• Drug Policy - Question of the Week

    Celebrity Overdose

    Drug Policy Question of the Week – 2-21-12

    As answered by Mary Jane Borden, Editor of Drug War Facts for the Drug Truth Network on 2-21-12. http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/3759

    Question of the Week: Why have there been so many reports of celebrity overdoses?

    From Heath Ledger, to Michael Jackson, to Amy Winehouse, and now to Whitney Houston, celebrity deaths from overdoses of otherwise legal drugs seem to be increasing, and indeed they are.

    A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control outlined these disturbing statistics.

    “In 2009, 1.2 million emer­gency department visits (an increase of 98.4% since 2004) were related to misuse or abuse of pharmaceuticals.”

    The report went on to read,

    “In 2008, a total of 36,450 deaths were attributed to drug overdose … among which a drug was specified in 27,153 deaths. One or more prescription drugs were involved in 20,044 [almost 75%] of the 27,153 deaths, and opiate pain relievers were involved in 14,800 [almost 75%] of the 20,044 prescription drug overdose deaths.”

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration tracks the “serious outcomes” of its approved drugs through its Adverse Event Reporting System. By “serious outcomes,” the FDA means a “death, hospitalization, life-threatening, disability, congenital anomaly and/or other serious outcome” reported to it through the AERS system.

    This system shows a substantial escalation in the number of deaths and serious patient outcomes over the last eleven years. From 2000-2010, “Serious outcomes” numbered 2,816,297, with “deaths” equaling 452,780. These two values grew by well over 50% during the last five years alone.

    An article in the Connecticut Law Review laments that,

    “Prescription drugs are paradoxical: as one of the greatest triumphs of the twentieth century, their powerful chemicals and biologics save many millions of humans from suffering and death; yet, these same chemicals also cause great suffering and death.”

    These facts and others like them in the Causes of Death Chapter of Drug War Facts at www.drugwarfacts.org.

  • Drug Policy - Law Enforcement & Prisons - Question of the Week

    Changing Prisoner Numbers

    Drug Policy Question of the Week – 2-15-12

    As answered by Mary Jane Borden, Editor of Drug War Facts for the Drug Truth Network on 2-15-12. http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/3752

    Question of the Week: Why have the counts of drug prisoners changed?

    Government reports are notoriously foggy when it comes to those incarcerated for “drugs.” Divining these elusive numbers requires a spreadsheet and a detailed search of the Bureau of Justice Statistics for numbers buried in some years, but missing from others. Some numbers must simply be computed.

    This is the case with probation and parole, for which two different values are reported. For example, Appendix Table 15 of the “Probation and Parole in the United States 2009” report displays percentages for “Characteristics of adults on parole,” including those for “Drug” as the “Most Serious Offense.”   This table indicates that 36% of parolees had “Drugs” as their most serious offense in 2009. Multiplying the 819,000 total 2009 parolees times this 36% produces a count of 295,000 of parolees with “Drug” offenses. However, the numeric counts of “drug” parolees reported in the report’s Appendix Table 20 produce a lesser percentage of parolees with drug offenses – 32%. The same problem can be found in the probation numbers.

    Further, reports going back to 1990 contain these kinds of percentages, enabling better trending.

    Thus, the new Drug War Facts table that displays the number persons under the control of the U.S. corrections system has been updated with numbers derived from the percentage of total calculations.

    Here’s the bottom line. Over 1.7 million probationers, parolees and state and federal prisoners were under the control of the U.S. corrections in 2009 with “drugs” as their most serious offense. This represents over one quarter of the estimated 7.3 million individuals on probation, parole or in prison that year.

    These facts and others like them in the Prisons & Drug Offenders Chapter of Drug War Facts at www.drugwarfacts.org.

  • Law Enforcement & Prisons - Question of the Week

    Drug Prisoners

    Drug Policy Question of the Week – 2-6-12

    As answered by Mary Jane Borden, Editor of Drug War Facts for the Drug Truth Network on 2-6-12. http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/3741

    Question of the Week: How many people are under the control of the U.S. corrections system for drugs?

