The World Wide War on Drugs #10 - Dag ter Bestrijding van Drugs

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Magic mushroom ingredient psilocybin could be key to treating depression - studies

Immediate reduction in depression and anxiety for up to eight months seen in patients with advanced cancer given a single dose of psilocybin

A single dose of psilocybin, the active ingredient of magic mushrooms, can lift the anxiety and depression experienced by people with advanced cancer for six months or even longer, two new studies show.

Researchers involved in the two trials in the United States say the results are remarkable. The volunteers had “profoundly meaningful and spiritual experiences” which made most of them rethink life and death, ended their despair and brought about lasting improvement in the quality of their lives.

The results of the research are published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology together with no less than ten commentaries from leading scientists in the fields of psychiatry and palliative care, who all back further research. While the effects of magic mushrooms have been of interest to psychiatry since the 1950s, the classification of all psychedelics in the US as schedule 1 drugs in the 1970s, in the wake of the Vietnam war and the rise of recreational drug use in the hippy counter-culture, has erected daunting legal and financial obstacles to running trials.

“I think it is a big deal both in terms of the findings and in terms of the history and what it represents. It was part of psychiatry and vanished and now it’s been brought back,” said Dr Stephen Ross, director of addiction psychiatry at NYU Langone Medical Center and lead investigator of the study that was based there.

Around 40-50% of newly diagnosed cancer patients suffer some sort of depression or anxiety. Antidepressants have little effect, particularly on the “existential” depression that can lead some to feel their lives are meaningless and contemplate suicide.

The main findings of the NYU study, which involved 29 patients, and the larger one from Johns Hopkins University with 51 patients, that a single dose of the medication can lead to immediate reduction in the depression and anxiety caused by cancer and that the effect can last up to eight months, “is unprecedented,” said Ross. “We don’t have anything like it.”

The results of the studies were very similar, with around 80% of the patients attributing moderately or greatly improved wellbeing or life satisfaction to a single high dose of the drug, given with psychotherapy support.

Professor Roland Griffiths, of the departments of psychiatry and neuroscience who led the study at Johns Hopkins University school of medicine, said he did not expect the findings, which he described as remarkable. “I am bred as a sceptic. I was sceptical at the outset that this drug could produce long-lasting changes,” he said. These were people “facing the deepest existential questions that humans can encounter - what is the nature of life and death, the meaning of life.”

But the results were similar to those they had found in earlier studies in healthy volunteers. “In spite of their unique vulnerability and the mood disruption that the illness and contemplation of their death has prompted, these participants have the same kind of experiences, that are deeply meaningful, spiritually significant and producing enduring positive changes in life and mood and behaviour,” he said.

Patients describe the experiences as “re-organisational”, said Griffiths. Some in the field had used the term “mystical”, which he thought was unfortunate. “It sounds unscientific. It sounds like we’re postulating mechanisms other than neuroscience and I’m certainly not making that claim.”

Ross said psilocybin activates a sub-type of serotonin receptor in the brain. “Our brains are hard-wired to have these kinds of experiences - these alterations of consciousness. We have endogenous chemicals in our brain. We have a little system that, when you tickle it, it produces these altered states that have been described as spiritual states, mystical states in different religious branches.

“They are defined by a sense of oneness – people feel that their separation between the personal ego and the outside world is sort of dissolved and they feel that they are part of some continuous energy or consciousness in the universe. Patients can feel sort of transported to a different dimension of reality, sort of like a waking dream.”

Some patients describe seeing images from their childhood and very commonly, scenes or images from a confrontation with cancer, he said. The doctors warn patients that it may happen and not to be scared, but to embrace it and pass through it, he said.

The commentators writing in the journal include two past presidents of the American Psychiatric Association, the past president of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, a previous deputy director of the Office of USA National Drug Control Policy and a previous head of the UK Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority.

The journal editor, Professor David Nutt, was himself involved in a small trial of psilocybin in a dozen people with severe depression in the UK in May. The ten commentators in the journal, he writes in an editorial, “all essentially say the same thing: it’s time to take psychedelic treatments in psychiatry and oncology seriously, as we did in the 1950s and 1960s.”

Much more research needs to be done, he writes. “But the key point is that all agree we are now in an exciting new phase of psychedelic psychopharmacology that needs to be encouraged not impeded.”

The studies were funded by the Heffter Research Institute in the USA. “These findings, the most profound to date in the medical use of psilocybin, indicate it could be more effective at treating serious psychiatric diseases than traditional pharmaceutical approaches, and without having to take a medication every day,” said its medical director George Greer.

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Canada's marijuana task force completes major federal report

Analysts predict Canada could have $4.5 billion industry by 2021; marijuana task force wraps up extensive report that is expected to include recommendations on everything from age limits to medical marijuana, safety and home grows

Canada’s marijuana task force announced Wednesday that it has fulfilled its mission and soon will deliver a final report to the government outlining recommendations for the country’s legal cannabis framework.

The report is being translated and will be provided to federal ministers and the public by mid-December, once it is in both official languages of English and French, according to a statement released Wednesday by Anne McLellan, chair of the Task Force on Marijuana Legalization and Regulation.

“It has been an honour for us, along with the other members of the Task Force, to have had the opportunity to engage with Canadians across the country who generously shared their expertise and perspectives on how the government should approach the legalization and regulation of cannabis,” she said in the statement. “We are pleased to announce that the Task Force has completed our work.”


The report — which is expected to include recommendations on a variety of topics such as age limits, medical marijuana, safety and home grows, according to CBC News — follows five months of research and consultations that included 30,000 responses to an online questionnaire, meetings with provincial and territorial governments, interviews with experts across a variety of fields, conversations with medical patients, and visits internationally to states such as Colorado and Washington.

Earlier this week, McLellan told the Globe and Mail that adapting to marijuana legalization will take a significant psychological shift by law enforcement, governments and residents:

Right now, production and possession of marijuana is illegal unless it has been authorized for medical purposes, but the government estimates the illegal marijuana industry’s size at $7 billion ($5.2 billion U.S.), annually.

Ottawa has committed to introducing legislation in the spring that will move marijuana “from a criminal regime, where this was an illegal substance with criminal sanctions – some of them very serious – to a legalized product in a regulated marketplace,” Ms. McLellan said. It’s important to move slowly, and deliberately, in implementation, she added.

