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filtermag.bsky.social
Coverage of drug use, drug policy and human rights from a dedicated nonprofit. Sign up for our newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/3wkzdcv8
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“I can’t imagine what this is going to do to people. People are going to stop going. It’s going to leave them with the unregulated drug supply.” Ending take-homes and mandating witnessed dosing is liable to result in severe harms, reports @godfrey.bsky.social:

"Vaping is a huge threat to them and their ideology so they have to attack it. They can’t do it with the truth; the facts don’t support their position. So their only resort is to misinformation." Dr. Michael Siegel discusses his renewed mission—and its enemies—with @kiransidhu41.bsky.social:

most of all, this will harm rural and remote communities, where people aren't able to bus to a clinic multiple times a day to get their dose. but there's also concerns this will lead to a spike in toxic counterfeit pills, as thousands of people are pushed onto the illicit supply

“I can’t imagine what this is going to do to people. People are going to stop going. It’s going to leave them with the unregulated drug supply.” Ending take-homes and mandating witnessed dosing is liable to result in severe harms, reports @godfrey.bsky.social:

"Vaping is a huge threat to them and their ideology so they have to attack it. They can’t do it with the truth; the facts don’t support their position. So their only resort is to misinformation." Dr. Michael Siegel discusses his renewed mission—and its enemies—with @kiransidhu41.bsky.social:

filtermag.org/police-harm-... @filtermag.bsky.social

SB 56 abandons key policy features of Issue 2 -- and worse -- the General Assembly already had the opportunity (but refused) to review and alter Issue 2’s language during the initiated statute process. We must protect our existing marijuana laws. filtermag.org/ohio-marijua...

It's time to end "six decades of the colonization of the coca leaf," said Bolivia's vice president. “For us, coca is something sacred,” said Arhuaco wisdom keeper Jaison Perez Villafaña. "They wanted to exterminate Indigenous culture.” @matthabusby.bsky.social reports:

In his quest for a single-man cell, Jack was told he had a chemical imbalance in his brain that was causing irrational behavior. "My mind is fine," he contended. "The way to maintain its health is to have a cell of my own to rest in."

Activists rally to demand the removal of Mayor Adams, after a 34th death in NYC jails on his watch. With his corruption charges hanging in the balance, Adams plans to send ICE officers to Rikers in "a quid pro quo with President Trump," an advocate tells Alexander Lekhtman:

It's time to end "six decades of the colonization of the coca leaf," said Bolivia's vice president. “For us, coca is something sacred,” said Arhuaco wisdom keeper Jaison Perez Villafaña. "They wanted to exterminate Indigenous culture.” @matthabusby.bsky.social reports:

In his quest for a single-man cell, Jack was told he had a chemical imbalance in his brain that was causing irrational behavior. "My mind is fine," he contended. "The way to maintain its health is to have a cell of my own to rest in."

Ohio voters overwhelmingly approved a marijuana legalization law in 2023. A bill currently being considered by the legislature would undermine their decision—by reducing home-grow and THC levels, creating additional criminal offenses and eliminating social equity provisions. Ben Adlin reports:

The declaration is largely symbolic, but means the city will not expend resources on prosecuting anyone for pursuing gender-affirming care. By @uncagedcritique.bsky.social:

Ohio voters overwhelmingly approved a marijuana legalization law in 2023. A bill currently being considered by the legislature would undermine their decision—by reducing home-grow and THC levels, creating additional criminal offenses and eliminating social equity provisions. Ben Adlin reports:

The declaration is largely symbolic, but means the city will not expend resources on prosecuting anyone for pursuing gender-affirming care. By @uncagedcritique.bsky.social:

Vapes have become most popular & effective smoking cessation tools in US, recent study indicates. Most US adults who want to quit smoking now choosing nicotine products like vapes to help them—& succeeding—despite years of negative media & official messaging. filtermag.org/most-us-adul...

Advocates and researchers are entirely unsurprised, reports @godfrey.bsky.social, as police orgs revoke previously stated support for (extremely limited) decrim, and outgoing police leaders use their retirement to speak ill of harm reduction:

"We used to be able to offset all this with commissary. But today it's $6 or $8 just to fill a soup bowl with a Ramen, a little meat, maybe some pickle and crackers. Gone are the days when you could turn $2 worth of store goods into a meal and cup of coffee. Fond memories."

Advocates and researchers are entirely unsurprised, reports @godfrey.bsky.social, as police orgs revoke previously stated support for (extremely limited) decrim, and outgoing police leaders use their retirement to speak ill of harm reduction:

Safe supply saves lives. #Legalize

"I never got sick off any drug I got off that website," one former customer told Filter. "And I believe that it did keep me safe because then I wasn’t roaming the streets to find drugs!” By @traceyh.bsky.social:

In 2022 an estimated 2.9 million US adults had stopped smoking in the past year, a new study finds. Of these, an outright majority (53.9%) used safer nicotine products to do so, and 40.8% used vapes (26% using vapes exclusively). Kiran Sidhu reports:

"Want to be a Junior Special Agent? You can earn a DEA badge if you complete a workbook with a crossword puzzle." Completely omitting the racism, violence and corruption, the museum's "fiction is that the DEA is somehow winning a drug war which is justified," writes Helen Redmond:

In 2022 an estimated 2.9 million US adults had stopped smoking in the past year, a new study finds. Of these, an outright majority (53.9%) used safer nicotine products to do so, and 40.8% used vapes (26% using vapes exclusively). Kiran Sidhu reports:

"Want to be a Junior Special Agent? You can earn a DEA badge if you complete a workbook with a crossword puzzle." Completely omitting the racism, violence and corruption, the museum's "fiction is that the DEA is somehow winning a drug war which is justified," writes Helen Redmond:

"So now that we're getting our 'additional meals,' AKA lunch on weekends, fewer people are getting lunch on weekdays, lunch itself is smaller, and breakfast is two biscuits with a side of zero eggs."

