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

Walgreens Settles DOJ Prescription Opioid Lawsuit, Likely at $350 Million

3 days 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

4 days 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

3 weeks 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

4 weeks 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

1 month 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

1 month 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

1 month 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.
CDC: Overdose Deaths Now Down 24 Percent, Back to Pre-Pandemic Crisis

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

An estimated 86,882 people in the United States died of overdose between October 2023 and September 2024, according to provisional data announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on February 25. It represents an unprecedented 23.7 decrease from the 113,919 deaths in the provisional data from in the previous 12-month period. It’s on track to be the lowest death count since July 2020, when the final tally for the previous 12 months was 85,236.
DOJ Sues CVS, Alleging ‘Massive Public Harm’ From Opioid Dispensing

Dec 23, 2024 | truthdig.com | Kastalia Medrano

The Department of Justice is accusing CVS Pharmacy Inc. of unlawfully filling opioid prescriptions that directly led to overdose deaths, as well as fraudulently reimbursing some of those prescriptions through federal health care programs. “CVS’s actions contributed to the opioid crisis,” the civil complaint states.