Category Archives: War On Drugs

Bandleader Adam Granduciel on how single-coils, the Deads Wall of Sound, and cascades of chorus build his live tones. Plus, bassist David Hartley gets weird, wild, and wonky.

For nearly two decades and across five albums, The War on Drugs founder and frontman Adam Granduciel has narrated our complex modern lives while his band has scored our dreams.

The captivating moods of their music, much like us, morph from dense melancholy to saturated, swirling madness and everywhere in between. Granduciel often layers his Springsteen-meets-Young proletariat prose atop a post-rock soundscape, but the heartbeat of their impressive, expansive live shows is their gear and how it is implemented.

I could play the whole tour with two or maybe three guitarsa White Falcon, Strat, and maybe a Jazzmasterbut I bring all these out just for fun, he says with a laugh as he considers his trove of axes.

So, lets have some fun already! Before a full evening of The War on Drugs jams in support of 2021s I Dont Live Here Anymore, PG was invited to Nashvilles historic Ryman Auditorium. We covered Granduciels growing guitar collection, got the skinny on how Jerry Garcias monstrous setup played into the bandleaders theatre rig, and we took in a cockpit view of his stompbox squadron full of tone ticklers, sizzlers, and wigglers. In addition, bassist David Hartley showed off a trio of Ps, an armada of Ampegs, and demod a fuzz that has ended his quest for razing tones.

Brought to you by DAddario XPND Pedalboard.

If youre a fan of Rig Rundowns or Kurt Vile & the Violators, youve already seen this Strat. The above Fender American Vintage 57 reissue was once owned by Jesse Trbovich, whos flanked Vile for years. Trbovich landed a true-blue 70s Olympic white Strat and needed to unload this to make room. Granduciel quickly raised his hand as a landing spot because he really enjoyed how comfortably the neck played. And since bonding with it, he likes its low-output single-coils because he can juice it with pedals. (Its worth noting that Trbovich put in a Seymour Duncan Antiquity II Strat Surfer Series in the middle position, allowing him to have hum-canceling operation in the second and fourth position.) All of Granduciels electrics take Ernie Ball 2220 Power Slinkys (.011.048).

When this thing is in my hands, I can react with it, and it becomes this whole other animal. It can be unwieldy, but this guitar plugged into a cranked Princeton or small tweed sounds incredible, allows Granduciel. So, as you can imagine, this 1969 Gibson SG is Adams right-hand when it comes to recording, but, as he explains later in the video, it doesnt coexist pleasantly with his live setup. He scooped this gem at Rivington Guitars in New York City.

Granduciel had lusted after this vintage offset for weeks when seeing it listed on Reverb by Chelsea Guitars. The listing was removed and he thought that it was gone forever. A few months later, he was in NYC and decided to stop into the shop and, low and behold, the sunburst Jazzmaster was on their bench in pieces. Apparently, the original buyer from the Reverb listing was after a birth-year model (1964, as listed on the Reverb page), but when he removed the neck its pocket revealed a 1963 date. He traded in the guitar for a proper 64 and, fatefully, Granduciel didnt let a second pass before offering to buy it. Alongside the SG, this is another heavy hitter for recording.

During a 2018 tour of Australia, Granduciel scored this 1966 Fender Jazzmaster that looks swanky with a matching black headstock. He claims the rhythm circuit in this one sounds killer, while the lead circuit is super bright and used on Occasional Rain. In addition to being a remarkable instrument, he loves that it reminds him of a short span of time that included a wonderful tour of Down Under, earning a Grammy for Best Rock Album, and the Philadelphia Eagles winning the Super Bowl.

Cracks arent meant to be beautiful, especially on guitars, but looking at the 66s backside reveals a twisted thumbprint.

This 1965 non-reverse Firebird was upgraded by its previous owner with a set of Lollar P-90s. If you recall the last Rundown with TWOD, Granduciel added a Bigsby, but that has since been removed.

This Fender American Vintage 65 Jazzmaster has been a dependable dynamo for Adam. He prefers it because he knows what hes going to get sonically and he can throw it around without worry. The newer pickups offer a snarlier tone, so it gets used for songs like Pain, and the top-end sear helps him cut through the seven-piece live band.

This new-ish Gibson Hummingbird gets busted out for C# tunes and features a LR Baggs M1 soundhole pickup.

Not quite the famed Wall of Sound procured by the Dead and audio engineer Owsley Bear Stanley, but Granduciels evolving setup is heading in that direction.

Since our last Rundown, Adam has ditched the Hiwatts (although he admits to enjoying that era of TWOD) for the Alembic F-2B Stereo Preamp that was used by Jerry Garcia and David Gilmour. He describes its circuity as mimicking the front end of a Fender Dual Showman. Theres just so much clean headroom and theyre so creamy. And I dont know what it is, but single-coils and P-90s just come to life here in a way that other amps dont, so maybe thats why Jerry and David used them so much. The Mesa/Boogie Stereo Simul-Class 295 powers the Alembic. He does run a direct line signal from the F-2B to FOH for a clean DI option.

In the video, Granduciel challenged me to guess how many speakers are in the oversized cab, and I said four. Seemed logical but, as he quickly pointed out, the Marshall 2041 Lead Organ has only a pair of Celestion (pre-rola) 12" speakers. The Alembic runs through this pillar of power.

The other side of Adams grand equation is a 1960s Fender Bandmaster head that hits a Marshall 1960BV 4x12.

As we alluded earlier, his beloved 1969 SG doesnt jive with his Alembic-Fender setup, so he incorporates its humbuckers into his live rig by plugging into the 5W Swart STR-Tremolo. The SG and Swart typically dance for Thinking of a Place, but Granduciel admits to kicking it on with the Fenders during the heat of battle and treating it like a tremolo pedal for parts of Pressure and other jams. To the right of the Swart youll notice a pair of Rockman Tom Scholz (yeah, the Boston legend) Power Soak attenuators throttling the Alembic and Fender.