Trump picks agency veteran and Virginia official Terrance Cole to lead the DEA and inherit the marijuana rescheduling process. A 2024 post from Cole read, in part: “Everybody knows my stance on marijuana after 30 plus years in law enforcement, so don’t even ask! #justsayno” Ben Adlin reports:

"So now that we're getting our 'additional meals,' AKA lunch on weekends, fewer people are getting lunch on weekdays, lunch itself is smaller, and breakfast is two biscuits with a side of zero eggs."

Trump picks agency veteran and Virginia official Terrance Cole to lead the DEA and inherit the marijuana rescheduling process. A 2024 post from Cole read, in part: “Everybody knows my stance on marijuana after 30 plus years in law enforcement, so don’t even ask! #justsayno” Ben Adlin reports:

The ban is on hold—for now—amid new evidence of flavored vapes' role in tackling Canada's biggest cause of preventable death. “My smoke-free life is in the hands of policymakers who likely never smoked,” @grayjaynine.bsky.social tells Kiran Sidhu:

"Mass incarceration depends on replacing individuality with uniformity. Stripping trans people of the items that affirm their identity, trying to make us invisible, is part of that."

"Every women’s deodorant stick or fitted T-shirt I gained access to represented an uphill battle against bigotry and indifference." By @uncagedcritique.bsky.social:

The ban is on hold—for now—amid new evidence of flavored vapes' role in tackling Canada's biggest cause of preventable death. “My smoke-free life is in the hands of policymakers who likely never smoked,” @grayjaynine.bsky.social tells Kiran Sidhu:

"Every women’s deodorant stick or fitted T-shirt I gained access to represented an uphill battle against bigotry and indifference." By @uncagedcritique.bsky.social:

"For years, I stayed in the 'quietly gay' crowd to live in relative peace and avoid being sexually assaulted. It didn't matter how you identified—only how you were identified by others."

Over seven years, smoking rates in Indigenous and low-income populations fell about *three times* faster in New Zealand (with pro-vaping policies) compared to Australia (with harsh restrictions). Dr. Colin Mendelsohn describes these and other key findings of a new study he co-authored:

"For years, I stayed in the 'quietly gay' crowd to live in relative peace and avoid being sexually assaulted. It didn't matter how you identified—only how you were identified by others."

Over seven years, smoking rates in Indigenous and low-income populations fell about *three times* faster in New Zealand (with pro-vaping policies) compared to Australia (with harsh restrictions). Dr. Colin Mendelsohn describes these and other key findings of a new study he co-authored:

“For too long, physicians have been shamefully silent on these matters,” Wilder wrote in her resignation letter. “We owe it to our patients to speak up—loudly, when necessary—for the tools and policies needed to help keep them safe.” filtermag.org/bc-doctor-po...

This is the essence of tobacco harm reduction: a public health strategy that prioritizes transitioning people away from products that kill, rather than worrying excessively about products that don’t. 🩵

Two harm reduction sites in South Africa, which have been serving 5,000 people with help from USAID, are among the many shut down. “I owe my HIV-negative status to their efforts,” says one participant. @tganeva.bsky.social reports:

It's "a win for harm reduction, safeguarding cigarette alternatives that the FDA now acknowledges 'offer greater benefits to population health than risks.'" "However, this progress also highlights absurd contradictions in the FDA’s overall approach," writes Martin Cullip

Die verheerenden Folgen der #USAID- Zerschlagung werden immer deutlicher. Im @filtermag.bsky.social beschreibt @tganeva.bsky.social, wie die Schließung von #HarmReduction- Einrichtungen und Substitutionsprogrammen in Südafrika das Leben von Drogengebraucher*innen gefährdet.

The Czech Cannabis Journalist Fighting a “Toxicomania” Conviction filtermag.org/czech-cannab...

Trump & Musk’s attack on USAID has left approximately 5,000 people in South Africa without access to the medication that manages their opioid use disorders, threatening their lives. Filter is worth a follow: they do invaluable harm reduction reporting from a national & global scale.

It's "a win for harm reduction, safeguarding cigarette alternatives that the FDA now acknowledges 'offer greater benefits to population health than risks.'" "However, this progress also highlights absurd contradictions in the FDA’s overall approach," writes Martin Cullip

Two harm reduction sites in South Africa, which have been serving 5,000 people with help from USAID, are among the many shut down. “I owe my HIV-negative status to their efforts,” says one participant. @tganeva.bsky.social reports:

We are scapegoating drugs, and right now the drug of the day is fentanyl. We’re using that as a scapegoat and not talking about real issues such as housing, people’s well-being, environmental and climate justice [and the] racist, colonial and classist roots of drug policy. #fentanyl #cdnpoli

“History will view the acts of Dr. Wilder as heroic, while your actions only serve to perpetuate more harm and death,” Moms Stop the Harm Executive Director J. Steward wrote to Island Health. @brishti.bsky.social @filtermag.bsky.social filtermag.org/bc-doctor-po...