blogging on drugs

February Meeting Schedule

2012-02-08T01:33:00.000-08:00

San Francisco Drug Users' Union 149 Turk street btw Jones and Taylor

info@sfdrugusersunion.org twitter: @drugusersunion www.sfdrugusersunion.org

(415) 990-3827

February 2012 San Franicsco Drug Users’ Union schedule

Wed Feb 1, 2012

3pm - 4:30pm HealthCare Manual Working Group Mon Feb 6, 2012

5pm - 6:30pm General Meeting

Tue Feb 7, 2012

2-:3:00pm Current Events Discussion led by

Alexandra

3:30pm - 4:30pm Harm Reduction discussion group

Wed Feb 8, 2012

3pm - 4:30pm HealthCare Manual Working Group

Tue Feb 14, 2012

2pm - 3pm Planning Committee meeting

3:30pm - 4:30pm Harm Reduction discussion group

Wed Feb 15, 2012

3pm - 4:30pm HealthCare Manual Working Group

Mon Feb 20, 2012

5pm - 6:30pm General Meeting Tue Feb 21, 2012

2-:3:00pm Current Events Discussion led by

Alexandra

3:30pm - 4:30pm Harm Reduction discussion group

Wed Feb 22, 2012

3pm - 4:30pm HealthCare Manual Working Group Tue Feb 28, 2012

2pm - 3pm Planning Committee Meeting

3:30pm - 4:30pm Harm Reduction discussion group

Got Yr Money

2012-02-04T07:38:00.001-08:00

The Artwork of Brandt Hardin: Gettin' Raw with Ol' Dirty Bastard: The ODB (inks on bristol / 2011) "I see things from a one-eye perspective and the four-eye perspective. The one-eye perspective is being..."
My favorite ODB is his collaboration with Ozzy and Primus.

Court gives death penalty to drug dealer

2012-02-04T06:30:00.000-08:00

In a first, death penalty in drug trafficking case

Welfare Drug Testing Bill Withdrawn After Amended To Include Pols

2012-02-01T02:01:00.002-08:00

A Republican member of the Indiana General Assembly withdrew his bill to create a pilot program for drug testing welfare applicants Friday Democratic colleagues amended the measure to require drug testing for lawmakers."There was an amendment offered today that required drug testing for legislators as well and it passed, which led me to have to then withdraw the bill," said Rep. Jud McMillin (R-Brookville), sponsor of the original welfare drug testing bill. The Supreme Court ruled drug testing for political candidates unconstitutional in 1997, striking down a Georgia law.

Overdose Medication: Why Isn't Naloxone Hydrochloride More Available? - FOX 17

2012-01-07T21:41:00.000-08:00

http://www.fox17online.com/news/fox17-overdose-medication-why-isnt-naloxone-hydrochloride-more-available-20120104,0,7172414.story

Sent from my iPhone

The narrow road to the deep north (or why six years seems like forever)

2011-12-03T23:39:00.001-08:00

this is an editorial, (kind of) for a blog that isn't really journalism perhaps): Hard to believe but I've been writing this blog for almost six years now (we began March 2006).. In the years since then, I have seen good times and well, some disappointingly bad days (can we say Prop 19). I have struggled through the early years of writing this blog when it seemed that no one was listening to us harm reduction advocates at all.
Then in 2010, blogging on drugs faced a different set of challenges. Quick summary: I adopted harm reduction both as a personal as well as political way of dealing with issues in my own life, I felt like sharing my perspective with ‘the world ‘on-line’.‘.

As in all activities, be careful what you wish for. I think I wanted to help change the world. Guess, what?. The world always changes. Those messes with the original reason to do this blog, which was commenting on the state of the world through the theory of harm reductionism gradually longer felt important.

My engagement with the blog, was on/ again off/again.

While this appeared as perfectly reasonable way of form and function; wondering, wandering sometimes focused, other times not. Harm reduction has no definitive way of reducing the harm associated with drugs. The user sets the goals and charts his/her progress. Constantly adjusting to what is reasonable and often revelatory in its own journey of self-discovery.

But the real issue was my growing activism. What once was a way to bring to people’s attention things going on in the HR movement took a back seat to becoming a mover and shaker myself. Not only did I find that i had less time to write and collect web links, suddenly, I was faced with the problem: if I appear in a news article as a activist, do I report on it. My original vocie in this blog was decidedly anonymous. I never used my real name but scren ames. That mind set seems so far away and distant from who I am today. (to be continued) http://www.theroadnorth.co.uk/

Another editors group gets it!

