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Tag: the war on (some) drugs
Trump’s Choice For Top Justice Department Role Says Marijuana Is A ‘Gateway Drug’ That Makes Consumers ‘Boring And Smelly’
President-elect Donald Trump has made his selection for another top Justice Department official: Harmeet Dhillon, who has peddled the gateway drug theory about marijuana and says cannabis makes people who consume it “silly, boring and smelly.”
Trump said on Monday that he intends to nominate Dhillon as assistant attorney general for civil rights. The lawyer has served in leadership roles with the Republican National Committee and California Republican Party, and she’s a frequent Fox News contributor.
For those following the marijuana policy positions of Trump’s cabinet picks, Dhillon’s comments on the issue reveal a staunch opposition to the use of cannabis, which she claimed is a “gateway drug and ambition-killer” following President Joe Biden’s mass marijuana pardons.
This choice for a key DOJ position also comes amid the final steps of the Biden administration’s efforts to reschedule marijuana—a task that the incoming Trump administration will inherit and which his Justice Department will play a pivotal role in facilitating.
Dhillon doesn’t seem expressly opposed to the idea of preventing people from going to jail over simple cannabis possession, however, and she’s pointed out that federal prosecutors rarely go after people over that low-level offense. At one point, she criticized Vice President Kamala Harris over her prosecutorial record on cannabis.
But she’s made her distaste for cannabis consumption clear on a number of occasions.
Kansas Governor Frees First-Time Marijuana Offender Sentenced To More Than Seven Years In Prison
A Kansas court said Deshaun Durham was supposed to serve more than seven years in prison for a first-time marijuana offense.
Durham tried to sway the state’s Prison Review Board to recommend clemency, and the board denied his application.
But Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) overruled the board’s decision November 6 and commuted Durham’s sentence. Friday, he walked out of the Hutchinson prison where he had spent the last two-and-a-half years.
Durham, of Manhattan, was arrested as a 20 year old in 2020 for possession of more than two pounds of marijuana with intent to distribute. He had no criminal history and was later sentenced to 92 months. In the roughly two years between his arrest and sentencing, Durham worked as a Chinese food delivery driver and stayed out of trouble.
Prison changed him, he said.
Durham said he saw “things I’m going to carry with me for the rest of my life.”
On the outside, he felt people saw him as just a criminal. Inside prison, he wasn’t criminal enough.
“He said, ‘I’m losing myself,’” recalled his mother, Brandi Davis.
“To me it was like, ‘Wow, this kid has shown he can make the right choices, and they still thought he needed to be imprisoned for eight years,’” Davis said.
While Durham was serving his sentence, Davis spent her days advocating for his release. She joined with the Last Prisoner Project, a nonprofit drug policy reform organization, to pursue clemency.
Barry Grissom, a former U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas under the Obama administration, represented Durham through his work as legal counsel for the Last Prisoner Project. Durham’s plight isn’t new in Kansas, he said in a news release on the day of Durham’s release.
He said Kansas ought to decriminalize marijuana possession, use and production and craft public policies that regulate and tax it like alcohol.
“To fail to do otherwise means taxpayer dollars are wasted on investigation, interdiction, prosecution and incarceration of individuals, thereby depriving law enforcement from utilizing those funds for more meaningful law enforcement measures to keep us safe in our communities,” Grissom said
Why Has Fentanyl Become Tool For US to Shift Blame?
The Global Times provided a detailed analysis of the origins and developments of the fentanyl crisis in the US in yesterday’s in-depth report, highlighting the role of the American pharmaceutical industry and the negligence of government regulatory agencies.
In today’s follow-up report, we reveal why the US government continues to shirk responsibility for the fentanyl abuse crisis, shifting the blame onto other countries, using it as a tool for extortion and attacks against China.
China was, in fact, the first country in the world to officially scheduled all fentanyl-related substances in 2019. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning recently stated that China has carried out extensive and in-depth counternarcotics cooperation with the US, which has been highly productive.