    Various reports from the Bureau of Justice Statistics detail characteristics of the U.S. criminal justice system that includes those housed in federal, state, and local prisons and jails, along with those on probation or parole.

    The “Prisoners” report series represents a good place to start counting. This annual series goes back almost 20 years to the “Prisoners in 1994” report. Remarkably, 8,800 persons were admitted to state prison for drug offenses directly from court in 1980. Fast forward twelve years to 1992 – that number soared by +1155% to 101,000.

    The newly released “Prisoners in 2009” report placed the number of offenders in state prison with “drugs” as their most serious offense at 242,000 in 2009.

    The report quantified the number of federal prisoners with a similar offense at 95,000 in 2009. This represented growth by a whopping +1843 over the 4,900 “drug” federal drug prisoners in 1980.

    The Bureau of Justice Statistics also has a comparable series of annual reports on Probation and Parole. According to the 2009 report by that name, only 3,486 adults were on federal probation with drugs as their most serious offense. However, there were 579,000 state “drug” probationers that year.

    Federal parolees with drug offenses equaled 55,000 in 2009 and state parolees counted 207,000 for similar convictions.

    Thus, over 1.2 million probationers, parolees and state and federal prisoners were under control of the U.S. corrections system in 2009 with “drugs” as their most serious offense.

    These numbers can be found in a new Drug War Facts table along with other Facts like them in the Prisons and Drug Offenders Chapter of Drug War Facts at www.drugwarfacts.org.

  • Question of the Week

    Race and the Drug War

    Drug Policy Question of the Week – 1-27-12

    As answered by Mary Jane Borden, Editor of Drug War Facts for the Drug Truth Network on 1-27-12. http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/3725

    Question of the Week: What about race and the drug war?

    According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Hispanics comprised 16.3% of the U.S. population. Whites and blacks equaled 72.5% and 12.6% respectively.

    Findings from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health show that rates of substance abuse or dependence that to be “9.7 percent for Hispanics, 8.9 percent for whites, and 8.2 percent for blacks.”

    According to the Centers for Disease Control, “At the end of 2008, the largest percentage of persons living with a diagnosis of HIV infection —48%— were blacks…. Among the remaining racial/ethnic groups, the percentages were 33%, whites; 17%, Hispanics/Latinos;” Infection by injection drug use is highest among blacks.

    The Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that, of the estimated 242,200 prisoners under state jurisdiction sentenced for drug offenses in 2009, 17.3% were Hispanic, 30.4% were white, and 50.5% were black.

    Let’s review the numbers.

    9.7% of Hispanics are drug abusers. Hispanics represent 16.3% of the population, 17% of persons living with HIV and 17% of drug offenders in state prison.

    8.9% of Whites are drug abusers. Whites encompass 72.5% of the population, 33% of those living with HIV and 30.4% of drug offenders in state prison.

    Only 8.2% of Blacks are drug abusers. Blacks equal 12.6% of the population, but 48% all HIV patients and 50.5% of offenders in state prisoners on drug charges.

    As stated by the Cato Institute,

    “If we truly want to get past race in this country, we must be aware that it will never happen until the futile War on Drugs so familiar to us now is a memory.”

    These facts and others like them can be found in the Race and HIV and Drug Usage Chapters of Drug War Facts at www.drugwarfacts.org.

  • Law Enforcement & Prisons - Question of the Week

    Private Prisons

    Drug Policy Question of the Week – 1-18-12

    As answered by Mary Jane Borden, Editor of Drug War Facts for the Drug Truth Network on 1-18-12. http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/3715

    Question of the Week: What are private prisons?

    Last week we talked about the number of people under control of the U.S. criminal justice system. As noted, tables based on data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics in the Prisons and Jails chapter of Drug War Facts show about 1.3 million people housed in state facilities in 2010.

    Incarcerating all of those state prisoners cost approximately $51 billion in 2010 according to the National Association of State Budget Officers, almost 20% more than 2005. Further, according to the BJS, in 2010,

    “Nineteen state systems were operating above their highest capacity, with seven states at least 25% over their highest capacity at yearend 2010, led by Alabama at 196% and Illinois at 144%.”

    “… spending growth on corrections has slowed considerably due to widespread revenue shortfalls and limited resources,” said the NASBO.