2011-11-20T17:23:00.001-08:00

Sent from my iPhone

2011-11-14T04:13:00.001-08:00

@DrugPolicyNews: Great shots! RT @TakeActionCA Check out our photo album on Facebook of the International Drug Policy Reform Conferece! http://t.co/OGYnhCgs

Fwd: DOCUMENTARY-VISION FOR 11/11/11 -

2011-11-11T00:46:00.001-08:00

Begin forwarded message:

From: badlydrawnbear2000 <badlydrawnbear2000@gmail.com>
Date: November 10, 2011 11:26:10 PM PST
To: "badlydrawnbear@sfdrugusersunion.org Jackson" <badlydrawnbear@sfdrugusersunion.org>
Cc: Fbook <astor35chimes@m.facebook.com>
Subject: DOCUMENTARY-VISION FOR 11/11/11 -

ISAAC DREAMS A DOCUMENTARY-VISION FOR 11/11/11

I PREDICT THAT NOW THE ELECTIONS ARE DONE, WE WILL REVERT TO OUR USUAL COZY DICTATORSHIP OF CORPORATE MEDIA, LIBERAL DEM POLITICIANS, CIVIL SECTOR UNIONS.
IN OTHER WORDS, THE RECESSION WIKLL BE OVER BY NEXT YEAR AND IN THE NEXT WEEKS ALL THE OCCUPY SITES WIOLL BE SHUT DOWN AND THE LEADERS ARRESTED.
THEY WILL LIKE IN EQYPT WHOSE REVOLUTION INSPIRED OCCUPY - CO-OPT THE MOVEMENT AND PUT IN PLACE JUST ENOUGH TO STOP THE DEMONSTRATIONS: BELASCONI IS OUT!! RICK PERRY IS OUT!! THEY CAN'T HAVE THE LEFT LEARNING FROM REPUBLICANS THAT ELECTIONS CAN BE STOLEN/CHANGED BY A TINY MINORITY. THE RECALL OAKLAND MAYOR MOVEMENT WAS TOO THREATENING!! MAYORS ALL OVER THE US ARE GOING TO SHUT IT DOWN.

WE HAVE TO END A WAR ON DRUGS THAT SOMEHOW THERE IS NO MONEY TO BAIL OUT HOMES AND STUDENT LOANS BUT WE HAVE MONEY TO THROW AT TELEVISION COMMERCIALS AND DEBATES AS ENTERTAINMENT, WHILE OAKLAND CLOSES SCHOOLS AND UC CALIFORNIA CLOSES ITS DOORS.

WE ALL LOST WHEN WE LET THEM END AFFIRMATIVE ACTION. THEY CAN BEAT UP THE STUDENTS NOW BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL PRIVILIGED AND WON'T GET ANY HELP FROM THE LEGAL/CIVIL RIGHTS ESTABLISHMENT.

OK, THAT'S ALL FOR NOW. YOU CAN GO BACK TO WHAT YOU WERE DOING

badlydrawnbear

badlydrawnbear@sfdrugusersunion.org

Editorials | U.S. attorneys should back off medical-marijuana dispensaries | Seattle Times Newspaper

2011-10-12T16:57:00.001-07:00

Pretty good summary of why Obama and Holder are on the wrong side of social change.

june 17th demonstration photos

2011-08-31T21:28:00.001-07:00

VIDEO: Union Township passes medical marijuana zoning, licensing laws - themorningsun.com

2011-07-20T21:17:00.002-07:00

Speed in the Heartland

2011-06-21T10:15:00.001-07:00

Press Conferences: Ending the ‘war on drugs’

2011-06-11T10:51:00.003-07:00


Richard Nixon, Andy Warhol (Vote McGovern), 1972

Ending the ‘war on drugs’ is an idea that finally has captured the imagination of mainstream media world-wide. Let's hope the media will ask our politicians why pursue a policy that has always been ineffective, and now is also unpopular. I'm not a crook, but it's the obvious follow-up question. Over here, Mr. President!!!

Do you know the New Jim Crow? May 21, 2011 - NYC

2011-05-16T14:47:00.001-07:00

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

The Campaign to End the New Jim Crow presents Author Michelle Alexander. Support work to end mass incarceration and the emergence of the New Jim Crow! Become part of a movement, and refuse to be silent and inactive! Round table panel discussion with Ms. Alexander to follow, with panelists Glenn Ford (Black Agenda Report), Annette Dickerson (Center for Constitutional Rights), Gabriel Sayegh (Drug Policy Alliance), Neil Franklin (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition), and Tina Reynolds (WORTH), moderated by Glenn Martin (Fortune Society.

This half day conference will feature an art exhibit, film, resource information tables,  Q & A, book signing and ticket paid VIP reception @ the Historic Riverside Church 490 Riverside Drive (at 120 th St. and Claremont Ave)  Manhattan,New York 10027in South Hall 

15 use SSDP kits to test Ecstasy purity - The Brown Daily Herald

2011-05-11T18:22:00.000-07:00

15 use SSDP kits to test Ecstasy purity

San Francisco Drug Users' Union: San Francisco Drug Users' Union Meeting Schedule (late April)

2011-04-18T16:04:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Drug Users' Union: San Francisco Drug Users' Union Meeting Schedule (late April)

Moving To Montana

2011-04-14T23:20:00.002-07:00

Gov. Brian Schweitzer vetoed a bill on Wednesday that would have repealed the state’s voter-approved medical marijuana law.

White House moves to fund needle exchanges as drug treatment

2011-04-12T21:25:00.002-07:00

Two years ago President Obama lifted the 21-year ban on federally funded needle exchange programs. Now the President has moved past this, allowing states to receive federal funding for programs that hand out the syringes as a treatment. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina M. Benjamin cited a 11-year-old study in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment that found that addicts who participated in needle exchanges were five times more likely to enter drug treatment. "Critics" say the new policy is a step toward European-style treatment where the government provides the drugs and a clean room to inject them.

