Tag: the war on (some) drugs

‘Gas station heroin.’ TN passes full kratom ban after weeks-long debate over effects

Tennessee lawmakers have passed a full ban on kratom, derived from a Southeast Asian plant, following a weeks-long debate over its safety and effects.

“Kratom contains compounds that activate opioid receptors in the brain- mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH)– and is often referred to as gas station heroin,” said Rep. Esther Helton-Haynes, R-East Brainerd during a committee hearing in March.

Kratom supporters say, in its natural form, the plant can help curb opioid addiction and manage pain.

But Tennessee legislators sided with caution this week, aligning with advocates who argue kratom in any form can ultimately lead to addiction and potentially deadly overdoses.

Tennessee now joins about eight other states in banning kratom entirely, including its natural form.

“This bill addresses the growing public health and safety concern surrounding kratom, often marketed as a natural supplement,” Helton-Haynes said. “But natural does not mean safe.”

The kratom plant has been used as an alternative to opioids, sometimes as people wean off heroin, and as a natural pain reliever.

In recent years, however, kratom has been modified into a stronger form known as 7-hydroxymitragynine, or “7-OH,” often sold at gas stations and vape shops as a supplement or extract. Some experts say it is 13 times more potent than morphine.

“I never heard of kratom until the day we lost him,” said Karen Davenport, a mother from Chattanooga who is advocating against the substance, working with lawmakers to get the bill passed. “Like many families, we didn’t realize the risk because kratom is often marketed as a safe, natural product.”

Davenport’s 27-year-old son, Matthew, died after taking kratom, which interacted with his prescription medication. The bill has since been named “Matthew’s Law.”

“What he didn’t know was there’s an exhaustive list of more than 250 drug interactions that can cause a lethal reaction with kratom,” she said.

There remains ongoing debate over whether natural kratom is safe or beneficial. Some states are potentially revising bans. A petition circulating online includes testimonials from some of the estimated hundreds of thousands of kratom users in Tennessee, who say they use it to help with issues like arthritis, back pain and Sciatica.

Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have maintained a generally negative stance on kratom and have not approved it for any medical use.

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3 Disasters That Legal Weed Didn’t Unleash—Despite the Forecasts

Happy 4/20 to the millions of people across the country who celebrate, including much of the Reason staff. As someone who’s never been interested in pot—save for one summer in college—or drugs in general, I’ve always found the day a bit strange. But as I’ve grown older (and more libertarian), I’ve come to appreciate it as a celebration of personal freedom. 

I’m not the only one who has changed his mind. In 2025, 64 percent of Americans thought marijuana should be legal for both medical and recreational use (up from 31 percent in 2000), according to Gallup. Meanwhile, 40 states have legalized medical use of cannabis, including 24 that also allow recreational use. Late last year, President Donald Trump ordered that marijuana be reclassified from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, putting it in the same category as prescription drugs such as “ketamine, anabolic steroids, and Tylenol with codeine,” explains Reason‘s Jacob Sullum.

Prohibitionists warned that legalization would have dire consequences. Here are some of their predictions that have yet to come true. 

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Trump Signs Order To Accelerate Legal Access To Psychedelics For Patients With Mental Health Conditions

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at expanding and expediting research on the potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelics, a move aimed at making substances such as psilocybin, ibogaine, LSD and MDMA more readily available to patients in clinical settings.

The move will “dramatically accelerate access to new medical research and treatments based on psychedelic drugs,” Trump said.

The order, which the president signed in the Oval Office on Saturday alongside federal health officials, advocates and the podcaster Joe Rogan, directs the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue new guidance for researchers on conducting clinical trials on psychedelics.

“In many cases, these experimental treatments have shown life-changing potential for those suffering from severe mental illness and depression—including our cherished veterans,” Trump said.

Steps taken under the order will “clear away unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles, improve data sharing among the FDA and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and facilitate fast rescheduling of any psychedelic drugs that become FDA approved,” the president said.

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Mamdani Condemns NYPD Officers After Chaotic Arrest Video Goes Viral

New York City Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned two NYPD officers after a chaotic arrest video out of Brooklyn went viral online.

The footage showed a violent struggle between two officers and a suspect inside a liquor store.

The incident occurred on Tuesday at a store in Brooklyn, according to a report from WNYW.

A source told the outlet that the officers were attempting to arrest a man they suspected of being involved in a drug deal.

The situation escalated quickly when the man repeatedly resisted arrest.

Video from the scene showed officers repeatedly punching the suspect in an effort to get him to the ground.

The lengthy video ended with the suspect being escorted out of the store in handcuffs.

The NYPD has since placed both officers on modified duty.

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed the move during a news conference on Wednesday.

She said the department’s Internal Affairs Bureau is reviewing the incident.

Tisch added that more information will be released as the investigation unfolds.

Mamdani, a socialist who supported the “defund the police” movement, weighed in on the video.

He shared the footage and issued a sharp condemnation of the officers, presumably without having all the facts.

“The violence used by NYPD officers in this video is extremely disturbing and unacceptable,” Mamdani wrote.

