Tag: the war on (some) drugs

Kamala Claims She Will Legalize Recreational Marijuana in Last-Ditch Vote Pandering Scheme After JAILING People for Pot Possession

Kamala Harris took to social media on Sunday, just days before Election Day, with a claim that she will legalize recreational marijuana. Unfortunately for the Democrat presidential hopeful, she made her career on locking up individuals who were in possession of small amounts of weed.

“I will legalize recreational marijuana, break down unjust legal barriers, and create opportunities for all Americans to succeed in this new industry,” Harris said in a social media post on Sunday.

1,560 people were sent to state prison for marijuana-related offenses in California under then-state attorney general Harris.

“Under Harris’s six-year tenure, hundreds were sent to state prisons for marijuana-related offenses, crime records show,” The Washington Free Beacon said in 2019.

On a debate stage in Detroit, Michigan in 2019, Tulsi Gabbard, then a Hawaii representative and rival for the Democratic nomination lambasted Harris over her anti-pot record.

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DEA Marijuana Rescheduling Hearing Delayed Until 2025, Agency Judge Rules

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) hearing on the Biden administration’s marijuana rescheduling proposal is being delayed until 2025, Marijuana Moment has learned.

After DEA Administrator Anne Millgram signed off on over two dozen witnesses to participate in the hearing on Monday, Chief Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) John Mulrooney issued a preliminary order on Thursday signaling that the information provided on those set to testify was insufficient and requesting additional details and potential availability for a formal hearing in January or February 2025.

When the Justice Department proposed moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III in March following a scientific review, advocates and stakeholders had hoped the rule would be finalized this year. And DEA did schedule the hearing for December 2—after the presidential election but before the January inauguration that will see an administrative changeup.

Now the latest order from Mulrooney clarifies that won’t be the case.

The reason being is that DEA’s list of hearing participants who were selected and sent to the ALJ’s office provided “no indication in the four corners of the document as to whether the ‘participants’ support or oppose the [notice of proposed rulemaking] or how the ‘participants’ satisfy the ‘interested person’ definition set forth in the regulations,” the judge’s order says.

“Indeed, the [Participant Letter] contains only a list of persons and organizations accompanied by one or more email addresses, without the benefit of notices of appearance, addresses, or even phone numbers,” it says.

The order from the DEA ALJ says that selected participants must provide such details by November 12. DEA is mandated to provide “its counsel(s) of record who will be appearing in these proceedings, as well as any known conflicts of interest that may require disclosure” on the same date.

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JD Vance Asks Joe Rogan For Advice On Providing Psychedelics Access To Veterans After Being ‘Fascinated’ By Drug War History Lesson

Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), former President Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate, says he’s “fascinated” by the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, asking podcaster Joe Rogan for advice on a creating a possible “pathway” for providing access to substances such as MDMA and psilocybin for military veterans with serious mental health conditions.

Vance told Rogan that his overall philosophy on marijuana and psychedelics is “live and let live,” and he reaffirmed that he feels people should not be criminalized over cannabis. The podcast host also gave the senator a history lesson on marijuana prohibition that Vance said he had “no idea” about.

While the candidate has previously discussed his position that states should have the right to set their own cannabis policies, this is the first time he’s publicly weighed in on laws around psychedelics, though he made clear he’s “not committing to some public policy” and needs to “be careful with this stuff, especially six days from an election.”

After Rogan described research on the medical value of psychedelics and the lack of access to such substances under the current federal drug scheduling statute—as well as the racially discriminatory history of marijuana prohibition—Vance said he “had never heard about” those particular points.

“I’m a veteran too. I spent four years in the Marine Corps—went to Iraq, went to Haiti once,” he said. “What is the pathway, I guess? Or what do you think should happen for veterans accessing psychedelics?”

Rogan told the senator “there are so many anecdotal stories about veterans experiencing relief that I think it should be available to them, especially veterans.”

Vance followed up, inquiring about whether psychedelics access would be incumbent on approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“If it had a medical use, presumably, you would get it off of Schedule I [of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA)]. So why aren’t we—I’m just fascinated by this. This is the first time I’ve heard about this,” the senator said.

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NYC law used to shutter unlicensed weed bodegas is unconstitutional, judge rules

A Queens judge ruled Tuesday that the local law that let New York City rapidly shut down more than 1,000 businesses accused of selling cannabis without licenses is unconstitutional because it denies shop owners their rights to due process.

