Category Archives: War On Drugs

Parents, talk to your children. Aunts, uncles and close family friends, help parents impress upon youth the dangers of experimenting with drugs not prescribed to them by a physician for a medical purpose.

In a war it is good to have allies. That is no less true in todays war on drugs.

Too many people, especially young people, are dying from overdosing. Too many human vultures are profiting from the drug-induced misery and breakdown of individuals, both young and not-so-young.

The dangers of drugs can be ingrained in children at an early age. Former First Lady Nancy Reagan suggested reminding children early and often to just say no to drugs. Critics pooh-poohed her recommendation for lack of sophistication, but when dealing with impressionable minds, simplicity cannot be overstated.

But no strategy works better than a face-to-face conversation between a loving, caring parent and child. It is quite powerful. Many find it to be an effective weapon against negative peer pressure.

This urgent advice comes in the wake of a recent report by the Georgia Department of Public Health Drug Surveillance Unit. It warns that reports of overdoses over the past month have been on the rise in Georgia.

That is particularly true with overdoses where fentanyl was mixed in with other drugs. It is no surprise that the misuse of fentanyl can lead to overdose and death. This synthetic opioid is said to be as much as 100 times stronger than heroin.

Odds are better than even that it is in the drugs being hawked on the streets to older preteens, teens and adults who are gullible or foolish enough to buy and use them.

According to the drug surveillance unit, health officials reported at least 66 visits to emergency rooms between early February and mid-March by patients who had taken drugs that were laced with fentanyl. The drugs spiked with fentanyl included cocaine, crack, heroin, methamphetamine, pain killers and cannabis products.

Overdose deaths related to the ingestion of fentanyl have shot up substantially across the state since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, state officials report. By how much? The answer: 106% over the 12 months following May 1, 2020.

Parents, talk to your children.

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Parents, talk to your kids about experimenting with drugs - Brunswick News

At 21 years old, Dallas 415 gang member Antong Lucky was sentenced to seven years in prison by the United States criminal legal system that locked up minority citizens for the War on Drugs.

The infamous drug crack cocaine filled the streets of urban communities in the 80s and 90s, where economic instability, survival crimes, and drug addiction consumed and overwhelmed pockets of the population that were already dealing with systemic issues from the past.

Even though he prided himself on being a straight-A student and showing his family numerous achievements in the classroom, Luckys story echoed the same sentiments which led him away from the dreams and aspirations he had at an earlier age.

He eventually entered into gang life at 13 years old, while at the same time dealing with a rocky home life after his father was sentenced to prison and his mother worked overtime to pay the bills.

For the troubled teenager, all the fights, drug dealing, alternative schools, and imperfect decisions came to a head in the Dallas County Courtroom in 1997 when a judge called him a menace to society, just one week after his daughter was born.

Lucky said now he is on a path of accountability and activism after his seven years in prison helped him to grow intellectually and spiritually.

Fun fact: Luckys favorite hobby in prison was reading. Sometimes up to 18 hours a day.

For years he worked in public schools around South Dallas to work with students experiencing the same transgressions. Now, he oversees Urban Specialists, a nonprofit organization working to eliminate violence in Urban Culture, according to the website.

The Signal spoke to Lucky about his childhood in South Dallas, starting the 415 Blood gang, his spiritual transformation in prison, and his work in activism.

The questions and answers in this interview are edited for clarity.

As a child watching the cycle of drugs and poverty influence your family and community, why do you think it was hard to break out and create a new path for yourself?

From an early age, we have an impressionable mind. I was an A-roll talented and gifted student who loved bringing those grades home to my grandparents. And I loved their praise because I was the smartest out of all my cousins. But that love and desire for those good grades werent a match for the community I encountered once I left that door. The messaging that goes inside urban communities. This idea of toxic masculinity you have to be tough, and boys dont cry all that stuff over the years becomes who you are. Its layer after layer. When you go through all that stuff as a kid, and you dont understand systemic stuff happening. By the time we realize its effect on our lives, its almost scary to unlayer.

While you were in school, you were also one of the founders of the 415 Blood Gang in Dallas. Can you talk about the experience of trying to fix the very system that you started the foundation for?

