It's Time to End the "War on Drugs"

[NationalTitles18]

I sent that video to an AU engineering buddy. He said Jimmy Raine and Yellawood were working on a pine pulp block building system that’s very similar

I hope that outfit got a patent.

 

[MobtownK]

Birmingham to issue blanket pardons to thousands with marijuana convictions

The city of Birmingham will issue blanket pardons for more than 15,000 people with misdemeanor marijuana convictions dating back to 1990.

www.wvtm13.com

 

[NationalTitles18]

Whitmire: Alabama can’t kick its marijuana problem

But we can make sweet potatoes the state vegetable.

www.al.com

 

[MobtownK]

Whitmire: Alabama can’t kick its marijuana problem

But we can make sweet potatoes the state vegetable.

www.al.com

Although I'm no longer in Elmore County, I am family friends with the DA & have known him as long as I can remember.
I was glad to see his name was not with the 23.

 

[NationalTitles18]

It's a start if Ivey will sign it.

Alabama medical marijuana plan has passed Legislature

The Senate gave final approval to the bill for an intrastate program for the production and use of medical cannabis products for a wide range of conditions.

www.al.com

 

[Crimson1967]

Of nine drug decriminalization or legalization measures on state ballots last night—including two addressing hallucinogens and one covering all illegal drugs—not a single one failed. These were decisive victories, too, not close calls. And unlike some previous waves of pro-marijuana votes, which were concentrated in predictable areas, successful anti–drug war measures in 2020 spanned a diverse array of states.

Mississippi was one state that approved medical marijuana but now the state Supreme Court has thrown it out. But it seems to be more of a procedural issue of how the vote got on the ballot to begin with.

Mississippi Supreme Court overturns medical marijuana Initiative 65

Mississippi's Supreme Court has struck down the medical marijuana Initiative 65 passed by voters in November 2020.

mississippitoday.org

 

[crimsonaudio]

Mississippi was one state that approved medical marijuana but now the state Supreme Court has thrown it out. But it seems to be more of a procedural issue of how the vote got on the ballot to begin with.

Still a pretty awful look...

 

[Crimson1967]

Still a pretty awful look...

I agree and suspect they may have been looking for a reason to void it.

On a positive note, it cancelled a proposed initiative to put the old flag back.

 

[JDCrimson]

So in Alabama, we easily approve alcohol to go but struggle with passing medical Marijuana. Grandma I've says after approving alcohol to go, we are just keeping up with the times...

The moral, logical, and religious conflicts of the Republican Party knows no bounds.

 

[MobtownK]

She signed it!! It's a start.
Kind of surprised, but glad she did.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1394355183946244107

 

[NationalTitles18]

Ending this failed "war on drugs" will actually save and improve lives.

The Case for Using MDMA to Help Heal Victims of Trauma

A psychiatrist explores how a drug often associated with Burning Man could be a breakthrough in treating PTSD.

www.wired.com

 

[MobtownK]

Ending this failed "war on drugs" will actually save and improve lives.

The Case for Using MDMA to Help Heal Victims of Trauma

A psychiatrist explores how a drug often associated with Burning Man could be a breakthrough in treating PTSD.

www.wired.com

I wonder what benefits it would have in microdoses instead of the mood suppressors commonly used. The article is about 8 hr sessions, but it would be interesting to see the results of a prolonged microdoses.

Burning man? Hell it was at bluegrass festivals in Alabama in the early 2000s... burning man just gave it name recognition.

 

[NationalTitles18]

I wonder what benefits it would have in microdoses instead of the mood suppressors commonly used. The article is about 8 hr sessions, but it would be interesting to see the results of a prolonged microdoses.

Burning man? Hell it was at bluegrass festivals in Alabama in the early 2000s... burning man just gave it name recognition.

It appears that in the study, as designed, microdosing was not as effective. It may be that prolonged use of small doses, especially combined with psychotherapy, may be effective or that those with milder PTSD may benefit from smaller doses over a prolonged period. Obviously, this type of study is in its infancy and more study is needed.

MDMA Microdosing for Depression and Anxiety | Dr. Gustin's Blog | Blog | Medical Toxicology Expert Witness | Forensic Toxicology - Dr. Barry Gustin

Dr. Gustin is a well-known and respected Emergency Medicine and Toxicology expert who has testified for plaintiff and defense for the past 25 years. He is board-certified in Emergency Medicine and Forensic Medicine, and has Master's Degrees in Nutrition and Metabolism, Toxicology and Public...

toxicologyexpert.net

Quote:


The primary outcome was change in total scores on the the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale–IV (CAPS-IV) 1 month after the second session of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.


In the intent-to-treat (ITT) set, the active-dose groups demonstrated the largest reduction in PTSD symptoms at the primary endpoint. The mean changes in CAPS-IV total scores were −26.3 with the 125-mg dose and −24.4 with the 100-mg dose, compared with −11.5 with the 40-mg dose. However, the results did not reach statistical significance.