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Law now bans Ohioans from using Michigan’s cheaper cannabis

Despite changes to Ohio and Michigan’s cannabis laws, it is still cheaper for Ohioans to drive from Columbus to a Michigan dispensary than to buy marijuana in-state.

Ohio’s cannabis market was subject to legislative changes in the past month as Senate Bill 56 went into effect. The bill banned intoxicating hemp products like THC drinks and increased penalties and restrictions for adult-use cannabis. Data shows central Ohioans would save about $76.63 by driving to Michigan to purchase cannabis, but S.B. 56 now makes possessing cannabis purchased out of state illegal. See previous coverage of S.B. 56 in the video player above.

Because cannabis is federally illegal and state borders are federal jurisdiction, it has always been illegal to cross state lines with cannabis. Previously, the law prevented Ohioans from bringing cannabis from Michigan into Ohio, but not from using cannabis purchased in Michigan within the Buckeye state.

S.B. 56 changes the legality of consuming or possessing cannabis purchased out of state. Under S.B. 56, legal cannabis only extends to legal home-grown marijuana or cannabis purchased at a licensed Ohio dispensary. The law means any cannabis purchased out of state is illegal possession.

Although Ohioans have been able to legally purchase and use recreational cannabis since August 2024, some Ohioans still crossed the border to purchase marijuana more cheaply. Four months into legalization, an ounce of marijuana flower cost more than $200 in Ohio and around $91 in Michigan. At the time, Ohioans would save over $100 on average by driving to Michigan.

Over a year later, Ohioans still save if they purchase in Michigan. NBC4 averaged sales data for one ounce of flower for each month of 2026 in both Michigan and Ohio. The closest Michigan dispensary to Columbus is around 174 miles away, so the average vehicle could make a round trip using about one tank of gas. Gas costs were calculated using the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s average gas pricing data for each month.

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Virginia Governor Wants Amendments To Marijuana Sales Legalization Bill, Including Delayed Market Launch

Virginia’s governor is requesting that legislators make amendments to a bill to legalize recreational marijuana sales that they sent to her desk last month.

On Monday, Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) returned the measure with suggested changes—including pushing back the launch date for sales to begin by six months, from January 1, 2027 to July 1, 2027.

The move will “allow for additional time to implement a legal market safely and curb the illicit market,” a press release from the governor’s office says.

“Five years ago, the Commonwealth took the first steps to legalize marijuana—and for five years, the work sat unfinished,” Spanberger said. “We are working to set up a marketplace that is controlled, regulated, and responsible—because legal markets only succeed when there are clear guardrails and enforcement to back it up.”

“To keep our next generation safe, we must also ensure real consequences for vape shops that have spent years targeting Virginia’s kids,” she said. “We need to rein in these shady businesses and make sure a legal marijuana market does not make the problem worse.”

Under current law, adults over 21 can legally possess up to 1 ounce of cannabis. The bill as approved by lawmakers would have increased that to 2.5 ounces, but Spanberger wants lawmakers to change that to 2 ounces.

The governor’s proposal will also “strengthen the enforcement provisions” in concert with a related bill lawmakers sent her on the issue “to put a greater focus on consumer and product safety,” her office’s press release said.

Spanberger is additionally proposing that the cannabis excise tax in the bill increase from 6 percent to 8 percent after July 1, 2029, and that regulators be allowed to license only up to 200 retail marijuana dispensaries prior to 2029 instead of the 350 included in the initial wave in the bill as passed by lawmakers.

The legislature is set to reconvene to address the governor’s proposal on April 22.

Meanwhile, Spanberger signed several other cannabis bills on Monday—including measures to protect the parental rights of consumers and allow patients to access medical marijuana in hospitals. She also proposed amendments to legislation to provide resentencing relief for people with past convictions and to change rules for marijuana delivery services.

Personal marijuana possession and home cultivation of marijuana has been legal in Virginia since 2021, but former Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) twice vetoed bills to provide consumers with a way to legally purchase regulated adult-use cannabis.

The marijuana sales bills that Spanberger wants amendments to are SB 542 from Sen. Lashrecse Aird (D) and HB 642 from Del. Paul Krizek (D).

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Can cannabis save us from the apocalypse caused by antibiotics?

The world is on the brink of a new pandemic. This time, it won’t be caused by a new virus, but by an incurable infection. By 2050 , drug-resistant infections are projected to kill up to 10 million people annually, surpassing cancer deaths and exceeding the capacity of healthcare systems designed to combat infectious diseases. Pathogenic microorganisms have evolved like seasoned strategists, rewriting their genes to survive and evade drugs that were once easily effective. 

For many years, antibiotics have been prescribed as a miracle drug for a wide range of ailments, from sore throats to runny noses. In agriculture, they are used mixed into animal feed to promote livestock growth and increase survival rates in overcrowded farm environments.

Doctors in the hospital wards are beginning to notice something disturbing. Infections that used to clear up in a few days are now lingering, and patients are being readmitted with the same symptoms as before, but the same treatments are no longer effective. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is spreading throughout the hospital and thriving in places where disinfectants are ineffective. 