The band uses this AKAI Professional MPC Live II for additional drum machines for the show.

They are harnessed by four Boss FV-500L Foot Volume Pedals controlled by Adam that allow him to bring the samples into the room mix. Additionally, the band syncs their modulation to it, so everyone is locked in. (The MPC clocks or syncs the pulsing of the tremolo for the band. Adam uses a Lightfoot Labs Goatkeeper 2, while bassist David Hartley uses a Malekko Goatkeeper.)

Heres a crows-nest view of Adam Granduciels massive pedal playground.

Most of what Adam does with his feet is simplified by this Custom Audio Electronics R-ST 24 + 2x PSS MIDI controller.

Heres one of the sections of Granduciels expanding pedalboard that includes a Wren and Cuff Tri Pie 70, a MXR/Custom Audio Electronics Boost/Line Driver, an Ernie Ball Expression Tremolo, anElectro-Harmonix 1440 Stereo Looper, a Lightfoot Labs Goatkeeper 2, a Strymon TimeLine, a Boss DC-3 Digital Dimension, and a Morley ABC Pro (for switching amps). A Boss TU-3s Chromatic Tuner keeps his guitars in check.

Heres the meat and potatoes of Granduciels spreading stomp setup: (top left) a Boss FT-2 Dynamic Filter, another MXR/Custom Audio Electronics Boost/Line Driver, DigiTech Hardwire RV-7 Stereo Reverb, ADA Flanger, JHS Bun Runner, J. Rockett Audio Designs Archer, MXR Flanger, Moutainking Electronics Loud Box, Crowther Audio Prunes & Custard, a Fulltone OCD, and a trifecta of Eventides that rest on the right sidea Space, TimeFactor, and H9. Everything gets current by either a MXR Custom Audio Electronics MC403 Power System or the Eventide PowerMax.

At first glance, youd probably mistake this for a 60s or 70s Fender P, but as bassist David Hartley attests, this is a 2002 Fender Precision named Clovis that he acquired brand new almost two decades ago. Part of Clovis charm for Hartley is that its the lightest P hes ever held, making their Evening With shows a little easier on the back. Its stock aside from him swapping out the standard anodized gold pickguard for the tortoiseshell. He uses La Bella 760FS Deep Talkin Bass Flats (.045.105).

Another 4-string that does a lot of heavy lifting for Hartley is this 1983 Fender Fullerton 62 Reissue Precision Bass. While this one isnt as light as the previous P, he does love how much it sustains.

And occasionally youll see Hartley put down all the guardrails and dance with this Fender Tony Franklin Fretless Precision Bass. The connection with this one came through when he heard how much vocal tonality it has. Its a highly expressive instrument.

The Ps come to life thanks to this boulder of bass tone: a pair of Ampeg Heritage 50th Anniversary SVT amps that hit an Ampeg Heritage SVT-810AV. The SVT on the left is a backup and Hartley plugs into the normal channels.

Prior to this run, Hartley toyed with the idea of just plugging his Ps into a DI and his Ampeg. Clearly, that plan changed and hes probably having more fun because of it. His stomp station contains a pair of Boss GE-7 Equalizers (one to help Clovis pop a bit more and the other helps brighten up the ambient drone of the Gamechanger), an Eventide H9, a Gamechanger Audio Plus Sustain Pedal, a Mountainking Electronics Megalith, a Malekko Goatkeeper, a Keeley Super Mod Workstation, and a MXR Phase 90. A Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner keeps his Ps sounding right.

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Rig Rundown: The War on Drugs [2022] - Premier Guitar

With the porous Indo-Myanmar border exposing Manipur to the Golden Triangle of drug trade and mafias, the state has launched a War on Drugs 2.0, making it a part of the 100-day agenda of the CM Biren Singh-led new government. The Ministry of Home Affairs, too, has made fighting the drug menace in the state its top priority.

The organised drug mafia, with abundant resources, uses various ways and means to push narcotic substances such as heroin, opium, ganja and synthetic drugs such as crystal methamphetamine, pseudo-ephedrine, W.Y. Tablets etc. into the state and further to other parts of the country.

In its new avatar, the War on Drugs initiative has an Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF).

The exercise comprises a multi-pronged strategy, which covers the legal, social, human resources and technological aspects to deal with the drug menace.

The state government has started choking the transit routes by deploying a dedicated 247 Highway patrol of eight GPS-enabled vehicles in Senapati and Kangpokpi districts on NH-2 as a pilot project. A compressive state highway security plan for three major National Highways NH-2, NH-102 & NH-37 connecting Manipur to Myanmar, Assam and Nagaland is in the pipeline. Once the scheme is enforced, the drug peddlers will have no option, but to stop using Manipur as a transit route for drug trafficking, said experts.

In the past five years, drugs worth Rs 3,213 crore (value in the international market) have been seized and 1,674 cases have been filed under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act leading to 2,104 arrests.

Further, the police have seized 170 kg heroin, 6,920 kg ganja, 1,265 kg opium, 520 kg brown sugar, 725 kg synthetic drugs, 16 lakh psychotropic tablets and 63,000 bottles of drug syrups. In addition, 13,894 acres of illicit poppy cultivated areas and 20 acres of cannabis (ganja) cultivated areas were destroyed.

After the formation of ANTF on March 20, the state has witnessed an increased crackdown on illicit drug peddlers, which has led to registration of 146 cases under the NDPS Act, 174 arrests and seizure of 18 kg heroin, 135 kg opium, 85 kg WY tablets, 44,000 capsules and 24,000 bottles of drug syrups along with destruction of 381 acres of illegal poppy cultivation.

Within 70 days, the Manipur Police have seized contraband valuing approximately Rs 142 crore in the international market.

