Police Officer or Nanny?

Wooldridge was a police officer for 18 years: 15 in patrol and 3 years as a detective. He worked throughout the late 70s, 80s, and early 90s. As the Drug War heated up, he saw a shift from police officers focusing on protecting the community from outside threats to protecting people from themselves, “I watched colleagues spend hours ripping apart a car to find a little bit of marijuana.”

The waste in taxpayer money, officers’ time and effort, and diminishing of good law enforcement motivated him to become a force in ending harsh drug policies. After retiring as a police officer, he became a lobbyist in the late 90s, “As a former police officer, I had some credibility on the issue.”

Future of Reform

Wooldridge tells me that the most realistic hope to reform drug laws is simply to go back to the Constitution. “The most impactful thing that could be done is to bring 10^thAmendment [state’s] rights’ back to drug policy.”

An example of this is the STATES Act,which was initially sponsored by Elizabeth Warren (D-Ma) and Cory Gardner (R-Co). Obviously, there is broad bipartisan support for drug reform and the states are showing this by legalizing marijuana and decriminalizing drugs. Wooldridge points out that extremely liberal California and conservative Oklahoma have something in common; “they both have legalized marijuana.”

“Eight to one of those I talked to at CPAC [Conservative Political Action Conference] agreed –after I gave my explanation– that heroin should be legal.” However, he adds, “Probably 95% of people who didn’t hear my argument would answer no”. Wooldridge believes that this change in conservatives’ opinions on the Drug War is because drug addiction has hit all demographics, including those at CPAC. “Nearly everyone I talked to had a heroin overdose death in their family.”

He is clear that legalizing drugs does not mean that drugs are good. In fact, he knows exactly how deadly and harmful drugs like heroin are, and “that is why addiction should be treated in hospitals, not prisons”.

A prison only perpetuates the problem because “once you get out, you have lost rights like voting.” Wooldridge is referring to the black mark of a felony offense that dubs you a felon for the rest of your life, makes it difficult to find legal employment, and be a productive member of society.

Yet, CPAC denied Wooldridge an opportunity to present and explain why cops say legalize heroin. He tells me that about two years ago, he talked to Matt Schlapp at the American Conservative Union (the ACU runs CPAC). They reviewed his presentation and turned him down, “it is just my prejudice that makes me think my presentation [questioning the drug war] would outrage some of CPAC’s older donors”.

Packing Up His Horse

Wooldridge –who goes by the nickname “Cowboy”– makes it clear that the criminal justice reforms recently signed by President Trump are just a tiny part of what needs to be done. “I tell people on Capitol Hill, legalize all drugs and I’ll pack up my horse and go home.”

He refers to the Portuguese model as the ideal way to proceed. The Portuguese have legalized all drugs and treat addiction as a medical problem, instead of criminal. “There is a bill that will be introduced in Congress that is calling for something similar to Portugal.”

However, he is well aware that at this moment the bill is not going to pass, “but that’s how we start talking about things.” He knows that nothing is going to change dramatically by tomorrow, but he’ll accept incremental progress on the subject while fighting for the future… in his shirt that reads “Cops Say Legalize Heroin”.

The first major person in the modern era to call for legalization of heroin was in the mid-70s by the Baltimore Mayor Curt Schmoke. I stand on his shoulders.

– Howard Wooldridge

Follow Howard on Twitter: @CannabisCop

Lears more about his organization here: Citizens Opposing Prohibition

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Steve Birr

The drug epidemic in America is increasingly fueled by synthetic opioids like fentanyl, which overtook heroin as the deadliest substance in the U.S. in 2016.

The National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released the first preliminary federal report, giving an accounting of drug overdose deaths in 2016. The CDC estimates that drug deaths rose by more than 22 percent in 2016, killing 64,070 Americans. Opioid deaths rose from 33,000 in 2015 to nearly 50,000 in 2016, driven primarily by fentanyl, a painkiller roughly 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine, reports The New York Times.

Synthetic opioids, including fentanyl and its analogs, claimed roughly 20,100 lives in 2016, up from 9,945. Heroin continues to be a major problem, killing an estimated 15,400 Americans. Fentanyl is also fueling an increase in cocaine deaths, as dealers are increasingly cutting the fatal painkiller into their cocaine supplies.

The Drug Enforcement Agency issued new guidance to police departments across the country in June on how to handle heroin and other narcotics due to the increasing prevalence of fentanyl. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein warned it only takes two milligrams of fentanyl, “the equivalent of a few grains of table salt,” to cause a fatal overdose.

