News: When Legal Drug Markets Seem Like Prohibition [#129]

This Week in Drugs

This week, Sam and Sarah talk about the latest drug news. Two stories illustrate how certain laws can make markets for legal drugs, like tobacco or painkillers, behave just like prohibition. They also discuss the Global Commission on Drug Policy’s call for intentional language when discussing drug use, and disgraced former sheriff / drug warrior / Trump pardonee Joe Arpaio’s plan to run for the U.S. Senate in Arizona.

News:

• Cigarette Tax Hike: Smuggling Up, Revenue Down
• The World Drug Perception Problem
  • BBC story
• Ex-Sheriff Joe Arpaio, pardoned by Trump, plans to run for Senate
• A doctor’s wife threatened to expose the opioid ring he ran, so he killed her, officials said.

Headlines:

• On Wednesday, the Pineapple Fund, a charitable foundation run by an anonymous Bitcoin millionaire, announced that it is providing a $4 million matching grant to MAPS, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. This follows a $1 million donation made by the Pineapple Fund in late 2017, and the match expires on March 10.
• The Miami New Times is looking for a freelance marijuana reporter! The publication wants to hire someone with a college degree who is familiar with marijuana laws across the country and has at least one year of experience reporting for a credible publication.
• The Vermont state legislature has completely passed their marijuana legalization bill, meaning the final hurdle is the governor’s signature! On Thursday, Governor Phil Scott confirmed that he plans to sign it, saying “I still firmly believe what you do in your own home should be your business as long as it doesn’t affect someone else.”
• Ten months after the legalization of medical marijuana in Germany, over 13,000 people have applied. According to a local newspaper, approximately ? of all applications have been approved so far.

Forecast:

• Friday, February 16: The Yale School of Management will host the Business of Legal Cannabis Conference. Speakers include former TWiD guest John Hudak of the Brookings Institution, along with other thought leaders from groups like the Minority Cannabis Business Association, The Hood Incubator, WomenGrow, New Frontier Data, and many more. Learn more about the event, and buy tickets.
• Wednesday, January 31: Listeners in the London area can attend a free screening of “A Day in the Life: The World of Humans Who Use Drugs” and catch a Q&A session after the film. Links to registration can be found on our website.

Sponsor:

• Nobody. Sponsor Us!

Music:

Intro: Dance for Sport by the2ba

Like what we do? Help pay our bills.

Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn

The post News: When Legal Drug Markets Seem Like Prohibition [#129] appeared first on This Week in Drugs.