Go Take the 2022 Global Drug Survey

At the end of every year the Global Drug Survey opens up, inviting people from around the world to take part in the world’s biggest anonymous drug survey.

Since its inaugural run in 2014, the survey data has revealed information about new substance use trends, helping to guide the development of saner drug policies and distributing up-to-date harm reduction tips and techniques.

In addition to asking the usual questions, this year the Global Drug Survey is focusing on a few new topics: how drug laws impact drug users, mixing tobacco with cannabis, no- and low-alcohol drinks, sex and psychedelics, drink spiking, and illicit tobacco.

If you’ve taken drugs this year then you should fill out this survey. It can take a while to complete, especially if you’ve used a wide variety of substances, but the data will contribute to a better understanding of how the world uses drugs and educate people on how to use them in the safest possible way. On average, it takes roughly 20 minutes to finish the survey but it took me about 45 minutes this year.

Time is quickly running out so you better jump on it fast if you want to participate because the submission period ends on December 31st. And stay tuned—the survey results are expected to come out in May 2022.

Washington State Supreme Court Finds State’s Felony Drug Possession Law Unconstitutional

Q13 Fox:

The Washington State Supreme Court has ruled that the state's felony drug possession law is unconstitutional.

Immediately following the ruling, Seattle Police announced they would no longer be arresting people for simple drug possession, and they won't confiscate drugs under the statute. Other agencies quickly followed suit.

The law made possession of a controlled substance a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, plus a hefty fine.

In its ruling released Thursday, the high court said the law serves to "criminalize innocent and passive possession" because it is a "strict liability" law, meaning prosecutors don't need to prove intent.

The ruling strikes down RCW 69.50.4013 Section 1. Without that section, there is essentially no state law on simple drug possession.

Former U.S. Attorney John McKay called the decision "remarkable."

Remarkable indeed.

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MDMA Proves a Promising Alcoholism Treatment in World-First Trial

Rich Haridy, writing for New Atlas:

For the last few years psychiatrist Ben Sessa and a team of UK researchers have been exploring the role of MDMA therapy in treating alcohol use disorder (AUD). In a newly published study the researchers report on the world’s first trial testing the novel treatment on patients suffering from addiction.

This small, proof-of-concept study recruited 14 subjects with AUD. The goal of this preliminary study was to establish a safety profile for the MDMA therapy in patients suffering from AUD, but an expansive nine-month follow-up period also allowed for a unique insight into the possible long-term efficacy of the treatment. […]

In regards to tolerability and safety, the study reports no adverse responses to the drug were detected either during a treatment session or in the days following. In a fascinating side note, the study followed each subject’s acute mood state for seven days after each MDMA session. […]

Nine months after the trial only 21 percent of the cohort were drinking more than 14 units of alcohol per week. This compares to an average of 130 units of alcohol consumed per week by each patient before detox at the beginning of the study.

Impressive results from this first-of-its-kind study. And although this wasn’t a placebo-controlled trial, the researchers also conducted an additional study that explored how MDMA therapy compares to standard treatments for alcohol addiction:

Fourteen subjects were recruited and tracked for nine months following detox for this adjacent outcome study. A striking 75 percent were consuming more than 14 units of alcohol per week at the nine-month follow-up point. This data resembles the generally poor long-term outcomes for current AUD treatments, which register drinking relapse rates at around 60 percent one year after treatment and 80 percent three years later.

Not too shabby.

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Norway’s Government Moves to Decriminalize Drug Possession

Kyle Jaeger, writing for Marijuana Moment:

At a time when numerous jurisdictions across the U.S. are weighing drug decriminalization proposals, the government of Norway on Friday proposed a bill to end the criminalization of personal possession of illicit substances.

Officials from the country’s Liberal Party unveiled the decriminalization legislation, which would make low-level possession a civil offense, rather than one that carries criminal penalties. Possession cases would also require mandatory treatment. […]

Refusal to comply with substance misuse treatment could result in a fine, but not the threat of jail time, under the proposal.

Decriminalization is spreading around the globe.

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New Massachusetts Bills Would Decriminalize All Drugs and Study Regulated Sales of Psychedelics

Ben Adlin, writing for Marijuana Moment:

Massachusetts lawmakers introduced legislation Friday that will attempt to end the state’s war on drugs. One proposal would remove criminal penalties for possession of all drugs, while the other would establish a task force to study plant- and fungi-based psychedelics with the eventual goal of legalizing and regulating the substances.

Calls to end criminal prohibition have been growing across the state, and two city councils—in Somerville and Cambridge—earlier this year adopted measures making possession of psychedelics the municipalities’ lowest law enforcement priorities.

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