MARCH 2024
NEWSLETTER
Oregon Set to Recriminalize Drugs, Return to Failed Approach
Last week, the Oregon legislature passed HB 4002 which rolls back Measure 110, recriminalizes drug possession, and returns to the failed approach of arresting and jailing people for drugs. The Governor confirmed she will sign it. But our fight to replace criminalization with care continues.
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DPA Responds to State of the Union
President Biden was right to mention the devastating toll of fentanyl-related overdoses and the harms of marijuana criminalization. But his proposed solutions — fentanyl crackdowns and watered-down marijuana reform — won’t address the suffering in our communities. We outlined steps Biden can take to champion a health approach instead.
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Members of Congress Urge Marijuana Descheduling
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer, and ten of their colleagues, sent a letter to the Biden Administration in support of marijuana descheduling. The letter urges the DEA to remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, in light of President Biden’s order to revisit marijuana’s status on the federal drug schedules.
Read the letter
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Providence, RI, To Open Overdose Prevention Center
The city council of Providence, RI, has voted to authorize the first state and locally approved overdose prevention center (OPC) in the country. The state authorized a pilot program for OPCs in 2021. The new site is expected to open in summer 2024.
Learn more
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Report: Moving Marijuana to Schedule III Would Maintain Harms
The Biden Administration recently recommended moving marijuana to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. This would leave marijuana criminalized under federal law. A new Congressional report has confirmed that such a move would maintain most harms that result from federal marijuana criminalization.
Read the report
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Vermont OPCs: Bill Advances, Community Support Grows
The bill passed the House by a wide margin in January and is expected to be considered in a Senate committee this month. DPA is organizing support for the bill, including a sign-on letter for Vermont residents that more than 200 people and organizations have already signed.
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ESSENCE: Hold Biden Accountable to the Black Community on Marijuana
President Biden pledged to decriminalize marijuana use and expunge related records. Now his administration is considering federal reforms that are symbolic at best. A new piece in Essence Magazine by DPA's Kassandra Frederique and Cat Packer unpacks why communities of color are pushing for federal marijuana decriminalization.
Read the article
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NEW BOOK ALERT: The Harm Reduction Gap
The Harm Reduction Gap is finally here. This new book is written by Dr. Sheila P. Vakharia, DPA’s Deputy Director of Research and Academic Engagement. Get your copy now to learn how harm reduction can be a safety net for people rejected, abandoned, and left behind by current models of addiction treatment.
Follow DPA on Instagram.
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Get the book here
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Drug Policy In The News
Rolling Stone - Oregon Is Ready to Restart the Drug War
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New York Times - How Oregon Became a Linchpin for the Country’s Drug Policies
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Vox - We Have Treatments for Opioid Addiction That Work. So Why Is the Problem Getting Worse?
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New York Daily News - Balancing the Books on NY’s Cannabis Legalization
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NPR - How Portugal Got the Number of Fatal Overdoses in the Country to Drop 80%
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Inquirer - City Council’s Kensington Treatment Plan Has a Big Problem. Here’s How to Fix It.
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Media Matters - Conservative Media Misleadingly Blame Drug Decriminalization In Oregon For A Rise In Opioid Overdose Deaths
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