#decriminalized drugs?

[doubly-dateable]

sometimes you feel like the world is on fire and everything is terrible and then you visit a blue state and you realize things might be okay after all.

[strongermonster]

one of the funniest news things in canada that always tickles me is the ongoing war between magic mushroom shops and the police.

this is the absolute height of humour to me right now

[lastcatghost]

[queernobi]

With Biden's recent instructions to pardon all weed-related offenses on the federal level, the response shouldn't be "Why is weed still illegal anyway?" but "Why aren't we doing this with all drug offenses? Why aren't we decriminalizing drugs as a whole? Why are we still jailing people for drugs? Why do we still have prisons and jails at ALL?"

This is your friendly reminder that drug decriminalization and prison abolition are good and reachable goals, not some utopian thought exercises.

[ink-the-artist]

truly not trying to detract from the very russian art of the generational trauma wolves, and i know the colors are from the ussr + russia flags, but it also spoke to me as a hispanic person. especially w respect to misogyny and how machismo tears families apart, and how trauma that comes from outside the family units gets repeated/expressed within the family unit. idk.

absolutely it applies to more than just russians, im glad it speaks to other ppl :)

[dontmean2bepoliticalbut]

[tag-devilish]

These came out SO nice. Very happy with my patches. I’m gonna be shipping them out next week so there’s still time if you want one.

Check them out here in the shop.

[belle--ofthebrawl]

We're shown in Papaganda that partying is a big part of Secondo's personality and given that he's described as a wounded bitter and miserable old man I seriously wonder if he's ever struggled with drug addiction to substances stronger than weed. I think it would add more to his character but I also don't want to come across as mishandling the topic so maybe I'll give it a bit more thought. He's said he's fine being replaced but what did that first night of not being Papa look like? How many people left him once they realized he wasn't as powerful as he used to be? How long was it before it was just him and a handful of pills in the quiet silence of the night. Much to think about regarding this sad old man.

[bace-jeleren]

I don't want to sound like That White Person but.

Lmaooooooooooooo

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says Toronto’s application to decriminalize drugs is the “craziest thing” he’s ever heard and he plans to do everything he can to fight it.

Full article

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[ofdinosanddais1]

Hi,

Stopping human trafficking requires:

Abolish the prison industry built on slavery

Providing food, water, healthcare, and shelter as basic human rights

Providing resources to minors who runaway

Abolishing the adoption industry that was built off the foundation of a human trafficker (Georgia Tann)

Supporting the Land Back movement so that traffickers can't exploit loopholes when abducting Indigenous people (also because Indigenous people deserve their land back)

Accepting and loving LGBTQ+ youth

Rebuilding the crumbling mental health system

Decriminalizing drugs so that traffickers can't force people to traffick drugs in an effort to make sure they aren't choosing between being an illegally enslaved person or a legally enslaved person.

Decriminalizing sex work so that children forced into sex work aren't going to prison for being a rape victim.

Recognizing that human trafficking is not just being kidnapped and sold but that family members, teachers, employers, friends, roommates, etc. can traffick people and that it's the most common form of trafficking

Recognizing that human trafficking isn't always just drug and sex trafficking but also labor

Human trafficking feeds off the flaws in our system and it is our job as a society to fix those flaws and starve the industry out.

[metamatar]

America’s most radical experiment with drug decriminalization has ended, after more than three years of painful results. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has pledged to sign legislation repealing the principal elements of the ballot initiative known as Measure 110: Possessing hard drugs is again a crime in Oregon, and courts will return to mandating treatment for offenders. Oregonians had supported Measure 110 with 59 percent of the vote in 2020, but three years later, polling showed that 64 percent wanted some or all of it repealed. [...]

Measure 110 did not reduce Oregon’s drug problems. The drug-overdose-death rate increased by 43 percent in 2021, its first year of implementation—and then kept rising. The latest CDC data show that in the 12 months ending in September 2023, deaths by overdose grew by 41.6 percent, versus 2.1 percent nationwide. No other state saw a higher rise in deaths. Only one state, Vermont, ranks higher in its rate of illicit drug use.

[...] Neither did decriminalization produce a flood of help-seeking. The replacement for criminal penalties, a $100 ticket for drug possession with the fine waived if the individual called a toll-free number for a health assessment, with the aim of encouraging treatment, failed completely.

Unpaywalled link: https://archive.is/g4I2R from the Atlantic, so obviously the conclusions are pretty reactionary. Piece includes claiming Oregon never had a war on drugs despite Black Oregon Residents having 2.5 times as many possession convictions.

Surprisingly the economist here https://archive.is/29DIs in an older piece has a slightly better diagnosis.