The Manipur Remote Sensing Applications Centre (MARSAC) has been tasked to generate high-resolution data to identify areas which have been subjected to illegal poppy cultivation in remote areas. The map obtained from MARSAC has been corroborated with the images obtained from drones. On the basis of this data, relevant provisions of the NDPS Act have been applied on landowners and village chiefs allegedly for poppy cultivation. The process will be a deterrent to any prospective illicit poppy cultivator, said experts.

In a first, the ANTF organised a state-level seminar-cum-workshop on War on Drugs 2.0. It was inaugurated by CM N Biren Singh in the presence of chief secretary, DGP Manipur and other senior police officers.

This exercise was extended across the state by organising six workshops for 300 officers across 16 wings of District Police and Armed Police, so they can handle drug cases effectively.

The state has empowered officers of the Armed Police of Manipur (Manipur Rifles & Indian Reserve Battalions) under relevant sections of the NDPS Act on the lines of Central Armed Police Forces like Central Reserve Police Force and Border Security Force. It is likely to further intensify the crackdown on illicit trading of drugs as Manipur Armed Police personnel are deployed across the State of Manipur, including hilly and remote areas.

A seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by the IGP and ANTF, has been constituted to expedite the NDPS Act cases and for timely filing of charge sheets, besides ensuring higher convictions. The list of pending NDPS cases has been prepared and drug peddlers have been booked under Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (PIT NDPS) to ensure they dont get bail. This provision under the PIT NDPS has been drafted on the lines of the National Security Act (NSA), stipulating one year of preventive detention without bail, extendable up to two years.

To garner support, public awareness programmes have been chalked out through more than 70 events in the hill districts. The inaugural event started with the final match of a prominent local football tournament featuring many national/ISL level players which was attended by DGP Manipur and IGP Zone in the presence of around 2,000 locals. In addition, the Manipur government has decided to keep Drug-Free Manipur as the theme for International Yoga Day.

ALSO READ | This Manipur Youth Fought Drug Addiction, Built Indias First Transgender Football Team

Promotional strategies have been devised and a social media campaign has begun, with the launch of a dedicated Twitter handle War on Drugs, Manipur & Facebook page, War on Drugs, Manipur. Daily achievements of the state are highlighted through it.

The government is also focussed on providing alternate livelihood for those involved in drug trade. Steps are being taken to identify alternative means of livelihoods to wean away people from indulging in illicit cultivation of poppy in remote and hilly areas of Manipur due to lack of job opportunities.

The District Level NCORD Committee has been constituted for identification of target population, appropriate schemes and implementation of alternative livelihood and monitoring of the implementation. The proposed alternatives need to be based on local agro-climatic zones, traditional occupation and after weighing all pros and cons related to forest, agriculture, tribal development, horticulture, planning departments, etc. economic activities based on prevailing agro-climatic zone like horticulture, poultry, piggery, bee-keeping, floriculture, herbal plants etc., with emphasis on high value, low volume produce.

The state is striving to increase the market linkage to ensure right price for local products. Co-operative societies are being formulated to make these activities commercially viable.

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Tech to Task Force: Manipur Takes Its 'War on Drugs 2.0' to New High, Rs 142-crore Contraband Seized in 70 - News18

Medication abortion can be obtained in a few different ways, but typically people set up an appointment at their local abortion clinic and are sent home with a bag of pills to be taken over the next 72 hours.

Leigh was recently one of those people, making the 20-minute drive to a clinic in Washington, D.C., to come home with a handful of abortion pills and Netflix their way through the abortion from the comfort of their bed.

I was thankful I didnt have to be in a clinic, that I could be at home in familiar surroundings and just try to relax as best as I could, they said. (Leigh, who is nonbinary, is using a pseudonym for privacy reasons.)

But obtaining abortion pills in a clinic setting is becoming increasingly more difficult depending on where you live.

In the last few years, anti-choice lawmakers have ramped up their efforts to restrict access to in-person clinic care by using targeted regulation of abortion providers, also known as TRAP laws, and other medically unnecessary restrictions, such as state-mandated waiting periods between the consultation and getting the pills prescribed, required counseling thats not based in science or laws that force people to listen to fetal activity before accessing an abortion. In states like Oklahoma and Texas, which have extreme abortion bans, people are forced to take multiple-day journeys out of state just to access a handful of abortion pills.

Since in-clinic access has all but disappeared in many red states, some providers have moved online, allowing people in certain states to access abortion pills by mail. States including California, New York and Colorado allow telehealth for abortion before the 10-week mark, through online pharmacies like Hey Jane and Abortion On Demand. This means that a physician can virtually prescribe and send abortion pills right to your doorstep, allowing you to manage your abortion from the comfort of your home.

And its clear theres a growing interest in accessing abortion pills from these online pharmacies. Before the Supreme Court draft decision leaked in early May, Elisa Wells, co-founder and co-director of Plan C, an advocacy organization that provides people with information on how to obtain abortion pills, told HuffPost her website averaged around 2,500 visitors every day. The night the draft decision leaked, Wells said her website saw 16,000 visitors. The next day, it had 56,000 visitors.

But with more awareness of the benefits of and easy access to abortion pills, comes more attacks from abortion opponents. Heavyweight anti-choice groups like Susan B. Anthony List and Americans United For Life stated at the start of this year that restricting abortion drugs is a top priority in 2022. Already, 19 states have banned prescribing medication abortion via mail or by virtual telehealth visits.

This year alone, Missouri lawmakers introduced bills that would equate mailing abortion pills to drug trafficking. In Kentucky, lawmakers created a public database that lists the name of medication abortion providers so that people can anonymously report any purported violations of the states abortion laws. Tennessee lawmakers passed a bill making it a felony to mail medication abortion, punishable by a $50,000 fine or up to 20 years in prison a similar law passed in Texas last year. And all of the draconian abortion bans in places like Texas, Oklahoma and Idaho apply to both procedural and medication abortions.

