Reason Foundation’s Drug Policy Newsletter, October 2018
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Drug Policy Newsletter

Reason Foundation’s Drug Policy Newsletter, October 2018

The health effects of cannabis, the DEA may be blame for the opioid crisis, a study calls for more Kratom research, and more.

News and Opinion

Decades after the original war on drugs, the DEA may be partially to blame for the opioid crisis.  

Much more research and data may be needed before we truly understand both the positive and negative health effects of cannabis.  

Adrian Moore and Erica Jedynak list seven principles to guide a successful and well-regulated cannabis market.

Canada will train 800 more police officers to become Drug Recognition Experts (DRE) to aid in enforcing impairment laws.

Legislation, Regulation, and Markets

The DEA has formally moved a CBD based drug called Epidiolex into schedule V, the least restrictive category the DEA maintains, opening the drug up for much more widespread use.  

A Florida court has ruled that the state’s vertical integration requirement is unconstitutional and has blocked any more applications under that structure.  

As New Jersey works out its recreational cannabis regulations, a 10% state excise tax rate would make the most sense.  

Missouri has competing regulatory plans for cannabis legalization, leading to uncertainty among investors.

The FDA has publicly stated that cannabidiol (CBD), one of the non-psychoactive ingredients of cannabis, does not meet the criterion for federal control.  

Several medical marijuana applicants who were denied because of Florida’s hard cap on licenses are challenging that rule on the grounds that they otherwise meet all the requirements.

A new study documents licensing restrictions for convicted criminals in the marijuana industry and concludes that such licenses are unnecessarily burdensome and damaging to those already harmed by the war on drugs.

Evidence

A new study suggests that adolescent cannabis use could cause long life damage to memory.

A meta-study spanning over two decades finds that legalization of marijuana has not increased youth use.  

An examination of the evidence shows that legalization is associated with the reduction of certain crimes, such as property and violent crime.   

A new study claims that Kratom can be a healthier alternative to opioids and calls for more research on the substance.