Fuck Yeah Drug Policy

"I think Dr. Drew should be shot. I really do. That guy…small wonder that everybody who’s on..."

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:04:21 -0400

“I think Dr. Drew should be shot. I really do. That guy…small wonder that everybody who’s on ‘Celebrity Drug House’ or whatever it is would like to blow their fucking brains out. He seems like the most malevolent—I’m sure he and means well, I’m sure he has benevolent impulses—but he seems so insincere and exploitative. And also, being told, “Oh yes, you are special because you’re a celebrity and trying to get sober.” I think those shows, especially with celebrities, are awful, and that’s why anonymity is important: Nobody should be a spokesperson.”

- Mary Karr - Mary Karr Names Names | The Fix

LATEST FACEBOOK LINKS Finally, a Toothbrush That Shoots Caffeine...

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:37:10 -0400

LATEST FACEBOOK LINKS

NYPD Planted Weed in My Friend's Car After They Arrested Him This Past Weekend

Wed, 15 May 2013 23:18:00 -0400

My good friend Logan* was arrested this past weekend for having fake plates on his car. After they arrested him, his friend witnessed an officer planting dirt weed in his glove compartment. What an incredibly fucked up, grimy thing to do. Fucking with the life of a complete stranger who’s actually an awesome person, who didn’t harm anyone, anything. I asked him to write up his story because I want to put it here for people to find and consider, so it’s not forgotten.

So here it is, Logan’s story:

So last week as I’m pulling up to get a haircut from the barber shop in Corona, Queens. Two (female) uniformed officers ran up on me from across the street. I pulled an illegal u turn so I thought that was the reason they stopped me. They proceeded to tell me that my temporary tag looked suspicious. After they investigated further, I was told my tag was fake and they were gonna take me in (to jail) for that. They continued to tell me that there have been a lot of these fake tags going around and that there’s an open investigation on the guy who sold me the car and the fake tag. I asked them why were they taking me in and they said there was no way for them to tell if I was oblivious to the fact that it was fake.

Once I arrived at the precinct they started on my paper work/booking process. They allowed me to call a friend to pick up my stuff from my car because it was gonna have to stay at the police station. When my friends arrived to pick up my stuff the arresting officer which I only remember by the name of Emily continued to search the car at which that point my friend noticed her pull out what appeared to be a small nickel bag of “reggies” aka a bag of regular non high grade marijuana out of the glove compartment of all places. When she returned to the holding cell area which is the same place she was doing my paper work I noticed it and thought it was for some other case and didn’t even think anything of it.

Fast forward to central booking in Kew Gardens, Queens after spending a night in jail for a fake tag I didn’t even know about. I finally got to talk to my appointed lawyer. She went on to read me my charges and told me that I had a charge for marijuana possession! I was like what the fuck! It was clear to me that it was planted in my car by her (female officer) when she acted like she was searching my car. And in the glove compartment of all places. Nobody hides weed there! That’s the spot where you pull your car’s paper work from. When all was said and done, the charges were dropped from felony possession of a fake temp tag and misdemeanor possession of marijuana to disorderly conduct, which isn’t even a misdemeanor. And I have to pay $220 dollars in fines.

While locked up, there were other people in there for the same reason as me. And plenty of other people in there for petty charges. This system is so fucked up. Even though I could prove I bought my car and tag from a dealer there was no way to prove that I didn’t know the tag was fake. Hence theres no way prove my innocence to a (white) jury . As my lawyer told me. So I took the deal.

thefixnews: South Korea May Regulate Video Games Like...

Thu, 02 May 2013 11:06:21 -0400

thefixnews:

South Korea May Regulate Video Games Like Drugs

South Korea introduced new legislation this week proposing that video games need to be strictly regulated, like drugs and alcohol, in order to promote a “happy and healthy society.” Rep. Shin Eui-jin, a member of the conservative Saenuri Party and former medical professor, introduced the bill, backed by fourteen other representatives, which would authorize the government to regulate online gaming, drugs, alcohol, and gambling, by controlling their manufacturing, distribution, and sale. The bill has yet to be voted on in the National Assembly, but is already causing a stir in the country’s gaming industry. “It is regretful that the government views games in the same category as drugs and gambling,” a member of the gaming industry told Inews24. “[This administration is] talking about a creative economy and yet are constantly trying to regulate one of leading industry for content business.” Gaming addiction is a growing problem in South Korea. The government spends about $10 million per year to fund internet and gaming addiction treatment centers, in addition to “prevention programs” such as imposing a national online gaming curfew for people below age sixteen. According to the DSM-5, video gaming is not classified as an addiction, but continues to seriously affect the lives of those who become addicted.

via TheFix.com

thefixnews: Silk Road Under Cyber Attack by Hackers Silk Road,...