In the face of these unjust laws and unjust court decisions, this is what we want people to know: There is something you can do, Wells said. Well tell you where to find these pills, how to use them, how to get support and what you need to know about the landscape around using pills for self-managed abortion, including the potential legal risk.

As access to in-clinic and telehealth abortion dwindles in red states, some women and birthing people will prefer self-managing their own abortions because its easier than navigating the ever growing list of barriers. And many will simply be forced to self-manage their abortions because they dont have any other options.

Thankfully, self-managing your own abortion with medication looks very similar to one done in a clinic or via telemedicine. A self-managed abortion is done outside of a traditional health care setting, often when a person obtains abortion pills not from a physician and undergoes an abortion without medical assistance. Because medication abortion is extremely safe and effective, it will ensure that we dont go back to the pre-Roe days of botched abortions that left so many dead.

There are several ways to to get abortion drugs outside of the traditional health care setting, including in Mexico, where misoprostol is widely available over the counter. People can also go through Aid Access, an Austria-based nonprofit that prescribes medication abortion via mail to all 50 states.

Aid Access can offer telehealth abortion anywhere in the U.S. despite specific state restrictions because their provider is based in Austria. This allows the group to circumvent U.S. regulations that penalize providers, and prescribe medication free of legal risk. Obtaining abortion pills through Aid Access is not technically characterized as a form of self-managed abortion because patients are guided through the process by a physician. But most people who need to go through Aid Access are likely navigating state restrictions or bans on abortion.

Managing an abortion outside of traditional health care settings brings with it certain legal gray areas.

People have been targeted for criminalization for self-managed abortion in this century in numerous states where prosecutors misapply laws that were never intended to be used against somebody for ending a pregnancy, said Sara Ainsworth, the senior legal and policy director at If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice.

One of the reasons we understand that that happens is, in addition to the political opposition to abortion, is that theres so much stigma that surrounds abortion generally, she added. The idea that it must be illegal if someone is managing an abortion on their own is unfortunately very pervasive.

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The Coming War On Abortion Drugs - HuffPost

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte, stressing the importance of shielding the youth from the harmful effects of illegal drugs, wants his daughter and Vice President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio to continue his advocacy.

"Take over," the outgoing leader said at an event in Valenzuela City last Sunday.

"Ikaw na... Kunin mo 'yang trabaho (You do it. Get the job)," he said.

Duterte pointed out that the Department of Education (DepEd), which Duterte-Carpio will soon lead, will play a vital role in ensuring school-aged children will not be influenced to be drug users.

"'Yang Department of Education, maraming bata diyan (there are a lot ot children involved). Do not ever allow contamination diyan sa kanila (among them)," he urged.

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The President likewise encouraged his daughter to not hesitate in ruling with an iron fist and just "do it" if it would mean having a drug-free school system.

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Duterte to Sara on drug war: 'Take over' - The Manila Times

In the crime-infested tri-border region where Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira disappeared, rumours abound over what happened at Puerto Amelia in January this year.

Were Brazilian drug traffickers responsible for burning the Peruvian police outpost on the River Yavar to the ground?

Was it Colombian guerrillas who stormed the camp, shooting at the border guards and making off with their high-powered weapons?

Or were the culprits rogue Peruvian police officers, perhaps working for organized crime?

The answer depends on who you talk to but the consequences were the same.

Five months after the audacious raid, the camp lies in ruins. Charred logs are the only remnant of a turquoise lodging the Peruvian troops had called home.

Filing cabinets and metal bunk beds are scattered in the undergrowth while the ground is littered with empty cans of tuna fish and spam. Tiger orange butterflies dance around an abandoned border marker, bringing colour to an otherwise desolate scene.

They took guns, rifles, bullets, the lot, said one local, who gave the Guardian a tour of the strategically positioned base, located opposite the entrance to the River Itaqua, where Phillips and Pereira are feared to have been murdered.

The local said the security situation had been deteriorating since 2020 as Latin American drug cartels and factions fought for control of this increasingly lucrative smuggling route.

This is what the region is like now, they sighed as they surveyed the deserted police position past which boats packed with drugs can now travel undisturbed. It didnt use to be like this.

But this is not the first such attack on the feeble law enforcement in the Amazon region where Peru meets Colombia and Brazil.

The narcos are bolder, more aggressive; they have attacked three police posts in the last five years, a Peruvian anti-narcotics officer said.

The small [police] bases are too remote, too isolated, too exposed. You need bases with 200 to 300 men, not 10 or 20, he said. He estimated that 120 tonnes of cocaine base paste were being smuggled across the porous frontier between Peru and Brazil every year.

This is an area being controlled by organised crime, not by the Peruvian state, he said. Despite occasional police and military raids, the crime wave has overwhelmed state authorities in all three countries.

The Amazon is a cancer patient and were just giving it a pill for the pain, he added grimly.

The surge of criminal activity is partly driven by the rapid expansion of plantations of coca the raw material of cocaine on the Peruvian side of the triple frontier. Cultivation of the plant in the area known as Bajo Amazonas nearly doubled between 2019 and 2020 from 2,531 to 4,247 hectares, according to the Peruvian Drugs Observatory.

Across Peru, coca cultiviation grew by 41% between 2016 and 2020, according to official Peruvian figures an increase from 439 sq km to 617 sq km. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) says coca field cultivation is higher, reaching 882 sq km (or 88,200 hectares) in 2020, equivalent to 810 tonnes of potential cocaine.

Peru is the worlds second-biggest producer of cocaine after Colombia, according to the UN, producing around 26% of global cocaine output. The last two years have been bumper harvests.

But the country has also been buffeted by other forces: Peru suffered the worlds worst recorded per capita death toll in the Covid pandemic and its devastating impact hit law enforcement and drove rocketing unemployment. The result is a bonanza for organised crime in the Amazon region which stretches across more than half the country.

