Whether Using Drugs During Pregnancy Is Child Abuse
  • The case, In the Interest of: L.J.B.
  • We discussed similar subject with Lynn Paltrow from the National Advocates for Pregnant Women on Episode 96
• How a Police Chief, a Governor and a Sociologist Would Spend $100 Billion to Solve the Opioid Crisis
• Bixby bombing defendant may be force-fed antipsychotic drugs, federal magistrate rules
• Baltimore ax-throwing bar to open in April in Highlandtown
  • Coming to Boston area too

Headlines:

• After an extended delay, Ireland’s Health Services Executive has decided the country’s first supervised injection site will open in Dublin, subject to planning approval. Dr. Eamon Keenan, head of HSE Addiction Services, said the sites allow “a marginalized group of society, injecting drug users who may be homeless, to access a harm reduction service that will improve their health, access them into a range of medical and social services, and contribute towards a reduction in drug-related deaths.”
• On February 5, Canadian pharmacy chain Shoppers Drug Mart notified the Ministry of Health about a case where a customer was supposed to get a naloxone kit, but received fentanyl instead. Now, they have investigated the matter, and Shoppers announced it was an isolated case of human error and that there is no risk to the public.
• After losing a lawsuit in 2014, Gregory Zullo and the ACLU are taking the marijuana ‘sniff test’ ruling to the Vermont supreme court. The state has 21 days to file a brief in response.
• Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat from New York, has become the third Senate sponsor of the Marijuana Justice Act, introduced by Cory Booker of New Jersey and also sponsored by Ron Wyden of Oregon. It’s widely speculated that Gillibrand is eyeing a presidential run in 2020, and this shows that marijuana legalization is gaining consensus among Democrats.

Forecast:

• After months in custody, a US federal judge ruled Thursday that Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman will face trial on September 5th.
• Tuesday, February 20, is the anniversary of the 21st Amendment being introduced in Congress. This happened in 1933, and it moved incredibly quickly: it was approved by the states throughout the year, and was ratified on December 5, less than 10 months after being introduced.

Episode Sponsor:

• Tom Angell’s Marijuana Moment

Patreon Supporters:

Thank you to all who support us on Patreon, including:

• Tom Angell’s Marijuana Moment
• Ogden Studios
• Matt Garland
• Zachary Ferguson
• Get your name or business listed here for as little as $10/month!

Music Credits:

Intro: Dance for Sport by the2ba

Like what we do? Help pay our bills.

The post News: Four Big Decisions on Drugs and Drug Policy [#134] appeared first on This Week in Drugs.