Its something Im definitely not proud of and something I very seldom talk about because I walk the fine line of not wanting to glorify like most guys whove said they denounce the gang but still glamorize it. I was a real gang member, and I did some real stuff that, when I look back, I was so ignorant, and it caused me a lot of harm. For me, when I retrace back to when we first started the Blood gang, we started because our neighborhood was surrounded by four other neighbors not even a mile or two away from us who were young people going through the same thing we were. We would fight these dudes regularly, and their neighborhood already identified with the Crips. We didnt have an identity. In 1988-89 when the movie Colors came out, and we said the enemy of the Crips are the Bloods, so we said were going to be the Bloods. At the time, nobody in the city of Dallas was wearing red. We went neighborhood to neighborhood. And I vowed that we would be the deadliest gang in the city, and I think we lived up to that. I lost a lot of friends through gang banging. So when I get to prison and as Im going through my transformation, brothers in prison are worshipping me, and it felt weird. Im running into youngsters 17 years old just coming into prison who are saying to me, OG, I represented for you. I put in work for the hood. And I would ask them how much time you got. Sometimes a life sentence or 99 years them not even understanding they are going to be there for the rest of their lives. Those interactions made me very firm in denouncing gang stuff, but I do acknowledge the cultures, music played a part.

For context, Lucky shared a story of two friends he lost to the streets, and other acts of violence he still vividly remembers 20+ years later.

The school-to-prison pipeline, a pathway Lucky rode himself, is still a critical piece in increasing Texas mass incarceration. Now in his organization, Urban Specialists, hes hoping to break the cycle for the next generation.

In your memoir, A Redemptive Park Forward, you also wrote that when you came back home from prison and tried to bring opposing gang groups together, it was hard for both sides to see a way out. What do you think is the disconnect? And why does it have to take being behind bars to kind of understand the gravity of the situation?

I dont think it has to get there, but prison is designed to destroy you. Break your spirit and your dignity. Its slavery in the modern-day. I know for me coming up if I had a mentor, I probably wouldve made different choices. And I take full responsibility for the choices I made, and I accept them, but it shouldnt come to that. I think the problem is we get to a point where we judge our communities so harshly rather than understand and learn. That judgment turns them off without really understanding all the trauma these kids face.

His leading-with-love work in the community eventually led Lucky to Washington D.C., where he worked temporarily alongside former House Speaker Paul Ryan in 2015. Luckily, Lucky said he still hopes for reform on the federal level but said the change also starts locally.

What do you think in terms of policy and working with these senators who, like you said, may not understand the system as you do? What do you want to see there?

First of all, I want to see more of us getting involved because education starts at home. So for us, we represent the majority of the prison system, the majority of people on probation or parole, and the majority of people who buy up all the land for cemetery land, something is wrong there. Education starts at the home, and we have to begin to shift the narrative and get more people of color into positions. Were begging people to help us that see us as a threat. We have to begin to make part of our mission in educating our community. We educate on voting rights because our community has this apathetic idea that voting doesnt matter. And that hurts people who are passionate about criminal legal system change. A person can be lynched by this system if they dont have any representation. Then we have to find those individuals who are championing our cause.

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From Blood member to activist: a conversation with Antong Lucky - The Texas Signal

'Alien' creature with claws washes up on Australian beach

A mysterious animal was found on an Australian beach. Social media users ran wild with guesses on what the creature could've been.

Damien Henderson, Storyful

What the White House is doing about gas prices, a debate about the war on drugs and the pandemic's impacton teen mental health.

It's Nicole, bringing you all the news you need to know Thursday.

But first,let me get you a tissue. Allergy season is here, and the severity of your sniffles may have to do with where you live.

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U.S. citizens will be able to select X as the gender marker on their passport application beginning April 11,The White House and State Department said Thursday."Every American deserves the freedom to be themselves," the White House said in itsannouncementon Transgender Day of Visibility. Themarkermeans that travelers will no longer have to provide medical certification if their gender identity does not align with the marker on their birth certificate or other documents.

In an effort to drive down gas prices, President Joe Biden announced Thursday he will release 1 million barrels of oil per day for the next six months from the nations Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The move is the largest release in the reserves nearly 50-year history and is a direct response to skyrocketing gas prices triggered by Russias invasion of Ukraine. The reserve is a stockpile of about 605 million barrels of petroleum designed to preserve oil access in the case of an emergency and is maintained by the Energy Department.

More news:Thursday's latest updates.