“Fentanyl exposure can injure or kill innocent law enforcement officers and other first responders,” Rosenstein said in remarks June 6. “Inhaling just a few airborne particles could be fatal. The spread of fentanyl means that any encounter a law enforcement officer has with an unidentified white powder could be fatal. Our officers and first responders must approach these situations with the utmost caution.”

Dealers in the U.S. and Mexican cartels are turning to China in greater numbers for shipments of fentanyl at a fraction of the price of heroin. It is then used to create roughly 20 times more doses out of a heroin batch, providing dealers with huge profits. Officials estimate that more than 90 percent of heroin in the U.S. is flowing in from Mexico.

A bipartisan proposal in the Senate would give border agents the technology to screen for chemicals at U.S. entry points in an effort to target fentanyl shipments.

Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida proposed the INTERDICT Act earlier this year and are renewing their call for support after recent data showed fentanyl deaths are rising.

Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio is also leading a bipartisan effort to crack down on illegal shipments of synthetic opioids like fentanyl through the U.S. mail.

The STOP Act, co-sponsored by Rubio and Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, aims to put packages shipped through the U.S. Postal Service under more intense security screenings to cut down on international trafficking.

Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of accidental death for Americans under 50.

A STAT analysis predicts the annual death toll from opioids will rise by roughly 35 percent between 2015 and 2027. Their research predicts that up to 500,000 people could die from opioids over the next decade. The experts agree, even in a best-case scenario, the crisis will not visibly start to subside until after 2020.

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By Steve Birr

Police departments across the country are outfitting their officers with protective gear for drug busts to limit the threat accidental fentanyl exposure poses to first responders.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is taking precautionary measures to safeguard their force from accidental drug overdoses due to the increasing prevalence of fentanyl in heroin and cocaine supplies. CMPD officers responded to 62 overdoses over the first 70 days of the year in Charlotte and 42 percent were linked to fentanyl, a powerful painkiller blamed for the massive national spike in overdose deaths, reports WBTV.

Police in Charlotte are advised to stand down in any case if they see drugs, particularly powder, and wait for trained crime scene technicians wearing protective suits to handle any substance. They are beginning to train officers in the proper use of protective gear, including masks, aprons and gloves, for when they respond to a drug scene. The department says every officer will soon carry protective gear with them at all times.

“We’re at the point now we cannot take any chances,” Sgt. Katherine Scheimreif of the CMPD told WBTV Wednesday. “Yesterday I trained about 200 police officers on the street, on what to wear, how to put the gear on and of course the resident dangers they can come in contact when they come contact with these substances. So any time any of these drugs are seen by police officers on a scene or taken out of a person’s pocket there are immediately being trained to put on this outfit … to protect themselves.”

The DEA issued new guidance to police departments across the country June 6 on how to handle heroin due to the increasing prevalence of fentanyl. Fentanyl is a painkiller roughly 30 to 50 times stronger than heroin that is cut into drug supplies and even put into knock-off pills.

The DEA is warning police and first responders to avoid field testing drugs and to wear equipment like gloves and masks, though officials note even protective gear cannot always keep officers safe. A police officer involved in an Ohio roadside heroin bust May 12 overdosed after he got some powder on his uniform, despite using gloves and a mask while searching the suspect’s car.

“Fentanyl exposure can injure or kill innocent law enforcement officers and other first responders,” Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said June 6. “Inhaling just a few airborne particles could be fatal. The spread of fentanyl means that any encounter a law enforcement officer has with an unidentified white powder could be fatal. Our officers and first responders must approach these situations with the utmost caution.”

The 20-page fentanyl briefing guide released June 6 aims to educate national law enforcement on the lethal nature of fentanyl. They warn against using K-9 units, who are at particular risk, in situations where fentanyl may be present. For first responders, they advise increased training in hazard recognition and the use of personal protective equipment.

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By Steve Birr

A coroner revealed Tuesday a Spirit Airlines pilot and his wife, who died from a drug overdose in March, ingested cocaine cut with an elephant tranquilizer primarily found in heroin.

Brian Halye, a 36-year-old commercial airline pilot, and his wife Courtney passed away after overdosing on cocaine at their home in Ohio March 16. The couple’s four children found their bodies and called emergency responders after they could not wake their parents up. Authorities originally believed that they died from a mix of heroin and fentanyl, which are driving fatal overdoses across the country, reports WLWT.

The coroner in Centerville, Ohio announced Tuesday that the couple died after using cocaine mixed with carfentanil. Carfentanil, a synthetic analog of fentanyl, is roughly 10,000 times stronger than morphine and is used for tranquilizing elephants. The couple overdosed roughly a week after Halye’s last flight for Spirit.