For Indigenous communities, that has led to a rise in intimidation, violence and murder as drug gangs target their land to plant new coca crops. Covid restrictions made the remote region even more vulnerable by slowing state efforts to protect land and eradicate illegal coca cultivation.

We are facing a well-structured organisation that protects drug trafficking and other illegal activities in the Amazon, said Robert Guimaraes, 49, a longtime Indigenous leader in Ucayali, in Perus central Amazon.

Unfortunately, the state does not have the capacity to intervene sufficiently, and above all to support the Indigenous peoples of Ucayali who are on the border [with Brazil], he said in Flor de Ucayali, the Shipibo-Konibo Indigenous community where he was born.

There are no police here to give security to the people, he said, joining a clamour of Indigenous Amazonian leaders who say police and prosecutors are failing to follow up their warnings, and are allowing killers to operate with impunity.

Ricardo Sobern, executive director of Perus anti-drug agency Devida, told the Guardian that international drug trafficking has been directed totally towards the Amazon as a result of the pandemic.

It is no coincidence that in 2020, Perus environment ministry reported record Amazon deforestation. A staggering 2,032 sq km(785 sq miles), a figure almost four times the 548 sq km it lost in 2019.

Across the triple frontier border, Brazils Amazonas state has become the battleground for a bitter struggle between rival drug militias, the So Paulo-based First Capital Command and Rio de Janeiro-based Red Command. In the past two years the balance has tipped in favour of the Red Command, according to security experts.

Gen Mauro Esposito, former coordinator of special border operations for Brazils federal police, said both Brazilian gangs now have cells operating in the cocaine-producing regions of Peru along the length of the two countries Amazon border, where small planes carrying drugs cargoes make daily flights.

Barbara Arisi, a Brazilian anthropologist of Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam and specialist in the Indigenous peoples of the Javari Valley (as the Yavar is known in Brazil), said illegal fishing and hunting were the principal criminal activities in the area where Phillips and Pereira disappeared.

But she worried that drug traffickers using the rivers, or even transporting shipments on foot through the remote region, could put isolated communities at risk, particularly from illnesses to which they have no immunity.

They could cause whole populations to die and we wouldnt know anything about it, she said. First contact with the Matis people in the 1970s decimated two-thirds of their population, she noted.

The Indigenous [in the Javari Valley] people have a tragic past, she told the Guardian.

Now they are fighting because their friends have been killed. They are showing their faces, they are brave enough to protest in the face of organised crime, she added.

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Police losing narco war in deadly Amazon region where duo disappeared - The Guardian

A proposed ballot measure, the Emerald New Deal, promises to repair the negative impacts that the war on drugs has had on Oaklands Black and brown communities. The organizers behind the measure have secured some influential endorsements from local community organizations and several city councilmembers. But the last hurdle before the measure ends up on the ballot for voters to decide is getting approval from the entire City Council.

Since last month, the council has deliberated over the plan a handful of times. Its not clear the measure will be advanced though. While virtually everyone agrees on the premise of addressing the harms done to communities of color through the strict enforcement of drug laws, some are skeptical of the Emerald New Deal is the right way of doing this.

The City Council continued this debate at last Thursdays rules and legislation meeting. The Emerald New Deal would redirect the entirety of Oaklands cannabis business tax revenue, or about $7 million annually, out of Oaklands general fund and place it in a new restricted fund called the END HARM Fund to pay for services targeting communities harmed by the war on drugs. These services would include mental health, reentry services, housing assistance, and economic development. It would also increase financial support for equity cannabis businesses, which are those owned by Oakland residents who can demonstrate theyre from a community that was harmed by the war on drugs.

A new oversight commission would be created to manage these funds and make sure they arent misspent.

Charles Reed and Gamila Abdehalim, two organizers with the Emerald New Deal campaign, have pressed the City Council in recent months to advance the measure for voter approval. The Emerald New Deal was born from the hearts and minds of the people who were affected by the War on Drugs the most, Reed said during last weeks council committee meeting.

In-Advance initative, an Oakland-based non-profit that also manages the Sugar Freedom Project, is responsible for the campaigns inception.

The war on drugs describes the U.Ss decades-long attempt to stop the use and sale of illegal drugs by imposing harsh prison sentences on both drug dealers and users. These policies disproportionately affected Black and Brown communities in cities like Oakland where many thousands of people were arrested and incarcerated over the span of several decades.

The Emerald New Deal has received the endorsement of the Cannabis Regulatory Commission, the city board charged with making recommendations to the council on matters of the cannabis industry. District 6 Councilmember Loren Taylor introduced the ballot measure and is one of its key backers. Councilmembers Treva Reid and Noel Gallo, also from East Oakland, are listed as co-sponsors of the measure.

I think weve reached out to every single cannabis business, community organization, labor unions, and asked them to contribute their opinion, Abdehalim said.

Some councilmembers are concerned that the proposed measure might negatively affect the citys general fund, the largest pot of money in Oaklands budget that the council has the flexibility to spend how it sees. Other funds in the city budget are restricted, limiting the ability of the council to make adjustments when recessions happen. The city also already funds some of the services and programs the Emerald New Deal would be dedicated to.

Councilmember Dan Kalb asked at last weeks rules committee meeting whether the city knows how much it currently spends on the same services and programs the Emerald New Deal would pay for.

Councilmember Carroll Fife inquired about which organizations will be tasked with using cannabis tax funding to implement these services, how these groups would be chosen, and what specific ways they will serve the needs of communities affected by the war on drugs. Fife also requested a race and equity analysis report on the impact of this legislation.

Dozens of Oakland residents called in to voice their concerns and support for the initiative.