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Firefighters battled to contain a wildfire Thursday near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. Officials hoped overnight rainfall would abate the blaze, but gusty winds sustained the fire, which spread to nearly 4,000 acres by Thursday morning. Only 5% of the fire was contained by Thursday, officials said, as hundreds of people and 70 agencies worked to break down the wildfire. Throughout the day, 11,000 homes were evacuated. One resident described watching the surreal scene: Thats coming from where I live.

More than a third of high school students reported in 2021 their mental health suffered during the pandemic,according to a study published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Using data from the health agencys first national survey of public and private high school students, the CDC found more than half of students reported experiencing emotional abuse at home, and nearly 30% reported a parent or another adult in their home lost a job. Poor mental health, emotional abuse and attempted suicide was reported among LGBTQ youth more than other groups. The study found some solutions, concluding that students who felt connected to adults and peers at school were far less likely to report feelings of sadness or hopelessness.

A soaring number of deaths related to illicit fentanyl use have stirred a debate about the future of the war on drugs.Some argue the priority should be focusing on criminal activity while others want more harm-reduction programs that emphasize clean needles and education to users. After 2021 marked the most overdose deathsrecorded in the USA 100,000 the search for an answer is increasingly urgent. Critics of enforcement tactics say this approach punishes people with substance use disorders and does not make them quit. Opponents say government dollars shouldnt be spent on allowing people to use drugs.

This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night?Sign up for The Short List newsletter here.

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'The freedom to be' - USA TODAY

In addition, the official says when it comes to the issue of energy security for the U.S as part of its response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine "Trinidad and Tobago has a lot to offer".

The official, a U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, spoke on those matters with our Political Editor Juhel Browne on Tuesday." />

A senior U.S. State Department official tells TV6 News that in addition to the re-establishment of the presence of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms the ATF in this country, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency or DEA is "very actively engaged" in Trinidad and Tobago's war on illegal drugs.

In addition, the official says when it comes to the issue of energy security for the U.S as part of its response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine "Trinidad and Tobago has a lot to offer".

The official, a U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, spoke on those matters with our Political Editor Juhel Browne on Tuesday.

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DEA ACTIVELY HELPING IN T&T'S WAR ON DRUGS - tv6tnt.com

By O. Rick BridgesPost Reporter/ Published in Mule Creek Post

Literally everything that you think you know about addiction may not be true. Following a dutiful and methodical course of scientific research on the subject of addiction, Professor Johann Hari shares his thoughts on the matter:

The thing I realized that really blew my mind is, almost everything we think that we know about addiction is wrong, and if we start to absorb the new evidence about addiction, I think that were going to have to change a lot more than our drug policies.

Hari did a comprehensive study on Vietnam vets. Out of the estimated 20% of them that were regularly using heroin in Vietnam, 95% of those abusing heroin quit completely upon returning home. One man for example, Craig Ventner, went on to medical school and was nominated for the Nobel Prize in genetics. Many of these men serve as the foundation of our local communities.

Haris work includes a similar study of the famed Rat Park research of Professor Alexander of the 1970s where caged rats are given the choice of two bottles of water to drink from. One is just water. The other is laced with either cocaine or heroin. The rats in isolation obsessed on the drugged water until they died. The rats in a caged community setting mostly wouldnt touch the drugged water. The relationship discovered with drug obsession was directly related to disenfranchisement and isolation.

Professor Alexander observed the standard biochemical model of addiction wasnt valid. He theorized, What if addiction is an adaptation to your environment? Professor Peter Cohen of the Netherlands took it further:

Human beings have a natural and innate need to bond, and when were happy and healthy, well bond and connect with each other, but if you cant do that, because youre traumatized or isolated or beaten down by life, youll bond with something that gives you a sense of reliefIf youre not going to do that its because youve got bonds and connections that you want to be present for. Youve got work you love, people you love, and healthy relationships. A core part of addiction is about not being able to bear youre present life. This has really significant implications. The most obvious implications are in regards to the War on Drugs.

For law enforcement, medical, and mental health professionals, as well as those of us that dedicate our days moving forward to personal recovery from substance abuse disorders, this can be a disorienting assertion. If Hari, Alexander, and Cohens conclusions prove accurate, then weve been prosecuting the decades long War on Drugs on an outdated, even hysterical investment in conventional wisdom the addict requires prosecution and punishment in defiance of important truths.

