Drug War Chronicle, Issue #1219 -- 7/31/24-table of contents plus lead story.

Drug War Chronicle, Issue #1219 -- 7/31/24
Phillip S. Smith, Editor,[email protected]
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/1219

A Publication of StoptheDrugWar.org
David Borden, Executive Director,[email protected]
"Raising Awareness of the Consequences of Drug Prohibition"

APPEAL: Help Us Respond to the Opportunities and the Challenges of This Time:
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/help_us_respond

Table of Contents:

1. STUDENTS TAKE ON DEA'S PSYCHEDELIC RESEARCH CHEMICALS BAN [FEATURE]
The DEA is moving to ban two invaluable psychedelic research chemicals, DOI and DOC. Students and researchers with Students for Sensible Drug Policy are fighting back.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/ssdp-takes-dea-over-effort-ban-psychedelic-research-chemicals-feature

2. STOPTHEDRUGWAR.ORG'S MARIJUANA RESCHEDULING COMMENT
Our rescheduling comment submitted on Regulations.gov last week argues that marijuana's Schedule I status harms small businesses and their workers, and that despite legalization and descheduling being our desired policy, rescheduling is the advisable step in this specific administrative process.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/stopthedrugwarorgs-marijuana-rescheduling-comment

3. OK APPEALS COURT RULES MEDMJ-USING PREGNANT WOMEN CAN'T BE CHARGED WITH CHILD NEGLECT, DRUG CZAR HONORS INTERDICTION EFFORTS, MORE... (7/19/24)
Delaware's governor signs a bill letting medical marijuana dispensaries jump-start the adult-use market, New Hampshire's governor signs a bill adding anxiety disorder to the state's list of qualifying medical marijuana conditions, and more.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/ok-appeals-court-rules-medmj-using-pregnant-women-cant-be-charged-child-neglect-drug-czar

4. OH ISSUES FIRST ADULT-USE MARIJUANA BUSINESS LICENSES, US CITIZEN SENTENCED TO 13 YEARS ON RUSSIAN DRUG CHARGES, MORE... (7/22/24)
A new Kentucky law regulating kratom is in limbo for lack of funding, a new Pennsylvania bill would impose restrictions on medical marijuana users working in safety-sensitive positions, and more.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/oh-issues-first-adult-use-marijuana-business-licenses-us-citizen-sentenced-13-years

5. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD ON MARIJUANA RESCHEDULING PROPOSAL ENDS, THAI GOVERNMENT BACKTRACKS ON MARIJUANA RECRIMIN, MORE... (7/24/24)
The House Rules Committee has again blocked marijuana reform amendments to a must-pass spending bill, public comments on marijuana rescheduling suggest strong support for scheduling it, and more.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/public-comment-period-dea-pot-rescheduling-proposal-ends-thai-government-backtracking

6. US NABS SINALOA CARTEL HEAD, MN OPENS APPLICATIONS FOR FIRST ADULT-USE POT LICENSES, MORE... (7/26/24)
Drug cartel clashes in southern Mexico are creating a refugee flow into Guatemala, an Oregon initiative that would require marijuana businesses to have "labor peace" agreements is poised to make the ballot, and more.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/us-nabs-sinaloa-cartel-head-mn-opens-applications-first-adult-use-pot-licenses-more-72624

7. SAN FRANCISCO COULD PAY WELFARE RECIPIENTS TO STAY DRUG-FREE, MA SAFE INJECTION SITE HEARING, MORE... (7/29/24)
The ACLU of Missouri is suing over state officials punishing a probationer for using medical marijuana; Glasgow, Scotland, is seeking to open a drug checking site, and more.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/san-francmisco-could-pay-welfare-recipients-stay-drug-free-ma-safe-injection-site-bill

8. KEY GOP LAWMAKERS QUESTION MARIJUANA RESCHEDULING PROCESS, ANOTHER FL POLL HAS MJ INIT WINNING, MORE... (7/30/24)
A Senate committee advances a spending bill with medical marijuana protections included, New Zealand's new conservative government files a roadside drug testing bill, and more.
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/key-gop-lawmakers-question-marijuana-rescheduling-process-another-fl-poll-has-pot

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1. STUDENTS TAKE ON DEA'S PSYCHEDELIC RESEARCH CHEMICALS BAN [FEATURE]
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/ssdp-takes-dea-over-effort-ban-psychedelic-research-chemicals-feature

The DEA is moving to ban two invaluable psychedelic research
chemicals, DOI and DOC. Students and researchers with Students for
Sensible Drug Policy are fighting back.

When the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) moved in April 2022 to
move two psychedelic research chemicals that have been used safely for
decades onto Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), it
encountered immediate pushback from the research and drug reform
communities. Opponents of the move argued that it would effectively
block research with the chemicals, that the chemicals were not widely
abused, and that they were key to valuable areas of research on the
brain.