“Most Canadians think it’s time to move away from the system we have. But they are less clear about words like ‘decriminalization’ and ‘legalization.'”

As Canada marches closer to legalizing marijuana, the country could have a $4.5 billion industry on its hands by 2021, financial analysts project.

Canaccord Genuity analysts Matt Bottomley and Neil Maruoka published a note this week estimating that by 2021, Canada will have 3.8 million legal recreational marijuana users and a demand for 575,000 kilograms, or roughly 1.27 million pounds, of recreational and medical marijuana, according to a Bloomberg report.

If Canada legalizes in 2017 and sales begin in 2018, the initial demand is estimated to be about 400,000 kilograms, or 882,000 pounds, the analysts said.

Canaccord’s Bottomley and Maruoka did not respond Wednesday to a request from The Cannabist for further comment.

Canada is poised to become the second country in the world to legalize marijuana, behind Uruguay, which legalized in 2013. Colorado was the first locale to allow legal sales of recreational marijuana, starting in 2014.

Bron: www.thecannabist.co

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Corrupte douanier gaat ondanks proces door met z'n praktijken | NOS

Vorig jaar oktober kwam de van corruptie verdachte douanier Gerrit G. vrij uit voorlopige hechtenis, omdat zijn vrouw ernstig ziek was. Het proces tegen hem liep door en mondde vorige week uit in een strafeis van 16 jaar cel. In de tussentijd ging G. gewoon door met zijn praktijken, blijkt uit stiekem opgenomen gesprekken die in handen zijn van de NOS.

Dit najaar voerde G. - inmiddels weduwnaar, maar nog steeds op vrije voeten - gesprekken met een vertegenwoordiger van drugsleveranciers uit Zuid-Amerika. Daarin vertelde hij onder meer dat een van zijn medeverdachten, drugscrimineel René F., achter de 'vergismoord' van 1 januari 2014 in Berkel en Rodenrijs zit.

Verder geeft hij volop smokkeltips en laat hij merken dat hij tegen betaling nog altijd bereid is om te helpen bij de invoer van drugs in de Rotterdamse haven. De gesprekspartner nam de gesprekken op.

Volgens het OM verdiende G. als douanier miljoenen door ervoor te zorgen dat containers met drugs niet werden gecontroleerd. Als medewerker van de afdeling pre-arrival had hij daarop veel invloed. In de zaak tegen hem staan ook René F. en Dennis van den B. terecht. Tegen hen eiste het OM 8 jaar en 12 jaar cel wegens drugssmokkel en omkoping.

Het opgenomen gesprek is bijzonder omdat G. tijdens zijn proces niet wilde praten. Hij beriep zich op zijn zwijgrecht. Tegen de vertegenwoordiger van de drugsleveranciers praatte G. wel honderduit, niet wetend dat zijn gesprekspartner alles opnam. Het eerste gesprek vond dit najaar plaats in een appartement in Rotterdam-Zuid.

G. lijkt niet erg onder de indruk te zijn van de aanklacht tegen hem wegens corruptie. Hij geeft in het gesprek gewoon weer smokkeltips. "Ik kan je verschrikkelijk veel vertellen. Ik weet hoe ze werken. Ik werk er al 35 jaar", zegt hij. Grote partijen drugs sturen, meer dan 500 kilo, is volgens hem onverstandig. "Want die worden in 99 procent van de gevallen al gemeld door de DEA of de politie vanuit het land van herkomst."

Een goede smokkelmethode is het verstoppen van kleinere partijen in lege containers, geeft G. als advies. Lege containers worden niet gecontroleerd en een partij van 150 tot 250 kilo merkt de kraanmachinist niet. En drugs verstoppen in schroot gaat ook vaak goed, concluderen de twee mannen. Wekelijks komen zo drugs de Rotterdamse haven binnen.

Luister hier naar het fragment waar G. verschillende smokkeltips geeft. De geluidskwaliteit is niet kraakhelder, maar goed te verstaan.

G. biedt in het gesprek ook zijn oude werkcomputer van de douane aan. Die was in beslag genomen bij zijn arrestatie, maar tot zijn eigen verbazing teruggegeven. Wellicht kun je die kraken en ermee inloggen in het computersysteem van de douane, oppert G. Luister hier naar het fragment over de computer van G.

Als hem wordt gevraagd wat er is gebeurd met vier containers met drugs, stelt G. voor iemand in het systeem te laten kijken of de containers in beslag zijn genomen. Dat is volgens hem niet zo moeilijk. "Er werken 1500 man bij de douane en iedereen kan kijken."

In een tweede gesprek bij hem thuis geeft G. aan dat hij nog steeds contacten heeft binnen de douane. Als tegen G. wordt gezegd dat er in de haven nog een container met verf en drugs staat, geeft hij tips hoe iemand zonder op te vallen in het douanesysteem kan kijken of de container gecontroleerd is. "Ik ga mijn uiterste best doen", zegt hij als hem 30 procent van de waarde wordt aangeboden.

Niet beseffend dat ook dit gesprek wordt opgenomen, vertelt G. dat hij vanaf 2012 samenwerkte met René F. en Dennis van den B. Hij zegt ook dat hij op verzoek van een man uit het Westland een partij van 10.000 liter grondstof voor xtc uit China heeft doorgelaten. Hij zou hiervoor anderhalf miljoen euro krijgen, maar heeft dat nooit gekregen.

G. heeft ook van René F. en Dennis van den B. nog een groot bedrag te goed, zegt hij. Uit het gesprek wordt duidelijk dat de twee ook nog miljoenen schuldig zijn aan de drugsleveranciers uit Zuid-Amerika. Hun vertegenwoordiger heeft de gesprekken met G. vermoedelijk opgenomen en laten uitlekken om de druk op F. en Van den B. te verhogen.

Het is nog onduidelijk wat de consequenties van de uitgelekte gesprekken zijn voor het proces tegen G. en zijn medeverdachten. Het OM is al gekomen met een strafeis, maar formeel is het proces nog niet ten einde. In een reactie zegt het OM dat het de opgenomen gesprekken ook in handen heeft. "We hebben een bestand gekregen en dat gaan we nu onderzoeken", zegt de woordvoerder.