Wed, 01 May 2013 14:52:35 -0400

thefixnews:

Silk Road Under Cyber Attack by Hackers

Silk Road, the Amazon.com of drugs, is under attack by unknown parties. For the past couple days, the hidden “dark net” site has sustained a denial-of-service (DoS) attack, which basically floods it with fake automated traffic until the servers are overloaded and the site crashes. “It is incredibly discouraging to have everything we’ve worked so hard for taken down by some anonymous and malevolent person, but your kind words of encouragement do wonders for our morale,” wrote site administrator Dread Pirate Roberts in an update on Monday. “We are on the cutting edge of anonymity technology here. The attacks being used against us MUST be overcome if Silk Road and any anonymous public sites are to have a future.” Since Monday, the site has been adjusting its servers in order to mitigate the attack and prevent similar future offensives. Various news sites and related forums have floated theories about who is attacking the site and why. Gawker suspects the US government or the DEA have something to do with it, considering the staggering traffic the anonymous online marketplace has had recently. News Australia thinks it has something to do with a ransom threat sent a few days before. BitCoin Magazine addresses the possibility that the hacker isn’t just after Silk Road, but instead all Tor-based crypto-commerce funded by untraceable Bitcoins. Currently, the site is back up, in limited capacity: “Silk Road is open and accessible. As soon as the attacker finds out, he will likely change his tactics and try to take the site down again,” Dread Pirate Roberts writes in today’s update. “Hopefully he won’t be able to, but time will tell.”

via TheFix.com

Willie Nelson Celebrates 80th Birthday with Stoned Gandalf...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:38:25 -0400

Willie Nelson Celebrates 80th Birthday with Stoned Gandalf Audition

Born in Abbott, Texas on April 30, 1933 - Willie Nelson is the oldest and wisest celebrity marijuana advocate. He formed the Teapot Party after his marijuana arrest in 2010 and has a place on NORM`L’s advisory board.

Happy birthday, Willie!

Is Ecstasy Safer When It’s Purer? | Popular...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:05:00 -0400

Is Ecstasy Safer When It’s Purer? | Popular Science

…most ecstasy isn’t pure MDMA — it’s often cut with a some unknown filler, as are other drugs like heroin and cocaine. Both caffeine and ephedrine, another stimulant, serve as common fillers for ecstasy because they look and function somewhat similar to MDMA, but are cheaper to obtain. They share some of the speed-like effects of ecstasy, though they don’t give you the same increase in empathy and emotional openness.

There’s also a lot of hand-wringing about how kids these days think “molly” is purer, safer MDMA. But whether or not an adulterant makes your MDMA experience more or less dangerous depends, of course, on what it is. If your pill or powder is laced with something like baking soda, the toxicity of the MDMA would actually be diluted.

“If the adulterant is caffeine or ephedrine, you can get a combination of toxic effects that can be as bad or greater than MDMA alone,” Mills says. “They may enhance each other’s toxicity, but definitive studies haven’t been done.”

In both Canada and the U.K. recently, people have died after what they thought were ecstasy pills turned out to contain a toxic chemical called PMMA, or “Dr Death.”

Ecstasy’s toxicity is a scientific mystery because it lacks a clear “dose and response effect,” according to Mills—one person might get sent to the hospital after one pill, while someone else can take 50, no problem. How many people actually die a year from ecstasy-related causes is hard to pin down, but according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, there were 22,816 MDMA-related emergency room visits in 2009.

For Mithoefer’s study, under controlled clinical conditions with research-grade, pure MDMA, the drug didn’t show any long-term side effects. Trials of MDMA-assisted PTSD therapy have also been completed in Switzerland and gotten underway in Vancouver.

