Filter

Founded in September 2018 and located in New York City, Filter is dedicated to promoting thoughtful and humane perspectives on drug use, drug policy, and human rights through journalism.

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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.
Wisconsin Republicans Cut Marijuana Legalization From Governor's Budget

1 week ago | filtermag.org | Ben Adlin

Republicans in Wisconsin’s legislature cut key provisions from a state budget proposal by Governor Tony Evers (D) on May 8, including plans to legalize and regulate marijuana. The changes came in a Joint Finance Committee hearing, where members removed a long list of items included in the governor’s budget. In addition to cannabis legalization, other deleted items include tax cuts for the middle class, tax increases for millionaires and state support for children, farmers and veterans.
St. Louis Agrees Compensation for People Jailed at Notorious "Workhouse"

1 week ago | filtermag.org | Alexander Lekhtman

For many years, the “Workhouse” jail in St. Louis, Missouri, subjected people to horrific conditions. After a long campaign, the city finally closed the facility in 2022. Now, some of the people who were held there are set to receive reparations for their ordeals. A pending legal settlement would award financial compensation to people who were incarcerated after November 13, 2012.
Trump's Attack on AmeriCorps Threatens OD Prevention, Among Much Else

1 week ago | filtermag.org | Alexander Lekhtman

The Trump administration has decided to destroy the AmeriCorps program, which puts millions of people, mostly volunteers, to work in community service. The latest in a long list of brutal cuts since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, this potentially illegal move threatens countless services—from repairing homes after hurricanes, to tutoring students or coaching disabled veterans—including efforts to prevent overdose and address substance use disorder.
Texas Lawmakers Target Unhoused People and Service Providers

1 week ago | filtermag.org | Alexander Lekhtman

Several bills advancing through the Texas legislature will, if enacted, escalate the state’s war on unhoused people. Among the measures being pushed forward, homelessness service providers would be banned from operating anywhere in the vicinity of schools, and cities would be punished if they don’t take more aggressive actions against encampments. On April 8, the Texas Senate passed SB 241, in 24-6 vote.
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.
Pennsylvania Lawmakers Battle Over Marijuana Legalization Proposals

2 weeks ago | filtermag.org | Kyle Jaeger

Key Pennsylvania lawmakers are at odds on the path forward for marijuana legalization—while a top Republican senator is dismissing the idea that the reform is achievable at all this session. Among legalization supporters, the current contention goes back to whether Pennsylvania should take a novel regulatory approach to cannabis with a state-run model, as House Health Committee Chair Dan Frankel (D) is proposing, or create a more conventional private market for adult-use sales.
Burlington Plans to Open Vermont’s First Overdose Prevention Center

2 weeks ago | filtermag.org | Alexander Lekhtman

On April 28, the City Council of Burlington, Vermont, voted unanimously to approve opening an overdose prevention center (OPC) in the city. The state authorized such facilities in 2024, and this is slated to be the first to open—though a number of steps remain before that will happen, including determining the exact location, so the timeline is unclear.
DOJ Rescinds Biden-Era Support as Trans Prisoners Sue for Surgery Access

2 weeks ago | filtermag.org | Christy Pérez |C. Dreams

On April 25 the Department of Justice renounced its previous support for a trans woman suing the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) for access to gender-affirming surgery. That same day, the DOJ filed a statement of interest in a separate lawsuit brought against GDC by a trans man being denied a mastectomy, claiming that the constitutional right to such procedures does not exist.
As First Psilocybin Center Comes to Colorado, How Is the Rollout Going?

2 weeks ago | filtermag.org | Alexander Lekhtman

Denver, Colorado, will open the state’s first legal psilocybin healing center within the next month—a historic moment. It’s the culmination of a years-long process after voters approved a limited legalization ballot measure in 2022. There will be no psilocybin mushroom dispensaries; consumers will have to pay to use the drug on-site under trained supervision—no diagnosis needed.