Californians unite right wing and left on drug possession penalties

2011-04-11T20:51:00.002-07:00

A strong majority of California voters believe the penalty for possession of a small amount of an illegal drug for personal use should be reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor, according to a poll released Monday by organizations seeking to relax drug laws

Count The Costs of the War on Drugs

2011-03-27T03:42:00.002-07:00

"If we are going to discuss alternatives [to the War on Drugs], let's discuss every alternative… what is the cost, what is the benefit of each alternative?"

President Santos of Colombia, Dec 2010

Drug Wars Push Deeper Into Central America

2011-03-25T23:24:00.002-07:00

Aggressive crackdowns on criminal organizations in Mexico and Colombia have increasingly brought the powerful drug syndicates into Central America.

Hello Meth Lab With A View: installation by Jonah Freeman, Justin Lowe and Alexandre Singh

2011-03-22T05:07:00.005-07:00

Hello Meth Lab is a re-creation of a methamphetamine lab in the Texas desert. In addition to the requisite still life of boxes of pseudo-ephedrine, flasks, and beakers, there are, in Freeman's vision, rooms of obsessively stacked magazines, a dirty mattress thrown into the corner, and jars of meticulously collected detritus, speaking to a habitation that merges the intimacy of day-to-day life with the violence of addiction and crime. The meth lab is an interiorized zone of sub-public interaction, but also a dynamic space, in which money, drugs, and sex are openly exchanged. In Freeman's work, decay becomes a generative process associated the gestation and consumption of parallel societal relationships.

Hello Meth Lab in the Sun

2011-03-21T13:30:00.003-07:00

Working from the premise that the production and use of crystal meth-amphetamine are a fertile analogy for alchemy, this ground breaking fine arts installation in a Texan art gallery in 2007 crafted a sculptural assemblage in which the science, philosophy and art of transformation coalesce before their viewers’ eyes. >>Frieze magazine's review of the sculpture art show,Hello Meth Lab in the Sun.>>

GoldenGate:DA Gascon Turns Over SFPD Misconduct Case To Feds

2011-03-11T17:52:00.005-08:00

BREAKING NEWS ON THE GROWING SCANDAL: THE VIOLATION OF DRUG USERS' CIVIL RIGHTS BY THE CITY & COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: DA Gascon Turns Over SFPD Misconduct Case To Feds « CBS San Francisco

Give me your tired, your poor......

2011-03-10T17:35:00.002-08:00

Your huddled masses
yearning
to breathe free,.

Dozens of Cases to Be Dropped in San Francisco Police Scandal A series of surveillance videotapes showed officers suspected of falsifying reports, illegally entering residences and, in one instance, making a purposefully flawed arrest for drug possession.

Task force proposes new tactics to combat hep c

2011-03-05T17:41:00.003-08:00

Task force proposes new tactics to combat hep c

2011-03-05T17:41:00.000-08:00

Task force proposes new tactics to combat hep c

2011-03-04T00:18:00.002-08:00

Jeff Adachi

San Francisco Public Defender's Office have released a video they say proves that six narcotics officers illegally searched two South of Market apartments - and that some committed perjury so they could use what they found as evidence.

SIS: The Times Gets It Right, The Chron: Not Quite

2011-02-09T20:54:00.002-08:00

SRO Hotel room, Vancouver - NYT article

The myth that San Francisco is soooo progressive is being deflated by our anemic press. This week's tale of two city papers are illustrative. Last Sunday, The SF Chronicle wrote negatively of the Mayor's Hep C task force's recommendation that a Safe Injection Site (SIS) would be a health care initiative of value.
Two days later, the New York Times published an objective profile of InSite, (Vancouver's SIS) with photographs that belie an interest in understanding the complexity of the this issue. But wait, it gets worse, The Chron used information from the SF Drug Users' Union District 6 candidate's questionnaire to browbeat interim Mayor Ed Lee into saying that the SIS was not going to happen. I wish Lee and The Chron could say the same this thing about new Heo C infections.

The Audacity of Dope

2011-02-03T10:57:00.002-08:00

Drug Legalization Is a 'Legitimate Topic for Debate,' Obama Says But he's not for legalization...Still, it's historic that the president of the United States is finally saying that legalizing and regulating drugs is a topic worthy of discussion," said Neill Franklin, a retired Baltimore narcotics cop and executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition."But since the president remains opposed to legalization, it's clear that the people are going to have to lead the way. Police officers and innocent civilians are dying every single day in this drug war; it's not a back-burner issue," said Franklin

Talking Heads

2011-01-22T04:52:00.002-08:00

TalkingDrugs is a UK web site to share stories and talk about drugs. This relatively new web site is citizen journalism with a Harm Reduction focus. Talkingdrugs deserves a following, I'll post a perma-link in the sidebar soon.

Friends of Brad Will

2011-01-21T15:46:00.003-08:00

Friends of Brad Will is a network of activists which promotes enhanced public awareness about the human rights abuses linked to the “war on drugs.” In that context, it works to promote government policies and actions that result in accountability for the murder, in Mexico, of U.S. journalist Brad Will; the release of and end to harassment of innocents and witnesses to his murder, who are being scapegoated with it; and the rejection of Plan Mexico.

