News: Opiophobia, Ineffective Rehab, City Councils, & Kickbacks [#125]

This Week in Drugs

This week, Sam and Sarah discuss the latest drug news with a focus on drugs other than marijuana. First, is the opioid overdose epidemic in the United States harming people in poorer countries that don’t have enough access to opioids? Next, why is court-mandated rehab so much less effective than treatment sought independently? Then, a local election in Washington state is a big win for the marijuana industry, as a dispensary owner has been elected to a conservative city council. And finally, a scandal has rocked the rehab industry as multiple people have been arrested in a massive kickback scheme centered around unnecessary urine screenings. Turn on, tune in, and TWiD out!

News Updates:

• New York Times: “‘Opiophobia’ Has Left Africa in Agony”
• Court-mandated opioid rehab rarely meets medical standards
• Marijuana dispensary owner wins city council seat in conservative WA town
• Man arrested in alleged sober home kickback scheme

Headlines:

• In an update to one of our big stories last week, after a huge public outcry and national media attention, the Honolulu Hawaii Police Department has walked back their order for medical marijuana patients to turn in their guns. The department says they are now consulting with government agencies and reviewing relevant case law. However, they will continue to deny new gun permits to people who have medical marijuana cards.
• Our listeners in Phoenix could get to be some of the first in the country to experience Pizza Hut’s new system of delivering beer and wine alongside its pizza. The company offers a six-pack of Anheuser-Busch beer for a flat rate of $10.99 and plans to add wine and expand test locations by January.
• Kerala, a state in India that is home to over 33 million people, has announced a decision to raise the drinking age from 21 to 23 years old. While this is a tightening of alcohol policy, it was pushed for by the Left Democratic Front, a coalition of political parties that successfully reversed an order to shut down most of the state’s bars last year.
• Since Rodrigo Duterte ordered the Philippine National Police back to the war on drugs this week, the Director Chief Superintendent of the PNP’s Drug Enforcement Group raised controversy when he claimed police do not need body cameras because they have god watching over them.

Forecast:

• Rep. Mitzi Johnson, the speaker of the Vermont state house, has said that marijuana legalization will be up for a vote in early January, and that she expects it to pass. As long-time listeners remember, Vermont got very close to passing marijuana legalization this year, with both houses of the state legislature passing a bill to allow home growing and personal possession, but still ban sales. The governor vetoed it with some recommendations for changes, the Senate passed the new version, but the House wasn’t able to hold a vote in time. But the bill is still alive, and the House goes back into session in January, so legalization is just one House vote and one governor’s signature away from being law in Vermont! If you live in Vermont, please be sure to call your representatives, and the governor, to make sure this is a top priority in January!
• Registration now open for seventh European drugs summer school

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The post News: Opiophobia, Ineffective Rehab, City Councils, & Kickbacks [#125] appeared first on This Week in Drugs.