As for recreational drugs, it’s pretty much impossible to tell whether what you’re buying is 100 percent pure. You can buy test kits to check for some common adulterants. If your drug dealer happens to press his pills with baking soda, a less pure dose could actually be a bit safer, though the effects you’re paying for will also be lessened. Other than that, you’re probably better off with a purer dose of MDMA, rather than something that might be laced with a substance with Death in its nickname.

full article

Police Issue ‘Scratch and Sniff’ Cards to Help Weed...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:17:08 -0400

Police Issue ‘Scratch and Sniff’ Cards to Help Weed Out Marijuana Growers | TIME

Police in England are distributing “scratch and sniff” cards to help members of the public detect the telltale aroma of illicit cannabis farms.

The cards, which replicate the distinct smell of growing marijuana, will be mailed to homes in 13 areas throughout the country, in the hope that they will help people to identify cannabis factories in their communities.

[…] Crimestoppers offers a list of clues for spotting cannabis cultivation, including a “strong and sickly sweet smell; visitors at unsociable hours; strong and constant lighting day and night and lots of cables.”

The U.K. saw a 15% growth in cannabis production in 2011-12, according to Crimestoppers, which the group claimed has led to an increase in theft, violence and the use of firearms, as well as an increased risk of fire in residential areas where growers have tampered with electrical supplies. Supplying cannabis in the U.K. can lead to a 14-year prison sentence.

full article

The Chemistry of Nitrous-Powered, Pot-Infused Liquor | Popular...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:04:00 -0400

The Chemistry of Nitrous-Powered, Pot-Infused Liquor | Popular Science

There’ve been alcohol-based tinctures of cannabis before, of course — usually seen in turbid brown jars on windowsills, But one prominent New York bartender (I’ll call him Jon) has been responsible for bringing the infusion up to date with modern, artisanal cocktail culture. Jon is a serious, technologically minded craftsman of beverages; he works as a cocktail consultant, and has designed the cocktail programs of more than one Manhattan bar.

He’s refined a method that’s quick, gives precise, predictable results, and reportedly maximizes the delicious herbal flavor of the drug, to provide a civilized sippable for the beverage connoisseur. Jon’s nitrous-powered Green Dragon “just tastes good. We’ve dialed the strength back substantially, not because we can’t make it stronger, but just because people want to be able to drink more of it, because they like it so much.”

full article

recipe:

Nitrous Green Dragon

a one-liter heat-tolerant whipped-cream whipper

two nitrous oxide chargers

a double boiler large enough to accommodate the whipper bottle

750 ml mezcal at room temperature (Jon uses Vida or Sombra)

3.5 grams (1/8 ounce) of cannabis (Jon uses “indoor high-grade sativa”)

Roughly break up the cannabis.

Put the cannabis and the mezcal in the whipper bottle.

Close the canister and charge it with two charges of N₂O according to the instructions.

Let it sit for 5 minutes.

Vent out the pressurized gas. NOTE: you are venting aerosolized ethanol with THC dissolved in it, as well as laughing gas. Jon says “Probably nobody would want to inhale this.”

Stir the liquid and let it sit until the gas boils off.

Place the sealed canister in a double boiler and let it simmer for an hour.

Strain the solids out of the liquid and discard them or dry them for other uses. The liquid is nitrous green dragon.

the anti smoking crusade rages on in new york city New York City...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:39:14 -0400

the anti smoking crusade rages on in new york city

New York City Proposes Raising Smoking Age from 18 to 21 | NYT

The age to legally buy cigarettes in New York City would rise to 21 from 18 under a proposal unveiled on Monday, a measure that would give New York the strictest limits of any major American city.

The proposal would make the age for buying cigarettes and other tobacco products the same as for purchasing liquor, but it would not prohibit people under 21 from possessing or even smoking cigarettes.

It is the latest effort in a persistent campaign to curb smoking that began soon after Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg took office, with bans on smoking in restaurants and bars that expanded more recently to parks, beaches, plazas and other public places.