The decision calls the legality of the closures into question and has the potential to halt the city’s enforcement effort, known as Operation Padlock to Protect, which Mayor Eric Adams has repeatedly hailed as a success.

Liz Garcia, a spokesperson for the mayor, said Tuesday the city will appeal the ruling.

“Illegal smoke shops and their dangerous products endanger young New Yorkers and our quality of life, and we continue to padlock illicit storefronts and protect communities from the health and safety dangers posed by illegal operators,” she said.

The city updated its administrative code earlier this year to make it easier to shut down stores suspected of selling cannabis without licenses. But New York Supreme Court Justice Kevin Kerrigan has ruled that the portions of the city’s law that allow the sheriff to unilaterally decide whether to keep a store closed for up to a year are unconstitutional.

Under the law, the owner of a business that has been padlocked for allegedly selling cannabis without a license is entitled to a hearing with the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings, or OATH. After listening to the facts of the case, the hearing officer makes a recommendation as to whether the store should remain closed.

But the ultimate decision is up to the sheriff — and lawyers representing businesses that have been shut down say it’s not uncommon for the sheriff to ignore OATH’s recommendations.

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Medical Marijuana Improves Chronic Pain And Mental Health Symptoms While Reducing Prescription Drug Use, Study Shows

Results of a new yearlong study of prescribed medical marijuana for patients with chronic pain and mental health issues observed an association between cannabis use and symptom improvement, with most side effects limited to dry mouth and sleepiness. At least some of the benefits appeared to fade as the 12-month study period went on, however.

The report, published in the Journal of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy, evaluated the effects of medical marijuana on 96 patients over the course of the yearlong observational study, with measurements of pain, depression, anxiety and sleep problems taken at three, six and 12 months.

“We found that the use of medical cannabis was associated with reduced pain during the first 6 months and improved mental well-being over 12 months,” wrote authors, from the University of Melbourne in Australia. “Patients reported not only less pain but also experienced reduced interference from pain in their daily functions. Furthermore, they reported decreased use of pain medications and a large proportion felt that their pain symptoms had significantly improved, as reflected in their reported changes in the severity of pain.”

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GOP Congressman Who Was Arrested For Marijuana Says He’ll Vote Against Florida Legalization Ballot Initiative

A GOP congressman who was previously arrested over marijuana says he will be voting against a Florida ballot initiative to legalize cannabis for adults in the state.

In an interview with Florida’s Voice on Friday, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) weighed in on several ballot measures on ballot for next month’s election. And while he said last month that he was undecided on marijuana legalization, the congressman has now affirmed he will be a “no” vote on the initiative.

“I’m opposed to it. I think if you’re going to do something like this, this is something that the legislature should weigh in on, similar to what happened with medical marijuana about a decade ago,” he said. “It should not go into the Constitution.”

In fact, Florida voters did overwhelmingly approve medical marijuana legalization as a constitutional amendment at the ballot in 2016. The legislature helped to facilitate its implementation after the fact and has continued to build upon the reform, but it was added to the Constitution via voters after years of inaction by lawmakers, as advocates hope will be the case with adult-use legalization this year, too.

“I think when you get into these types of policy issues—and no matter how you feel about marijuana or abortion—those are policy issues,” Donalds said, also referring to a reproductive rights measure that’s on the ballot in his state. “They’re not constitutional issues, and I think that’s left to the hands of the legislature and the governor. That’s what should happen.”

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Legalizing Natural Marijuana Is The Pathway To Protect Public Health, Not Pretending Synthetic THC Products Are Hemp

In a recent op-ed by the Reason Foundation titled “Banning Hemp Products Isn’t The Way to Protect Public Health,” the author correctly makes the case that bans are often ineffective and can push consumers toward more dangerous, unregulated markets. However, the Reason Foundation overlooks a crucial distinction in this case: that most “hemp products” referred to in the piece are in fact synthetic THC products, and they are sold as substitutes for natural—but federally illegal—marijuana.

The change in federal law has led to an explosion of unregulated intoxicating products in the marketplace that masquerade as “hemp” products.

Synthetically converted THC such as delta-8, HHC, THC-O, THC-P etc. are lab-created and do not exist naturally in large enough quantities for mass production. Yet, these molecules are being commercialized at scale in labs and sold outside the purview of regulation as “hemp.”