Gene Hazzard, a city hall observer and frequent commenter at council meetings, urged council members to not put the Emerald New Deal on the November ballot. Its a sham, do not support that, Hazard said during the public comment portion of the meeting. Its a slush fund that will put money into the hands of select organizations.

Dr. Cesar Cruz, co-founder of Homies Empowerment, a group that provides assistance to the community, said that East Oakland could benefit greatly from this initiative. This tax that comes from marijuana sales is so needed in our community like mental health and job training, and I invite you to come to the area to see whats happening on the ground and youll understand why we need that in our community.

The committee voted to continue the discussion of the Green New Deal proposal at the June 23 rules and legislation meeting, citing a need to have more of their questions answered.

The policy has to be right because if it is not we will be letting down the people who are looking to us for answers, Fife said.

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Will the 'Emerald New Deal' make it onto Oakland's November ballot? - The Oaklandside

When synthetic stimulants are sold on the streets, the likelihood of drug cutting is almost a guarantee.

It wasnt too long ago that you could walk into your local drugstore to buy cocaine for personal use. This drug, now identified as a Schedule II controlled substance with a high potential for abuse, used to be available at virtually any saloon, mail order vendor, or even grocery store. Back in the late 1800s, cocaine was much more diverse than buying a bag of white powder. In fact, at the time, you could find cocaine in upwards of 15 different forms, including cigarettes, inhalants, and cordials. One could even find it mixed with wine.

Many of us already know about the infamous Coca-Cola, which did, in fact, contain cocaine in soda form. After the dawn of the 20th century, the stimulant drug was outlawed, and the rest is history. Well, not so fast. It turns out that once cocaine prohibition took effect, the problem didnt go away. In fact, it led to a wave of synthetic stimulant drugs that have affected the U.S. up to the present day. Heres how.

Plant-Based vs. Lab-Based

Unlike its modern-day predecessors, cocaine is technically a plant-based drug, or at least it starts as one. Its derived from the coca plant, a plant native to South America. Medical professionals use it today, although its use is very rare. Unlike marijuana, which can be grown and smoked, the coca plant must be synthesized in labs where the raw plant undergoes a series of chemical transformations. By the time cocaine is made into a form for consumption (smoking, snorting, injecting, etc.), it has become a lab-based drug.

Synthetic stimulants are different in that they are entirely lab-based. Popular versions of synthetic stimulants include methamphetamines, MDMA (ecstasy), and prescription amphetamines, such as Adderall and Ritalin. Unlike cocaine, these stimulants are wholly made in labs, using base ingredients such as over-the-counter pseudoephedrine for meth, bath salts for ecstasy, and a combination of amphetamine salts and sulfates for Adderall. Of these synthetic stimulants, amphetamines, such as Adderall, are the only ones still in widespread medical use today. But how did these drugs come about, and why are they notoriously linked to so much of the stimulant drug abuse going on in America today?

Risks and Rewards

Before its prohibition, cocaine was medically approved for various ailments, including sinusitis, hay fever, and chronic fatigue. However, once the potential for abuse was realized, public opinion became unanimous that the risks of cocaine far outweighed its rewards. By 1914, the Harrison Act regulated cocaine, unintentionally giving rise to a new market of stimulants. A decade later, amphetamines were discovered. By the 1940s, they gained medical status in diet and antidepressant treatments. Like cocaine, these drugs were widely used and abused up until the 1970s, when they were placed under stricter controls.

Before ecstasy gained an illicit market in raves and music festivals, mental health practitioners used it for therapeutic purposes. The DEA sought to prohibit the drug, and by the 1980s, it was successful despite the mental health communitys disagreement. While the legal status of MDMA continues to be contentious, it seems that for now, the DEA still views the drug in the same boat as cocainea risk that is not worth the rewards.

Unlike cocaine and MDMA, amphetamines like Adderall seem to still have a level of legality that overlooks the risks for the rewards. Even though Adderall and other stimulant drugs used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and insomnia are highly addictive, the drug has not yet faced the same level of prohibition that other stimulant drugs have so far. While the FDA limits the proper use and dispensing of Adderall for legitimate cases, the drug plays a major role in the meth epidemic today. Adderall is often repurposed for illicit meth and/or crystal meth production.

Synthetic Risks

Perhaps the most important risk that has developed with synthetic stimulants is not the legal status of these drugs but rather how many of these drugs are subject to deadly risks. These risks not only include how they are repurposed in meth production but how they are marketed on the streets by name only. In fact, as fentanyl lacing grows, illicit drugs create a much more dangerous situation for the people who use them.

When synthetic stimulants are sold on the streets, the likelihood of drug cutting is almost a guarantee. Buying cocaine, MDMA, or even Adderall from the street is no longer a given. Rather, drugs sold under these names could contain a number of cutting and filler agents, many of which have a high potential for health concerns and even fatal overdoses.

While the history of synthetic stimulants has progressed in response to cocaine prohibition, these latter drugs have fallen prey to the same outcome as cocaine. Despite being prohibited and regulated at the legal level, they still find their way onto the streets where there are no regulations whatsoever. Because of this risk that becomes more explosive over time, it is imperative to avoid the risk of synthetic stimulants at all costs. While controlled environments of stimulant drugs carry a risk for abuse, illicit stimulant drugs carry a risk of immediate death.

Unfortunately, this is the new territory of street drugs, and the prospects of changing this can only be positive when people determine the risks far outweigh the rewards.

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DEA. (2020, April). Cocaine Drug Fact Sheet. Retrieved https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/Cocaine-2020_1.pdf

Delphi Health Group. (n.d.). Stimulant Addiction. Retrieved https://delphihealthgroup.com/stimulants/

Delphi Health Group. (n.d.). Meth Addiction Signs and Treatment. Retrieved https://delphihealthgroup.com/stimulants/methamphetamine/

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NIH. (2019, Oct). How is Methamphetamine Manufactured? Retrieved https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/methamphetamine/how-methamphetamine-manufactured

Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. (2017, Nov.). Ecstasy or Molly (MDMA). Retrieved https://www.ccsa.ca/sites/default/files/2019-04/CCSA-Canadian-Drug-Summary-MDMA-2017-en.pdf

Science Direct. (2021). Adderall. Retrieved https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/adderall#:~:text=Adderall%20is%20a%20combination%20of,%2Disomer%20to%20L%2Disomer.

