PT573 – The War on Drugs: The DEA’s Attempt to Schedule DOI & DOC and the Fight for Sensible Policy, with Kat Murti
Dec 13, 2024
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Kat Murti, the executive director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy and advocate for evidence-based drug reforms, delves into the complexities of the War on Drugs. She highlights how current policies impact marginalized communities and the importance of harm reduction. Murti discusses successes like fentanyl strip training and the urgency of addressing drug-related stigma, particularly regarding women's rights and health. She also critiques the DEA's scheduling proposals on psychedelics, stressing the need for accessible treatment options over punitive measures.
Advocates emphasize individual sovereignty and the need for drug policy reforms to address systemic injustices faced by marginalized groups.
The establishment of bipartisan coalitions for cannabis justice illustrates a growing, collaborative approach to drug policy reform across political ideologies.
The push for harm reduction strategies and safe supply models is crucial in mitigating overdose risks and promoting community health through education.
Deep dives
Personal Motivation Behind Drug Policy Advocacy
A strong emphasis is placed on individual sovereignty and self-ownership as key motivators for advocating drug policy reform. The speaker shares a personal narrative reflecting on the injustice faced by individuals caught in the war on drugs, particularly highlighting cases involving marginalized groups, such as AIDS patients in the early 90s. Experiences like witnessing peers getting ensnared in the school-to-prison pipeline further fueled the desire to address how drug laws adversely affect communities and families. This personal connection to the issue has driven a long-term commitment to advocating for drug policy changes aimed at reducing the harms caused by prohibition.
Bipartisan Efforts in Drug Policy Reform
A notable achievement in drug policy reform has been the establishment of a bipartisan coalition advocating for cannabis justice. This coalition seeks to de-schedule cannabis, release federal cannabis prisoners, and clear their records, showcasing collaboration that spans across political ideologies. Further initiatives in states like North Carolina underline the growing recognition among conservative circles of the importance of addressing mental health issues through medical research involving psychedelics. These developments illustrate a shift towards a more compassionate and science-driven approach to drug policy that can garner support from diverse groups.
The Ineffectiveness of Incarceration for Drug Offenses
The conversation delves into the counterproductive nature of drug-related incarceration, emphasizing that criminalizing drug use fails to deter individuals while exacerbating issues of community and public safety. Individuals who are incarcerated face long-term repercussions, including difficulty securing employment and housing, ultimately perpetuating a cycle of poverty and crime. The speaker argues that drug offenses should not be criminalized and that addressing drug use with moralistic laws is ineffective and often harmful. Reforming drug policy to eliminate incarceration as a consequence for drug use is highlighted as an essential step towards creating a more equitable society.
Importance of Safe Supply and Harm Reduction
The concept of safe supply emerges as crucial for reducing accidental overdose deaths, with a focus on the accessibility of reliable drug testing tools like fentanyl test strips. Educational initiatives around harm reduction strategies are prioritized, emphasizing the need for informed decision-making concerning drug dosages and usage environments. The organization aims to further establish harm reduction as a foundational principle in drug policy while advocating for the legality and accessibility of various substances to ensure safer consumption. Safe supply models are thus seen as a means to not only enhance individual safety but also protect community health through comprehensive education and resource distribution.
Legal Challenges Against DEA Scheduling Proposals
The looming threat of the DEA scheduling DOI and DOC substances as Schedule I drugs has provoked significant concern among researchers and advocates for drug policy reform. The net result of such scheduling would be a considerable hindrance to valuable medical research on psychedelics and their potential therapeutic benefits. Efforts are underway to legally challenge the DEA's decision, with a public hearing set to amplify the voices of scientists who argue against the harms this scheduling would inflict. The outcome of this legal battle could set important precedents concerning the intersection of drug policy, scientific research, and public health in the future.
In this episode, Joe interviews Kat Murti: executive director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), the largest nationwide network of students fighting to replace the War on Drugs with policies rooted in evidence, compassion, and human rights.
She talks about how she became interested in drug policy, which not surprisingly aligns with the many problems of The War on Drugs: how it’s a war on people, personal liberty, and our communities; how laws are not effective in enforcing morality; and how getting in trouble with the law often incentivizes more illegal activity. We all know that our current system doesn’t work and that the drug war no longer appeals to most reasonable people, but how can we move towards sensible policy? She discusses previous successes (both at SSDP and before), and some of their current projects, from the work they’re doing with fentanyl strip training and distribution, to education work at festivals and their program, “Just Say Know.”
She talks about:
How drug policy isn’t going to look the same everywhere and shouldn’t: How do we effectively use different models in different places together for the benefit of everyone?
The dangers of forcing drug users through drug courts and treatment centers
The repealing of Oregon’s Measure 110 and how it’s unfair to blame its failure on problems that already existed in the state
Their new focus on how the War on Drugs specifically affects women and reproductive rights, inspired by Louisiana recently scheduling Mifepristone and Misoprostol
and much more.
The SSDP’s biggest battle now is fighting the DEA’s attempted scheduling of DOI and DOC, two compounds that have been used in research for decades and pose no real threat to safety – which would drastically derail a ton of research. They just completed a 10-day hearing with the DEA. Watch Joe and Hamilton Morris’ breakdown here, and stay tuned to SSDP and PT for updates.