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Acetaminophen is unsafe for kids at any dose because it can cause AUTISM, review finds

A groundbreaking literature review by William Parker, Ph.D., has raised significant concerns about the safety of acetaminophen — commonly known as Tylenol — when administered to children. Published in Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics, the study reveals troubling associations between basic pediatric doses of the drug and severe, potentially permanent impairments in cognition and socialization in children. These cognitive impairments may lead to various levels of autism.

Acetaminophen, the gateway to autism

Acetaminophen, widely used for fever reduction, mild to moderate pain relief, and adverse events from vaccination, has long been associated with liver toxicity. Additionally, the scientific literature also provides evidence that the drug disrupts the nervous system of children in a way that can forever change how they communicate and process the world around them.

Dr. Parker, the CEO of the nonprofit research firm WPLab, highlighted a critical oversight in previous studies on this issue. These studies focused primarily on acetaminophen use during pregnancy, while neglecting postnatal exposure — an area where he suspects the greatest risk lies.

“Less than 20% of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) cases can be attributed to maternal acetaminophen use during pregnancy. The majority of risks occur after birth,” Parker explained in an interview with the Defender.

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15.5 Million Adult Americans Think They Have ADHD

Like most alleged psychiatric disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a fraud diagnosis. Put simply, and honestly, there is no abnormality in the brain that is ADHD.

The mental health and pharmaceutical industries can say it exists…that it’s a real brain disorder, but it just isn’t true. This doesn’t stop such august institutions like the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from reporting that fifteen and a half million American adults suffer from ADHD. Of course, this is the same federal agency that said the covid vaccine was effective, would stop people from getting covid and stop them from spreading covid. Oops!

Nevertheless, the recent report from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) claims that 15.5 million US adults are living with the condition and explain that “many are being let down by poor access to treatment.”

First let’s review what the American Psychiatric Association says about ADHD in its billing bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5. According to the nation’s top psychiatric doctors, ADHD in adults consists of the following:

An ADHD presentation that’s predominantly hyperactive/impulsive can be diagnosed if five or more symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity have persisted for at least six months. The person should also have less than five symptoms of inattention.[3]

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Cannabis Treatment Reduces Chronic Nerve Pain With ‘Minimal To No Side Effects,’ New Scientific Review Finds

A newly published review of research on marijuana and chronic nerve pain concludes that treatment with cannabinoids offers “significant relief from chronic pain” with “minimal to no side effects”—potentially providing patients a “life-changing alternative” to conventional pharmaceuticals.

“The positive effects of cannabinoids in pain management are clear and their merit in the treatment thereof is evident,” says the research, published last month in the journal Cureus. It adds that “the fact that cannabinoids are natural garners it support over traditional synthetic and semi-synthetic drugs.”

Authors considered thousands of research papers for the review, ultimately including in their analysis five placebo-controlled randomized control studies published between 2000 and 2024. They found that treatment with cannabinoids offered markedly more pain relief than did placebo.

“Compared to placebo, cannabinoids provided significant relief from chronic pain (33% vs 15%) as measured by the visual analog scale,” the paper says. “The transdermal application of CBD led to a more pronounced reduction in sharp pain, according to the neuropathic pain scale. Minimal to no side effects were recorded, further highlighting the potential benefits of cannabinoids.”

Authors, from Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Medical College, in Mauritius, noted that while there’s still “insufficient evidence available on their long-term adverse effects and drug interactions, due to their ambiguous legal status and heightened social taboos globally,” the results indicate that cannabinoids nevertheless offer a paradigm-changing alternative to pharmaceuticals.

“The potential benefit of cannabinoids is that they are naturally derived drugs that have already been shown to have the potential to effectively decrease chronic pain with minimal side effects as compared to the standard drugs being used,” the review concludes. “The ability of cannabinoids to provide pain relief with minimal side effects and concurrently be a naturally derived product may potentially be a life-changing alternative that the pharmaceutical market is in dire need of.”

The research looked specifically at neuropathic pain, caused by damage to or dysfunction of the nervous system and often associated with conditions such as diabetes, HIV/AIDS, shingles, multiple sclerosis and even side-effects from certain pharmaceutical drugs or radiation therapy. Treatment of such pain “is a complex endeavor,” the paper notes, “which often requires specialist care and intensive drug therapy.”

“Cannabis-derived drugs in their most effective formulation and dosage can be a major breakthrough in the treatment of chronic pain,” authors continue. “It is thus obvious that a greater emphasis should be put on medical cannabis as a treatment option through larger scale clinical trials.”

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