“China remains ready to continue counternarcotics cooperation with the US on the basis of equality, mutual benefit and mutual respect. We hope the US will not take China’s goodwill for granted and work to ensure that the hard-won positive dynamics will stay in the counternarcotics cooperation,” Mao said.
Conflating Border Issue With Fentanyl Crisis
According to US media outlets, in this year’s US elections, both Republican and Democratic presidential candidates reached a rare consensus – the American drug problem is entirely the fault of drug dealers.
Republicans have heavily criticized Democrats for allowing fentanyl to surge into the country, while Democrats have responded by claiming that they have cracked down on fentanyl traffickers, media reported in October.
Statistics from AdImpact, an American advertising company, show that in September, Republicans spent over $11 million on TV ads accusing Democrats of contributing to fentanyl trafficking, while Democrats spent almost $18 million to defend themselves, highlighting their efforts in combating trafficking.
The New York Times reported in July that Donald Trump’s first television ad attacking Harris in the summer featured footage of her dancing at an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop music and images of migrants crossing the border. The ad claimed that “on Harris’ watch,” over 250,000 people died from fentanyl overdose. The 30-second ad also displayed the slogan “Failed. Weak. Dangerously Liberal.”
Facing attacks, Harris emphasized that during her visit to the US-Mexico border in September, she would make disrupting fentanyl’s flow into the US a top priority.
A spokesperson for the Harris campaign stated that she would target the global fentanyl supply chain and fight for more support for Americans battling addiction, NBC News reported.
A report noted in October that this consensus reflected by both parties represents a shared sentiment among American voters – that most fentanyl comes from Mexico, and the country’s approach to drug addiction has become hardening.
Regarding why both parties choose to link border crossings with the fentanyl crisis, Erika Franklin Fowler, a professor at Wesley University, analyzed, “It’s an easy shortcut in a 30-second commercial to tie a broader issue to one that has an easy explanation.”
Workers Can’t Sue Employers Who Violate New Jersey’s Marijuana Anti-Discrimination Law, Federal Court Says, Siding With Walmart
A federal appeals court panel sided with Walmart this week, ruling that although New Jersey explicitly forbids employment discrimination against marijuana users, private individuals are unable to sue employers under that law because it failed to create any specific remedies.
“The lack of an express remedy is better understood as a deliberate choice not to provide a remedy rather than an oversight of an intended remedy,” Judge Peter Phipps, a Trump appointee, wrote in the new opinion for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
That interpretation, Phipps continued, “is reinforced by the New Jersey Legislature’s comparative responsiveness in enacting safeguards against other forms of employment discrimination.”
The case stems from a 2022 lawsuit filed by Erick Zanetich, whom Walmart denied a job as a security guard after he tested positive for marijuana. Zanetich asserted that the drug screening policy was unlawful under New Jersey’s anti-discrimination law, which is included in the Cannabis Regulatory Enforcement Assistance and Marketplace Modernization Act (CREAMMA).
CREAMMA was passed by New Jersey lawmakers after citizens voted in 2020 to amend the state constitution to legalize marijuana.
At the district court level, Judge Christine O’Hearn, a Biden appointee, had dismissed Zanetich’s case, ruling that only a state cannabis board can enforce the law and that private individuals don’t have a right of action to sue. Zanetich appealed.
The appeals panel’s 2–1 ruling, handed down on Monday, also denied Zanetich’s request to ask the New Jersey Supreme Court to decide the issue.
Phipps wrote that sending the matter to the state’s high court “is an act of judicial discretion…and here none of the common considerations associated with the exercise of that discretion counsels strongly in favor of the certification.”
As for the importance of the case, he said the issues neither “involve questions of state constitutional law, nor are they particularly transcendental.”