Officials in the U.S. are becoming increasingly concerned about fentanyl and carfentanil cropping up in cocaine supplies, which is already being seen in Chicago and New York. The development is particularly alarming for law enforcement who note that, unlike heroin, cocaine is more widely used as a social drug.

They fear that users are largely unaware of fentanyl being cut up with cocaine and say it will have deadly consequences. Less than half a teaspoon of pure fentanyl is enough to kill 10 people.

“There’s no such thing as clean cocaine or heroin anymore,” Linda Mahoney, an administrator at the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, told Providence Journal May 2. “That’s the message that should be sent to social users as well as anyone [for whom] that’s their drug of choice.”

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By Steve Birr

A man in Ireland who got busted couriering heroin during a nearly $1 million deal told authorities he got involved to pay off golfing fees.

Michael Smallhorn, a 57-year-old resident of Dublin, was arrested Feb. 4 2016 with more than 13 pounds of heroin found in a nearby car. Smallhorn allegedly agreed to be a courier for the drugs in exchange for 200 euros, which he never received. He was instructed to leave a Citroen car parked on a street with the keys left inside near a park in Walkinstown, a suburb of Dublin, reports The Irish Times.

Smallhorn was told to get a cup of tea while someone came to remove contents from the vehicle’s boot. The Garda, the Irish state police, arrested Smallhorn while he was sitting in his personal car after authorities received confidential information about the deal.

At a hearing in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court Smallhorn told the judge he was unaware of the scope of what he got involved in, claiming he was only trying to get money to pay off golfing fees.

“If I’d have known it was that much I’d never have gone near it,” Smallhorn allegedly told detectives when they showed him the seized drugs, according to Independent.

Judge Pauline Codd said during the hearing she was “having difficulty assessing his motivation,” and ultimately suspended a five-year sentence, provided he keeps clean and participates in community service for victim awareness.

Smallhorn allegedly also purchased heroin around the time of his arrest for personal use. His attorney, Breffni Gordon, said his client started buying heroin for his younger brother, an addict, after he started calling their mother for drug money.

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By Steve Birr

A police officer involved in a roadside heroin bust Friday overdosed an hour later and had to be revived after fentanyl powder went airborne and absorbed through his skin.

Officer Chris Green, a member of the East Liverpool Police Department in Ohio, assisted in a traffic stop with other officers who had boxed in a vehicle suspected of running drugs. The suspects attempted to flee, but first tried to dispose of their narcotics by dumping the drugs out in the vehicle, leaving, “white powder on the seat, on the floor, on the guys’ shoes and on his clothing,” reports WSB-TV.

Green led a search of the vehicle and got powder all over his uniform. An hour later, back at the police station, Green passed out and became unresponsive. Fellow officers suspected he was suffering an overdose from fentanyl, a painkiller roughly 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine, which can be absorbed through the skin. It took emergency responders multiple attempts to revive Green.

“They gave him one dose of Narcan here and then transported him to East Liverpool City Hospital, where they gave him three additional doses of Narcan,” East Liverpool Capt. Patrick Wright told WSB-TV. “We changed our procedures to where we used to field test-drugs. We don’t do that any longer because of accidental exposures.”

Less than half a teaspoon of pure fentanyl is enough to kill 10 people.

The presence of powerful substances like fentanyl is a major problem for police across the country conducting drug raids. In the chaos of a major drug bust, the powder can go airborne, poisoning officers exposed. Like the East Liverpool Police Department, police across the country are now cautioned to avoid field-testing due to the risk of exposure to potent ingredients.

Ohio is being hit particularly hard by the national opioid epidemic, which claimed a record 33,000 lives in the U.S. in 2015. The opioid death rate in the state spiked 13 percent between 2014 and 2015, among the largest increases in the country. Heroin deaths increased by nearly 20 percent over the same period, claiming 1,444 lives.

The epidemic is posing risks to kids who are exposed to the drugs and other dangers by their parents. Officials in Ohio say opioids are the main driver of a 19 percent spike in the number of kids removed from parental custody to foster care since 2010.

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By Steve Birr

An elementary school teacher in Oklahoma stole her class’ field trip money and pawned off school iPads and computers to feed her heroin addiction.

Police in Sapulpa, Okla., arrested Megan Sloan, a second grade teacher, Monday for allegedly stealing from the school and families for extra cash, which she used to buy drugs and gas. An arrest affidavit shows she is accused of taking $125 in field trip collections from her students, as well as several iPads and computers, reports KJRH.

When police took Sloan into custody, they found nearly 40 syringes, heroin, methamphetamine and spoons in her purse. Many of the syringes contained heroin and had exposed needles.