What seems to be the failure of Measure 110 is a solely criminal justice approach

Portugal decriminalised possession of drugs for personal use in 2001, the first country to do so. There, drug-induced deaths have since fallen and street dealing is uncommon. But Portugal’s policy is different: offenders are taken to a police station and must go before a dissuasion panel at the Ministry of Health. Fully 80% of addicts then choose to start treatment. Repeat offenders face punishment, like being banned from bars, or community service, enforced by police. “The state still has a paternalistic approach,” says João Goulão, one of the architects of Portugal’s effort.

Supporters of Oregon’s policy hope that peer mentors—former addicts—can encourage people to enter treatment voluntarily. They were allocated extra funding in the same ballot measure in 2020. But although possession was decriminalised three months after voting, it took another 20 months for the funding to roll out fully. “If I had to do it all over again, I think I would reverse the way that we’ve done it,” reflects Rob Nosse, a state representative.

Even with the extra funding now being spent, Oregon’s drug treatment remains woefully scarce. Addiction-support workers in Portland estimate that the wait for residential treatment can be up to three months. Recent state analysis found that it needed 60% more inpatient facilities. But the extra money will be going to other services, like the mentors, as well as needle exchanges and supported housing.

[lastcatghost]

On one of the least surprising turn of events since oregon decriminalized substance use, the lack of accessible and realistic resources to actually help people gain a footing in recovery, instead in the public eye, ignorant of the reality, the general assumption is so many people using in the open, the blame shifts entirely on the people suffering, if they're still using they just don't want help. The changing of the law also aided the misplaced judgment as people general grew more and more resentful at the lack of police interactions and incarceration of homeless users.

Now as anyone understanding this tactic could see coming, cities across Oregon and many pig chiefs are starting to publicly call for re Criminalization of substances, and they'll likely not only succeed with this, but I'd bet anything when the law changes back to locking users up again, it will be even harsher than every other state. They'll claim decriminalization was a failed experiment and proves heavier sentences and allowances for the police to pursue any suspected user or dealer.

God forbid they give people things like housing and actual treatment so they can have a way to even attempt recovery, when instead they can publicly be used as live public propaganda pawns, thus increasing the publics approval for incarnation in the slavery system that is US prisons, it's providing housing that they can profit off of, so clearly that's what's better for business after all. Can't have a surplus of slave labor if people get real help.

[herbouquetreign]

When we go voting, let’s all writes someone’s name in,instead of voting for Biden.

Bc Biden clearly proved that he’s actually not for the people at all. Hes not for women,he’s not for the environment. He’s not for decriminalizing weed.

He’s for profit of big corporations.

He’s just as crooked as every other politician that claimed to care about the people,then fuck us over.And so is Kamala Harris. She may seem all “girlboss,girl power,all wise” but she funded Israel,as well. And let them drop bombs on people.she would sell anybody out,then gaslight you and say they hate her bc she’s a woman.

Vote for someone competent,young,and always defended the people. Like Peter Buttigieg,AOC, mark kelly,Or Bernie sanders(ik he’s old, but he was there from the very beginning for minorities and women). The point is,you have the power to write a candidate in. You don’t have to choose “the lesser of 2 evils”

And don’t stop there. Vote in better senators,and local government. Anything where you can vote,do your research and go out and vote!

Because Im tired of this. Aren’t you?

[ivygorgon]

AN OPEN LETTER to THE PRESIDENT & U.S. CONGRESS; STATE GOVERNORS & LEGISLATURES

Support Marijuana Decriminalization for a more Equitable USA

4 so far! Help us get to 5 signers!

I am writing to express my strong support for the decriminalization of marijuana at both the federal and state levels. The current approach to cannabis, rooted in policies dating back to 1971, requires urgent reconsideration given evolving social norms and scientific understanding.

The revelation by President Richard Nixon's domestic policy chief, John Ehrlichman, that the war on drugs was designed to target Black communities underscores the urgent need to rectify the injustices perpetuated by decades of punitive drug policies. The disproportionate impact of these policies on communities of color has fueled systemic inequities in our criminal justice system.

Decriminalization of marijuana would shift our focus from ineffective punitive measures to evidence-based public health strategies, emphasizing harm reduction and regulated use, whether medicinal or recreational. It's crucial to differentiate between decriminalization and unregulated use, prioritizing public health and equitable access.

I urge you to champion legislation that decriminalizes marijuana and addresses the racial disparities entrenched by outdated drug policies. By investing in research and public health initiatives related to cannabis, we can develop policies that protect public health while respecting individual freedoms.

In conclusion, federal and state-level decriminalization of marijuana is imperative to rectify the failures of past policies and promote equitable, evidence-based drug reform. I urge you to seize this opportunity to advance sensible, ethical drug policy reforms that reflect our evolving understanding of cannabis regulation.

Thank you for considering my perspective on this critical matter. I look forward to your leadership in championing meaningful drug policy reform.

📱 Text SIGN PWUITK to 50409

🤯 Liked it? Text FOLLOW IVYPETITIONS to 50409

💘 Q'u lach' shughu deshni da. 🏹 "What I say is true" in Dena'ina Qenaga