De advocaat van Gerrit G., Jan-Hein Kuijpers, wil eerst nader onderzoek naar de authenticiteit van de opnamen voordat hij op de inhoud wil reageren. "En bovendien zal ik de rechtbank vragen om de man uit Colombia als getuige te horen."

Bron: nos.nl

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Silk Road Case Sets Precedent for Total Government Control of Currency | Fliuch Off Irish Water Ltd

By Alice Salles

The pursuit of justice in the United States has never been easy — or cheap.

In 2014, Texan Ross Ulbricht was convicted of founding and running the black market site known for drug sales, the “Silk Road,” under the pseudonym “Dread Pirate Roberts.” Due to his alleged involvement with the site, Ulbricht was convicted of drug trafficking and other charges in February 2015. Following a trial riddled with inconsistencies and likely corruption, he was sentenced to two life sentences.

While charges associated with an alleged murder-for-hire scheme were eventually removed from the indictment, a separate charge of “procuring murder” is still pending trial in Maryland. However, Ulbricht and his lawyers have always dismissed these charges, arguing there were multiple individuals who used the “Dread Pirate Roberts” name and that, regardless, no murders ever took place.

In order to help the Ulbricht family raise the $14,000 required to appeal Ross’s double life sentence for nonviolent charges, a group of free-thinking and libertarian-leaning economists, policy researchers, artists, authors, journalists, politicians, and entrepreneurs held a “Free Ross-a-thon” on Sunday, December 4th.

While the main goal of the event was to pool enough money to ensure the “printing and binding” of the “appeal documents for the court,” the event also sought to bring awareness to Ulbricht’s case and its context, which is deeply entrenched in the drug war.

During the event, many of the participants touched on drug prohibition — the ongoing federal and state governments’ effort to target all drug use and commerce. But one of the most compelling arguments linking Ulbricht’s case and the drug war came from Roger Ver, a bitcoin angel investor who supports him.

“The question isn’t: should drugs be legal or illegal,” Ver told viewers. “The question should be: Does each individual human being own their own body?”

Implying Ulbricht’s case is solely about an individual breaking immoral drug laws, Ver told the group and viewers he is “probably the only person on this call who has actually spent time in federal prison.” Ver continued that as a federal prisoner, “[he] got to see firsthand somewhere between 70 and 90 percent of the people [he] was there with were there for victimless crimes,” including individuals who were handed 15-year sentences for selling marijuana.

“Did morality change when politicians wrote down different words on a piece of paper?” Ver asked, answering his own question by arguing the problem is not what’s in the law. Rather, he argued, the problem has always been that the “laws were wrong to begin with.”

During the pro-Ulbricht event, Ross’s mother, Lyn Ulbricht, discussed other implications of the Silk Road case, drawing the conversation toward Bitcoin, a currency used heavily on the dark web exchange (establishment media has linked Bitcoin to dangerous online drug sales).

“I know you’re known for Bitcoin,” Mrs. Ulbricht told Bitcoin angel investor Roger Ver while thanking him for being such an important part of the Free Ross movement, “but you’re [also] a freedom fighter. You’re someone who cares about liberty and that is something I think is even more important than Bitcoin,” she continued.

“The reason I got involved in Bitcoin is because I’m interested in voluntaryism and voluntary human interaction,” he told Mrs. Ulbricht. After all, he continued, “that’s how everybody deals with everybody else, … with one giant, glaring exception and that’s the state.”

“If Starbucks uses some of its money to drop bombs, I wouldn’t shop there so why would I support the American empire,” he added, evoking the words of activist and radio host Derrick J. Freeman.

At the end of the day, the Silk Road provided a voluntary platform for drug sales using technology including Bitcoin, and his actions worked to subvert the government’s anti-drug policies.

While many have always insisted that the Free Ross movement is misguided, claiming they somehow have done a “great disservice” to efforts to end the drug war, in an article for the Foundation for Economic Education, economist Robert Murphy confirms that — with the exception of the murder-for-hire charges — all crimes Ulbricht is accused of committing are “victimless.” This has prompted libertarians and those who agree with libertarian principles to call for Ulbricht’s release.

That’s why this case and the subsequent coverage and debate are important: because they force us to discuss the drug war.

If Ulbricht did create a market that was, for some time, free from government interference, he helped countless consumers gain access to drugs they wouldn’t be able to obtain in a ‘normal’ setting, making him yet another victim of the drug war — after all, he wouldn’t have ventured into the deep web if it hadn’t been for the restrictions imposed by prohibitionist policies.

Ulbricht never personally sold drugs on his decentralized exchange, but rather, provided a platform for others to do so. Still, the U.S. justice system considers the fact that he might have created this marketplace at all to be a much more sordid crime than drug trafficking. As he was handed a double life sentence for what libertarians often call “victimless crimes,” many began to question the harsh ruling, pointing out New York City Federal Judge Katherine Forrest’s claims regarding Ulbricht’s double life term; she said the harsh sentence was “meant to serve as a message to discourage other people from following in Ulbricht’s path.”

But that’s not the only reason this case is relevant. It’s also important because it forces us to question the government’s intrusive tactics in pursuing particular cases, especially considering Ulbricht’s case sets a precedent that paves the way for the prosecution of digital currency users and entrepreneurs.

The Tech Side of Ulbricht: How the Silk Road Case Sets a Precedent

After the Ulbricht trial, two Silk Road investigators were convicted of using “pseudonyms to steal bitcoins from the site, [attempting] to extort money from Ulbricht, and also [having] sold him law enforcement information.” One secret service agent on the case confessed to stealing $800,000 worth of the digital currency. These facts alone serves as an example that despite the widespread coverage, few bring up the involvement of the corrupt agents in the justice system — and the possibility they may have tampered with evidence electronically by hacking into Ulbricht’s alleged account.

Recently, lawyers defending Ulbricht pointed out that a third corrupt agent may have been discovered in the case.

In recently unveiled private chats, Ulbricht’s pseudonym, Dread Pirate Roberts, talks to a user known as “albertpacino,” “alpacino,” or “notwonderful,” who offers “information about the law enforcement investigation into Silk Road” to the Silk Road creator in exchange for weekly payments.