“What if one of those syringes would have fell out and a kid picked it up,” Wesley Hames, whose son William is one of Sloan’s students, told KJRH. “My son is telling me ‘Hey, Miss Sloan needs that field trip money for the end of the year field trip.’ I said, ‘William, you let her know you’ll have the money when it comes time, there’s no reason to take it early’ … [but] that’s why she wanted to bring it early.”

The school is not commenting on specifics in the case, but say they are fully cooperating with the police investigation and take the situation very seriously. Sloan taught at Sapulpa Elementary for two years and is currently suspended pending the end of the investigation.

A teacher at the school allegedly found Sloan’s laptop left open to her Facebook page where she saw a conversation referencing heroin and pawning off school equipment.

Sloan is charged with three counts of possession or purchasing controlled drugs within 1,000 feet of a public institution, one count of possession of drug paraphernalia and one charge of embezzlement.

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By Steve Birr

The American public believes alcohol is far more harmful to personal health than smoking marijuana, despite its federal status as a Schedule I drug alongside heroin, according to a Monday report.

As marijuana legalization spreads, perceptions are changing and people are increasingly questioning how harmful it is compared to items that are legally available. DIG Insights, a global research firm, released its first annual Cannabis Culture Report Monday, investigating public opinion in Canada and the U.S. towards marijuana, and found pot is viewed more favorably than alcohol, among other items.

DIG Insights found that roughly 22 percent of Americans have used marijuana recreationally in the last year. The report covers a litany of questions, but researchers said they were caught off guard by their data concerning perceptions on harm.

“That was particularly interesting to us, just to see that a higher percentage of Americans think alcohol is very harmful compared to marijuana,” Rory McGee, research director for DIG Insights, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “We’re certainly not commenting on what is and is not harmful, but those are the attitudes in America. It was also very interesting that people thought processed sugar and saturated fats are more harmful than marijuana.”

Roughly 16 percent of Americans view weed as “very harmful,” while 27 percent hold the same feelings about alcohol, according to the report. This trend extends to other commonplace substances, with 23 percent viewing processed sugar and 33 percent viewing saturated fat as “very harmful” to health.

Critics of marijuana often fear such perceptions will lead to higher abuse rates of marijuana and greater substance abuse in general, but the report suggests changing perceptions are not sparking more risky behavior — at least among younger users.

“It comes down to a question of, if people are consuming more marijuana, what are they consuming less of,” McGee told TheDCNF. “We found that young people were less likely to combine marijuana with alcohol than older people.”

DIG Insights hopes its research can help companies navigate the ever-shifting marijuana landscape and cope with market changes driven by the cannabis industry.

Medical marijuana is legal in 28 states and Washington, D.C., where it is also legal for recreational use. Voters in Maine, Nevada, California and Massachusetts all approved measures to legalize marijuana for recreational use on Election Day 2016. Nearly 20 percent of Americans now have access to legal pot.

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By Steve Birr

The mother of a heroin addict is facing felony drug charges after police arrested her for running a narcotics distribution ring for more than a decade out of her kitchen.

Lori Merget, 57, allegedly sold heroin and prescription medication to fuel her son’s addiction from her home in Campbellsport, Wisc. Merget primarily sold the drugs at her kitchen table, using the profits to buy heroin for her son, 31-year-old William Merget.

Steve Duncan, 55, lived in the home with Merget and acted as a runner, bringing back heroin purchased from street dealers daily to be resold. Merget also distributed roughly 450 oxycodone pain pills that she received through prescriptions from two pain clinics on a monthly basis, reports FOX 6.

Family members and friends also served as runners for Merget, including one man who swallowed $140 worth of heroin during a traffic stop while on a run into Milwaukee to pick up heroin.

“It’s a small community,” Steve Rosales, a resident in Campbellsport, told FOX 6. “I see cars come and go, but…it’s just a quiet community. You don’t think anything of it. It’s just crazy to think it’s out here. I guess you just never know your neighbors, you know?”

Merget, Duncan, William and five others are facing multiple charges, including conspiracy to sell heroin and other narcotics, and possessing with the intent to deliver heroin. Investigators made arrests March 31 after monitoring Merget and her associates for a year. Neighbors told investigators they believe the drug ring has been operating for more than a decade.

The opioid epidemic is hitting Wisconsin hard, particularly in Fond du Lac County, where Merget lives. Police sunk a major heroin distribution ring on March 2 that trafficked roughly 15 pounds of heroin worth more than $1 million over the past two years into Fond du Lac and the surrounding region.

Heroin overdoses killed 281 people in Wisconsin in 2015, accounting for more deaths than car accidents and tripling the number of fatalities attributed to heroin in 2010. Heroin overdose deaths spiked by 120 percent between 2014 and 2015 in Illinois.

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