The State of California Governors Office Department of Business and Economic Development understands this dilemma and aims to be a resource to address and repair the multi-generational impacts of the War on Drugs:

Harsh federal and state drug policies enacted during the War on Drugs led to the mass incarceration of people of color, decreased access to social services, loss of educational attainment due to diminished federal financial aid eligibility, prohibitions on the use of public housing and other public assistance, and the separation of families.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is now better equipped with the benefit of scientific study data, and mandated to rehabilitate using evidenced-based practices. While the study and restoration of vulnerable and disenfranchised communities is arguably past due, prosecuting the decades long War on Drugs has been prosecuting addiction among the disenfranchised and vulnerable individual people as described in that available study data. Johann Hari summarizes:

Get an addict, all the people in their life, gather them together, confront them with what theyre doing, and then say, if you dont shape up, were going to ship you off I began to see why that approach doesnt work, and I began to think thats almost like importing the War on Drugs into our private lives. What Ive tried to do now is to say to the addicts in my life that I want to deepen my connection with them. I think the core of that message Youre not alone, we love you has to be at every level of how we respond to addicts. The opposite if addiction is connection.

Everything You Think You Know About Addiction is Wrong, (Ted X transcript by Johann Hari, 2019).

California Governors Office of Business and Economic Development. California Community Reinvestment Grants Program (2018-2019)

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Prosecuting Addiction - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis

Don Hossler| South Bend Tribune

Imagine an Indiana where all of us have what we need to overcome our challenges, where we can get and stay well. The truth is that life is hard, and the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic has only made it harder for many of us. We all struggle with something, and for many Hoosier families this includes addiction. Prior to the pandemic, an Indiana University study found that 63% of Hoosiers know someone struggling with substance use, and that number has likely only increased.

I am one of those Hoosiers: Six years ago I lost my brother to substance use disorder. He was never arrested as a result of his addiction, but he suffered for it. He was a machinist who got fired for reporting to the Air Force that his company was producing faulty parts that could result in a crash. He knew he might get fired, but did the right thing anyway. He worked hard and supported his family. But his body shut down from a lifetime of addiction.

During the pandemic, annual drug overdose deaths in Indiana have increased by 35%. Urgent action, grounded in evidence-based solutions, is necessary to save lives and reverse the course of the overdose crisis in Indiana. Medical doctors and other experts overwhelmingly agree that we must see drug use for what it is: a health issue that should focus on treatment and recovery. We must follow the evidence and implement solutions that reduce lethal harms.

But instead of taking a proven public health approach to save lives, the Indiana General Assembly doubled-down on the same failed, punitive policies which have fueled the overdose crisis, dangerously overcrowded our jails, and devastated Hoosier families. In 2019, sevenof the 10 most frequently filed felonies in Indiana were charges related to poverty and substance use. Poverty and addiction are not problems which can be solved with more incarceration. When Hoosier families are thrown into crisis the likelihood of substance use increases.

Indiana spends over a billion dollars per year incarcerating citizens, one price we pay for our failed war on drugs. Indiana law criminalizes possession of a syringe to a felony, and individuals who are seeking medical treatment for an overdose may be prosecuted. The evidence is clear and compelling: We cannot simultaneously treat drug addiction as a disease and a crime, and yet we keep doubling down on failed and expensive policies.

In 2022, not one substantial piece of legislation was passed to constructively address our opioid crisis. Instead, several pieces of so-called tough on crime legislation were passed (House Bill 1300, Senate Bill 7 and 9). These bills will not make Hoosiers safer, they will just result in more of us being locked up just for being poor or struggling with addiction. Instead of moving our money to fund programs which work like mental health and addiction crisis centers, syringe services programs, opioid poisoning antidotes like Naloxone, and medical treatments for addiction, these bills will lavish money on the predatory bail bond industry, for profit prisons, and other businesses that make money on incarcerated people.

Imagine an Indiana where we treat each other with care. An Indiana where people arent locked away for our mistakes but offered a way to heal. Where rehab and treatment are widely available, helping people like my brother overcome these challenges, rather than succumb to them or end up in jail. We deserve an Indiana where no one dies a preventable death, including overdose.

We cannot afford to wait to address the overdose crisis. I know firsthand the pain of seeing a loved one struggle with addiction, and odds are so have you. Start by calling your state representative and state senator today, and hold them accountable for the decisions they made this session. When we join together, we can make our state a place where we all have the support we need to recover from addiction and shape our lives into what we imagine they can be.

Don Hossler is a member of Hoosier Action,an independent community organization based in rural and small-town southern Indiana and led by members across the state.

