VIC Buys Building For Safe Injection Site | The Psychologists | Meet the Psychologists Training for Psychedelic Therapy | California Legalises Psychedelics
All the drug policy and related news from the past week in one place.
Hello!
Happy Friday and welcome to issue #42 of Drugs Wrap, a weekly compilation of the top stories in drug policy from across Australia and around the world.
Somewhat of a quieter week this week on the domestic front. The medicinal cannabis industry is continuing to make moves, of course, however, a recent update to the TGA’s approval website has delayed patient applications through the SAS-B pathway to access cannabis.
In the US, another state legalises the use of recreational cannabis, bringing the total to 17. California has also just legalised the possession of many psychedelics and Mike Tyson has renewed his support of greater access to psychedelic therapy after revealing that a mushroom trip saved his life.
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Let’s get to it.
The Psychologists Signing Up For Psychedelic Therapy Training: ‘Amazing Things Can Happen’
Very much a case of ‘the article I wish I had written’ here from the ever-impressive Jenny Valentish.
Long-form feature piece on the psychologists training to deliver psychedelic psychotherapy and the people whom they could help. Great read and definitely worth checking out.
State Buys Building Expected to House Safe-Injecting Room
The latest move from the Andrews government that is sure to infuriate its critics, the preferred site for a new medically supervised injection room at 244-248 Flinders Street has been purchased by the government.
The Victorian state government confirmed on Monday night that it had bought the building, saying it was “a valuable location for a range of potential services, including health services”, although it said no decision had been made regarding the final location for the injecting room.
It is the government’s preferred location for the injecting room because it is located in an area where many people use and overdose on drugs.
Taryn Was Deported From Australia With $300 and a Bag of Clothes. Now, She's Taking on the Government
Despite calling Australia home since she was a little girl, Taryn O’Dowd is one of several people to be deported 'back' to New Zealand, without her young children, in a move Peter Dutton called "taking the trash out".
In 2019, when she was convicted of a drug-related crime and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Amendments made in 2014 to visa laws mean that any non-citizen who receives a prison sentence of 12 months or more is deported, even if they’ve lived in Australia the majority of their lives.
Now, the growing group, which Taryn is a part of, is planning to take their plight to the courts for a potential class-action lawsuit against the Australian government, for what they say are human rights abuses.
Airport Watch Launched at Gold Coast Airport to Target Growing Crime Threat
The Australian Federal Police have launched a rebooted Airport Watch programme at Gold Coast Airport to coincide with increasing domestic travel and the potential for growth in organised crime and drug trafficking throughout the aviation environment.
With domestic travel likely to continue increasing throughout 2021, the AFP will use Airport Watch to alert the public and aviation workers about what suspicious activity looks like and how to report it to authorities.
New Mindframe Guidelines for Journalists and Media
The Mindframe for Alcohol and Other Drugs project has released new, evidence-informed guidelines to positively influence the quality of media reporting on AOD-related issues, improve community attitudes towards people living with issues related to AOD use and increase help-seeking behaviour.
This Week in Weed
Will Australia Learn From Thailand’s Growing Medical Cannabis Tourism Industry?
Cannabis Treatment for Sick Dogs Lags Behind US, but Colorado Expert Urges Caution
Doctors Drowning in Red Tape as TGA Upgrade Blows Out SAS-B Approval Times
NSW Greens MP Cate Faehrmann Demands Action After Police Target Mardi Grass Attendees
Legalising Recreational Cannabis Will Protect Patients
Cannabis Stops You Feeling Sick – and It Does It Quickly
Medicinal Cannabis Use Rises in Australia and Lures International Professionals
Around the World
California Senate Approves Bill To Legalise Possession Of Psychedelics Like Psilocybin And LSD
A bill to legalize possession of psychedelics in California was approved by the California Senate on Tuesday. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D), which previously cleared three committees, passed 21-16 on the floor. If enacted into law, the bill would remove criminal penalties for possessing or sharing numerous psychedelics—including psilocybin mushrooms, DMT, ibogaine, LSD and MDMA—for adults 21 and older.
Sen. Scott Wiener has introduced another bill that would allow medically supervised injection sites in some California districts.
In New York, the grassroots organization NO OD NY have announced its activists will walk more than 350 miles from New York City to Buffalo in order to raise awareness about the life-saving potential of safe injection facilities and call on Governor Andrew Cuomo to authorize SIFs in New York state.
Illinois lawmakers have approved a resolution condemning the ‘shameful’ And ‘inhumane’ war on drugs.
At the recent US E-Cigarette Conference, experts grapple with the loss of public trust around the legacy of tobacco and nicotine messaging
Massive news from one of the largest employers in the US - Amazon has decided it will stop testing most employees for cannabis and voices support for the MORE Act
The State of Montana has legalised recreational cannabis and will protect the rights of individuals to enjoy it outside of work.
NZ: ACC Urged to Change Cannabis Policy As People Turn to Black Market for Pain Relief
The New Zealand’s Crown Accident Compensation Corporation is being called on to change its approach to the funding of medical cannabis products, with advocates saying the current process is cruel and outdated. That process is forcing some people into the black market to illegally purchase cannabis to help relieve pain.
One man spoken to by the Herald, who did not want to be named, said that after ACC refused his request to fund pain-relieving cannabis products, he was forced to enlist the services of "green fairies".
Also across the Tasman, Kiwi’s are calling on the government to legalise the use of magic mushrooms as more and more people use the drug to self-treat chronic mental health issues.
UK Lawmakers Told to Copy NZ's Festival Drug-Testing Regime Before More People Die
There are fears that after a year spent mostly indoors due to COVID-19, Brits will have a "lowered tolerance to drugs" and be more likely to indulge in "risk-taking behaviour" this summer.
With the UK festival industry in disarray after a year in hibernation, the government tasked its Digital Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee to look into how it can be revived.
Its final report, released earlier this week, recommended when festivals resume, "the Home Secretary should make regulations under section 7 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 that allow organisations conducting drug checking to operate lawfully".
Advocacy Groups Ask Japanese Gov to Rethink Harsher Anti-Cannabis Law
The Japan Advocacy Network for Drug Policy has submitted a written request to Japan's health minister, asking the government to reconsider ongoing plans to criminalize the use of cannabis, asserting the need for ‘support over punishment’."
The group claims a harsher Cannabis Control Law could deny both jobs and housing to those convicted of minor drug offences, leading people into a "vicious cycle" of poverty and crime.
The Psychedelic Selection
Psychedelic Platform Field Trip Health Gets Uplisting Conditional Approval for Toronto Stock Exchange
Psychedelics Can Open New Doors for Us, But Can We Walk Through Them Alone?
Texas Clears Bill to Study Psychedelics to Treat Vets with PTSD
Renowned Psychedelic Researcher, James Fadiman, PhD, Joins Wesana Health Scientific Advisory Board
Mike Tyson Says Psychedelics Saved His Life, Now He Hopes They Can Change the World
Andrew Yang Proposes Legal Psychedelic Therapies For Veterans In NYC Mayoral Plan
New Zealand Scientists Explore Medical Benefits of Psychedelic Drugs
Over a Third of US Voters Say Magic Mushrooms and Other Psychedelics Have a Medical Use, New Poll Shows
New York Bill Would Create State-Sponsored Psychedelics Research Institute
Listen: Psychedelic Spotlight Podcast: The Ancestor Project
Attend: Psychedelic Medicine Symposium Presented by Mind Medicine Australia
I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which I live and work, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and pay my respects to elders past and present. Sovereignty was never ceded.
Thanks for reading, have a great weekend, and I look forward to sharing all the latest with you next Friday.
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