Leading the charge was the Science Policy Committee of Students for
Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), which demanded a hearing on the proposed
move. After months of negotiations with the DEA, the agency announced
in August 2022 that it was withdrawing the proposal. But that apparent
victory was only temporary. Perhaps hoping no one would notice amidst
the holiday cheer, just two days before last Christmas, the DEA again
proposed scheduling the two chemicals. And now, SSDP has rejoined the
fray.

The two compounds in question are 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine
(DOI) and 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-chloroamphetamine (DOC), essential
pre-clinical psychiatry and neurobiology research chemicals. Their
unscheduled status has made them key tools for researchers studying
serotonin receptors. DOI in particular has been a cornerstone in
neuroscience research due to its high selectivity for the 5-HT2A
serotonin receptor, a critical component in understanding and
potentially enhancing the therapeutic effects of psychedelics. DOI's
use in the lab ushered in a new era of psychiatric drug discovery
since it was used to map the localization of an important serotonin
receptor in the brain critical in learning, memory, and psychiatric
disease. Over 80 percent of the antidepressant drugs on the market
affect the serotonin system.

DOI has been cited in more than 900 research articles in the past two
decades, contributing significantly to the understanding of complex
neural mechanisms and offering potential pathways for breakthrough
treatments. Recent studies utilizing DOI have shown encouraging
results in managing pain and reducing opioid cravings, offering a
beacon of hope in the ongoing opioid crisis.

Less than two weeks after the DEA renewed its quest to schedule DOC
and DOI, SSDP struck back, filing a request for a hearing challenging
this move on behalf of more than 20 graduate students, post-docs,
staff scientists, and professors who have been actively involved in
research using DOC and DOI. SSDP again cited the lack of substantive
evidence and the negative impact on research. At the same time, Robert
Rush, a Denver-based attorney representing three independent
researchers, also filed a petition to challenge the scheduling. SSDP
is now working hand-in-hand with Rush, who is spearheading the legal
strategy for the case.

Last week, SSDP took another step in the process, filing a prehearing
statement in the DEA Administrative Court yesterday that challenges
the DEA's attempt to add the research chemicals to Schedule I of the
Controlled Substances Act, which defines Schedule I drugs as those
with a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in
treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use
under medical supervision.

"DOI and DOC are important research chemicals with basically no
evidence of abuse. We are excited to fight on behalf of SSDP
scientists so that they can continue the critical work they are doing
with these substances," said Brett Phelps
(https://ssdp.org/blog/student-led-nonprofit-fights-the-dea-in-court-in-effort-to-preserve-access-to-vital-research-chemicals-with-promising-medical-potential/),
Esq, an SSDP alum and legal counsel for the youth-driven drug policy
nonprofit.

"DOI has been the most widely used compound to study the role of the
serotonin 2 receptor of the last several decades. The serotonin 2
receptor is widely accepted as the primary target of psychedelic drugs
-- which have seen incredible press coverage as possible treatments
for depression -- but is also critically involved in learning, memory,
and mood. The DEA's proposed rulemaking to place DOI in Schedule I of
the Controlled Substance Act defies scientific study and will make it
more difficult for researchers to work on the serotonin 2 receptor,"
said Elijah Ullman
(https://ssdp.org/blog/student-led-nonprofit-fights-the-dea-in-court-in-effort-to-preserve-access-to-vital-research-chemicals-with-promising-medical-potential/),
a PhD Candidate in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology at Emory
University who serves as the chair of SSDP's Science Policy Committee.

"There is a plethora of evidence demonstrating that DOI does not have
significant potential for abuse yet the DEA continues on an
anti-scientific tirade of ignoring facts," says Ullman.

"The DEA's attempt to classify DOI, a compound of great significance
to both psychedelic and fundamental serotonin research, as a Schedule
I substance exemplifies an administrative agency overstepping its
bounds," said Rush
(https://ssdp.org/blog/student-led-nonprofit-fights-the-dea-in-court-in-effort-to-preserve-access-to-vital-research-chemicals-with-promising-medical-potential/).
"The government admits DOI is not being diverted for use outside of
scientific research yet insists on placing this substance in such a
restricted class that it will disrupt virtually all current research.
In light of recent Supreme Court decisions, we look forward to
aggressively fighting to stop this injustice."

Given recent Supreme Court decisions questioning the extent of
administrative power of federal agencies, the effort to block DOC and
DOI from being added to the CSA could set important precedents.

"DOI and DOC could lead to significant breakthroughs in treating some
of today's most challenging health issues, but this is not just about
keeping two chemical compounds available for research; it's about
preserving the integrity of scientific inquiry, advancing medical
treatment, and ultimately, impacting lives positively," said SSDP
Executive Director Kat Murti
(https://ssdp.org/blog/student-led-nonprofit-fights-the-dea-in-court-in-effort-to-preserve-access-to-vital-research-chemicals-with-promising-medical-potential/).
"The DEA's current path is a disservice to science, health, and the
principles of justice and compassion. Let's stand together to advocate
for sensible drug policy and ensure that potential treatments can
reach those in need without undue government interference."

Will the DEA be forced to back off once again? Stay tuned.



================  ...


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