    What’s a cash-strapped state to do? One answer seems to lie in privately run prisons, now housing about 94,000 state inmates who represent nearly 7% of all state prisoners and an increase in the prisoner count of about 31% over the year 2000.

    The American Civil Liberties Union confirmed that,

    “Private prisons for adults were virtually non-existent until the early 1980s, but the number of prisoners in private prisons increased by approximately 1600% between 1990 and 2009. Today, for-profit companies are responsible for approximately 6% of state prisoners, 16% of federal prisoners, and, according to one report, nearly half of all immigrants detained by the federal government. In 2010, the two largest private prison companies [Corrections Corporation of America and the GEO Group [then called Wackenhut Corrections Corporation] alone received nearly $3 billion dollars in revenue”

    These facts and others like them can be found in the Prisons and Jails Chapters of Drug War Facts at www.drugwarfacts.org.

  • Drug Policy - Law Enforcement & Prisons - Question of the Week

    US Criminal Justice System

    Drug Policy Question of the Week – 1-11-12

    As answered by Mary Jane Borden, Editor of Drug War Facts for the Drug Truth Network on 1-11-12. http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/3706

    Question of the Week: How many people are under the control of the U.S. criminal justice system?

    An April 2011 report by the Justice Policy Institute begins by stating,

    “The United States is home to the world’s largest prison population. … the U.S. has only 5 percent of the world’s population but holds 25 percent of the world’s prisoners …”

    There are several components to the U.S. criminal justice system. Quoting the Institute,

    “The entry point into the criminal justice system is typically through law enforcement. … In the U.S., when a person is charged with an offense they may be detained in jail until their trial or they may be released to await their trial in the community through a variety of mechanisms … people are said to be “remanded,” which is a summons to appear before a judge at a later date. If they are not released pretrial they can be “remanded to custody” until their court proceeding; if they are convicted, they can be remanded to custody prior to sentencing or during an appeal process … Pretrial detention is associated with a higher likelihood of both being found guilty and receiving a sentence of incarceration over probation, thus forcing a person further into the criminal justice system. In the United States, this is particularly important because of the sheer numbers”

    What are those numbers?

    In 2010 there were approximately:

    4,000,000 people on probation

    840,000 on parole

    207,000 in federal prison

    1,300,000 in state prison

    and 749,000 in local jails

    For a total of 7,100,000 people under the control of the U.S. Criminal Justice system.

    These facts and others like them can be found in the “U.S. Corrections Population” Table in  Prisons & Jails Chapter of Drug War Facts at www.drugwarfacts.org.

  • Cannabis & Hemp - Drug Policy - Law Enforcement & Prisons - Question of the Week

    Marijuana Prisoners

    Drug Policy Question of the Week – 12-19-11

    As answered by Mary Jane Borden, Editor of Drug War Facts for the Drug Truth Network on 12-19-11. http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/3677

    Question of the Week: How many people are in prison for marijuana?

    Aficionados will recall that there are important statistics in drug policy that must be computed. These include the number of marijuana arrests and the number of people behind bars for marijuana offenses.

    To calculate the number of “marijuana prisoners,” two reports are necessary.

    Report #1 is “Prisoners in 2004,” from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Table 1, page 2. Find these numbers:

    Total Federal Prisoners in 2004 =  170,535

    Total State Prisoners in 2004 =  1,244,311

    Report #2 is, “Drug Use and Dependence, State and Federal Prisoners, 2004,” again from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, page. 4. Find these numbers:

    Percent of federal prisoners held for drug law violations in 2004 = 55%

    Percent of state prisoners held for drug law violations in 2004 = 21%

    Marijuana/hashish, Percent of federal drug offenders, 2004 = 12.4%

    Marijuana/hashish, Percent of state drug offenders, 2004 = 12.7%

    Now, do the math,

    Multiply total prisoners times the percent of prisoners held for drug law violations. Then multiply this product times the percentage of marijuana offenders. The result is:

    Federal marijuana prisoners, 2004 = 11,630

    State marijuana prisoners, 2004 = 33,186

    Total federal and state marijuana prisoners in 2004 = 44,816

    Thus, those in prison for marijuana offenses represent about 12.6% of those incarcerated for drug law violations and 3.2% of total state and federal prisoners. It should be noted that these numbers exclude those among the 700,000+ inmates who may be in local jail because of a marijuana arrest.