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Viewpoint: More punishment won't solve a public health crisis - South Bend Tribune

H.R. 3617 would federally decriminalize cannabis (marijuana), expunge the records of people convicted of federal cannabis offenses, and require resentencing of some federal prisoners. As a result, CBO estimates, thousands of current inmates would be released earlier than under current law. In the future, decriminalization also would reduce the number of people in federal prisons and the amount of time they serve. CBO estimates that over the 2022-2031 period, H.R. 3617 would reduce time served by current and future inmates by 37,000 person-years. CBOs analysis accounts for time served by offenders convicted of cannabis-only crimes and time served by people convicted of a crime in addition to a cannabis offense.

Federal prisoners generally are not eligible for federal benefit programs. By reducing the prison population, CBO and the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) estimate, H.R. 3617 would increase the number of people eligible for federal benefits, compared with current law. That change would increase direct spending for federal benefit programs by $344 million over the 2022-2031 period and reduce revenues by $6 million over that same period.

CBO and JCT estimate that H.R. 3617 would increase revenues, on net, by about $8.1 billion over the 2022-2031 period by creating an occupational tax on cannabis producers and warehouse operators and by increasing compliance with business income taxes. Those increases would be partially offset by allowing businesses to claim certain deductions and credits for expenses that would include the costs of producing, importing, and marketing cannabis products. In addition, the bill would impose an excise tax on cannabis products produced in or imported into the United States.

H.R. 3617 would create a new Opportunity Trust Fund and would appropriate to the fund amounts equivalent to the net revenues received from the occupational tax and from excise taxes on cannabis products. CBO estimates that about $7.8 billion would be appropriated to the fund over the 2022-2031 period, of which the Department of Justice would spend about $3.4 billion to provide job training and legal aid, among other services, to people harmed by what was termed the war on drugs. CBO also estimates that the Small Business Administration would provide about $1.4 billion in grants to states and localities to make business loans to related small businesses and to develop cannabis-licensing rules.

Finally, H.R. 3617 would reduce the Bureau of Prisons costs by reducing both the number of people in federal facilities and the amount of time they serve. CBO estimates that the provision would result in net savings of about $800 million over the 2022-2031 period, assuming appropriation actions consistent with the anticipated changes in prison populations. Those savings are not reflected in the table because they are subject to future appropriation action.

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Estimated Changes in Direct Spending and Revenues Under H.R. 3617, the MORE Act - Congressional Budget Office

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is unlikely to stand trial in his remaining few months in office for crimes against humanity over his so-called war on drugs, but bereaved families of the victims said they will continue to fight it out whether in an international or a domestic court.

Duterte, whose populist campaigns since taking office in 2016 included the brutal anti-drug war, has claimed he had so many dead bodies of narcotics offenders dumped in Manila Bay that the "fish will grow fat." He recently said he wants his successor to continue "killing" them to stop substance abuse.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks at a press conference in October 2019. (Kyodo)

With the May 9 presidential elections looming, survey frontrunner Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and closest rival and opposition icon Vice President Leni Robredo both said they will carry over the anti-drug campaign but with emphasis on prevention and rehabilitation.

But unlike Marcos Jr., Robredo said she will cooperate with the International Criminal Court in investigating the deaths of 12,000 to 30,000 civilians, including children caught in the crossfire, and reinstate the Philippines' membership to the Rome Statute that governs the ICC.

Duterte, whose daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio is running for vice president under Marcos' ticket, is unbothered and told citizens to "never mind" the ICC.

The election is seen as a "game changer" in prosecuting Duterte and erring policemen, who routinely claimed self-defense in killing small-time drug dealers and other criminals, said Edre Olalia, the president of the National Union of People's Lawyers, or NUPL, that helps victims' families.

He said it will be an "interesting scenario" when Duterte loses presidential immunity from lawsuits after his six-year term ends on June 30, though the government could use his leaving office to justify its willingness and ability to investigate the issue independent of the ICC.

The Philippines in 2018 withdrew from the Rome Statute as Duterte accused the tribunal of "being utilized as a political tool against the Philippines." He denied committing genocide or war crimes as "the deaths occurring in the process of legitimate police operation lacked the intent to kill."

On Sept. 15, 2021, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber authorized an investigation into the killings committed between November 2011, when Duterte as mayor of the southern city of Davao was accused of running a hit squad there, and March 2019, when the Philippines' withdrawal took effect. The ICC investigation, however, was suspended two months later after a deferral request by the Philippine government that also began its review of 52 drug raids during drug war operations in which the authorities said over 6,200 individuals were killed for resisting arrest.

