Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP)’s Post

📢 Friday Fact Alert with Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions! 📢 California sees a significant rise in drug-related emergency visits: a 15% increase in marijuana-associated cases and a 54% jump in hallucinogen-related visits from 2016-2022. It's time to reevaluate our approach to drug policy! #MarijuanaCrisis #PublicHealth #DrugPolicy

🚨 Big News Alert! 🚨 President Biden's administration is set to **reclassify marijuana** from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3, impacting millions of Americans! 🌿💼 Why is this a huge deal? 🤔 1️⃣ Marijuana is currently ranked higher than fentanyl and methamphetamine. 2️⃣ This reclassification aims to address **long-standing inequities** in drug enforcement. 3️⃣ The move could lead to fewer prosecutions for marijuana possession and use. The **Department of Justice** and **Health and Human Services** are leading this monumental shift in policy. 🏛️📜 👉 Public comments are now open! Have your voice heard in this historic process. Learn more about what this means for federal law and public health. 💬🔍 https://lnkd.in/gdbz8SRX Follow Karmactive for more updates on sustainability and social justice! 🌎✨ #MarijuanaReclassification #BidenAdministration #PublicHealth #DrugPolicy #Karmactive #JusticeReform #FederalLaw #CannabisNews

DEA Drug Schedules and laws can be confusing. Learn more about the legal consequences of drug possession in Colorado based on drug scheduling.

Have you ever wondered why drug prohibition continues, despite its obvious failure to end drug use and the rising toll of drug-related deaths? My latest findings have revealed that the answer is that drug policy is not based on research evidence, but on the moral commitments and material interests that motivate political action. I call these the ‘ethico-political bases’ of drug policy making. They bring together ethical ideas about right and wrong with political ideas on how power should be wielded.

Penington Institute welcomes the announcement by the State Government that it will trial drug checking in Victoria. “We applaud the government for acting on the evidence. This is an appropriate harm minimisation approach," says Penington Institute CEO John Ryan. "Analysis of pills and drugs will help people make more informed decision about whether they still want to take the drug and how to manage the risks." It is encouraging that the government is examining the evidence and listening to the advice of experts in the field, and we hope to see this continue with further drug policy reforms. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gVnpGWmC #DrugPolicy #DrugChecking #MediaRelease #Overdose

In a highly-anticipated shift in federal drug policy, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) recommended the reclassification of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act on April 30. While the change (if approved) will lead to more flexibility in some instances, federally-funded organizations such as health centers and research institutions should remain cognizant of important legal restrictions.   Feldesman Partners Molly Evans and Mindy Pava comment on how this changing legal landscape will impact health centers and other federal grantees in their client alert here: https://lnkd.in/dmF4w9nz   Additionally, Ms. Evans and Ms. Pava will host the webinar “Navigating the Haze: Marijuana and Changes to Federal Law” on May 29 at 1 p.m. to review the DEA’s decision and its implications. Register here: https://lnkd.in/d5y_WN_m #Feldesman #federalgrants #healthcenters #marijuana #research

Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon recently voiced support for federal cannabis rescheduling, but cautioned against broader drug decriminalization efforts. She urged HHS Secretary Becerra to prioritize evidence-based approaches in future drug policy decisions, referencing Oregon's Measure 110. Learn more about her stance and the proposed STATES 2.0 Act here: #DrugPolicy #FederalLegalization #CannabisReform #DrugDecriminalization #TheHigherPath

The U.S. DEA is on the cusp of a major policy change by reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug, acknowledging its medical benefits. This shift, pending White House approval, could have a significant impact on American drug policy and increase investments within the industry. Dive deeper into this historic move and its potential implications in drug regulation, criminal justice reform, and the economy. https://lnkd.in/e6hnmhnv

Should be de-scheduled entirely--and amends made to all who've been legally persecuted and imprisoned for it over the decades-- but this is still a momentous and long overdue shift that is more reflective of the actual science and people's actual lived experience, as distinguished from government propaganda's distortion of it. Recall that for decades, DEA inhibited even *scientific research* into cannabis. Would be very interesting to dig into why that is. What is gained from inhibiting scientific research into plants (and fungi) with import ranging from fun (what's so wrong with a lil fun?) to spiritually profound? As with alcohol or coffee (which are also "drugs"!--simply culturally accepted ones), #cannabis is not necessarily for everyone, nor is it appropriate or safe at all times in all circumstances. And we have to know our dose! These days, one or two drinks is optimal for me--after that, there is a clear law of diminishing returns. Coffee is the same--one cup, two on a gloomier day, is optimal; after that, I tend to transition from being brighter and more awake and in the flow to being agitated and more easily distracted. Beyond that will make my stream of thoughts more frenetic, impatient, or "aggro". With cannabis, there is a major difference between taking a 3-second toke and a 10-second drag from a vape or a bowl, for example. For beginners, the former can have interesting, fun, relaxing, comical, sensorily stimulating, and generally pleasant and moderate effects over the course of 2-3 hours, perhaps after an initial onset of anxiety that one learns to breathe through as part of an energetic shift. One of the best things is watching comical videos before bed and enjoying deeper, more full-bodied laughter. Good way to de-stress, get a solid night of rest, and stay in balance. This is health! 10 seconds, however, can result in substantially heightened levels of anxiety, a more intense and frenetic stream of thoughts, temporary disruptions in working memory and more deliberate mental effort required to focus, stimulate paranoia (which can also be mildly amusing if one has developed sufficient metacognition through mindfulness meditation and can therefore observe it unfolding "from above", as it were), etc. Such relatively higher level doses can also warp or somewhat suspend our sense of the flow of time--or the tyranny of it--which of course can lead to disorganization if over-indulged on days when we have other obligations but can also be wonderfully valuable for deeper rest, being more present with a lover, etc. Cannabis is a relatively complex plant that should be regarded as a gift of Nature, which leaves it to us to figure out how to enjoy its gifts responsibly (but also sometimes poisons us--wtf man! 😏 ).

What is chemical w*rfare? The New England Journal of Medicine reported in March 2022, drug overdoses fatalities reached their highest recorded level in the US, estimated 110,360 deaths over 12 months. Recently, prices of illicit fentanyl have dropped as the supply chains have met the increasing demand: targeted towards children and young adults. This week the largest confiscation of the year in Utah, outside Moab: 66 pounds of Fentanyl tablets, about 152,000 lethal doses. “Depending on location, deputies and the DEA said prices range from $30 a pill to as little as $1.” Pills have been marketed with bright colors to appeal to a younger generation, be aware. Is there hope for the individual struggling and family traumatized… yes, my opinion! Some are of the opinion to cast those using drugs, or not receiving mandated injections, out of society…what is a drug? Are ‘regulated’ medications safe? An analgesic masterpiece of efficiency, or a chemical Trojan horse of societal destruction… first casualty of any W*r, the truth. A lethal dose of fentanyl is displayed on the point of a pencil for size reference, according to the Drug Enforcement Association. (Photo: Drug Enforcement Association)