AP IMPACT: Meth flourishes despite tracking laws | The Associated Press | Congress | San Francisco Examiner

2011-01-19T05:12:00.000-08:00

AP IMPACT: Meth flourishes despite tracking laws | The Associated Press | Congress |

Update: Anti-rave bill now slumped in a dark corner

2011-01-19T04:48:00.002-08:00

Further.

Heroes for A Nation of Cowards

2011-01-19T04:36:00.004-08:00

The Bronx Defenders employs a holistic defense to fight both the causes and consequences of involvement in the criminal justice system.

International Drug Policy Reform Conference

2011-01-01T23:57:00.001-08:00

Every two years drug policy reformers from across the United States and around the world come together to listen, learn, network and strategize. If you’re working to bring about drug policies based on science, compassion, health and human rights, you can’t afford to miss.

It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding Cash)

2010-12-23T04:56:00.005-08:00

A bill by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco, who wants to ban raves at public venues in California is being criticized as too broad because it could forbid many other kinds of parties. San Francisco's Late Night Coalition recently estimated that dance clubs and other dance venues "represent $1 billion of the city’s $8 billion in annual tourist revenue". The costly nature of the "war on drugs" is unsustainable even in economic "good times". The collective punishment of the Fiona Ma bill reaches into all our pockets. Oh, yeah. one more reason to oppose this bill: it is unconstitutional (government can't ban peaceful assemblies of citizens). For more on how raves need not to be drug-free to be safe press the button.

Harm Reduction in Iran

2010-11-30T12:41:00.001-08:00

Hard to believe but it appears that it might be easier to get a clean needle, methadone (even in prison) and bowl of soup in Tehran than in Texas. Harsh prison sentences still apply in both places, though.

ARIZONA BECOMES 15TH STATE TO APPROVE MEDICAL MARIJUANA

2010-11-24T16:19:00.001-08:00

Arizona voters have approved medical marijuana for people with chronic or debilitating diseases. The decision makes Arizona the 15th state to have approved a medical marijuana law. California was the first in 1996, and 13 other states and the District of Columbia followed. The ballot measure on the issue, Proposition 203, won by just 4,341 votes out of more than 1.67 million ballots counted, according to final tallies.  So don't let people tell youthat getting our community registered to vote is a waste of time.  More people are going to eat at Glide Memorial Church tomorrow in the Tenderloin than the margin of victory for Harm Reduction.

Free Crack Pipes for the People

2010-11-24T11:45:00.000-08:00

Ex-cons get the vote

2010-11-19T19:10:00.000-08:00

National Criminal Justice Commission Act,

2010-11-16T09:54:00.000-08:00

\In 2009, Senator Jim Webb (ID-VA) and 15 Republican and Democratic cosponsors introduced the National Criminal Justice Commission Act, legislation that would create a bipartisan Commission to review and identify effective criminal justice policies and make recommendations for reform. The House of Representatives and the Senate Judiciary Committee have passed the bill, which now has 39 Senate cosponsors, but the bill still awaits final passage during these last few weeks of the Congressional session. If NCJC doesn't pass this year, it will all have to be done over again in 2011.

High Culture

2010-11-11T04:00:00.001-08:00

Add caption

Mike Jay has written High Society as an extension to his advisory and curatorial role with the Wellcome Collection’s exhibition. Having previously published works like Emperors of Dreams (2000), Blue Tide (1999) and an anthology of drug writing entitled Artificial Paradises (1999) he is well versed in the historical implications of culture and drugs. Whilst this book does touch on some episodes recounted in his earlier works, there is much more attention focused on global drug customs and trade. And coupled with the rich, multicultural imagery that underpins the international elements of his exploration, the book really brings the historical relationships of a High Society to lif

Special from the New York Times

2010-11-09T00:08:00.001-08:00

D.E.A. Deployed Mumbai Plotter Despite Warning
By GINGER THOMPSON, ERIC SCHMITT and SOUAD MEKHENNET The U.S. sent an informant to Pakistan after the 9/11 attacks, despite a warning that he sympathized with radical groups.

Allen Ginsberg's CIA Dope Calypso

2010-11-08T23:31:00.000-08:00

CIA Dope Calypso by Allen Ginsberg (January 1972)

Obama Administration Campaigns to defeat Prop. 19 Days Before Voting Begins

2010-11-02T20:11:00.003-07:00

What happened to supporting the work of community organizers? Doesn't President Obama and his drug czar know that If prop 19 passes, it will be the first drug policy reform that has been primarily funded by cannabis workers and consumers, via Richard Lee. Unlike other drug policy philanthropists who made their money from other businesses, Lee made his through training workers for the cannabis industry and selling both medical and non-medical cannabis in Oakland. Fingers crossed

Free The Modesto 2: Needle Exchange Activists on Trial

2010-11-01T05:40:00.000-07:00

Two Modesto, California needle exchange activists were back in court on November 13, 2010 to have a trial date set over charges that they operated an unauthorized needle exchange program in a Modesto park in 2009. The activists are part of an organization called, "Off the Streets." Needle exchange programs seek to prevent disease transmitted by the sharing of needles and the use of dirty needles by intravenous drug users.