"Drugs are still rampant to this day, yet no one dares speak out. It's useless to report it to the police because we think they're involved," said Sharon Tayactac, a barista in a coffee shop run by victims' relatives in Metro Manila. On Nov. 12, 2016, her brother Christian, 20, was shot dead by masked vigilantes in a low-income neighborhood in Quezon City.

Sharon said the police did not thoroughly investigate the case. "How could we file a case in the court when we didn't know who to file it against?" she said.

Sharon said Christian, who earned money from fixing cellphones, never used drugs.

Massage therapist Llore Pasco, 67, said her sons Crisanto, 34, and Juan Carlos, 31, who had been found dead with multiple gunshot wounds, were drug users though they quit long before Duterte took office.

In fact, Crisanto went on to become a security guard and was supposed to renew his license on May 11, 2017, when he and Juan Carlos went missing, Pasco said. Their bodies turned up the next day, each with 17 gunshot wounds.

"The police said they were involved in a robbery and that my sons tried to escape so the police chased them. But all the gunshots were on the front of their bodies," she said.

Pasco worries about how the investigation will turn out once Duterte steps down. NUPL's Olalia said the ICC could lift the suspension or permanently end the investigation, but either way his group will pursue charges.

"It was a shameful legacy that the next president must undo," Olalia said.

Duterte's government touted the war on drugs as a success, citing a 64 percent reduction in drug-related crime, the arrest of over 300,000 suspects, and the seizure of over 75.4 billion pesos ($1.4 billion) worth of drugs since 2016. A survey of 1,200 Filipinos by a public opinion firm WR Numero showed that 61 percent of respondents in 2021 wanted the anti-drug campaign continued.

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Press body urges lifting of travel ban on journalist for Nobel Peace Prize

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FOCUS: "War on drugs" victims to pursue charges against Duterte after term - Kyodo News Plus

According to the latest data from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the number of illegal immigrants stopped along the southwestern border went up to nearly 165,000 last month. Thats an increase of 6.6% over January.

CBP also reported a rise in drug seizures along the southern border in February. According to the data, CBP seized 21.4 thousand pounds of illegal drugs in February, up from 18.6 thousand pounds in January, although those numbers are still much lower than was reported in 2021.

During a Senate Armed Services hearing about strategic competition and security cooperation in the Western Hemisphere last week, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn), who sits on the Armed Services Committee, said the United States isnt doing enough to stop illegal drugs from entering the country.

At the end of the day, what do we got to do? he asked. I mean, were losing. Were losing the war on drugs down at the border, and its coming across right and left, and well have people die around here today, overdosing, around our building here.

Tuberville tried to put the number of overdose deaths in perspective, pointing out the true extent of the problem.

You know we got a lot of bad things going on around the world, he said. You know were all worried about Ukraine and the people there, its a shame whats going on. Well lose more in the first six months of overdoses in this country than theyll lose, and it doesnt seem like were much worried about it.

The senator also discussed the possible dangers of illegal fentanyl showing up in communities in the United States.

Its absolutely awful and nobody seems to be worried about it, he protested. We have got to do something about it and were going to lose, were going to have a catastrophe in this country of somebody putting [fentanyl] in our water supply, putting it in air systems, we got to wake up and smell the roses.

Tuberville also warned against ending Title 42, which would the end the quick expulsion of migrants at the border due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Were hearing at the end of March that Title 42 is going to expire, he said. Right now were seeing five to six thousand a week come across the border. I think that would probably enhance people coming across. Its going to be tougher to stop the drugs. Its going to be tougher to stop the human trafficking. Its really going to get bad.

Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts The Yaffee Program Weekdays 9-11am onWVNN. You can follow him on Twitter@Yaffee

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Tuberville: 'We're losing the war on drugs down at the border' - Yellowhammer News

By Udi Ofer

On November 23, 2021, following seven months of deliberation, the Princeton Cannabis Task Force issued a report unanimously recommending that the Princeton Council allow for cannabis dispensaries in town. Princetonians overwhelmingly support the legalization of cannabis, with 75 percent of Princeton voters saying yes to legalization on the 2021 ballot, a higher proportion than the 67 percent statewide who passed the referendum.

