Following is a report written and produced for the Drug Truth Network by Drug War Facts Editor Doug McVay. It was broadcast as a 420 Drug War News item on March 24, 2013. You can listen to the full audio via the Drug Truth Network website.
Issue In Focus: Pain Management
Pain management is the point at which healthcare and the drug war collide. Physicians, policy makers, and law enforcement struggle to find the right balance between delivering proper, adequate care, and preventing diversion, addiction, and abuse. Sadly, in the end the people in the middle – the patients – are the ones who suffer.
According to most estimates, a large percentage of the population suffers from pain. According to the federal Institute of Medicine, “Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education, and Research”:
Drug War Facts Editor Doug McVay reports for the Drug Truth Network and puts into context new research showing the amount of police time spent enforcing marijuana possession laws.
This 4:20 News report was first broadcast on March 24, 2013, as a segment on the syndicated weekly radio program Cultural Baggage produced in Houston, TX for KPFT-FM.
New research by Professor Harry Levine of Queens College, City University of New York, provides an estimate of amount of police time used for a single marijuana arrest. The report by Professor Levine and the Marijuana Arrest Research Project, titled "One Million Police Hours: Making 440,000 Marijuana Possession Arrests In New York City, 2002‐2012," was released by the Drug Policy Alliance on March 19, 2013.
According to the report:
News agencies are reporting that the state of Washington is expected to name Botec Analysis Corp. as its new marijuana consultant. According to the Associated Press on March 18, 2013:
The Washington State Liquor Control Board scheduled an announcement on the award of the contract for Tuesday morning, but it sent an email to losing bidders Monday letting them know who won. A copy of the email was provided to The Associated Press.