The practice is legal in many countries and several California municipalities have needle exchange programs. It is, however, illegal in Modesto and that's why Kristy Tribuzio and Brian Robinson will go to trial.

- distributed by the San Francisco Drug Users Union. Please copy and pass it on.

Drugs and Media: Exposing the "Hype" behind NYC's 2010 "Heroin" Epidemic

2010-09-27T06:26:00.001-07:00

...Once he’s satisfied that I’m not a threat, he takes $30 from my left hand and pushes a sealed bag of Cheez Doodles into my right jacket pocket. Without another word, he splits for the opposite staircase and races back above ground. I check my watch. It’s 6:30 on a Saturday night under a busy Williamsburg intersection, and I’ve just scored three bags of “Nike” heroin, all hidden inside a re-sealed bag of chips. (read more...)

Marijuana legalization measure gets big lift

2010-09-26T13:15:00.003-07:00

In a dramatic shift of sentiment, nearly half of California's likely voters now want to legalize marijuana use in the state, according to a new Field Poll.
Be sure to register to vote for this historic election.

Drug Users Culture in San Francisco

2010-09-22T00:39:00.000-07:00

Drug Resistance update: San Francisco Drug Users' Union next 'zine meeting: -will be Thursday September 30, 2010.

Location: 131 10th @ Howard St at 5:30pm!

Open to writers, photographers, artists and anyone with a good story to tell! Join us for pizza & creativity,

Except After 'C': Silence=Death.

2010-09-17T11:12:00.003-07:00

www.hepcsf.org

Don't Forget To Vote

2010-09-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to register to vote in this November historic passage of the end of Marijuana laws.

Twenty Minutes to Midnight

2010-09-03T12:16:00.004-07:00

"Instead of all just running around saying, 'We'll take the money because it's free money,' let's call it what it is: The federal government is basically a drug dealer trying to give out free samples, or give people a taste, get them further addicted," - Minnesota Gov And Possible 2012 White House Pawlenty.

Punk Rock bands play benefit for Homeless Youth Alliance

2010-08-21T20:57:00.004-07:00

Located in the San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury neighborhood Homeless Youth Alliance(HYA) provides services for homeless youth in San Francisco. HYA's services include a drop-in center, counseling, plus creative and educational workshops. And as if that wasn't enough, HYA has a needle exchange program, a "kick ass" zine, and health care referrals. HYA also serves as a bridge to hope and housing. Note: Haight-Ashbury was the center of the San Francisco Renaissance and with it, the rise of a historically unique drug culture and "rock-and-roll lifestyle" by the mid-1960s.

CYCLE-DELIC CINEMA

2010-08-19T08:56:00.002-07:00

The biker flick genre is made up of those movies which portray the cyclists as degenerate outcasts from society. They are depicted indulging in their every foul impulse for our voyeuristic pleasure.

Chronic Heroin Use; New Research Study Supports Safe Injection Sites

2010-08-18T02:31:00.000-07:00

A new British study says a safe injection site may be just what heroin addicts need to kick the habit. A site like this offers injected heroin that is both legal and medically-supervised.Listen:

Righteous Dopefiend : Philippe Bourgois and Jeff Schonberg - University of California Press

2010-08-16T09:34:00.001-07:00

Righteous Dopefiend : Philippe Bourgois and Jeff Schonberg - University of California Press
Dateline: San Francisco: Drug users have the three general rights to (a) consume drugs, (b) receive help for drug problems, and (c) be subject to fair drug laws and policies. Under these three headings, drug users have the specific rights (1) to ingest drugs and be intoxicated, (2) to possess and store drugs, (3) to share drugs with others, (4) to access quality drugs, (5) to access drug-taking equipment, (6) to access information about drugs, (7) to receive help for drug problems, (8) to be accurately described, (9) to be subject to reasonable drug laws, and (10) to social inclusion without discrimination. Drug users and non-users also have universal rights under the Human Rights Act (based on the European Convention on Human Rights).

San Francisco Mayor Convenes Hepatitis C Task Force - The Body

2010-08-09T23:32:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Mayor Convenes Hepatitis C Task Force - The Body

Dateline: San Francisco

Mayor's Hep C Task Force

2010-08-09T22:27:00.001-07:00

Dateline: San Francisco

Seattle's Space Needles

2010-08-09T06:07:00.003-07:00

U District needle exchange gives out free crack pipes
In a non-descript alley in the U-District, users can pick up clean crack pipes, pipe filters and ascorbic acid for injecting crack. Heroin users can also pick up a drug that reverses a heroin overdose -- an apparent first in the city.

War on drugs: why the US and Latin America could be ready to end a fruitless 40-year struggle

2010-08-08T17:13:00.001-07:00

Mexico's president Felipe Caldéron is the latest Latin leader to call for a debate on drugs legalisation. And in the US, liberals and right-wing libertarians are pressing for an end to prohibition. Forty years after President Nixon launched the 'war on drugs' there is a growing momentum to abandon the fight.

