Comprehensive Drug Reform Bill [Vetoed; Failed]

[Verily]

Comprehensive Drug Reform Bill of 2007

Section 1: Findings
1. Current Atlasian policy has led to the incarceration of millions of nonviolent drug users, as well as the devastation of several South American economies and environments, and an overall increase in violent crime associated with drug dealing and untreated addiction.
2. Current Atlasian policy treats drug addiction first and foremost as a criminal problem rather than a medical one.
3. Current Atlasian policy is inherently contradictory in that one of the most intoxicating and addictive substances known to man, alcohol, is legal while possession of softer drugs remains a criminal activity.
4. Current Atlasian policy places harsh sentencing and punishment ahead of harm minimization, effective drug education, and addiction treatment.

Section 2: Decriminalized Substances
1. All federal laws, as well as District of Columbia and federal territory laws, prohibiting the private possession, consumption, or profitless distribution of the following substances are repealed: 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA), mescaline, Peyote, psilocin, psilocybin, d-lysergic acid amide (LSA), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), salvia divinorum, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ephedrine, opium, cocaine (including freebase cocaine), gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), ibogaine, heroin, 5-methoxy-n,n-diisopropyltryptamine (5-MeO-DIPT), 2C-T-7, 2C-B, cathinone (khat), alpha-methyltryptamine (AMT), 5-OH-DMT, amphetamines, dextroamphetamine, methamphetamine, oxycodone, morphine, phencyclidine (PCP), benzylpiperazine, codeine, synthetic cannabinoids, marinol, and ketamine.
2. This section shall not be interpreted to legalize the sale or underage use of the listed substances.
3. All federal laws, including District of Columbia and federal territory laws, prohibiting certain forms of tobacco (including homegrown tobacco, smokeless tobacco, clove cigarettes, or N. rustica), alcohol (including absinthe, and all related ingredients), or associated paraphanelia (including rolling papers, rolling filter tips, matches, and water pipes) are repealed.

Section 3: Safe Injection Sites
1. The federal government will invest $10 million FY 2009 in the construction of a Safe Injection Site in the District of Columbia.
2. No person using illicit drugs inside of a Safe Injection Site may face prosecution of any kind in relation to the possession or consumption of the drug.
3. All persons entering the Safe Injection Site will be provided with clean needle syringes and any medical care necessary free of charge.

Section 4: Good Samaritan Provision
1. In all areas under federal jurisdiction, persons calling for medical help for a person who is suffering immediate health problems due to drug use may not face arrest charges for possession or consumption of illicit substances.

(Sponsor: Ebowed)

[Kaine for Senate '18]

I urge Senators to support this legislation, although I would like them to consider adding in a tax on the drugs.

[Jake]

I disagree with providing free medical treatment to those actively pursuing drug use.

Section Three is struck.

New Section Three
1. Atlasia shall invest $10 million in FY 2009 in an addiction treatment facility in the District of Columbia. Medical care shall be provided free of charge to all those attempting to end their addiction to illicit drugs.

[Verily]

You don't think we should provide treatment to help drug users end their drug use, Jake? Perhaps the wording is vague and therefore suggests that all medical treatment would be provided without charge, but I think any measure to encourage people to stop using drugs is a positive measure.

[Jake]

End? I'm more than happy to support that. This is what I don't like:

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So, you enter the Site, shoot up, overdose, and the state takes care of your hospitalization, etc. free of charge. You return the next week and repeat. Might as well give out the drugs too.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Comprehensive Drug Reform Bill of 2007

Section 1: Findings
1. Current Atlasian policy has led to the incarceration of millions of nonviolent drug users, as well as the devastation of several South American economies and environments, and an overall increase in violent crime associated with drug dealing and untreated addiction.
2. Current Atlasian policy treats drug addiction first and foremost as a criminal problem rather than a medical one.
3. Current Atlasian policy is inherently contradictory in that one of the most intoxicating and addictive substances known to man, alcohol, is legal while possession of softer drugs remains a criminal activity.
4. Current Atlasian policy places harsh sentencing and punishment ahead of harm minimization, effective drug education, and addiction treatment.