Claiming these “chats didn’t appear in earlier versions of the forum logs shared by the prosecution and defense,” Ulbricht’s lawyers have suggested that “someone in law enforcement tampered with evidence to cover up those conversations.”

As the Ulbricht family gears up for yet another round of appeals in light of new evidence, it’s important to analyze Ross’s case in light of how the state has used him as an example to discourage similar subversive behavior from others.

With libertarianism and free association becoming more popular across the country, the idea that an individual accused of refusing to comply with the rules of the system could be set free certainly poses a threat to state dominance.

It’s clear that many agents within the government may have had incentives to push Ulbricht’s sentence to the limit. Nevertheless, these are just theories. We can only say for certain that there is something foul about this case once evidence is unearthed.

Until then, it’s important to discuss the obvious drug war-related themes associated with the case without forgetting to stress the importance of putting an end to an immoral set of laws like those that comprise, which only creates more deadly black markets. In the process, let’s not forget to bring awareness to how this case sets a precedent in other fields, one that may put other entrepreneurs and digital currency users in grave legal danger.

You can learn more about Ulbricht’s case and donate to his cause here.

This article (Silk Road Case Sets Precedent for Total Government Control of Currency) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Alice Salles and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11 pm Eastern/8 pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, please email the error and name of the article to [email protected].
Bron: www.fliuch.org

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'Verbod op partydrug 4-FA vooral gebaseerd op aannames' | NOS

De drug 4-FA is vanaf 1 april 2017 verboden. Maar waarom eigenlijk?

4-FA lijkt een blijvertje onder drugsgebruikers. Het aantal mensen dat dit jaar de designer drug liet testen bij het Trimbos-instituut is "flink gestegen" ten opzichte van 2015: toen ging het om 708 mensen. De officiële cijfers komen in januari.

Voor de zomer stond de drug nog bekend als 'xtc-light'. Volgens gebruikers is 4-FA, ook wel bekend als 4-FMP, minder intens dan xtc en hou je meer controle. Het onschuldige karakter van de drug verdween begin september: er kwam naar buiten dat mensen mogelijk hersenbloedingen hadden opgelopen na het gebruik van de drug.

Maar dat 4-FA nu door de overheid verboden wordt, is gebaseerd op aannames, zegt onderzoeker Tibor Brunt van het Trimbos. "Keihard bewijs over de schadelijkheid ontbreekt. Deze manier van verbieden is op dit moment vaak de enige weg voor beleidsmakers. Eigenlijk moet je iets pas verbieden na zorgvuldig onderzoek, maar dat duurt vrij lang."

Brunt is nu nog bezig met een onderzoek naar nieuwe drugs, waaronder 4-FA.

Bij artsen bestaat een sterk vermoeden dat afgelopen zomer twee mensen zijn overleden door het gebruik van 4-FA. Al blijft het altijd de vraag of 4-FA écht de doodsoorzaak was. "We gaan vaak af op wat een arts in kwestie kan concluderen", zegt Brunt. "Als hij iemand met ernstige verschijnselen ziet en daarbij wordt de drug in kwestie gevonden, kan het soms toch zijn dat de drug ten onrechte als doodsoorzaak wordt gezien."

"De arts kan niet in de celletjes kijken en zien dat die drug ook echt de fatale prikkel was. Zo goed kan je stoffelijke overschotten niet onderzoeken. Misschien heeft iemand wel net in het hooggebergte gezeten, had iemand zich slecht voorbereid op z'n drugsgebruik of is iemand genetisch kwetsbaar. Dat maakt zo'n conclusie heel tricky."

In de praktijk betekent het dat onderzoeksresultaten dus niet altijd worden afgewacht en een drug als 4-FA daarom gewoon wordt verboden, stelt Brunt. Op de zaken vooruitlopend dus.

Dat het Trimbos tóch waarschuwt, heeft alles te maken met de functie van het onderzoeksinstituut. Better safe than sorry, is de gedachte. "Omdat er doden zijn gevallen, kunnen we niet anders dan de stof verbieden."

Maar, zegt Brunt, we moeten ook niet te panisch en paniekerig gaan doen. "Drugs zijn nooit 100 procent veilig. Ik mag hopen dat elke gebruiker dat wel weet en anders bij ons informatiemateriaal zoekt over wat de risico's zijn. Het is ook niet zo dat elke keer als je iets neemt, je dan Russische roulette speelt."

Nee, het is inderdaad niet gek dat het Trimbos met zulke waarschuwingen komt, zegt hoogleraar verslavingszorg Wim van den Brink bij de UvA. "Het instituut vindt de lol die je ervan hebt niet opwegen tegen de risico's."

Voor veel gebruikers is 4-FA een vervanger van xtc. Als het aan Van den Brink ligt, wordt xtc gelegaliseerd. Dan heb je volgens hem een experimentele drug als 4-FA niet meer nodig. "Ik kijk anders tegen xtc-doden aan. Als je kijkt naar het aantal mensen dat xtc gebruikt en eraan doodgaat, dan is het niet zo heel gevaarlijk."

"Mensen moeten zelf uitmaken wat voor risico's ze willen nemen. Dat betekent dat mensen zich mogen beschadigen, als ze maar helder hebben wat de risico's zijn. Daar moet je als maatschappij zo weinig mogelijk tussen zitten."

Reguleren à la cannabis, dat zou voor Van den Brink ideaal zijn. "Via een coffeeshopachtige constructie. De mdma (de werkzame stof van xtc) kan dan door de staat zijn gecontroleerd of geproduceerd. Iedereen weet dan wat er in de pil zit en daar kan dan een bijsluiter bij." Op deze manier verwacht Van den Brink dat er minder incidenten zullen zijn en dat een deel van de criminaliteit verdwijnt.

Brunt is niet heel enthousiast. "Xtc is gewoon een gevaarlijk middel. Er is een groep die er extreem gevoelig voor is. Cannabis is een ander verhaal: daar vallen niet zo snel doden. Die risico's moet je niet over één kam scheren."

Bron: nos.nl

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Legal pot could still land buyers and sellers in jail | Local News | gloucestertimes.com

^{Friday, Dec. 2}

BOSTON — A voter-approved law makes it legal to possess marijuana next week but buyers and sellers still face arrest — and possible prosecution.