GOP Leaders Blocked Schumer’s Push To Include Marijuana Banking Reform In Government Funding Bill, Senate Source Says
Republican House and Senate leadership “openly and solely blocked” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) attempt to include bipartisan marijuana banking legislation in a government funding bill, a Senate source familiar with the negotiations tells Marijuana Moment.
As bicameral lawmakers have worked to put together a continuing resolution to keep the government funded, Schumer repeatedly urged colleagues across the aisle to incorporate the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act, to no avail. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) killed that prospective deal, the source said.
“Schumer pushed for SAFER Banking at the negotiation table in the CR multiple times. This week, both Speaker Johnson and Leader McConnell strongly rejected it,” they said. “For years some Republicans have done a dance telling marijuana businesses that they supported SAFER, while Republican leadership has openly and solely blocked it at every turn.”
Marijuana Moment reached out to Johnson’s and McConnell’s offices for comment, but representatives were not immediately available.
The majority leader said following the election that he remained committed to moving the SAFER Banking Act during the lame duck session, and that he was eyeing the must-pass stopgap funding legislation to get that done.
Schumer could in theory still put the cannabis banking bill on the floor for Senate consideration as a standalone measure. But even if it did pass with the steep 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster in the chamber, the thinking is that it wouldn’t be worth the effort considering Johnson’s obstinance and unlikeliness to bring it to a vote in the House, the Senate source said.
Last month, Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), the GOP lead sponsor of the SAFER Banking Act, told Politico that he wanted to see the measure “get done before the end of the year.” Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) separately said he’s “hoping to get something done” on cannabis banking through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), but that prospect is similarly in doubt.
Notably, a Republican senator, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), told AskAPol that he considers the SAFER Banking Act a “half-assed” measure that should simply be incorporated into legislation to create a comprehensive federal regulatory framework for marijuana.
Getting the banking reform enacted during the lame duck could be pivotal following last month’s election that put Republicans back in the Senate majority at the same time that they held onto the House. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) was elected by his peers to serve as majority leader, and he’s opposed to the cannabis banking bill, further complicating its pathway to passage under the next Congress.
Top Ohio Lawmaker Wants To Restrict Marijuana Homegrow Rights And Strengthen THC Potency Caps
Republican lawmakers in Ohio are once again aiming to scale back parts of the state’s voter-approved marijuana legalization law, looking to a proposal from last year that would have decreased allowable THC levels in state-legal cannabis products, reduced the number of plants that adults can grow at home and increased costs for consumers at dispensaries.
Those provisions, backed by Senate President Matt Huffman (R), were added to separate House legislation last year and passed by the Senate. House lawmakers ultimately blocked the Senate changes, however, with some members emphasizing the importance of protecting the will of voters, who passed the legalization law on a 53–47 margin in November 2023.
Come next month, however, Huffman will take over as speaker of the House, having won a seat in last month’s election and subsequently being chosen for the leadership role by colleagues. The move is widely expected to give Huffman new power to push his marijuana proposal forward.
“There were some fundamental flaws in the initiative that was introduced and passed by the voters, which you usually have when there’s not a vetting from all sides,” Huffman told reporters last week about the voter-approved marijuana law. “The bill that the Senate passed last December addresses many of those things.”
Initially, changes backed by Hoffman would have eliminated home cultivation rights entirely for Ohio adults and criminalized all cannabis obtained anywhere other than a state-licensed retailer. Those amendments would have also reduced the marijuana possession limit, raised sales tax on cannabis purchases and diverted funding away from social equity programs and toward law enforcement.
Study Finds Frequent Cannabis Use Doesn’t Cause Paranoia, Lower Motivation
Recent research on the effects of regular marijuana usage disproves popular perceptions about the drug by showing no connection between habitual users’ decreased motivation or paranoia. The study found no indication of a marijuana-induced hangover the following day.
One of the unexpected results was that long-term users did not exhibit a decline in desire or effort-exertion willingness, either due to internal or external factors. In fact, consumers who used the product more frequently claimed to be more motivated and to have experienced more negative emotions and impulsivity.