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FDA. (2015, July 8). Adderall and Adderall XR (Amphetamines) Information. Retrieved https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/adderall-and-adderall-xr-amphetamines-information

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How Cocaine Prohibition Led to a Wave of Synthetic Stimulant Drugs - Legal Reader

Wednesday, June 15, 2022 by Willow Higgins

The Texas Harm Reduction Alliance addressed the Public Health Committee last week about the overdose crisis in Travis County. More than 300 people in the area died of a preventable overdose last year, and more than 100 of those deaths were from a fentanyl overdose a 237 percent increase from the year before.

The Public Health Committee is aware of the severity of the crisis and met to discuss how it can improve local policy to better target the problem. Representatives from THRA said that incarcerating people for drug use instead of regulating drug use to make it as safe as possible i.e., the policies of the war on drugs is at the root of the problems were facing today. Harm reduction, which has proved to be a much more effective public health approach, aims to reduce the risk of drugs, keep drug users alive and provide them help getting clean when theyre ready.

Some harm reduction strategies that are being or could be employed in the area include things like making clean syringes available, providing access to medication-assisted treatment like buprenorphine and methadone, distributing naloxone or other drugs that reverse opioid overdoses, treating wounds caused by injections, and providing access to drug testing and drug use education, THRA Director Cate Graziani explained.

When we think about prevention, drug education is really important, Graziani said. Similar to sex education, we understand that kind of abstinence-only models are not working. We have to arm people with good information about drugs and how to use them more safely so that they stay alive. Which drugs dont you mix? How do you use with a buddy so that youre not alone if you do overdose?

Death from drug use is the No. 1 cause of accidental death in Travis County, ahead of even car crashes. This glaring fact is directly linked to Austins homelessness crisis, THRAs Paulette Soltani told the Public Health Committee. While overdoses are rising, our homelessness crisis has continued to rage on and people continue to be swept deeper and deeper into places where theyre not connected to their networks and places that are harder for us to make sure that we are able to serve them, Soltani said.

A previous resolution passed by City Council in 2018 failed to prevent the opioid crisis from getting to this point.In advance of Councils next policy effort to address the issue, Graziani asked, What lessons can we learn from what yall put in place then? How can we do things differently this time around? We dont want to pass another resolution that doesnt make a difference in saving peoples lives.

The representatives from the alliance offered a handful of immediate and long-term strategies that would help address the crisis. First of all,Austin needs to build a robust infrastructure to provide harm reduction many other service providers are capable of partnering with THRA to expand these services; they just need the funding. Access to overdose-reversing drugs like naloxone needs to be drastically expanded. Police sweeps of homeless communities need to be stopped and access to housing expanded and equipped with harm reduction strategies. And the criminalization of unwitting possession or sale of fentanyl should be stopped, they said.

In the long term, THRA staff explained, Texas should have an authorized program to provide access to safe syringes, housing options for current or former drug users should be expanded, all service providers should be trained in harm reduction strategies, overdose prevention centers should be expanded, and policies should work to make sure drug supplies are safer.

Photo made available through a Creative Commons license.

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This article was originally published on Psychedelic Spotlight and appears here with permission.

Today, MDMA is one of the worlds most-well known drugs. Famous as a party drug prevalent among concertgoers, the compound is also growing in popularity as a therapy-enhancing medicine.

Despite being known the world over, if not as MDMA then by its many street names molly, M, ecstasy, and X most people are unfamiliar with how society was first introduced tothe love drug.

Like other synthetic drugs, MDMA is not found in the wild. Rather, in 1912, it was first synthesized accidentally by German chemists working for the pharmaceutical company Merck. The scientists were researching drugs that could help stop bleeding, and they stumbled upon MDMA. Originally called Methylsafrylaminc, the scientists were unable to find a practical use for it. Nevertheless, in 1914, they patented the substance as something that could one day have therapeutic value, and then shelved it, leaving MDMA to be forgotten for decades.

Through the tumultuous 1920s-40s a period of wars, economic devastation and revolution MDMA mostly remained on its shelf, waiting for someone to rediscover it. There were checkered attempts at studying it, but what, if anything, was learned in that time is lost to history.

MDMA was not seriously studied again until the 50s and 60s. This time, it was tested by the United States as a potentialmind-control drug or truth serum. The most famous project through which this was tested is of course the CIAs Project MK-Ultra. Though most documents from that time period were destroyed following a death in the program, some survive today. According to these official documents, MDMA was never tested in humans, only animals though a compound called MDE, which is almost identical to MDMA, wastested in humansat the New York State Psychiatric Institute.

Eventually, thespooksin charge of MK-Ultra turned their attention to LSD, which they believed had more potential as a psychological weapon than MDMA. So once again,the happy pillfell back into obscurity.

This began to change in the 1960s, as university and industry chemists began researching the drug for potential therapeutic effects. Thebig breakthroughcame in 1965, when chemist Alexander Shulgin created a cheap and easy way to synthesize the forgotten Merck compound. After consuming it himself in 1967, Shulgin immediately saw its potential.

By 1976, Shulgin had given MDMA now known by its current chemical name,3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine to hundreds of psychologists across the USA. Seeing MDMAs potential to enhance empathy, the termempathogenwas coined to describe the medicine.

In thisperiod of early excitement, MDMA was being usedlegallyin psychological clinics across the USA. Thousands of patients were treated, and it was being studied in clinical settings for everything from addiction, to relationship therapy, to anxiety.