Section 2: Decriminalized Substances
1. All federal laws, as well as District of Columbia and federal territory laws, prohibiting the private possession, consumption, or profitless distribution of the following substances are repealed: 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA), mescaline, Peyote, psilocin, psilocybin, d-lysergic acid amide (LSA), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), salvia divinorum, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ephedrine, opium, cocaine (including freebase cocaine), gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), ibogaine, heroin, 5-methoxy-n,n-diisopropyltryptamine (5-MeO-DIPT), 2C-T-7, 2C-B, cathinone (khat), alpha-methyltryptamine (AMT), 5-OH-DMT, amphetamines, dextroamphetamine, methamphetamine, oxycodone, morphine, phencyclidine (PCP), benzylpiperazine, codeine, synthetic cannabinoids, marinol, and ketamine.
2. This section shall not be interpreted to legalize the sale or underage use of the listed substances.
3. All federal laws, including District of Columbia and federal territory laws, prohibiting certain forms of tobacco (including homegrown tobacco, smokeless tobacco, clove cigarettes, or N. rustica), alcohol (including absinthe, and all related ingredients), or associated paraphanelia (including rolling papers, rolling filter tips, matches, and water pipes) are repealed.

Section 3: Safe Injection Sites
1. The federal government will invest $10 million FY 2009 in the construction of a Safe Injection Site in the District of Columbia.
2. No person using illicit drugs inside of a Safe Injection Site may face prosecution of any kind in relation to the possession or consumption of the drug.
3. All persons entering the Safe Injection Site will be provided with clean needle syringes and any medical care necessary free of charge.

Section 4: Good Samaritan Provision
1. In all areas under federal jurisdiction, persons calling for medical help for a person who is suffering immediate health problems due to drug use may not face arrest charges for possession or consumption of illicit substances.

(Sponsor: Ebowed)

I'm not a fan of the wholesale decriminalization here, but there's a lot of good stuff in this bill I think we can work with.

Question, though: Didn't we already pass a bill allowing "safe injection" sites?  I could have sworn I've seen that here in the Senate before.

[Bacon King]

I like this bill, for the most part. I'm not sure what a few of the section two substances are, so I'll have to look them up.

I'm really undecided on the Safe Injection Sites, though. Could the bill's sponsor provide some example of the effectiveness of such programs?

[Ebowed]

I'm really undecided on the Safe Injection Sites, though. Could the bill's sponsor provide some example of the effectiveness of such programs?

There are only a few safe injection sites in the world (I believe in San Francisco, maybe Sydney as well).  There has been no evidence to suggest that they increase drug use and they have also prevented hundreds of fatalities from overdoses.  Not a single death has ever occurred at a safe injection site.

[Bacon King]

I'm really undecided on the Safe Injection Sites, though. Could the bill's sponsor provide some example of the effectiveness of such programs?

There are only a few safe injection sites in the world (I believe in San Francisco, maybe Sydney as well).  There has been no evidence to suggest that they increase drug use and they have also prevented hundreds of fatalities from overdoses.  Not a single death has ever occurred at a safe injection site.

Really? I could have sworn hearing about safe injection sites in both in Canada and Austria.

[Ebowed]

Really? I could have sworn hearing about safe injection sites in both in Canada and Austria.

You're right.  I think SFO might just be considering it:

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safe_injection_site

[Sensei]

I'm really undecided on the Safe Injection Sites, though. Could the bill's sponsor provide some example of the effectiveness of such programs?

There are only a few safe injection sites in the world (I believe in San Francisco, maybe Sydney as well).  There has been no evidence to suggest that they increase drug use and they have also prevented hundreds of fatalities from overdoses.  Not a single death has ever occurred at a safe injection site.

Really? I could have sworn hearing about safe injection sites in both in Canada and Austria.

Yeah, I'm 100% sure there is or there was one in Vancouver

[Хahar 🤔]

THere was quite a stir about a potential site in SF.

[Speed of Sound]

This is a great bill, shame we cant nationalize.