We Need a Drug User Liberation Movement

2010-07-23T04:26:00.000-07:00

VANDU is part of a liberation movement of people who use drugs and part of a movement for social and economic justice. We recognize that systemic factors like racism, sexism and class as well as historicalexperiences of colonization, dislocation and forced migration shape how and why people use drugs.

Criminalization, poverty and a lack of power and control are the fundamental problems facing our community. We need access to the resources necessary to live a dignified life, starting with descent housing and health care. Our liberation will come when we have real power in decisions that affect us starting with, but not limited to, laws and policies having to do with drugs and drug use.

New Directions (a SF pit stop)

2010-07-10T20:48:00.001-07:00

Dateline: San Francisco

Civic Center was the first UN HQ

2010-06-28T03:54:00.001-07:00

The Vienna Declaration is a statement seeking to improve community health and safety by calling for the incorporation of scientific evidence into illicit drug policies.

The New Underground Railroad

2010-06-27T20:15:00.002-07:00

The Canadian Supremes could make historical decision says the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, which will defend its victories in the B.C. courts, said that the Supreme Court's decision to take on the case will put planned expansion on hold, but that in the end it will be useful to have a final declaration from Canada's highest court. "We've won two rounds already so we're ready for Round 3," said Dave Murray. "We're claiming this is a health issue, not a criminal matter.
---------------------------------------------------
Sunday, June 27, 2010 8:47:13 PM

a special blogging on drugs editorial message:

"we're gonna have a real good time together"

WE WISH A SAFE AND HAPPY GLBT PRIDE DAY TO ALL!!! REMEMBER CANADA HAS SAME-SEX MARRIAGE AND LEGAL POT IN ADDITION TO NORTH AMERICA'S FIRST SAFE INJECTION SITES!!! The Gay Liberation Front was as radical 1970's as drug user activism in the 21st Century. And the Harm Reduction Movement owes a great deal to the AIDS Activists of the 1980's.
I remember when Lou reed sang at GLBT Pride in NYC in the 1970's.

USSF 2010: Why Detroit Matters

2010-06-22T16:18:00.001-07:00

An estimated 20,000 people are streaming into Detroit for the kickoff of the 2010 US Social Forum. By bike or caravan, activists and media makers are here to not only imagine and create a more just society, but to have a profound impact on the Motor City, which has been disproportionately hit by the recession.

Conservative Hollywood Website Slams Sting and Soros for Video Speaking Out Against Drug War

2010-06-15T22:57:00.002-07:00

facebook
10:57pm Jun 15th	Conservative Hollywood Website Slams Sting and Soros for Video Speaking Out Against Drug War Andrew Breitbart's popular right-wing website, Big Hollywood, just published a blistering attack by blogger Kurt Schlichter on the musician Sting, philanthropist George Soros, and formerly incarcerated activist Anthony Papa for appearing in an anti-drug war video and the reasons they support the Drug Policy Alliance. http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=100000183378049&k=Z6E3Y5VSV4YO6FMJPB63QUSRZTBD54VNUWGWEEROSV&oid=1221785747883

Throwing in the towel

2010-06-01T23:55:00.000-07:00

Slugs on Drugs

2010-05-29T20:04:00.002-07:00

Memories formed by snails under the influence of methamphetamine were stronger than those formed under drug-free conditions, suggesting that mental associations are powerful drivers of "compulsive drug use".

Blogging On Drugs Celebrates International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.

2010-05-17T21:26:00.004-07:00

Age, past negative events related to gende/sexual orientation, internalized homophobia.

Social support, Coping Skills, Religiosity and Spirituality, ethnicity and acculturation, Outness/ concealment. Sometimes these things lead to doing too much. Not knowing when to stop using when the fun stops. Reduce the Harm associated with drugs and the laws regulating drugs.

Que Pasa, Nueva York

2010-05-04T04:32:00.000-07:00

CitiWide Harm Reduction is dedicated to reducing the adverse health, social and economic costs of drugs in New York City. In a safe and supportive, participant-led community, we offer a wide variety of outreach, services and care to homeless and low-income drug users living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS.

Why the world needs an international network of activists who use drugs

2010-05-03T14:45:00.001-07:00

Some hope on the day after Georgy Girl died.

Organizing on Drugs

2010-05-01T08:02:00.003-07:00

First Drug User Union Forms in San Francisco

San Francisco has become only the second city in America to host a drug user union, after New York City. But the movement is spreading internationally.

Pot in The Age of Mechanical Reproduction

2010-04-16T02:30:00.001-07:00

If you don't see an audio player that means for don't have Flash, so click this to download audio.

SFGate: Drug lab 'laughed at' problems, ex-tech says

2010-04-13T20:55:00.003-07:00

The former technician at the center of the San Francisco Police Department's drug-evidence scandal told investigators that she had consumed only spilled remnants of cocaine from a crime lab where large discrepancies in narcotics weights were "laughed at" and considered routine.