However, shortly after the release of the Task Force report, a vocal group of Princetonians have come out against cannabis sales within city limits. Its now time for the council to follow the recommendations of the task force and allow well-regulated dispensaries in town and to do so in a manner that will begin to repair the harm created by decades of a failed and discriminatory war on marijuana.

The 22-member Task Force, which Im a part of, had been appointed by the Princeton Council and included members nominated by the Princeton Police Department, Princeton Board of Health, Princeton Public Schools, and Princeton Civil Rights Commission, among other municipal stakeholders. From day one, it has operated with the utmost transparency, with all its meetings open to the public. Four meetings in-person and virtual were held specifically to solicit input from the public, welcoming all voices and opinions.

The task force based its unanimous recommendations on three primary considerations, guided by the knowledge that Princeton is a place where residents are passionate about confronting racial inequities and that Princeton needs to play its part not just in principle, but in ways that have the power to change things.

First, the task force sought to remove the stigma around a product that is now legal in New Jersey, but its prohibition was used to unfairly target and criminalize Black and Brown communities. Historically, New Jersey has had among the nations highest cannabis arrest rates, and with extreme racial disparities. Black people in New Jersey have been 3.5 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people, despite Black and white people consuming marijuana at similar rates. These racial disparities in arrests were not because of differences in consumption rates. Rather, they were driven by discriminatory criminal justice policies and practices.

While Princeton itself never had a large volume of arrests for marijuana possession, the trends in arrests did largely track the broader state patterns. Like the state, Princeton had persistent and even extreme racial disparities in cannabis arrests. From 1995 to 2019, there were racial disparities in arrests every year except for one, and from 2000-2013, Princeton had the second highest racial disparity in Mercer County. In several years, more than 50 percent of all marijuana possession arrests in town were of Black people. Princeton is about six percent Black.

Second, the task force concluded that allowing dispensaries would help to reduce underage access to cannabis by working to eliminate Princetons existing marijuana market, and by controlling who has access to it through a highly regulated market. Task Force members felt strongly about preventing youth usage of marijuana and ensuring safety. The task force believed that a regulated market would minimize the presence in the community of dangerous products as a result of the states strong product safety standards, making cannabis consumption safer for adult use as well and reducing the support for an unregulated market.

Finally, the task force sought to have Princeton proactively work to address the historical injustices created by the War on Drugs and its disproportionate impact on communities of color.

Research conducted by the ACLU has found that legalization on its own does not address racial disparities in enforcement. For this reason, the task force recommended that specific policies be implemented to prevent racial disparities in enforcement and to ensure equity in the cannabis industry. Moreover, it is vital that the revenue from cannabis dispensaries be devoted to Black and Brown communities historically targeted by the war on marijuana.

People arrested for cannabis in Princeton faced severe collateral consequences, including up to six months in jail, loss of employment and drivers licenses, and loss of immigration status, financial aid and public housing, among other consequences, which has devastated lives and hurt communities. For this reason, the task force recommended directing cannabis tax revenue and impact fees toward reparative community programs that benefit people who faced the brunt of the war on marijuana. The task force also stressed the importance of issuing policies that would lead to equity in future enforcement of the law and equity in the cannabis industry itself. The people who were harmed by a discriminatory war on marijuana should now be able to benefit from a legalized market both by benefiting from the revenue and being able to enter the industry itself.

For the sake of racial justice, public health, and common-sense good policy, the time has come for Princeton to allow cannabis dispensaries and to do it the right way, with equity at its core. Doing so would allow Princeton to emerge as an active participant, and even potentially a leader, in an important national issue that has deep ramifications for racial and social justice. Eighteen states and Washington, D.C., have legalized cannabis. Forty-three percent of U.S. adults live in a jurisdiction that has legalized the recreational use of marijuana. Ninety-one percent of Americans believe that marijuana should be legal for medicalor recreational use. There are thousands of dispensaries currently open across the nation and they have not seen the doomsday scenarios the detractors have painted.

This is the moment for Princeton to shine as an example of smart government that is motivated by the values of equity and justice. The council should follow the recommendations provided by its task force and allow for well-regulated dispensaries to open in Princeton and use the revenue to begin to repair the harm created by decades of a failed and discriminatory war on marijuana in our state and in our town.

Mr. Ofer is a member of the Princeton Cannabis Task Force and is the deputy national policy director at the ACLU.

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Op-ed: Princeton voters said yes to cannabis overwhelmingly now let's begin to repair the harm caused by the failed war on drugs Princeton, NJ local...