The science on marijuana is settled. The assertions that continue to be made linking marijuana use to serious drug addiction by officials like Michele Leonhart, the former administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, are contradicted by facts. But since the science is settled, the question we should be unpacking is why do some people persist in promoting messages known to be false, as was done by Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey during his failed bid for president? Why are we still not discussing the evidence: that the real gateways to addiction are poverty, trauma, mental health problems and the effects of criminalization and stigma? [continues 173 words]
While opioid pain relievers offer critical benefits to certain patients, such as those with cancer-related pain, the rise of opioid prescriptions has had devastating public health consequences. The C.D.C. recently urged physicians to be very cautious in prescribing these drugs. Meanwhile, access to medical marijuana has expanded rapidly - 24 states and D.C. have legalized its broad medical use - and chronic or severe pain is the most common condition reported among those using it. On it's face, this might seem to mirror the rise in prescription opioid use. [continues 251 words]
It should come as no surprise that the vast majority of heroin users have used marijuana (and many other drugs) not only long before they used heroin but while they are using heroin. Like nearly all people with substance abuse problems, most heroin users initiated their drug use early in their teens, usually beginning with alcohol and marijuana. There is ample evidence that early initiation of drug use primes the brain for enhanced later responses to other drugs. These facts underscore the need for effective prevention to reduce adolescent use of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana in order to turn back the heroin and opioid epidemic and to reduce burdens addiction in this country. [continues 238 words]
The gateway theory can be summarized as an ounce of truth embedded in a pound of bull. Yes, most people who use heroin and cocaine used marijuana and alcohol and tobacco for that matter first. But the vast majority of people who use marijuana never progress to using other illicit drugs, or even to becoming regular marijuana consumers. That's why the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine says "there is no conclusive evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are causally linked to the subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs." The principal connection between marijuana and other illicit drugs mostly involves the nature of the market, not the nature of the high. In The Netherlands, where the marijuana market has been quasi-legal and regulated for decades, marijuana use is less prevalent than in the United States, and those who do consume marijuana are less likely to use other illicit drugs. [continues 196 words]
To the Editor: Re "Outrageous Sentences for Marijuana" (editorial, April 14): Whether or not the Supreme Court rules that draconian mandatory sentences for marijuana use are constitutional, they are an ineffective, harmful and extremely costly policy approach to substance use. Marijuana use should be treated as a public health problem, not a crime. Incarcerating people for using marijuana serves neither the individual's nor the public's interest. Having a criminal record for marijuana use is damaging to people's livelihoods and life opportunities, particularly for youths. [continues 96 words]
The Erie County Legislature has to be congratulated for looking to solve the current opioid crisis. However, its solution to create an addiction hotline falls short of addressing the problem. An addiction hotline does not equate to saving lives. Anyone can do an Internet search or look in the phone book to find contact information about drug rehab programs in Erie County. What will the hotline accomplish? The hotline will refer callers to programs that have waiting lists for inpatient services and to outpatient clinics. However, if you don't have insurance or the ability to pay for these services, you have wasted your time, not to mention $300,000 of county taxpayer dollars. [continues 132 words]
At the urging of Mexico, Guatemala and Colombia, world leaders met at the United Nations in a special session last week to discuss saner ways to fight the drug trade. They did not get very far toward a shift in approach. Nonetheless, there was a consensus that investing in health care, addiction treatment and alternatives to incarceration would do more to end the drug trade than relying primarily on prohibition and criminalization. "A war that has been fought for more than 40 years has not been won," President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia said in an interview. "When you do something for 40 years and it doesn't work, you need to change it." [continues 366 words]
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Jamaica defended its decriminalization of possession of small amounts of marijuana. Iran said it seized 620 tons of different types of drugs last year and is helping protect the world from "the evils of addiction." Cuba opposed the legalization of drugs or declaring them harmless. The first U.N. General Assembly special session to address global drug policy in nearly 20 years heard major differences on the approach to drug use on its second day Wednesday. On the liberalization side, Canada's Health Minister Jane Philpott announced that the government would introduce legislation to legalize marijuana next spring. [continues 509 words]
FOR THE first time in 20 years, the UN has convened a special session on "the world drug problem" amid fierce international debate about whether drug users should primarily be punished or rehabilitated. The UN General Assembly Special Session on drugs, which started yesterday and is scheduled to run until tomorrow, was called after Mexico, Colombia and Guatemala appealed to the body to revise the global approach to illegal drugs. After two decades - and a trillion or so dollars later - the "war-on-drugs" approach of criminalising drug users has dismally failed to prevent the distribution and use of illegal drugs. [continues 824 words]
