Illinois Set to Become the First State to Eliminate Cash Bail

Illinois will make history by becoming the first US state to end cash bail. This reform comes after a years-long campaign to address systemic racism in Illinois’ courts and jails.

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Published February 1, 2021 by FILTER

Inside the Work of a New York Psychedelic Trip Guide

Prometheus checked into a hotel in midtown Manhattan in 2018 with just a backpack, orange juice, and a bag of psilocybin mushrooms. Upstairs, he met Arlen for only his second time.

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“They had a tough decision to make in their life at that time,” Prometheus told me. “But I can’t get into their personal business.”

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Published August 18, 2020 by FILTER

A Record Means Discrimination—But National Expungement Week Is Here

“The officer smelled the weed and asked who had it,” Mauro Melgar recounted. “I had two ounces in baggies I had just picked up.” For that, Melgar was arrested and convicted of a felony at the age of 18.

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Published September 18, 2020 by FILTER

The Black and Brown Women Fighting For Space In The Psychedelic Movement

The lack of people of color and other minorities in psychedelic advocacy and research spaces can often create a sense of loneliness. “When I became involved in the psychedelic community years ago, I didn’t see people that were black like me, that act or think like me,” Soma Phoenix says. “Until I met other people of color and I realized, we’re out here, we’re doing this like everyone else.”

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Published January 24, 2019 by HIGH TIMES

“I Am Living Testimony That Cannabis Saves Lives”: How A Brooklyn Woman Used Cannabis and Meditation To Survive Tragedy

“My mother and grandmother were the only people I had who understood who I was,” Tigga said. “Losing them both so quickly broke me down emotionally and mentally.” She would not be alive today unless an unlikely remedy saved her life, and helped her utilize cannabis in a new way. 

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Published November 26, 2018 by CIVILIZED.LIFE

Biden Ending Federal Contracts With Private Prisons; Private ICE Detention Continues

On January 26, President Joe Biden signed a series of executive actions focused on racial equity. Among four orders issued, he committed to curtailing the federal government’s relationship with private prisons.

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Published January 28, 2021 by FILTER

Detained Immigrants Face Retaliation Over COVID Hunger Strike

A group of immigrants under federal detention have reportedly been holding a hunger strike beginning on December 28. Facing retaliation, most of the strikers were forced to suspend their protest on January 11, according to advocates.

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Published January 12, 2021 by FILTER

“A Perfect Example of Targeting”—Marijuana Injustice in Southeast Brooklyn

Continuing marijuana prohibition means maintaining drug enforcement that heavily falls on Black and Brown New Yorkers. For longtime Canarsie, Brooklyn resident Floyd Jarvis, it is personal: He has experienced the impact of marijuana arrests firsthand.

 

Published October 15, 2020 by FILTER

Denver Sued by Advocates for Raiding Homeless Camps

People experiencing homelessness are joining with advocates to sue the city of Denver in federal court for its raids on outdoor encampments. The city responded by claiming the raids are necessary to protect the public from disease.

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Published December 24, 2020 by FILTER

After 26 years in prison for LSD, and clemency from Obama, Timothy Tyler is a free man

“I was trying to hold everything back to not break down and cry,” Tyler said of that moment he first heard the news. “Even the woman who handed me the phone, I almost wanted to hug her—she looked like she was gonna cry.”

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Published September 10, 2018 by PSYMPOSIA

Psychedelic Reform Wins in DC, Oregon Send a Message to Congress

Marijuana had a runaway night on November 3, 2020, but so too did psychedelics. Voters approved two measures in Washington, DC and Oregon to dramatically reform laws related to psychedelic drugs.

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Published November 5, 2020 by FILTER

How Legal Marijuana Will Be Decriminalized and Sold in New Jersey

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D) is expected to sign a suite of bills codifying the marijuana legalization that was overwhelmingly approved by voters in November. They have sparked fierce debate within the state legislature and among New Jersey marijuana justice advocates.

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Published December 23, 2020 by FILTER

Inside the CDC Data That Confirm the Pandemic Is Driving Up Overdose Deaths

For months, media outlets including Filter have reported on a collage of anecdotal and local alerts from around the country that drug overdose deaths have been spiking since the COVID-19 pandemic began. On October 14, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finally confirmed this.

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Published October 22, 2021 by FILTER

What It’s Like to Brew Black Market Weed Beer in New York City

Every weekend, Simple Brewing founders J3P0 and Emily brew in the backyard of their Brooklyn townhouse on a half-barrel brewing system. They produce many different ales and lagers, but their most popular is the Irie PA: a THC-infused beer.

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Published June 12, 2018 by MERRY JANE