Century of Lies

The House of Representatives approved HR 3884, the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement Act of 2019, we hear from one of the sponsors, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR); the Commission on Narcotic Drugs changed the international scheduling of marijuana, we hear from Dr. Gilles Forte of the World Health Organization and from representatives of the US and Canadian delegations; the Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission delivered its report to Congress, we hear from Commission Chair Shannon O’Neil, PhD, former Ambassador Cliff Sobel, and Commission Executive Director Mary Speck, PhD.

The Scottish Drugs Forum recently held a webinar on a new set of medication assisted treatment standards. We hear from Dr. Duncan McCormick, Chair of the Drug Death Task Force MAT Subgroup; Elinor Dickie, Organizational Lead for Public Health Scotland; and Tracey Clusker, a nurse and Team Manager at NHS Lothian where she's also Clinical Lead on MAT Standards. Plus, Tarra Simmons, a newly-elected member of the Washington state legislature's House of Representatives, speaks about criminal justice reform in the US.

Oregon Ballot Measure 110, the Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act, was approved overwhelmingly by voters in the November general election. On this edition of Century of Lies we speak with Haven Wheelock, MPH, one of the chief petitioners for Measure 110, about the vote and what it means for the future of drug policy reform. Plus we hear from Lisa Sanchez, Executive Director of México Unido Contra la Delincuencia, and Ray Lakeman, a campaigner for the UK nonprofit Anyone’s Child, about the need to regulate the stimulant market.

On this edition of Century of Lies: Dr. Emily Wang, Associate Professor of Medicine at Yale School of Medicine, on the new report by NASEM entitled Decarcerating Correctional Facilities During COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Plus, Lorenzo Uribe, a graduate student at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago and lead drafter of the cocaine regulation bill that’s currently before the Colombian Senate, on regulating stimulants.
Transform Drug Policy Foundation’s new publication, How To Regulate Stimulants: A Practical Guide, can be found at the TDPF website, TransformDrugs.org.