Site Seeing: In Site's Video Informercial

2010-04-13T08:12:00.000-07:00

Ottawa goes to court to kill B.C.'s safe-injection site

2010-04-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

Ottawa goes to court to kill B.C.'s safe-injection site

The Watergate Bridge (Slow: Red Tape Next Ten Miles)

2010-04-12T20:02:00.003-07:00

San Francisco's district attorney is evaluating 1,400 open drug cases, to see which are still viable after the scandal in the city's crime lab. Police shut down the lab earlier this month after allegations that a former technician stole and used cocaine from evidence and samples!!!! Click this to download discussion featuring Jeff Adachi, public defender for the City and County of San Francisco on what went wrong and how to fix it the problems at the crime lab (and what they mean for current and past drug cases).

Look what you did!

2010-04-08T06:29:00.001-07:00

Two weeks ago, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation introduced free, confidential rapid HIV testing at Sixth and Market, one of the city's neighborhoods with the highest rate of HIV infection—a service which the Foundation is providing with the funds raised at AIDS Walk San Francisco!

You're The Weakest Link.....HELLO!!!! ( Factors associated with sex in the context of Meth use in different sexual venues among HIV+ MSM)

2010-04-05T21:42:00.001-07:00

Harm reduction has focused primarily on reduction of high-risk substance using behaviors rather than reductions in high-risk sexual behaviors. Furthermore, most studies focus on individual behavior change, with less attention paid to the social and environmental context. This paper promotes understanding of the interplay between the individual and the social context by examining the psychosocial and behavioral characteristics of 321 methamphetamine-using HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) in San Diego, CA based on the locations or venues of their sexual activities when "high" on meth-amphetamine. Foucault would be proud.

Rosebuds, Rosebuds: Outdoors Writer Stienstra Arrested On Pot Charges

2010-04-03T03:27:00.007-07:00

SF Chronicle outdoors writer Tom Stienstra and his wife were arrested at their Northern California home on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sale, and later released with no charges filed pending an investigation, officials said. I wonder what Barry Bonds is thinking about all this?

Nonfiction review: 'Orange Sunshine'

2010-04-03T01:57:00.004-07:00

facebook Orange Sunshine The Brotherhood of Eternal Love and Its Quest to Spread Peace, Love, and Acid to the World By Nicholas Schou (Thomas Dunne/St. Martin's; 306 pages; $24.99) Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/31/DD8V1CK8EQ.DTL#ixzz0k1icRqzO
	Any Book Reviewers Out There? Want to Review Lit For "blogging on drugs"? http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=100000183378049&k=Z6E3Y5VSV4YO6FMJPB63QTXTVTEBWUXNUWGQAKPGVQ&oid=1115090292776

TONIGHT!!!

2010-03-30T07:27:00.001-07:00

Hepatitis C, Getting High, & Liver Health

with Andrew Reynolds

Please join the Speed Project for dinner and a workshop about harm reduction, liver health and hepatitis C. Get the facts you need to have fun and stay healthy in 2010. Learn what the liver does, what hep C is, how transmission can be avoided, what medicines are used to treat hep C, and what you can do to help improve liver health. If nothing else, the clarity you will bring filling out your donor card at the DMV will be impress your favorite government clerk.

When: Tuesday March 30th, 6:00 PM (pizza!)

Where: 995 market, 2nd floor

Fwd: [SF Drug Users' Union] sfweekely post

2010-03-30T05:09:00.001-07:00

blogging on drugs posted this to the sf-weekly article on the sf drug users union

We can't claim to be a democracy if citizens can't organize to petition our government to change laws we deem to be unfair. All powers of the government is representative. Of who? The people. And if I believe that our drug policies are wrong and misguided, I have every right under the constitution to assemble peacefully to-address these perceived wrongs and ask the government to change them.

The notion that drug users are de facto criminals is a circular and reminds one of notion that slaves were "property", not human. Another culturally specific category, that like "drug user" will not stand the test of time. If our union does nothing but test the limits of free speech and democratic principles, we will be a huge success.

editor, blogging on drugs

San Francisco

2010-03-28T15:47:00.001-07:00

San Francisco’s Drug Users Unionize to Strengthen Political Voice

Posted using ShareThis

Is Canada the Next Mexico?

2010-03-25T23:07:00.001-07:00

Download this excellent BBC Radio documentary on the growing vertical business growth in the manufacturing and distribution of Ecstasy, Meth and other synthetics in the "Dial-A-Dope" business. Normalization of drug laws are the only way to deal with the violence of an unregulated billion dollar world market. This documentary shows that even if Mexico was able to stop the drug cartels, Canada would be ready step up to the plate. Ultimately, real harm reduction includes drug law normalization.

For Drug Users, Coalition Serves as Voice in Albany

2010-03-24T15:13:00.002-07:00

Excellent article. Normally stoic. New York's old gray ladies (NYTimes and the Statue of Liberty) break out in tears over the forgotten, tired and poor

"Works" Shop: Speed Project presents Shootin' with Care

2010-03-20T18:30:00.001-07:00

If you or a friend injects you are cordially invited to

join the Speed Project for dinner and a conversation

about vein care & safer injection. Come get the skinny on…

Circulation basics and what happens when a vein collapses

Avoiding abscesses, tracks, bacterial infections

Taking care of your body and your veins: arms, hands, legs, feet, groin

And alternatives to injecting for folks who want to take a break. The only real expert in the room is you!

