Tim Walz Went To War On Zyn While Pushing Free Needles, Legalizing Pot
Tim Walz Went To War On Zyn While Pushing Free Needles, Legalizing Pot
China's secret role in the drug epidemic
Amid the border crisis and surging drug problems, author Peter Schweizer has completely exposed China’s massive influence over all of it.
Schweizer explains to Mark Levin that in early 2021, there was a congressional commission that reported to the White House there were 2,000 Chinese nationals just south of the border in Mexico.
These Chinese nationals have been assisting the Mexican cartels with creating fentanyl to smuggle across the border.
The report on this issue was issued by the congressional commission in 2021, but rather than taking it as a sign to protect the border, the Biden administration has left it wide open.
“That, to me, is the epitome of negligence, criminal negligence, because what you’re essentially saying is we know this is a systematic effort; we know that fentanyl is coming; we know that tens of thousands of Americans are dying every year,” Schweizer tells Levin, adding, “and our agenda is more important than actually protecting the American people.”
Meanwhile, President Biden has refused to even confront the Chinese verbally about what they’re doing with the fentanyl trade — despite fentanyl poisoning now being the leading cause of death in the United States for people under the age of 45.
“What you seem to be suggesting here is that Joe Biden is one of the greatest facilitators of the sale and use of fentanyl in the United States of America given his policies,” Levin says.
“He’s also one of the greatest, as the left calls them, ‘slavers’ in American history, given his border policies and the fact that unknown infinite numbers of women and children are being sold into sex slavery and pornography,” he adds.
“If you look at the human cost of the open border — human cost to Americans, human cost to women and children — the body count is astronomical,” Schweizer says in agreement.
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Oregon looks to recriminalize possession of heroin, meth, and more after fewer than 4 years of decriminalization
A bill that would criminalize small amounts of drug possession and overturn a decriminalization motion from 2020 passed in the Oregon state Senate and will head to the governor's desk.
House Bill 4002 passed in the Oregon House with a 51-7 vote and subsequently in the state Senate with 21-8 vote, recriminalizing possession of small amounts of drugs such as heroin or methamphetamine.
As Breitbart reported, possession would be punishable by up to six months in jail and enables police to confiscate drugs. Drug treatment would also be offered as an alternative to criminal penalties.
"With this bill, we are doubling down on our commitment to make sure Oregonians have access to the treatment and care that they need," said Democratic state Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber, one of the bill’s authors.
She added that it would "be the start of real and transformative change for our justice system."
Under the new law, five grams or more of specified drugs constitute "substantial quantities," which would increase criminal sentencing and be used to justify punishment for other crimes, such as drug trafficking.
Other drugs listed included fentanyl, cocaine, psilocybin, and more.
Governor Tina Kotek has not openly stated whether she will sign or veto the bill, however Oregon Public Broadcasting noted that the governor has alluded to the idea of recriminalizing drug possession.
Much of the worry around drug use in the state has come from an opioid epidemic. Blaze News reported many of the troubling statistics leading up the state's vote, including that fatal overdoses have skyrocketed.
According to Oregon Health Authority data, the number of fatal overdoses was 824 in 2020. Then, after decriminalization, there were 1,189 fatal overdoses in 2021. Preliminary data indicated the number of deaths from overdoses in 2022 was over 1,100.
OregonLive.com also noted that in the year ending September 2019, there were 77 known fentanyl deaths. In the year ending September 2023, there were reportedly 1,268 overdose deaths.
Criticisms came from other Democrats who said it was a return to a "punishment narrative" that has failed for half a century.
"I’m concerned that it (the bill) will attempt to use the same tactics of the past, and fail, only to reinforce the punishment narrative that has failed for 50 years,” said Democratic Senator Lew Frederick.
The senator also said he worried that more people will be put into the court system rather than becoming healthier.
At the same time, Oregon is in an official state of emergency — enacted in late January 2024 — due to its fentanyl crisis.
The new bill reportedly encourages law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to refer individuals convicted of possession to drug treatment programs. $211 million has been allocated in the bill.
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Biden announces pardon of all federal convictions for simple possession of marijuana
President Joe Biden on Thursday said he will issue an executive order pardoning all people with federal convictions for simple possession of marijuana.
"No one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana," Biden said in a statement announcing major action that could impact thousands of Americans.
"Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit," Biden said. "Criminal records for marijuana possession have also imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities. And while white and Black and brown people use marijuana at similar rates, Black and brown people have been arrested, prosecuted, and convicted at disproportionate rates."
The president said he will take three steps to end the federal government's "failed approach" to policing marijuana. The actions he outlined would be the most extensive act by any White House on drug policy in U.S. history.
First, Biden will issue a blanket pardon to anyone convicted of criminal simple possession of marijuana in violation of federal law. He has directed Attorney General Merrick Garland to prepare to issue certificates of pardon to all eligible individuals.
"There are thousands of people who have prior Federal convictions for marijuana possession, who may be denied employment, housing, or educational opportunities as a result. My action will help relieve the collateral consequences arising from these convictions," Biden said.
Second, the president is calling for state governors to follow suit and issue pardons for criminal and civil marijuana offenses.
"Just as no one should be in a Federal prison solely due to the possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either," Biden said.
Third, the president will direct the Department of Health and Human Services and the Justice Department to "review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law."
The government currently classifies marijuana as a Schedule I narcotic, defined as drugs like heroin and LSD that have no accepted medical use and a high potential for addiction and abuse.
Federal arrests for marijuana-related offenses have declined in recent years, according to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. The Justice Department reported making 2,575 marijuana-related arrests in 2020. The annual total of marijuana arrests has declined steadily each year since 2010, when the agency reported making 8,215 such arrests.
While calling for marijuana possession to effectively be decriminalized, the president added that "important limitations on trafficking, marketing, and under-age sales should stay in place."
"Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana," Biden said. "It’s time that we right these wrongs."
TheBlaze has reached out to the Department of Justice requesting an estimate of how many people will receive a pardon under the president's executive action.
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