[…] The proposal has to be approved by the City Council and signed by the mayor, but its enactment is likely since it is being promoted by Ms. Quinn and is supported by Mr. Bloomberg.

full article

Why Good Parents Should Support Drug Legalization

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:25:52 -0400

Why Good Parents Should Support Drug Legalization:

thefixnews:

The following is an excerpt from a feature by an ex-junkie, explaining why legalizing all drugs would help rather than hurt his daughter’s generation:

People who have never experienced addiction often express some confusion on this issue. They feel that we, as current, recovering or ex-addicts, should be fighting against legalization. After all, drugs have wreaked havoc in our lives: Why on earth would we want them legal?

We want them legal for the same reason that few ex-alcoholics are in favor of banning booze. The legality of the substance is not the issue; the availability of it is. Prohibited or not, trillion-dollar drug war spend or not, drugs remain readily available all over the globe—in small towns, big cities, schools and even prisons.

A relapse isn’t something that can be prevented by legislation. But at least when alcoholics relapse they don’t risk death from drinking contaminated bathtub hooch. Many of the tangible harms of addiction come from the illegality of substances we use—the prohibitive cost, the uncertain quality and the legal risks involved in procuring our substance of choice.

You must know by now that the current approach has failed. A century of prohibition has resulted in a wider proliferation of drugs than ever, sold by criminal organizations so powerful and well funded that they hold the power to topple governments. This “war” has done nothing to stop people taking drugs. The only people who benefit are drug dealers and the profiteers in the prohibition industry.

full article

thefixnews: Real Life “Bling Ring” Leader Ditches Her Inner Bad...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:58:00 -0400

thefixnews:

Real Life “Bling Ring” Leader Ditches Her Inner Bad Girl

Back in May 2010, the then 18-year-old was convicted of felony burglary for her involvement with the group of six other teenagers—known as the “Bling Ring”—that robbed $3 million worth of cash and personal belongings from celebrities including Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Orlando Bloom.

full article

thefixnews: The purity of cocaine has fallen steadily in the UK...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:31:50 -0400

thefixnews:

The purity of cocaine has fallen steadily in the UK over the last decade. Voted the worst value for money drug in the world in this years Global Drug Survey this drugs meter minutes asks an analytical toxicologist what’s in cocaine?

WHY, amanda bynes, WHY? Amanda Bynes Kicked Out Of Gym For...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:18:00 -0400

WHY, amanda bynes, WHY?

Amanda Bynes Kicked Out Of Gym For Smoking Weed On 4/20 | The Huffington Post

have a nice 420, everyone

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 02:58:03 -0400

have a nice 420, everyone

here’s a video of a cat, on acid thefixnews: LSD Turns 70...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:37:00 -0400

here’s a video of a cat, on acid

thefixnews:

LSD Turns 70 Today

On this day in 1943, the psychedelic effects of LSD were accidentally discovered by chemist Albert Hoffman, who absorbed some through his fingertips while trying to synthesize pharmaceuticals. He described a “not unpleasant intoxicated-like condition, characterized by an extremely stimulated imagination” followed by “an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors.” And thus, the “trip” was born. A few days later on April 19, Hoffman took acid on purpose and famously rode his bike home while “fried”—a day that would become known in drug circles as Bicycle Day. “I think that in human evolution it has never been as necessary to have this substance LSD,” Hoffman said on his 100th birthday, “It is just a tool to turn us into what we are supposed to be.”

Since the drug’s inception, scientists, the military and even the CIA have attempted to harness the its hallucinogenic powers. It’s also been tested on animals (like the confused cat below, filmed as part of a US government program of the ’50s and ’60s). And many notables have used it recreationally, from Ray Charles, to Jack Nicholson to Eminem. Brave New World author Aldous Huxley was such a fan that he requested to be injected with LSD while he died; scientist Francis Crick credited the psychedelic for his discovery of the DNA double helix; and baseball great Dock Ellis famously pitched a no-hitter while “under the influence of LSD,” which he later called “the high-point of my baseball career.” Even modern technology hasn’t eclipsed acid’s appeal. In fact, the late Steve Jobs once cited LSD as a major factor in his success. “Doing LSD was one of the two or three most important things I have done in my life,” he told the New York Times, saying that he believed Bill Gates would “be a broader guy if he had dropped acid once.”

full article

I have a new article up on The Fix, check it out...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:24:00 -0400

I have a new article up on The Fix, check it out y’all:

Afghan Opium Production Up for Third Year Running | The Fix

Opium cultivation in Afghanistan is up for the third year in a row and heading towards a record high, according to a new UN report. The Afghanistan Opium Risk Assessment 2013, issued by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, attributes the increase to opium’s rising price, making it an even more attractive crop for farmers. The figure for 2013 is expected to surpass the 154,000 hectares planted in 2012, according to the report. Afghanistan is the world’s largest producer of opium, accounting for about 75% of the global supply last year. “The assumption is it will reach again to 90% this year,” says Jean-Luc Lemahieu, head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in Afghanistan. “We are looking at a record high cultivation.”