The law allows residents 21 and older to have up to an ounce of marijuana in public and up to 10 ounces at home, and to grow up to 12 plants on their property. It also authorizes retail sales and growing facilities, but those aren’t expected to open until 2018 or later.

Law enforcement from state police to local departments say they’ve received little direction from state officials ahead of the date when the law takes effect, on Dec. 15.

“There’s a lot of confusion because it’s going to be legal to possess something that you can’t legally purchase yet,” said Mark Leahy, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Police Chiefs. “We’ll have to see how this all plays out because there’s been no guidance.”

Under current law, possession of an ounce or less of marijuana is considered a civil infraction that carries a fine up to $100. Buying and selling pot is illegal, regardless of amount.

The Class D controlled substance also remains illegal under federal law.

Leahy said he expects police to continue making arrests for street sales of marijuana, deferring to prosecutors about whether to press charges.

“We don’t have any choice but to enforce the law as it exists and let the courts decide what to do,” he said. “That’s the only approach we can take because we can’t turn our back on it.”

It’s unclear if district attorneys will pursue cases for small pot deals. A spokeswoman for Attorney General Maura Healey said her office is “closely monitoring the situation” but hasn’t issued guidelines to prosectors.

State lawmakers are expected to propose a slew of bills aimed at regulating the pot industry, but that won’t happen until next year when the new legislative session convenes.

Jim Borghesani, spokesman for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, which pushed legalization, urges police to exercise discretion between when the law takes effect and when state-regulated retail sales are up and running.

“I don’t think it would be wise to arrest or prosecute people for something that is legal,” he said. “It’s not going to go anywhere in courts, so it would be a big mistake to bring cases forward.”

Borghesani said other states that legalized marijuana — including Colorado, Oregon, Alaska and Washington — experienced “gray areas” when possession was legal before sales were, and police did not target street-level deals.

“If they catch someone with 10 pounds, it’s different,” he said. “That’s trafficking and illegal.”

Legalization advocates worry about talk on Beacon Hill of pushing back the timeline for opening retail shops, which would prolong the uncertainty, he said.

“We think the timelines work,” he said. “We put them into the law for the very reason, that we didn’t want this to turn into the rollout of medical marijuana, which took years to get going.”

Question 4 passed with more than 53 percent of the vote, even with bipartisan opposition that included Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and Healey, a Democrat, as well as an organized, anti-legalization campaign.

Lt. Edward Guy, a spokesman for the Andover police, said his department has been sending officers to train on the new law’s requirements and how to detect impaired drivers.

Unlike a Breathalyzer that detects blood alcohol levels, there is no device for gauging marijuana impairment.

“It’s a strange situation because there are so many unknowns,” he said. “It’s a whole new world.”

As for street-level sales, Andover police will continue to make arrests and refer cases to the Essex District Attorney’s office, Guy said.

“Marijuana is still illegal under federal law,” he said. “That’s the way we’re going to look at it.”

Matt Allen, field director for the Massachusetts chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said voters who approved Question 4 “clearly sent a message that they wanted to see an end to the costly war on drugs … because it doesn’t work.”

“Arrests and prosecutions for marijuana offenses create criminal records that are barriers to housing, education and work,” he said. “Law enforcement should be looking at the big picture and not finding loopholes to continue going after people for low-level marijuana offenses.”

Allen said arrests for pot possession dropped nearly 93 percent in the six years after the state decriminalized marijuana possession under an ounce in 2008.

But as of two years ago, he noted, African-Americans were arrested for pot possession at a rate 3.3 times higher than whites, even though use is similar across racial and ethnic groups.

Peter Elikann, a Boston-based defense attorney, said the state needs to quickly regulate marijuana sales to clear up any confusion.

“Eventually there will be regulations on the sale of marijuana, similar to alcohol and cigarettes,” he said. “But until then it’s going to be hard to prosecute, because the law is so vague.”

Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for the Gloucester Times and its sister newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhi.com.

Bron: www.gloucestertimes.com

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Mexican military not meant to serve in drug cartel crackdown, top general says

Gen Salvador Cienfuegos encouraged soldiers to return to barracks a decade after being surrogates for police in conflict full of violence and human rights abuses

A decade after Mexico sent its soldiers into the streets to combat drug cartels, the country’s top general has said troops should head back to their barracks, arguing their role is ill-defined and counterproductive.

“Do you want us [back] in our barracks? Let’s do it. I would be the first to raise both hands so that we do our constitutional duties,” Mexican defence secretary Gen Salvador Cienfuegos said to the press. “We didn’t ask to be there [in the streets]. We don’t take any pleasure in it. None of us …. were trained to pursue criminals.”

The general’s rare and candid comments on Thursday came just days before the 10th anniversary of then-president Felipe Calderón’s decision to deploy the armed forces against drug cartels and organized crime.

The conflict, launched 11 December 2006, has cost almost 200,000 lives and left an estimated 28,000 missing. Soldiers have regularly been accused of human rights violations in the course of the crackdown, which has exposed shortcomings in Mexican policing and failed to establish order in many of the troubled corners of the country.

Calderón’s successor, President Enrique Peña Nieto, initially tried to turn the page on the drug war – mostly by staying silent on the subject and talking up other agendas such as the economy and structural reforms.

But soldiers still stayed in the street – something analysts attribute to public support for the crackdown and politicians’ failure to find alternative policies or successfully reform the police.

Mexico’s military has traditionally enjoyed high public approval, thanks to its role in responding to natural disasters and poor perceptions of police.

“We would love that this would have been resolved, that the police did the job that they are there to do, that they are paid to do, but don’t do,” Cienfuegos said. “There’s no rush. There has not been any rush for many years and we’re the ones confronting these problems.”

He added: “This isn’t something that can be solved with bullets; it takes other measures and there hasn’t been decisive action on budgets to make that happen.”

The army’s role in the crackdown on cartels has proved polemic at times, especially as the defence secretariat has resisted attempts at having soldiers face civilian justice for excesses committed.

After soldiers killed 22 suspects in an apparent summary execution in the town of Tlatlaya in 2014, only one soldier was convicted for disobedience and sentenced to a year in prison, while six others were declared not guilty,

The army’s activities on the night of 26 September 2014 – when 43 students were kidnapped and presumably killed by cops acting in cahoots with criminals – have also come under scrutiny. Cienfuegos, however, has denied investigators access to soldiers stationed nearby that night.

