Drug War Facts

"Stimulants and Harm Reduction webinar. This week we hear portions of “Tweaking our Harm Reduction: A stimulants Webinar.” Participants included:
Dr. Sheila P Vakharia, Deputy Director of the Department of Research and Academic Engagement for the Drug Policy Alliance; Christine Rodriguez, a consultant in drug user health and harm reduction who recently founded Higher Ground Harm Reduction, which is focused at the intersection of harm reduction and climate change/systems disruption; Mindy Vincent, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in mental health and addiction treatment and the founder and Executive Director of the Utah Harm Reduction Coalition; and Brandie Wilson, the moderator, who is the Executive Director of the Chicago Recovery Alliance."

Police Brutality and Community Relations. The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony recently on “Police Use of Force and Community Relations.” On this edition of Century of Lies we hear from some of the witnesses including S. Lee Merritt, a civil rights activist and attorney with Merritt Law Firm of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; the Rev. Dr. Doug Logan, Jr., President of Grimke Seminary, Co-Director of Church in Hard Places Acts29, and Pastor for Church Planting at Remnant Church in Richmond, Virginia; and Vanita Gupta, President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Plus we hear from US Senator Cory Booker, Democrat from New Jersey.

This week on Century of Lies: the impact of COVID-19 on the provision of services to people who use drugs. This week on Century: How COVID-19 is shaping the future of drug services in Europe, featuring: Tony Duffin, CEO of the Ana Liffey Drug Project in Dublin, Ireland; Mat Southwell, a Partner at CoAct Expertise in Drug Use and HIV, located in Bath, England, and a Project Manager with the European Network of People Who Use Drugs; and Phaedon Kaloterakis, President of the European Federation of Therapeutic Communities.

This week on Century of Lies, part one of our conversation with the journalist, hemp activist and farmer Doug Fine. We talk about hemp, renewable agriculture, farming, CBD, and Doug's new book American Hemp Farmer. Plus we hear from Louis L. Reed, national organizer for #Cut50, on COVID in prisons.

This week on Century of Lies: Prisons, jails, and pandemic. In this time of pandemic, correctional institutions are like Petri dishes in which the novel coronavirus COVID-19 grows and spreads. Public health experts and criminal justice advocates around the nation are demanding that jails and prisons release some of the people being held behind bars in order to stop or at least slow the spread of this deadly disease. The organization Just Leadership USA recently held a web seminar on COVID-19 and the New York City jail on Riker’s Island. We hear portions of that seminar on today’s show, including: Jumaane Williams, Public Advocate for the City of New York; Doctor Bobby Cohen, member of the New York City Board of Correction; Marlene Aloe, whose son is being held on Rikers Island awaiting a retrial; Janet, whose son is being held on Rikers awaiting sentencing; and Tahanee Dunn from Bronx Public Defenders. We also hear from Nick Turner, president and director of the Vera Institute of Justice.

This week on Century of Lies: The city of Baltimore considers supervised consumption facilities; the state of Indiana takes a step backward in public health; and we hear from the US Dept. of Health and Human Services about the benefits of syringe service programs.

On this installment of Century of Lies, we hear from Kees De Joncheere, President of the International Narcotics Control Board, plus Just Say Know parts one through four by DrugReporter and the Rights Reporter Foundation.

On this installment of Century we hear from Pedro Arenas Garcia with the Colombian NGO Corporación Viso Mutop-Observatorio de cultivos y cultivadores; plus an interview from 2012 with activist and journalist Kevin Zeese and the late activist, documentary filmmaker, and writer Mike Gray.

This week on Century of Lies, a conversation with comedian, activist, and journalist Ngaio Bealum.

The Massachusetts Legislature's Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery held a hearing recently on harm reduction sites and supervised consumption facilities, so on this edition of Century of Lies we hear from MA State Sen. Cindy Friedman, Fenway Health's Carl Sciortino, and former US "Drug Czar" Michael Botticelli.

A federal judge has rejected the Justice Department's attempt to stop Philadelphia nonprofit Safehouse from setting up a supervised consumption facility. On this week's Century we hear from Liz Evans, one of the founders of North America's first supervised consumption site, Insite, in Vancouver, BC. Plus, an update on the vaping crisis.

This week on Century, a conversation with journalist and cannabis connoisseur Jimi Devine, senior staff writer for Cannabis Now and a contributing writer for the LA Weekly.

This week on Century of Lies, international drug policy reform. We hear portions of the 62nd Annual Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, live from Vienna, including interventions by the delegation from Switzerland, the World Health Organization, the Canadian HIV Legal Network, and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

This week on Century, we hear portions of a debate in the Denver City Council on a measure to establish a safe consumption space in the city of Denver. Hosted by Doug McVay.

Tue - UK Parliament discussion of drugs

This week on Century of Lies, live at the International Cannabis Business Conference 2018 in Portland, Oregon, we talk with Washington state cannabis cultivator Farmer Tom Lauerman; plus, Orsolya Feher from Students for Sensible Drug Policy addresses the recent Commission on Narcotic Drugs Intersessional Meeting in Vienna, Austria.

This week on Century of Lies we look at California's Assembly Bill 186, which would allow the city and county of San Francisco to establish a supervised consumption facility that would prevent drug overdose deaths. Governor Jerry Brown has until September 30 to sign the measure into law.

This week we hear an update on efforts by King County/Seattle, Washington, to establish a safe consumption space in response to the opioid overdose crisis.

Sat - Doug McVay editor Drug War Facts, host of Century of Lies 2/2

An effort in the state of Colorado to prevent overdose deaths suffered a setback in the Colorado Legislature on February 14. The Co Senate's State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee held a hearing on Senate Bill 40, Substance Use Disorder Harm Reduction. The measure was not approved and has been postponed indefinitely. Experts in public health and public safety along with people who have lost family members to overdose and others who are concerned about the community testified overwhelmingly in support of Senate Bill 40. On this edition of Century of Lies, we hear from some of them.

Sun - Doug McVay DTN reporter re Paradise Papers to conceal cartel cash

Live from the Drug Policy Alliance's 2017 International Reform Conference, we hear from South African researcher Shaun Shelly, Pastor Kenneth Glasgow from The Ordinary Peoples' Society, and Drug Policy Alliance Executive Director Maria McFarland Sanchez-Moreno.

Feds release the results of the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Senator Orrin Hatch introduces a bill for pharmaceutical research on marijuana, and the Justice Department digs in its heels in opposing marijuana law reform.

Live from Seattle, Washington, it's Part Two of our special Hempfest 2017 coverage! This week, a panel on Cannabis and Media: Moving Beyond Stereotypes, with Susan Squibb, Wes Abney, Ophelia Chong, Russ Belville, Chris Conrad, and yours truly Doug McVay.