The study highlights both expected and unexpected results, challenging misconceptions surrounding cannabis’ effects. The researchers attribute much of the misunderstanding to cannabis’ historical criminalization, which has skewed perceptions of the drug and its users. According to the authors, even though cannabis is widely used, especially when compared to tobacco, alcohol and caffeine, little is known about how it affects regular users in daily life.
Reddit served as a source for the study’s participants, who had to be at least 21 years of age and from Canada or the United States. Participants were required to use cannabis at least three times weekly for recreational purposes. Throughout the weeklong study period, participants completed a 30-minute baseline assessment and a brief assessment five times daily between 10 a.m. and 11 p.m.
The study found negligible influence on motivation, defying popular belief. Interestingly, the study indicated that people like to become high. In addition to feeling less stressed and afraid, chronic users reported feeling a variety of good emotions while high, including amazement, inspiration and thankfulness.
Interestingly, and against widespread perceptions, chronic users’ levels of paranoia did not rise when they got high. However, it was associated with decreased momentary conscientiousness, indicating reduced self-control and organization.
Although cannabis intoxication had short-lived effects on chronic users’ emotional states, there was little evidence of a hangover the next day. Additionally, frequent users reported greater negative emotions but also higher motivation compared to less frequent users.
While the study could not conclusively determine causality, it suggested a complex relationship between cannabis use and emotional states. The authors acknowledge limitations in participant selection, noting that the sample may not represent less frequent or novice users. Despite these limitations, the study provides valuable insights into the everyday experiences of habitual cannabis users, challenging misconceptions and paving the way for future research.
War On Drugs Has ‘Completely And Utterly’ Failed, United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Says
The United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights is calling on the international community to move away from punitive, criminal drug policies, saying that the global war on drugs “has failed, completely and utterly.”
“Criminalisation and prohibition have failed to reduce drug use and failed to deter drug-related crime,” Commissioner Volker Türk said on Thursday at a conference in Warsaw that included leaders and experts from across Europe. “These policies are simply not working—and we are failing some of the most vulnerable groups in our societies.”
Türk urged a shift to a more evidence-based, human rights-centered approach to drug policies “prioritising people over punishment.”
“We need to start treating the person, not punishing the drug use disorder,” he said, according to a UN press release. “Historically, people who use drugs are marginalised, criminalised, discriminated against and left behind—very often stripped of their dignity and their rights.”
Rather than ostracize or punish drug users, Türk said their perspectives should be included in discussions about how to craft policies that minimize harm. “We are destined to fail unless we ensure their genuine participation in formulating and implementing drug policy,” he said.
Texas Should Ban All THC Products—Including Delta-8—In 2025, Lieutenant Governor Says
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) announced Wednesday that lawmakers in the state Senate would move to ban all forms of consumable tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, in Texas.
Patrick, who presides over the Senate and largely controls the flow of legislation in the chamber, said the THC ban would be designated as Senate Bill 3—a low bill number that signals it is among his top priorities for the upcoming legislative session.
The Republican-controlled Legislature was widely expected to take aim at Texas’s booming hemp market, which has proliferated with thousands of cannabis dispensaries since lawmakers authorized the sale of consumable hemp in 2019.
That law, passed one year after hemp was legalized nationwide, was intended to boost Texas agriculture by permitting the commercialization of hemp containing trace amounts of non-intoxicating delta-9 THC. But Patrick contends the law has been abused by retailers using loopholes to market products with unsafe levels of THC, including to minors.
“Dangerously, retailers exploited the agriculture law to sell life-threatening, unregulated forms of THC to the public and made them easily accessible,” Patrick said in a statement announcing the measure late Wednesday. “Since 2023, thousands of stores selling hazardous THC products have popped up in communities across the state, and many sell products, including beverages, that have three to four times the THC content which might be found in marijuana purchased from a drug dealer. ”
Texas has not legalized marijuana in any form for broad use.
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