A 2015 survey of trust in Mexican institutions ranked the army third most trustworthy, trailing only universities and the Catholic church. The police, the president’s office, politicians and political parties ranked among the worst.

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Opnieuw vaten met drugsafval gevonden in Limburg | NOS

In het buitengebied niet ver van Heerlen zijn vanochtend op een aantal plekken vaten met drugsafval ontdekt. Eind november werden een paar kilometer verderop ook al vaten met afval van illegale drugsproductie gedumpt.

L1 meldt dat op drie verschillende plaatsen drugsafval is gevonden, zowel bij Heerlen als bij Nuth. Het is nog onduidelijk of de vaten afkomstig zijn van hetzelfde illegale drugslaboratorium als op 26 november. Toen werden, ook op een zaterdagochtend, op een parkeerplaats aan de Dokter Koolsstraat in Heerlen zeven grote vaten, tien kleinere vaten en aantal jerrycans met drugsafval gevonden.

Een half jaar geleden werden in de haven van Maasbracht zeventig vaten met drugsafval gedumpt.

In alle gevallen inspecteert de brandweer de vaten en stelt de omgeving veilig. Bij de vondst langs de Dokter Koolsstraat in Heerlen bleek dat uit een aantal vaten een onbekende vloeistof lekte. De brandweer heeft daarom de bestrating rond de vaten schoongespoten en het riool doorgespoeld.

Bron: nos.nl

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Nobel Peace Prize: Santos calls for 'rethink' of war on drugs - BBC News

The President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, has used his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech to call for the world to "rethink" the war on drugs.

He said the zero-tolerance policy might be "even more harmful" than all the other wars being fought worldwide.

Mr Santos' government and the country's biggest rebel group, the Farc, signed a peace deal last month.

The conflict it ends has killed more than 260,000 people and left millions internally displaced.

Accepting the prize for his efforts in the peace process, Mr Santos paid tribute to the families of victims of the conflict.

Has the war on drugs been lost?

Juan Manuel Santos: From hawk to dove

He said the "great paradox" of peacemaking was that "the victims are the ones who are most willing to forgive, to reconcile and to face the future with a heart free of hate", even while "many who have not suffered the conflict in their own flesh are reluctant to accept peace".

In a deviation from his prepared remarks, he asked the representatives of the victims present to stand and be recognised for their own efforts in the peace process, to much applause.

"I have served as a leader in times of war - to defend the freedom and the rights of the Colombian people - and I have served as a leader in times of making peace," he said. "Allow me to tell you, from my own experience, that it is much harder to make peace than to wage war."

Mr Santos said it was "time to change our strategy" on drugs, and that Colombia had "paid the highest cost in deaths and sacrifices" in the so-called war on drugs.

The term, coined by US President Richard Nixon more than four decades ago, refers to US-led efforts to stop drug production at its source. In Latin America this has included on-the-ground policing, and fumigation of coca fields from the air.

"We have moral authority to state that, after decades of fighting against drug trafficking, the world has still been unable to control this scourge that fuels violence and corruption throughout our global community," he said.

"It makes no sense to imprison a peasant who grows marijuana, when nowadays, for example, its cultivation and use are legal in eight states of the United States.

"The manner in which this war against drugs is being waged is equally or perhaps even more harmful than all the wars the world is fighting today, combined."

The Colombian government's peace deal with the Farc was struck after many years of negotiations.

It hit a surprise hurdle in October this year when 50.2% of voters rejected it in a referendum.

Just four days after the unexpected referendum result, it was announced that Mr Santos would receive the prize. In his speech, he said the nomination was "equally surprising" and "came as if it were a gift from heaven".

Working alongside the no campaigners, the government wrote a new deal which was signed last month.

Berit Reiss-Andersen, a member of the award committee, said the Nobel Peace Prize 2016 was "also intended as a tribute to the Colombian peace" who had "never given up hope of a just peace", and the negotiators and Farc guerrilla leaders also deserved "thanks and tribute".

There were many armed groups involved in decades of conflict in Colombia, including left-wing rebel groups and right-wing paramilitaries. In October the government announced it would start peace talks with the second-largest rebel group, the ELN.

Bron: www.bbc.com

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DEA laments that “media attention” is making it tough to put people in jail for pot

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In the Drug Enforcement Administration's annual survey of the nation's law enforcement agencies, heroin remained the top concern in 2016 — head-and-shoulders above all other illicit drugs — while marijuana was a drug of negligible concern. Only 4.9 percent of law enforcement respondents named it their most worrisome drug, down slightly from 6 percent last year.

Concern or not, marijuana remains illegal for all purposes under federal law, a policy the DEA emphatically reiterated this past summer. To that end, the DEA devoted 22 pages of its Drug Threat Assessment to pot — considerably more real estate than it devoted to, say, prescription painkillers (16 pages), which kill more than 14,000 people per year.

Many of those 22 pages on the idiosyncrasies of state-level medical and recreational marijuana laws, as well as marijuana use trends in legalization states and nationwide. Most of that information will be familiar to anyone who has been following the legalization story closely.

However, the DEA makes the interesting claim, not present in last year's Threat Assessment, that “media attention” to marijuana issues is making it more difficult to enforce marijuana laws and prosecute people who violate them. The agency also appears to blame the media for spreading inaccurate information about the legality and effects of marijuana use.

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Drukte en overlast nemen toe op de Wallen

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Bewoners zien de laatste jaren hun buurt verslechteren terwijl het aantal prostitutiepanden ruim een kwart is afgenomen.

Uit de veiligheidsindex van de Voortgangsrapportage Project 1012 van dit jaar blijkt dat de Burgwallen te boek staan als de minst veilige buurt van Amsterdam. De onveiligheid kwam tachtig procent hoger uit dan het gemiddelde in de stad.

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De afgelopen weken vonden verschillende geweldsplegingen op de Wallen plaats. Tegelzetter Robert Gerritsen uit Voorthuizen werd er doodgeslagen en afgelopen zaterdag ontstond opnieuw een vechtpartij. Donderdag ontstond op de Wallen een vechtpartij waarbij een man een vuurwapen trok en, tevergeefs, de trekker overhaalde.

