Drugism Dispatch #7

Afghanistan's booming meth production, HHS recommends cannabis be rescheduled, over-the-counter Narcan, + more...

1. Meth production is booming in Afghanistan, due partly to the Taliban’s opium ban

2. In Canada, alcohol sales are down and cannabis sales are up

3. The Department of Health and Human Services has recommended rescheduling cannabis

4. Over-the-counter Narcan is being rolled out at pharmacies across the US

5. An inside look at harm reduction in Tennessee from J Gordon Curtis

First, THANK YOU to my readers—all 500+ of you! I am excited to share that Drugism recently topped 500 subscribers. I am incredibly grateful to all of you. If you like what you’ve read here, consider checking out my other two Substacks: High and Mighty and The Politics of Psilocybin.

Now let’s get to the news.

1. Meth production booming in Afghanistan under the Taliban

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) recently published a report on methamphetamine production in Afghanistan, which is up sharply. Meth production has already been on the increase for the last few years, but it accelerated noticeably after the Taliban banned opium cultivation in April 2022. It is just one of many ways that the global drug market has been changing in recent years.

2. In Canada, alcohol sales down, cannabis sales up

A recent report examined Canadians’ spending habits on alcohol and cannabis. It found that the nation’s alcohol sales have declined, and cannabis sales have increased. The same general pattern has been seen in other areas where cannabis has been legalized.

3. Federal agency recommends rescheduling cannabis

As readers may already be aware, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced a recommendation that cannabis be rescheduled from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. Keep in mind that this is just a recommendation; the onus is still on the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to follow through—or not—with the recommendation. And even if it were to be rescheduled, cannabis would remain a controlled substance subject to numerous legal restrictions.

I suggest this piece from Jeremy Berke for those interested in learning more about the nuances of what might result from this decision. Many experts, advocates, and patients would prefer to see cannabis descheduled altogether. While we’re at it, we might as well just toss the whole Controlled Substances Act in the trash and start from scratch re: drug policy (yes, seriously).

Rescheduling cannabis probably won't change as much as you think

4. Over-the-counter Narcan rolled out across US

In March, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Narcan to be the nation’s first over-the-counter naloxone product. In June, a second naloxone product was approved by the FDA for over-the-counter sales. Over the last couple weeks, these products have started to hit the shelves of pharmacies across the US.

This is great news, but it falls tragically short of the changes necessary for us to effectively tackle the ongoing overdose crisis. We desperately need an entirely new approach to drug policy. The current paradigm is genocidal.

5. An inside look at harm reduction in Tennessee

Check out this recent piece by J. Gordon Curtis about the current state of harm reduction in Tennessee. It offers an excellent snapshot of the realities of harm reduction as it happens throughout the US and the world. Curtis also writes (quite prolifically, I must add) for Tripsitter—peep his stuff there too!