Lemahieu was recently interviewed for The Fix’s exclusive report on the heroin addiction crisis within Afghanistan, which has an estimated 1 million addicts. Earlier this month, the UN also estimated that 1 million deaths worldwide have been caused by Afghan heroin since the US-led “War on Terror” began in 2001, while opium production has increased 40 times. Over 70% of Afthan opium is produced by just three provinces. US troops have attempted to subdue the Taliban influence and find alternative crops for these regions’ farmers. But after the end of the three-year “surge” in 2012, poppy cultivation has soared. It may be that people are turning to illicit markets in greater numbers in anticipation of the predicted withdrawal of foreign forces—and cash—in 2014. “This country is on its way to becoming the world’s first true narco-state,” says an anonymous international law enforcement official. “The opium trade is a much bigger part of the economy already than narcotics ever were in Bolivia or Colombia.”

#SSDP

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 03:29:00 -0400

#SSDP

beliebers, welcome to the good fight Superstar-Studded Coalition...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:12:00 -0400

beliebers, welcome to the good fight

Superstar-Studded Coalition to President Obama: Let’s Tackle Mass Incarceration and Drug Policy Reform Together | Drug Policy Alliance

April 9, 2013 — Today, a coalition of over 175 artists, actors, athletes, elected officials and advocates, [including Russell Simmons, Sir Richard Branson, Will Smith, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Scarlett Johansson, Ron Howard, Jennifer Hudson, Demi Moore, Eva Longoria, Michael Moore, Mark Wahlberg, Harry Belafonte, Jada Pinkett Smith, Cameron Diaz, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Chris Rock, Russell Brand, John Legend, DJ Pauly D, Mike Tyson, Rick Ross, Jon Hamm, Natalie Maines, Ludacris to name a few] brought together by hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons and Dr. Boyce Watkins, presented an open letter to President Obama, urging him to double down on his efforts to change the United States’ criminal justice policy from that of a punitive, suppression-based model to one that favors evidence-based prevention and rehabilitation. According to Department of Justice data, the U.S. leads the world in the incarceration of its own citizens, both on a per capita basis and in terms of total prison population. More than 500,000 of the 2.3 million people behind bars in the U.S. are incarcerated for nothing more than a nonviolent drug offense.

“It is critical that we change both the way we think about drug laws in this country and how we generate positive solutions that leave a lasting impact on rebuilding our communities,” said Russell Simmons. “We need to break the school to prison pipeline, support and educate our younger generations and provide them with a path that doesn’t leave them disenfranchised with limited options.”

The coalition [of concerned activists, humanitarians and celebrities] suggests that the President continue to take a number of reformative actions, including extending the Fair Sentencing Act to all inmates who were sentenced under the 100-to-1 crack/powder disparity, supporting the principles of the Justice Safety Valve Act of 2013 (which allows judges to set aside mandatory minimum sentences when they deem appropriate), and supporting the Youth PROMISE Act.

Dr. Boyce Watkins added: “The letter is intended to be a respectful appeal to the Obama Administration asking that we develop productive pathways to supporting families that have been harmed by the War on Drugs. Countless numbers of children have been waiting decades for their parents to come home, and America is made safer if we break the cycle of mass incarceration. Time is of the essence, for with each passing year that we allow injustice to prevail, our nation loses another piece of its soul. We must carefully examine the impact of the War on Drugs and the millions of living, breathing Americans who’ve been affected. It is, quite simply, the right thing to do.”

full article

thefixnews: Record MDMA User Took “40,000 Ecstasy...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 11:52:00 -0400

thefixnews:

Record MDMA User Took “40,000 Ecstasy Tablets”

Photo via