Door het 1012-beleid van de ­gemeente wordt het aantal prostitutieramen, coffeeshops en andere ongewenste bedrijven fors teruggedrongen. Terwijl de traditionele ondernemingen in de hoerenbuurt slinken, schieten nieuwe toeristische bedrijfjes die teren op het roemruchte seksverleden van de Wallen - prostitutiemusea, red light tours, rederijen, en rondwandelingen door de hoerenbuurt - als paddenstoelen uit de grond.

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Make heroin available on prescription, official UK drug advisers say

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Responding to a sharp rise in the number of heroin-related deaths in recent years, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs said maintenance of drug treatment programmes was essential to prevent further increases.

Overdoses hit record levels in England and Wales last year, exceeding the number of deaths from road traffic accidents, according to official figures published in September, sparking criticism of the government’s approach to drugs and addiction services.

The ACMD’s recommendations come as the government plans deep cuts to local authority public health grants, the money which funds drug treatment services.

In a letter accompanying Monday’s report, the ACMD chairman, Les Iversen, told Amber Rudd, the home secretary: “The ACMD is of the view that death is the most serious harm related to drug use.

“In recent years, there have been substantial increases in the number of people dying in the UK where illicit drugs are reported to be involved in their death. The largest increase has been in deaths related to the misuse of opioid substances; 2,677 opioid-related deaths were registered in the UK in 2015.”

He added: “The most important recommendation in this report is that government ensures that investment in OST of optimal dosage and duration is, at least, maintained.”

However, drug treatment experts leapt on the report’s recommendations for the introduction of heroin-assisted treatment – where users are prescribed heroin to allow them to safely maintain their habit – and medically supervised injecting rooms.

Niamh Eastwood, executive director of Release, said that heroin prescription had been successfully trialled for addicts who had proved resistant to OST, and that the results of a similar policy in Switzerland had been positive. “It can be helpful in stabilising [addicts]; it keeps them away from the black market and allows them to maintain relationships with family,” she said.

twitter:

antmaertens twitterde op dinsdag 13-12-2016 om 13:33:01 "Er komt een nultolerantiebeleid”, zegt commissaris Johan Wonnink. “Het Antwerps beleid bewijst dat die aanpak werk… https://t.co/XwFfuToq1Q reageer retweet

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Zoveel drugs zit er in ons afvalwater | VTM NIEUWS
De Antwerpenaars zijn bij de grootste druggebruikers van Europa. Dat blijkt uit het jaarlijks rapport van het Europese Agentschap voor Drugs en Drugsverslaving (EMCDDA) dat waarden meet van het afvalwater in meer dan zestig Europese steden. Nergens werden meer sporen van cocaïne en amfetamines aangetroffen dan in de Scheldestad. Ook wat betreft het gebruik van MDMA staat Antwerpen in de Europese top twee.

In Antwerpen wordt 914,8 milligram cocaïne per 1.000 inwoners per dag geconsumeerd, zo leert een analyse van het afvalwater die in 2015 werd uitgevoerd. Daarmee is Antwerpen de ‘coke capital’ van Europa en gaat het steden vooraf als Londen en Barcelona. Brussel eindigt als elfde stad.

Bron: nieuws.vtm.be

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Rioolonderzoek: meer cocaïne gesnoven in Utrecht en Eindhoven | NOS

Het gebruik van cocaïne in Utrecht en Eindhoven is dit jaar fors gestegen. Dat zeggen wetenschappers die onderzoek deden naar drugs in het rioolwater van grote steden. Vandaag publiceert het Europese Agentschap voor Drugs en Drugsverslaving (EMCDDA) de resultaten van het jaarlijks rioolonderzoek in meer dan zestig Europese steden, waarvan drie in Nederland.

Opvallend is dat in Utrecht en Eindhoven het cocaïnegebruik na een jarenlange afname weer sterk is toegenomen. De meest actuele cijfers van Amsterdam, de derde stad in Nederland die werd onderzocht, zijn nog niet beschikbaar. Vorig jaar was de hoofdstad nog koploper van Europa.

In Utrecht zijn twee keer zoveel cocaïneresten teruggevonden in het riool als vorig jaar. Volgens onderzoekers wordt er gemiddeld een halve kilo coke per dag gebruikt in die stad. In Eindhoven is dat zelfs nog iets meer, terwijl de stad minder inwoners telt.

Waarom het cocaïnegebruik in de twee steden is toegenomen, kunnen de onderzoekers niet verklaren. "Het zou ermee te maken kunnen hebben dat de prijs van cocaïne dit jaar is gedaald en er meer dan ooit in omloop lijkt te zijn", oppert hoogleraar milieuchemie Pim de Voogt.

Het Trimbos Instituut kan niet bevestigen dat dit jaar daadwerkelijk meer cocaïne wordt gebruikt. "Afgaand op wat wij horen, zijn zowel het gebruik, de kwaliteit als de straatprijs stabiel", zegt Daan van der Gouwe van Trimbos.

Uit het rioolwateronderzoek blijkt verder dat xtc onverminderd populair is. In Nederland worden meer xtc-pillen geslikt dan in andere Europese landen. De synthetische drug methamfetamine (crystal meth), die al jaren populair is in de VS, wordt hier nog steeds nauwelijks teruggevonden.

Criminelen blijven ook drugsafval dumpen in het riool. In de week dat de onderzoekers metingen deden, werd in Eindhoven vijftien kilo speed weggespoeld. Omdat ook in voorgaande jaren lozingen werden geconstateerd, vermoeden de onderzoekers dat het wegspoelen van drugsafval het hele jaar door, week in week uit, gebeurt.

Hoogleraar De Voogt vindt dat het rioolwateronderzoek in alle Nederlandse gemeenten gedaan zou moeten worden. Volgens hem kunnen gemeenten deze resultaten dan vergelijken met andere lokale gegevens over drugsgebruik en zo beter beleid maken. "Toch merk ik dat dergelijk onderzoek nauwelijks prioriteit heeft", zegt De Voogt.

Tot nu toe hebben vijftien van de 390 Nederlandse gemeenten rioolmetingen laten doen. Eerder dit jaar gebeurde dat in een aantal kleinere gemeenten in de regio Utrecht. Daaruit bleek bijvoorbeeld dat in Oudewater veel meer speed wordt gebruikt dan in omliggende plaatsen.

