Kastalia Medrano

New York

Freelance Journalist at Freelance

Deputy Editor at Filter

deputy editor @Filtermag_org | cohost @StimUsersCall with @SF_USU | @WGAEast | she/her, good listener horrible emailer

Articles

Overdose Prevention Center Bills in Multiple States Inch Forward

3 days ago | filtermag.org | Kastalia Medrano

The 2025 legislative session has seen multiple states attempt to authorize overdose prevention centers (OPC). Some proposals didn’t have the support to make it out of the chamber where they were introduced, but at least four have continued to move forward and are currently in committee. In at least two states, anti-OPC bills have advanced as well.
Hawaii Legislature Overturns "One-to-One" Restriction on Syringe Exchange

1 week ago | filtermag.org | Kastalia Medrano

Hawaii has passed legislation authorizing syringe service programs (SSP) to begin distribution as needed, in place of the current model that places strict limits on the number of sterile syringes participants can receive. SB1433 advanced from its final reading in Hawaii’s legislature and was enrolled to Governor Josh Green (D) on May 2.
Walgreens Settles DOJ Prescription Opioid Lawsuit, Likely at $350 Million

3 weeks ago | filtermag.org | Kastalia Medrano

Walgreens, the nation’s second-largest pharmacy chain, will pay $300 million plus 4 percent interest to settle Department of Justice allegations of improper dispensing practices as well as fraud.
Vermont Prison Equity Bill: Free Calls, Paid Labor, Affordable Commissary

3 weeks ago | filtermag.org | Kastalia Medrano

Vermont legislators are reviewing a wide-ranging prison equity bill that, if enacted, would make the Vermont Department of Corrections (VDOC) the first to pay incarcerated workers minimum wage. H.294 would also make all available forms of communication—not just phone calls—free to incarcerated people and their loved ones, and cap the prices of commissary items. The bill is currently with the House Committee on Corrections and Institutions, where it was discussed in a hearing on April 17.
Some Common Themes in the State Fentanyl Bills Still in Play

1 month ago | filtermag.org | Kastalia Medrano |Jon Kirkpatrick

The current legislative session has seen dozens of proposals to create or enhance criminal penalties for fentanyl-related charges, many of which are still in play or have already been passed. Lower thresholds for mandatory minimum sentences are gaining ground almost everywhere. For example, an Indiana bill currently under review in the House would lower the threshold weights that trigger existing penalties for fentanyl- and methamphetamine-related convictions.
When Harm Reduction Is Easy and Enjoyable, It’s More Effective

1 month ago | filtermag.org | Jonathan Kirkpatrick |Kastalia Medrano

When I was young, I was living on the streets of Los Angeles at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and early ‘90s. I injected meth a lot. Needles were expensive and hard to come by, so people often reused and shared them. The recommendation to avoid AIDS, as we called it then, was to bleach your rig before using with other people. A great recommendation, but it was hard. It took a long time, sometimes ruined your plunger and required me to carry a bunch of other stuff to do it.
Utah Quietly Bans State Funds for SSP, in Bill Restricting Pre-Trial Release

1 month ago | filtermag.org | Kastalia Medrano |Jon Kirkpatrick

On March 25, Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R) signed a wide-ranging bill purportedly focused on the state’s criminal-legal statutes, but that also includes a line item prohibiting use of state funding to operate syringe service programs (SSP). Utah authorized SSP in 2016, but has never directly funded them.
HALT Fentanyl Act Clears Senate, Poised to Become Law

2 months ago | filtermag.org | Kastalia Medrano |Jon Kirkpatrick

On March 14, the Senate passed legislation that would permanently ban fentanyl-related substances (FRS) under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. S. 331, better known as the Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) of Fentanyl Act, would escalate the mass incarceration crisis by fast-tracking prosecution of cases involving any substance with a chemical structure similar to fentanyl, even if the substance is inert. The Senate approved the legislation by a vote of 84-16.
Federal Drug Trafficking Data Show Who Gets Prosecuted for Overdose

2 months ago | filtermag.org | Kastalia Medrano |Jon Kirkpatrick

Data from the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) show that under 7 percent of people convicted in recent federal overdose cases represented high-ranking members of organized drug trafficking groups. More than half were found to be street-level distributors, who in most cases tried to help the victim if they could, and still received longer sentences than people convicted in non-overdose trafficking cases.
Colorimetric Drug Tests Are Making Mass Incarceration More Miserable

2 months ago | filtermag.org | Kastalia Medrano |Jon Kirkpatrick

Colorado legislators have proposed a working group to study the use of colorimetric drug tests within the criminal-legal system, and identify less-harmful alternatives. The group would analyze both court proceedings as well as internal disciplinary processes of prisons and jails, where the tests have a profound impact on day-to-day life.