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CREs) emerged in intensive care units (ICUs) and  earned the nickname “nightmare bacteria” due to their ability to resist almost every antibiotic recorded.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa has corroded ventilators and surgical instruments, and drug-resistant tuberculosis has reappeared like a ghost from medical history, becoming more difficult to treat than ever before. Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have emerged in intensive care units , defeating one of our most powerful antibiotics and turning routine infections into medical crises. 

As the world faces the problem of antibiotic resistance, researchers are increasingly exploring the potential antimicrobial properties of plant-derived compounds. However, many of these plants remain heavily regulated, limiting research, clinical trials, and public access. Hemp is a prime example. Cannabinoids found in hemp have shown antimicrobial activity against certain bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms in laboratory studies.

Most of the findings described below are from laboratory (in vitro) or early preclinical studies. While these results are promising, they do not represent established treatments in humans. Clinical trials are needed to determine safety, dosage, and actual efficacy.

Cannabinoids as antibacterial agents

Cannabinoids can be described as nature’s quiet chemists. These plant-derived molecules, found in hemp and other hemp plants (including the lesser-known Trema micrantha ), are structurally different from conventional antibiotics, and this difference is significant. Instead of following the same biochemical mechanisms as common pharmaceuticals, cannabinoids interact with microorganisms in novel ways that science is only just beginning to understand. 

We’ll take a closer look at cannabinoids that have been most frequently reported to have antibacterial properties and explain why they are attracting increasing attention in modern research .

CBDa and CBD

Cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDa) have been demonstrated to exhibit antibacterial activity in laboratory studies. Antibacterial assays using resistant strains of Acinetobacter baumannii with CBD suggest that CBD may disrupt bacterial membrane integrity under controlled conditions. Acinetobacter baumannii is a Gram-negative bacterium, well-known as a causative agent of hospital-acquired infections, and is also notorious for its multidrug resistance. 

The same researchers observed that CBD synergistically interacts with gentamicin, meropenem, and colistin, lowering the concentrations needed to inhibit bacterial growth in vitro. While this may sound like a major breakthrough, further research is needed into the potential drug interactions and how they might affect users. 

Another study revealed that CBDa inhibits  biofilm formation in E. coli ATCC . Biofilms play a crucial role in bacterial antibiotic resistance. A biofilm is a structured bacterial community enclosed in the extracellular matrix, produced by bacteria themselves, protecting cells from environmental stress, immune responses, and antimicrobial agents. 

Biofilms not only increase survival rates in harsh environments but also promote the transmission of resistance genes, making infection treatment difficult and increasing the risk of chronic and recurrent infections. The anti-biofilm effect of CBD has also been reported against MRSA and Candida albicans, a fungus that produces biofilms . In laboratory studies examining bacterial biofilms, CBD showed activity equivalent to or greater than certain antibiotics under specific experimental conditions . These findings were obtained in vitro and have not been validated in human clinical settings.

CBD and CBDa restrict intermicrobial communication that modulates resistance strategies and toxin release. This is known as quorum sensing . By disrupting these communication networks, CBD weakens the collective strength of bacterial colonies. Several studies have suggested synergistic effects between CBD and certain antibiotics, suggesting that CBD may enhance the effectiveness of conventional drugs by weakening microbial defenses. This could have significant implications for future research on difficult-to-treat infections, although clinical application has not yet been proven.

Early studies have investigated  the potential activity of CBD against certain parasites, such as Echinococcus granulosus and Leishmania species.

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England’s £10BILLION annual cocaine habit: Users snorted almost 130 tonnes of the Class A drug in a YEAR according to official study that analysed sewage to find hotspots

Cocaine users in England are hoovering up almost £10billion-worth of the drug a year, a new study has suggested.

Home Office analysis of the amount of six narcotics detectable in the water supply suggest that the South American stimulant is by far the most-used Class A.

It estimated that between August 2024 and July 2025 cocaine with a market value of £9.8million, weighing 132,000kg or 129 tonnes, was used by people in England.

The data also showed where cocaine use was the highest, with Liverpool, Sunderland and Scotland topping the list.

In an additional worrying sign, the horse tranquiliser ketamine was the second most prevalent drug discovered by market value, with estimated use of 30,800kg worth £0.9billion.

Again, Liverpool was a hotspot of use, along with Brighton, Portsmouth, Norfolk and Bristol.

The Home Office’s Wastewater Analysis for Narcotics Detection (WAND) programme found that between 2021 and 2025, the biggest leap in drug use was MDMA, the main ingredient in ecstasy, up 232 per cent.

This was followed by ketamine (229 per cent) methamphetamine (61% per cent) and cocaine (26 per cent).

However it also found that heroin use had fallen 40 per cent in the same time period. 

Wand analysed the water at 50 treatment plants in England and Scotland, allowing it for the first time to estimate drug use on a national scale. 

It measures metabolites, by-products of drug use that are excreted in urine.

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