Bron: nos.nl

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From glamour to gunfire: the tourist city of Acapulco torn apart by violence

In the 1950s Acapulco was a refuge for A-list celebrities; now the resort known as Mexico’s most violent city is struggling to cope under the strain of gang warfare. Is there anything the mayor can do to reverse its fortunes?

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Machine-gun carrying police officers...organised crime groups...dumping bodies in public places...Mexico’s most violent city in 2016...

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A reporter yells out: “Has the protective barrier around the tourism zone failed?”

“I think we have to reinforce it,” Velázquez says. “We have to review and strengthen it.”

“Will there be an effect from the Playa Angosta incident?”

“The port is still an option for tourists,” the mayor replies. “We won’t take a step backwards. We’ll keep going.”

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impossible odds...terrifying incidents...trucks full of police and soldiers...drug distribution...¨

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Gesprek douanier Gerrit G. opgenomen door politie-informant | NOS

Een informant van de criminele inlichtingendienst van de politie TCI heeft in augustus belastende gesprekken met de van corruptie verdachte douanier Gerrit G. opgenomen. Dat gaf het Openbaar Ministerie toe in het proces tegen de douanier en drie medeverdachten.

Tegen hen zijn straffen tot zestien jaar geëist. Ex-douanier G. zou miljoenen hebben verdiend door containers met drugs door te laten in de Rotterdamse haven.

Begin deze maand werd hij opgepakt nadat in het geheim opgenomen gesprekken waren uitgelekt tussen G. en een man die zich voordeed als vertegenwoordiger van een drugskartel uit Colombia. G. gaf smokkeltips aan zijn gesprekspartner.

Het gesprek tussen Gerrit G. en informant Paul werd afgelopen augustus gehouden in een appartement in Rotterdam. De officier van justitie erkende vanochtend dat justitie voor het appartement heeft betaald.

Een opsporingsbevel dat tegen de informant was uitgevaardigd wegens een veroordeling, werd tijdelijk opgeschort. De relatie met informant Paul zou afgelopen oktober zijn verbroken omdat de man onbetrouwbaar bleek.

De advocaat van G. zegt dat zijn cliënt in de val is gelokt. Jan-Hein Kuijpers beschuldigt de TCI en het Openbaar Ministerie van "ongeoorloofde opsporingsmethoden". G. zou daarom vrijgelaten moeten worden, zegt de advocaat.

Kuijpers verwees naar de opsporingsmethoden die zijn gebruikt in de jaren 90 in de IRT-affaire. Die leidden tot een parlementaire enquête onder leiding van Maarten van Traa. "Als het waar is wat Paul mij heeft verteld, dan heeft justitie een heel groot probleem. Dit riekt naar Van Traa", zei de advocaat vanochtend.

De informant zou Kuijpers hebben verteld dat containers met cocaïne opzettelijk worden doorgelaten, net zoals in de IRT-affaire gebeurde met hasj. Kuijpers wil dat de informant een vrijgeleide krijgt om te getuigen.

Informant Paul zou werken voor het Colombiaans drugskartel in Medellín. "Medellín is boos", zei Kuijpers die contact zou hebben gehad met het kartel. Afspraken tussen het drugskartel en de opsporingsautoriteiten zouden volgens de advocaat zijn geschonden.

Bron: nos.nl

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Vaten met drugsafval gedumpt in woonwijk Kaatsheuvel | NOS

In een woonwijk in Kaatsheuvel is een vrachtauto met drugsafval gevonden. Volgens de politie gaat het waarschijnlijk om afval dat overblijft bij de productie van amfetamine.



In de Duitse truck, die gestolen bleek, staan zeker twee vaten van 2000 liter. Het is volgens de politie uniek dat er zo veel drugs op deze manier in een woongebied worden achtergelaten.

Een buurtbewoner zag de vrachtwagen vanochtend in de straat. "Ik vond het verdacht dat de wagen om 07.00 uur in de straat stond en belde daarom de politie," zegt hij tegen Omroep Brabant.

Toen agenten kwamen kijken, openden ze de truck en kwam er een enorme stank vrij, een acetonachtige geur. De straat werd afgesloten om mensen op afstand te houden en het afval te kunnen bemonsteren en opruimen.

Noord-Brabant is de hotspot voor drugscriminaliteit. Onderzoekers van het Programma Politie & Wetenschap maken zich zorgen: een op de vijf drugsdumpingen vindt plaats in waterwingebied. Dat brengt de kwaliteit van drinkwater in gevaar.

Bron: nos.nl

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Teenagers Dismay Prohibitionists by Consuming Less Cannabis - Hit & Run : Reason.com


At a Senate hearing last April, Jeff Sessions, Donald Trump's choice for attorney general, worried about the message that marijuana legalization sends to the youth of America. "I can't tell you how concerning it is for me, emotionally and personally, to see the possibility that we will reverse the progress that we've made," he said. "Colorado was one of the leading states that started the movement to suggest that marijuana is not dangerous. And we're going to find it, in my opinion, ripple through the entire American citizenry, and we're going to see more marijuana use." We have been hearing similar warnings from drug warriors for two decades. When teenagers see that states have legalized medical or recreational marijuana for adults, prohibitionists predicted, they will be more inclined to smoke pot. But as survey data released yesterday confirmed once again, there is no evidence that is happening.

According to the Monitoring the Future Study, marijuana use by eighth- and 10th-graders fell this year. It rose slightly among 12th-graders but was still less common than in 2012, the year Colorado and Washington became the first two states to legalize marijuana for recreational use, and about the same as in 2014, when two more states and the District of Columbia joined them. The 2016 legalization campaigns, four of which were successful, likewise did not seem to spur much new interest in pot among teenagers. Nor did the legalization of medical marijuana in 28 states, starting with California in 1996. This is not the pattern you would expect to see if loosening state marijuana laws encouraged underage consumption by improving the drug's reputation among teenagers:


"I don't have an explanation," said Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which sponsors the survey. "This is somewhat surprising. We had predicted based on the changes in legalization [and] culture in the U.S. as well as decreasing perceptions among teenagers that marijuana was harmful that [use] would go up. But it hasn't gone up."

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Bron: reason.com