In the per protocol (PP) set, there was a significant main effect in change of CAPS-IV total scores at the 125-mg dose (−37.0; P = .01) and a trend toward significance with the 100-mg dose (−24.4; P = .10), compared to 40-mg dose (mean change, −4.0).


"Although significant group differences were detected only in the PP set for the primary outcome, over half of participants in the ITT set who received active MDMA doses reached a 30% or greater drop in CAPS-IV total scores compared to 16.7% in the 40 mg group," the investigators note in their report.


After the third MDMA session, both the 100-mg and the 125-mg dose groups showed further reductions in CAPS-IV scores, "providing evidence that an additional session significantly improved PTSD outcomes," they note.


"Importantly," they write, the gains were maintained over 12 months after all groups had received active doses of MDMA, with 76% of patients no longer meeting the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD.

 

[NationalTitles18]

After 50 Years Of The War On Drugs, 'What Good Is It Doing For Us?'

President Nixon called for an "all-out offensive" against drugs and addiction. The U.S. is now rethinking policies that led to mass incarceration and shattered families while drug deaths kept rising.

www.npr.org

 

[crimbru]

Oregon's Pioneering Drug Decriminalization Experiment Is Now Facing The Hard Test

Oregon's bold move to decriminalize small amounts of all hard drugs and expand treatment is now meeting the reality of implementation as the treatment community is divided over the way forward.

www.npr.org

 

[Padreruf]

Oregon's Pioneering Drug Decriminalization Experiment Is Now Facing The Hard Test

Oregon's bold move to decriminalize small amounts of all hard drugs and expand treatment is now meeting the reality of implementation as the treatment community is divided over the way forward.

www.npr.org

I am really close to becoming a libertarian on this...if you are over 18 and want to blow your brain out on drugs -- or alcohol -- then go right ahead. Just don't expect society to pay for your rehab or living expenses at any point. If you want freedom, then assume responsibility.

My only reservation is that if the age is 18 then 14-15 year olds will have greater access. Of course, they do already.

 

[Go Bama]

Oregon's Pioneering Drug Decriminalization Experiment Is Now Facing The Hard Test

Oregon's bold move to decriminalize small amounts of all hard drugs and expand treatment is now meeting the reality of implementation as the treatment community is divided over the way forward.

www.npr.org

Excellent read. Thanks.

 

[Padreruf]

Oregon is in a for a challenging time...as a pastor I counseled any number of addicts, both alcohol and drugs. I was compassionate and understanding...and largely unsuccessful except for the occasional person. I found that AA or NA had the best success rates -- and those were around 33%.

I watched wealthy families pour hundreds of thousands of dollars down the drain trying to rehab their adult children. I watched poor families bounce in and out of the legal system -- and public rehab counseling -- with little or no long term change. I've seen communities pour millions into rehab systems with little to no success.

Once a person is addicted their brain changes -- without the drug they feel down and only with the drug do they feel "normal." (Like coffee for me.)

The only "success" I have seen is a person taking responsibility for their actions while in the midst of a loving and supportive community who will hold them to honesty.

I guess I am lucky...my addiction is sugar.

 

[NationalTitles18]

It's a challenging time everywhere, @Padreruf . Fifty years of doubling down on stupid hasn't fixed the problem. Giving people convictions on their record that keep them from getting jobs hasn't helped. Putting them in prison only allowed them to learn how to be better and harder criminals. Nothing about this failed "war on drugs" has been a success but for oppressing the oppressed and enriching the rich while making the problem even worse.

It's not like we didn't already have a shortage of rehab facilities. We did hide the shortage by throwing people in jail. If OR will invest in the sector then hopefully some of these longstanding issues get resolved to some degree.

We generally don't throw alcoholics in jail unless they break another law like DWI, public drunkenness, or getting into a fight. We don't criminalize alcohol possession. We learned our lesson on that one and then failed to apply the lessons learned to battling drug addiction.

 

[Padreruf]

It's a challenging time everywhere, @Padreruf . Fifty years of doubling down on stupid hasn't fixed the problem. Giving people convictions on their record that keep them from getting jobs hasn't helped. Putting them in prison only allowed them to learn how to be better and harder criminals. Nothing about this failed "war on drugs" has been a success but for oppressing the oppresses and enriching the rich while making the problem even worse.

It's not like we didn't already have a shortage of rehab facilities. We did hide the shortage by throwing people in jail. If OR will invest in the sector then hopefully some of these longstanding issues get resolved to some degree.

We generally don't throw alcoholics in jail unless they break another law like DWI, public drunkenness, or getting into a fight. We don't criminalize alcohol possession. We learned our lesson on that one and then failed to apply the lessons learned to battling drug addiction.

I get it...and maybe decriminalization at some level will work...it may be that the entire nation needs to do this so the "worst" addicts will not descend on any one state like has been predicted there.