War On Drugs Reversal: U.S. Turns a Blind Eye to Opium in Afghan Town

2010-03-20T18:17:00.001-07:00

The effort to win over Afghans on former Taliban turf has put American commanders in the rare position of arguing against opium eradication, pitting them against some Afghan officials.

"We've always been rouge, now we viral..."

2010-03-12T04:18:00.002-08:00

AddThis Social Bookmarking Sharing Button Widget. You might have noticed the "add this" button to the right. Use it to bookmark or share this blog or individual posts you want to pass on.

WA governor signs drug overdose prosecution bill

2010-03-10T17:50:00.000-08:00

Washington is now the second state in the nation to have a law granting some legal immunity to people who call to report a drug overdose.

Under the measure, people who seek help for someone suffering a drug overdose would not face prosecution for possession of drugs, but the person could be still be charged with the manufacturing or sale of drugs. (This part is dumb- eds.).

San Francisco also exempts citizens suffering an overdose from prosecution, and anyone for whom the evidence is gained only because medical assistance was called.

Fwd: 8th National Harm Reduction Conference Abstracts Deadline

2010-03-06T12:48:00.001-08:00

The 8th National Harm Reduction Conference will bring together approximately 2,000 drug users, ex-drug users, researchers, sex workers, social workers, doctors, politicians and community organizers from around the country and abroad to share perspectives on Harm Reduction.

The National Harm Reduction Conference is the only multidisciplinary gathering in the United States focusing on the health of individuals and communities impacted by drug use. The purpose of the conference is to explore new perspectives on incorporating Harm Reduction into direct services, public policy and individual lives.

This is an opportunity to uphold the right to health and dignity of this marginalized community. We hope you will join us in Austin, Texas in our efforts to combat these public health emergencies and implement real and lasting change.

Abstracts are due April 30^th, 2010. Scholarship deadline is June 1^st, 2010

For more information on registration, scholarships, submitting abstracts, exhibitor/vendor applications, please visit:

www.8thnationalharmreductionconference.com

Put The 'T' Back in "Tea Party"

2010-03-06T12:19:00.003-08:00

NA serves strong coffee: "Over the years, a cottage industry of ancillary services has grown up around methadone clinics. Everything from talk therapy to medical care to Narcotics Anonymous meetings to group picnics and bowling excursions has come to be understood as a necessary component of the treatment of such a psychosocially complicated problem as addiction............."

The World is Watching Vancouver

2010-02-13T15:16:00.000-08:00

Federal government appeals ruling on safe-injection site to
nation's top court

Barriers and Facilitators for Implementation of a Safer Injection Facility in San Francisco

2010-02-01T13:55:00.001-08:00

Barriers and Facilitators for Implementation of a Safer Injection Facility in San Francisco:
Perspectives from Injection Drug Users and Community Stakeholders
Please come to share your thoughts about safer injection facilities in San Francisco on Tuesday, February 2nd from 4-5:30 PM in the Ward 84 Conference Room, Fourth Floor of Building 80 at SFGH. Let us know also what topics you are interested in discussing at future meetings, and if you’d like to present your work for dissemination, collaboration, and/or peer review. RSVP requested. Leave comment if you need more info.

SF Drug Users Union Announce Community Gathering

2010-01-08T21:16:00.000-08:00

You are cordially invited to The SF Drug Users Union Community Organization Meeting:

Date: Monday, January 25

Time: 3:00 pm

Location: 131 10th Street (between Mission and Howard Streets). San Francisco

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Marijuana legalization initiative headed for 2010 ballot, organizers say

2010-01-07T13:39:00.000-08:00

Supporters of an initiative that would legalize marijuana in California say they have collected enough signatures to ensure that it will be on the November 2010 ballot. The initiative would make it legal for adults over 21 years old to possess up to an ounce of marijuana and to grow it in a 25-square-foot area for personal use.

Needle Exchange Benefit & Celebration

2010-01-06T17:23:00.001-08:00

Subject: Needle Exchange Benefit Next Thursday!

Hope to see you all there, please come support California Needle Exchange Programs and celebrate the wicked old federal ban finally getting lifted! There will be lots of cool stuff to bid on in the silent auction, food, drinks, music and dancing.

111 Minna Gallery
San Francisco, CA
6pm-12am

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End of Life Sentence

2009-12-27T15:22:00.000-08:00

My First Vote is a compilation of stories from people across the country whovoted for the first time in November 2008 after having lost, and then regained,their right to vote following a criminal conviction.Despite the large voter turnout in November, there remains one significant blanket barrier to the franchise. 5.3 million American citizens are not allowed to vote because of a criminal conviction. As many as 4 million of these people live,work, pay taxes, and raise families in our communities, but because of a convictionin their past are still denied the right to vote.35 states continue to deny the right to vote to people who are no longer inprison. That is only half the story. Repeated surveys by the Brennan Center andothers have found that many elections officials across the country are unclearon the rules in their states for reinstating voting rights, meaning that even whenpeople with convictions are eligible, they are often wrongly turned away.Bringing people into the political process makes them stakeholders in theirgovernment, while barring them from the polls disrupts reentry into the community.