I completely agree with Jake however. The taxpayers should not be forced to pay for the medical care of drugusers not looking to stop. All medical care? I think not. The State should not be subsidizing drug use. Also, why arent we taxing this stuff? We take the money and route it into the sobering program. I know it cant be a sales tax, since we're not selling it, but we can throw in a small entrance fee, no? After all, we're only providing most of our care, supposedly, to those looking to get clean anyway.

Im proposing this amendment:

Section 3: Safe Injection Sites
1. The federal government will invest $10 million FY 2009 in the construction of a Safe Injection Site in the District of Columbia.
2. No person using illicit drugs inside of a Safe Injection Site may face prosecution of any kind in relation to the possession or consumption of the drug.
3. All persons entering the Safe Injection Site will be provided with clean needle syringes and any medical care necessary free of charge.
4. A donation of a dollar will be requested upon entrance to the Site. This donation is not required. Donations of any size will be accepted, assuming it is a legal donation.

[Ebowed]

We have a choice between safe injection sites ("subsidizing drug use") and keeping with the status quo of preventable overdoses, disease contraction, and other serious and potentially fatal medical problems within the highly neglected drug using community.

I recommend reading up on British Columbia's SIS, Insite:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insite

453 overdoses have been treated and resulted in 0 deaths.

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http://www.vch.ca/sis/research.htm

[Хahar 🤔]

This is a great bill, shame we cant nationalize.

I completely agree with Jake however. The taxpayers should not be forced to pay for the medical care of drugusers not looking to stop. All medical care? I think not. The State should not be subsidizing drug use. Also, why arent we taxing this stuff? We take the money and route it into the sobering program. I know it cant be a sales tax, since we're not selling it, but we can throw in a small entrance fee, no? After all, we're only providing most of our care, supposedly, to those looking to get clean anyway.

Im proposing this amendment:

Section 3: Safe Injection Sites
1. The federal government will invest $10 million FY 2009 in the construction of a Safe Injection Site in the District of Columbia.
2. No person using illicit drugs inside of a Safe Injection Site may face prosecution of any kind in relation to the possession or consumption of the drug.
3. All persons entering the Safe Injection Site will be provided with clean needle syringes and any medical care necessary free of charge.
4. A donation of a dollar will be requested upon entrance to the Site. This donation is not required. Donations of any size will be accepted, assuming it is a legal donation.

Bump for Verily.

[Verily]

I'm not quite sure what to make of the amendment. Is this a sort of "give us money or we'll glare at you and have the security guards follow you around" kind of donation, as at the Met? I mean, we could just charge a dollar, it's not as if that's a huge sum even to the very poor.

[Speed of Sound]

I'm not quite sure what to make of the amendment. Is this a sort of "give us money or we'll glare at you and have the security guards follow you around" kind of donation, as at the Met? I mean, we could just charge a dollar, it's not as if that's a huge sum even to the very poor.

Problem is, it will turn people away to force it, especially if they are extremely poor, or a very heavy users. I just dont like forcing the issue when dealing with health care that the people will already be uneasy to recieve.

[Sensei]

aye

[Jake]

Might want to hold this vote up as my amendment is ahead in the queue.

[Verily]

Bah. Xahar, when you correct me, correct me correctly

Anyway, we are now voting on the following amendment, and then on that previous one. Please vote Aye, Nay or Abstain.

I disagree with providing free medical treatment to those actively pursuing drug use.

Section Three is struck.

New Section Three
1. Atlasia shall invest $10 million in FY 2009 in an addiction treatment facility in the District of Columbia. Medical care shall be provided free of charge to all those attempting to end their addiction to illicit drugs.

Abstain

[Jake]

Aye

[Хahar 🤔]

Bah. Xahar, when you correct me, correct me correctly

Anyway, we are now voting on the following amendment, and then on that previous one. Please vote Aye, Nay or Abstain.

I disagree with providing free medical treatment to those actively pursuing drug use.

Section Three is struck.

New Section Three
1. Atlasia shall invest $10 million in FY 2009 in an addiction treatment facility in the District of Columbia. Medical care shall be provided free of charge to all those attempting to end their addiction to illicit drugs.

Abstain

Uh...my bad.

[Take that, WalterMitty!]

That's why you're the PPT.

[Sensei]

abstain

[Ebowed]

Nay!!!

[Sam Spade]

Aye.