NEW YORK - Afghanistan has called for more international support for its efforts in fighting the drug problem as the anti-narcotics war is "beyond the limits of any single government". Slamat Azimi, the minister of counter narcotics of Afghanistan, made the statement at the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on the World Drug Problem here. "It is obvious that fighting drugs and narcotics is beyond the limits of any single government; therefore, there is a need for extensive help from the international community. [continues 174 words]
NEW YORK - The UN General Assembly is rethinking the global strategy in the war on narcotics for the first time in two decades as activists, UN officials and world leaders cited an international trend towards more liberal drug laws. Despite agreement to deal with the global drug problem, there are deep divisions among the 193 member states. Some favour a shift towards decriminalisation and a greater focus on reducing the harm caused by narcotics abuse and the war on drugs. A number of Latin American leaders say the aggressive war on drugs has failed, having killed or destroyed thousands of lives worldwide. They say there is an irreversible trend towards legalising "soft drugs" such as dagga. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said his country would soon increase the amount of dagga Mexicans are allowed for personal use and legalise daggaa for medical purposes. [continues 239 words]
NEW YORK - India has voiced its concern over "the growing nexus of drug trafficking and terrorist networks", saying that "we have to continue and toughen our collective fight against these evils". Indian finance minister Arun Jaitley was addressing the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on the World Drug Problem here. "The growing nexus of drug trafficking and terrorist networks endangers peace, security and stability across regions," he said. "We have to continue and toughen our collective fight against these evils." [continues 146 words]
Consumers Number About 246 Million, With the U.S. Leading the Way and Cannabis the Top Narcotic. As leaders from around the world gather in New York for what many are calling the most important summit on illegal drugs in two decades, one thing is clear: The world has a serious drug problem. Worldwide, about 246 million people use illicit drugs, and 1 in 10 of these users suffer from disorders related to drug use. Of the estimated 12 million people who inject drugs, at least 1.6 million are also living with HIV, while slightly more than half suffer from hepatitis C. Each year, 200,000 people suffer drug-related deaths, such as overdoses. [continues 785 words]
UNITED NATIONS - The first U.N. special session to address global drug policy in nearly 20 years bristled with tension Tuesday over the use of the death penalty for drug-related offenses, as countries wrestled over whether to emphasize criminalization and punishment or health and human rights. The outcome document adopted by member states included no criticism of the death penalty, saying only that countries should ensure that punishments are "proportionate" with the crimes. "Disproportional penalties create vicious cycles of marginalization and further crime," Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto told the gathering. He also called for the decriminalization of marijuana for medical and scientific purposes and said the international community's responses to drug issues are "frankly, insufficient." [continues 103 words]
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The first U.N. special session to address global drug policy in nearly 20 years bristled with tension Tuesday over the use of the death penalty for drug-related offenses. The outcome document adopted by member states included no criticism of the death penalty, saying only that countries should ensure that punishments are "proportionate" with the crimes. "Disproportional penalties ... create vicious cycles of marginalization and further crime," Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto told the gathering. He also called for the decriminalization of marijuana for medical and scientific purposes and said the international community's response to drug issues is "frankly, insufficient." [continues 140 words]
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The first U.N. special session to address global drug policy in nearly 20 years bristled with tension Tuesday over the use of the death penalty for drug-related offenses, as countries wrestled over whether to emphasize criminalization and punishment or health and human rights. The outcome document adopted by member states included no criticism of the death penalty, saying only that countries should ensure that punishments are "proportionate" with the crimes. "Disproportional penalties ... create vicious cycles of marginalization and further crime," Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto told the gathering. He also called for the decriminalization of marijuana for medical and scientific purposes and said the international community's responses to drug issues is "frankly, insufficient." [continues 165 words]
Managing Social Norms Is As Important As Rewriting the Rules of Cannabis Consumption in Canada, Conference Hears As the Trudeau government prepares to draw up legislation that would legalize marijuana for recreational use, leading policy experts in the United States have some pointed advice for Canada: Rules are important, but cultivating unwritten social standards around how people use the drug are just as crucial. In states such as Colorado and Washington, where prohibition of cannabis has been lifted, lawmakers have seen recreational marijuana use soar. While that has pumped welcome tax dollars into government coffers, it has also led to problems with public consumption, overuse and intoxicated driving. [continues 704 words]
UNITED NATIONS - Canada has promised to legalize marijuana. Mexico's highest court has allowed some citizens to grow cannabis for personal use. Colombia has reversed its decades-long policy of aerial spraying against coca, the raw ingredient in cocaine. Even in the United States, once the chief architect of the global war on drugs, four states permit recreational marijuana sales. Other states have pro-legalization ballot measures pending. And a heroin epidemic has prompted the mayor of at least one city to propose establishing a supervised injection clinic. [continues 888 words]
Inside New York
