Die New Yorker Suchtforscherin Sandra Comer über Substitutions-alternativen und Suchtkranke, die den Kopf wieder freikriegen wollen

Standard: Substitution galt einmal als Übergangsphase, um Opiatsüchtige zu stabilisieren und für ein Leben ohne Suchtmittel reif zu machen. Gilt das noch?

Comer: Ja, aber es wird seltener. Es braucht lange, bis Patienten bereit sind, von der Agonisten- zur Antagonistentherapie zu wechseln.

derstandard.at

In der Behandlung Opiatsüchtiger geht Österreich einen gefährlichen Sonderweg - Suchtforscher und -hilfe reden lieber nicht offen darüber - Ein Überblick über Drogenersatzstoffe.

Der Flash ist der gleiche. Ob sie sich Heroin spritzen oder aufgelöstes Morphin, kommt für die meisten Drogensüchtigen auf das Gleiche heraus. Nur ist Heroin teurer und auch schwerer zu bekommen als "Substi", was an die 7000 User in Österreich bequem dank ihrer E-Card erhalten. Überall, wo sich die Szene trifft, werden die weißen Tabletten um 20 bis 35 Euro vertickt. Das ist ein Markt, für den sich auch das organisierte Verbrechen interessiert. Einzelne Ärzte, die Dealer mit Verschreibungen des begehrten Präparats versorgt haben, sind in Haft.

derstandard.at

Kendall Gibson would seem to be one of Virginia's most dangerous prisoners. For more than 10 years he has lived in segregation at the Greensville Correctional Center, spending at least 23 hours every day in a cell the size of a gas station bathroom. In a temporary home for the worst of the worst - inmates too violent or disruptive to live among the rest of society's outcasts - he has been a permanent fixture.

thesunnews.com

The Dutch government wants to ban cannabis sales to foreigners, but coffee shops in Holland argue that it's a violation of EU free-trade regulations. The European Court of Justice will now decide.

The continuing struggle of Dutch border towns against drug tourism could soon take a new turn, as the European Court of Justice (ECJ) prepares to hand down a ruling regarding one of the most severe measures employed in this battle so far.

Last Thursday, the ECJ heard arguments in Josemans v. Maastricht. The case dates to 2006, when authorities found two foreign nationals on the premises of Easy Going, a coffee shop that sells cannabis. Maastricht is the largest city in the far south of the Netherlands; it sits directly on the Belgian border and is only a 30 minute drive from Germany. The Easy Going coffee shop there is owned by Marc Josemans, who is also the chairman of a branch association to which the city's coffee shop owners belong.

spiegel.de
old zack

California's medical marijuana dispensaries generate as much as $1.3 billion in sales and $105 million dollars in state sales taxes, according to new -- and dramatically increased -- state sales estimates.

The new calculations by California's Board of Equalization reflect both a burgeoning legal medical pot trade and improvements by the state in calculating the scale of the industry.

sacbee.com

You can take the cartels out of Columbia. But you can't take cannabis away from Colombians.

That was the message in the streets of Medellin Colombia on Saturday May 8, when potheads marched in favor of legalizing marijuana.

The Medellín Cartel, an organized network of "drug suppliers and smugglers" originated in Medellín, Colombia. They operated in Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Central America, the US, Canada and Europe in the 70s and 80s. Founded and run by Pablo Escobar together with the Ochoa Vázquez brothers Jorge Luis, Juan David, and Fabio, the Cartel brought in more than $60 million/day.

examiner.com