It was also around this time, however, that MDMA which was easy to synthesize escaped the clinic and made its way into the underground scene. Immediately, it became popular as a so-called rave drug, being consumed around the USA and Europe at large music parties.

Though it was not then illegal, the USA was in the grips of the War on Drugs. It soon became obvious that ecstasy, the name it was known by in underground communities, would not escape this. Indeed, in 1985, the DEA invoked emergency powers and scheduled MDMA as a Schedule I drug, the most illegal. This meant that the drug had no medical value, and was extremely dangerous.

Despite stopping most legal study into MDMA, illegal recreational use ofScooby Snacksskyrocketed. Unfortunately, often this illegal supply was cut with other, more harmful, substances as well, such asmeth.

Between the 1980s and early 2000s, research into MDMA did not stop; it only became more difficult. Following its banning, a man namedRick Doblinfounded the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, better known by its acronym MAPS.

By 1996, MAPS hadsuccessfully completedthe first Phase 1 safety trial for MDMA-assisted therapy, which opened the doors to further study. Fast forward to 2021, and MAPS had completed several MDMA-therapy clinical trials, attempting to treat PTSD. The most significant was aPhase 3 trial, which saw 88% of people with severe PTSD have a clinical reduction in their symptoms, and 67% improve so much theyno longer qualified for a PTSD diagnosis.

Though there has beensignificant controversysurrounding this clinical trial, MAPS is currently completing its second Phase 3 trial into whether MDMA-therapy can effectively treat PTSD. According to Rick Doblin, if this trial is equally as effective, we could see the treatment belegalizedin the USA as early as 2023.

If that happens, and if MDMA is found to be as effective in the real world as it is in clinical studies, it has the potential to revolutionize mental healthcare.

PTSD is just the beginning. Within 5 years, we may see MDMA being used in couples therapy, depression treatments, and eveneating disorders.

The history of MDMA is fascinating, and it is still being written.

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A Brief History Of MDMA: From The CIA To Raves To Psychedelic Therapy - Benzinga - Benzinga

Al Harrington. Photo illustration by Estefania Mitre/NPR hide caption

Al Harrington.

One of Al Harrington's biggest takeaways from his 16-year run in the NBA? Never let a rookie take your spot. The former power forward constantly found ways to evolve the game to outsmart new competitors and, in his words, "provide a new offering."

In his post-game career, he's used that mindset to build the cannabis company Viola, which sells high-quality forms of marijuana. But Viola's mission isn't solely to sell product. Instead, Al wants to ensure that Viola gives entrepreneurs of color significant opportunity in the legal, multibillion-dollar cannabis industry.

Al recognizes how decades of the American War on Drugs have ravaged Black and brown communities with disproportionate mass incarceration rates for marijuana-related offenses. He wants to offset that lasting harm by finding seats for entrepreneurs of color at the table.

Al sat down with Jay to discuss the stigmas he has overcome as a Black former NBA player building a cannabis company, the challenges he's facing bringing up Black entrepreneurs in the space, and why Viola is the LVMH of weed. Plus, he talks about his preferred strain of cannabis, and what to ask for in a dispensary.

Al has had the benefit of working as a professional since he was young, going straight to the league after high school. Translating the knowledge from his NBA career into the business world, Al says to never get comfortable, no matter how good you are, because new competitors will always be waiting for your spot.

Every year, I feel like I added to my game, and I take that into the business world in cannabis. I been in this 11 years, and I feel like if I continue to stay the same, then eventually people gonna pass me by. Just like if the game didn't evolve, you know the guys that play like this . . . we'd all be still playing like that . . . So that's how I look at my business every year. We gotta get better; we gotta come up with a new offering; we gotta outwork the next person. No matter how much of a lead we think we got, no matter how much we think we're this pedestal, we gotta keep raising the bar.

He also teaches us the importance of keeping business about your people and your community, not purely the money.

I know people that came into the industry with $50 million, $100 million, $200 million and literally out of business in 24 months. I think that because we can stay true to that to make sure that we have quality product and we stay true to our purpose which is about uplifting, educating and empowering people of color, I feel like our community and other communities have definitely supported what we're doing.

Jay and Al talk through the stigmas about marijuana that have been present since the beginning of the American War on Drugs, including its use in the NBA. Al also talks about educating individuals about the benefits of marijuana and the growing interest of entrepreneurs in this multibillion-dollar industry.

We'd be in a real estate meeting or technology meeting and everybody's like, well what's everybody's working on? I'm like, well, you know, I'm actually at a small cannabis company and I'm doing this, and the whole meeting would shift to me and what I'm doing in this space, you know what I'm saying. So it made me become more and more comfortable to start talking about it because so many people was interested in what was actually going on in the industry. And, you know, we're talking about 11 years ago when people were still afraid about going to jail. Now you look at the industry, it's wide open, it's being openly sold damn near everywhere and now it's a way easier transition for people to consider.

EXPLICIT CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussion of drug use and is only appropriate for adult audiences.

The Limits with Jay Williams drops episodes every Tuesday. On Thursdays, we drop bonus content only available to subscribers of The Limits Plus. Subscribe today and access sponsor-free episodes, weekly bonus content and more. Follow Jay on Instagram and Twitter. Email us at thelimits@npr.org.

The Limits is produced by Mano Sundaresan, Leena Sanzgiri and Barton Girdwood. Our intern is Danielle Soto. Our Executive Producers are Karen Kinney and Yolanda Sangweni. Our Senior Vice-President of Programming and Audience Development is Anya Grundmann. Music by Ramtin Arablouei. Special thanks to Christina Hardy, Rhudy Correa and Charla Riggi.

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Former NBA player Al Harrington on overcoming stigma and building a cannabis company : The Limits with Jay Williams - NPR