    These facts and others like them can be found in the Prisons and Drugs Chapter of Drug War Facts at www.drugwarfacts.org.

  • Cannabis & Hemp - Drug Policy - Question of the Week

    Cannabis rescheduling

    Drug Policy Question of the Week – 12-15-11

    As answered by Mary Jane Borden, Editor of Drug War Facts for the Drug Truth Network on 12-15-11. http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/3671

    Question of the Week: How can cannabis be rescheduled?

    According to the Congressional Research Service, the current scheduling scheme for various drugs called the Controlled Substances Act

    “was signed into law as the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970.”

    Found under Title 21 of the U.S. Commercial Code. Subchapter I, Section 812 the CSA

    “established five schedules of controlled substances, to be known as schedules I, II, III, IV, and V.”

    In “Initial Schedules of Controlled Substances,” the CSA placed marijuana and its derivatives under Schedule 1, the most restrictive of the five categories.

    Note usage of the term initial. In theory, the schedule of cannabis or any other drug (there are hundreds) can be upgraded (to a more restrictive schedule) or downgraded (to a less restrictive one).

    The Congressional Research Service unfortunately notes that

    “Lawmakers have repeatedly rebuffed campaigns to reschedule marijuana under the CSA, a step that would permit marijuana to be used for some medical purposes. Likewise, courts have refused to carve out exceptions to the CSA, even for individuals who claim a dire need for the drug.”

    Thus, Congress has the authority to reschedule, as do the courts given the right case, but so far neither has done so.

    Robert Miklos in the Stanford Law Review counters that,

    “the CSA authorizes the Attorney General to [reschedule], in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the DEA. … the President would not need the consent of Congress to make this more fundamental change to federal law.”

    Thus, the President and his Executive Branch have the authority to reschedule cannabis, but so far refuse to do so.

    These facts and others like them can be found in the Crime and Medical Marijuana Chapters of Drug War Facts at www.drugwarfacts.org.

  • Cannabis & Hemp - Drug Policy - Question of the Week

    Synthetic Cannabinoids

    Drug Policy Question of the Week – 11-30-11

    As answered by Mary Jane Borden, Editor of Drug War Facts for the Drug Truth Network on 11-30-11. http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/3650

    Question of the Week: What are synthetic cannabinoids?

    As described in an October 2011 report by Congressional Research Service,

    “Synthetic cannabinoids are substances chemically produced to mimic tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana. When these substances are sprayed onto dried herbs and then consumed through smoking or oral ingestion, they can produce psychoactive effects similar to those of marijuana.”

    A September 2011 issue of Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, explains that these agents are

    “… sold on the Internet as herbal mixtures under the brand names of “Spice,” “Spice Gold,” “Spice Diamond,” “Arctic Spice,” “Silver,” “Aroma,” “K2,” “Genie,” “Scene” or “Dream,” and advertised as incense products, meditation potpourris, bath additives, or air fresheners. These products are often referred to as “herbal highs” or “legal highs””

    They were developed according to the CRS by

    “Clemson University Professor John Huffman [who] is credited with first synthesizing some of the cannabinoids, such as JWH-018, now used in “fake pot” substances such as K2. The effects of JWH-018 can be 10 times stronger than those of THC.”

    Current Psychiatry reported that

    “many have been banned in several European countries, 18 U.S. states, and the U.S. military. In March 2011, the FDA placed 5 synthetic cannabinoids on Schedule I, making them illegal to possess or sell in the United States.”

    However, the CRS notes concerns about the DEA’s action, stating that,

    “Professor Huffman did not intend for K2 to be consumed by humans. He is, however, against adding synthetic cannabinoids to Schedule I, asserting that there is still much to learn about [them] …  Professor Huffman has created several synthetic cannabinoids that are seen as showing promise in treating skin cancers, pain, and inflammation.”

    These facts and others like them can be found in the Marijuana Chapter of Drug War Facts at www.drugwarfacts.org.