Politics

U.S. urged to toughen drug war [by China]

*Lüshunkou Liaoning China Lüshun-Prison More than 115,000 people received criminal sentences last year in China for narcotics-related violations, compared with about 81,000 in 2012, according to the Supreme People’s Court. ​ “I think the communities are safer and our young people are better protected against drugs,” Roque said even as he expressed optimism that the…

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Politics

More medical cannabis on the horizon for Mexico

A bill passed by Mexico’s Senate and Lower House of Congress late last year and earlier this year seeks to change… and reclassif[y] THC as “therapeutic”. ​ “The ruling eliminates the prohibition and criminalization of acts related to the medicinal use of marijuana and its scientific research, and those relating to the production and distribution…

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Modern Culture

Russia is punishing people for helping drug users

“Last year the number of ODs sharply went up, possibly because of fentanyl,” says Sarang. “We can’t say for sure, because there’s no official data, but the number of times someone’s called and told us they’ve had to use naloxone has doubled. So more people are overdosing.” … Yet rather than trying to make the situation…

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Politics

Drug decriminalization… a health-centered approach

*Oregon Supreme CourtAccording to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, “Portugal’s policy has reportedly not led to an increase in drug tourism. It also appears that a number of drug-related problems have decreased.”31 The leading independent researchers to investigate the outcomes of Portugal’s policy, professors Caitlin Hughes and Alex Stevens, wrote in the…

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Politics

[A] nationwide ban on kratom… [would] be deadly

*Senator Stabenow of Michigan meets with representatives of the Kratom Rally in June 2018. The FDA just approved a new opiate (Dsuvia) that is 8-10x stronger than fentanyl. Basically, this says that a plant proven to treat opiate withdrawal [kratom] is more of a threat to public safety than one of the strongest opiates known…

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Politics

Oregon initiative would decriminalize psilocybin

The changes in the state’s criminal code would be significant, the primary goal of the petitioners is to clear the way for the therapeutic use of psilocybin via licensed and regulated producers, processors, and therapists. An initiative that would decriminalize most psilocybin offenses and open the door to regulated production and therapeutic use of the…

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