SSDP Takeover: Q&A with Bristol Drug Project’s Sorcha Ryan
Wednesday, September 16th 2020
SSDP Takeover: Covid’s Impact on Student Drug Use
Students for Sensible Drug Policy Outline Harm Reduction Measures in Covid Times
The Volteface Interview with Helen Clark: UK Kiwis, Enrol and Vote Yes to the Cannabis Bill
There is just six until the NZ cannabis referendum, we are calling on Kiwis to get enrolled to and vote yes on October 17th
The Volteface Podcast
The Volteface Interview with Antony Loewenstein: ‘Pills, Powder and Smoke’
Five years ago, Jerusalem-based, Australian investigative journalist, author and film-maker Antony Loewenstein turned his attention from Disaster Capitalism, his book and film, to the war on drugs. In his new book, Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs, he investigates the consequences of politically manufactured conflict at front lines across the … Continued
The Volteface Podcast #15 Instant Gramz: Drugs and social media with Nick Hickmott
More young people are seeing drug adverts on social media, but what impact is this having on young people? And why has it taken us so long to catch on? Liz McCulloch, Director of Policy and author of DM for Details: Selling Drugs in the Age of Social Media, is in conversation with Nick … Continued
The Volteface Podcast #11: Live from the Big Tent with Andrew Boff
Last week the Volteface team headed to the Docklands for the second annual Big Tent Ideas Festival at Mudchute Farm. To ensure cannabis reform was on the festival’s agenda we hosted ‘In Conversation with Andrew Boff’. London Assembly member Boff, a long term advocate for cannabis reform, sat down with current Editor of Byline … Continued
Policy & Politics
Volteface Investigates: Is the Netherlands Finally Heading for Legalisation?
The Netherlands and in particular Amsterdam, has always been famous for its coffeeshops. Not for the amazing latte’s and cappuccino’s they serve, but for weed, hash and other cannabis related products. A not very well known fact, however, is that cannabis is actually not legal in the Netherlands. But with the introduction of the ‘controlled cannabis … Continued
Volteface Launches Pleasant Lands, a Campaign to Unlock UK Hemp Opportunity
Volteface is delighted to announce the launch of Pleasant Lands, a campaign to unlock the hemp opportunity for UK farmers and small businesses. Hemp is a versatile, environmentally beneficial and high value crop that should be making a significant contribution to the UK economy. However, it remains classified as a niche crop – with … Continued
Opinion: Safer Injection Facilities | The Case for the Peer-Led Model
In an effort to reduce the record number of drug-related deaths in the UK, there have been repeated calls for the introduction of supervised injection facilities (SIFs), but are we any closer to actualising them? Kaleidoscope CEO Martin Blakebrough makes the case for establishing a peer-led SIF in Wales, considering the hurdles previous models failed … Continued
Health & Science
Comment: Why Home-Growing is Fundamental to a Legal Cannabis Model
How cannabis is grown in the USA and the UK The laws regarding cannabis are quite contradictory in the US. They vary from state to state, so one must be aware of cannabis regulations concerning cultivation before starting to grow it. Personal cannabis cultivation is prohibited even in some states that have medical cannabis programs, … Continued
Factfile: The Endocannabinoid System – Control Panel of the Human Body
“Is there really an endocannabinoid system?” Yes. Although not currently included in textbooks and science curriculums, the endocannabinoid system (ECS) does exist. Cannabis is a plant that happens to interact with the ECS to cause a range of effects. Since cannabis’ re-emergence into mainstream health and media, it has been under heavy political pressure … Continued
The James Burton Story: Medical Cannabis in the Netherlands
The start of the controlled cannabis supply chain experiment, where legally produced cannabis will be sold in coffeeshops in ten municipalities, grown by government-designated growers seems to be moving the Netherlands in the direction of cannabis legalisation. What many people don’t know, however, is that medical cannabis has been legal in the Netherlands for a … Continued
Families & Education
Opinion: To Protect Young People from Drug Harms, we Should Teach them how to do Drugs ‘Safely’
Friday, July 10th 2020 If I told you that alcohol causes cancer, dementia, traffic accidents and violence, would you be a teetotaller for the rest of your life? There is no doubt that all drugs, whether legal or illegal, are harmful and come with risks. In order to protect young people from the harms … Continued
Volteface Long Read: An Insight into Drug Testing Facilities in the Netherlands
In the run-up to Lowlands last year, a Dutch festival with a lineup packed full of the likes of Tame Impala, New Order and Live Electronic Godfather Paul Kalkbrenner, Lara Smit visits the Jellinek drug-testing facility in Utrecht with a key question: Does Government Funded Drug-Testing in the Netherlands Prevent Deaths? “If my … Continued
What Does a Good Drug Education Programme Look Like?
It is clear from numerous reports that drug education in the UK is not up to scratch. Children are supposed to be learning about drugs and alcohol in a subject called Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE), but currently there is a vague curriculum with lots of freedom given to schools. This means that … Continued
Business & Profit
B.C. Bud Rules
Other Canadian provinces have already announced how they intend to regulate the sale of non-medical cannabis, but the industry has been holding out for British Columbia – the home of B.C. Bud – with high hopes that the province would adopt a progressive model that would galvanise the sector and cement its cultural dominance of … Continued
Patient Needs Addressed as European Medical Cannabis Imports Grow
Tilray continues its expansion in Europe. After announcing the first imports of full-spectrum medical cannabis extracts in Germany in October, the Canada-based company just announced it will be the first North American company to import dried medical cannabis products to the Czech Republic. The expansion of a company like Tilray in Europe signals the maturity of … Continued
What CannaTech London Means for Medical Cannabis in the UK
Last month, London played host to one of the biggest European cannabis business events of the year. In the spacious loft of the Old Truman Brewery just off Brick Lane in east London, CannaTech felt like another world. CannaTech, an Israel-based business conference run by iCan, aims to drive the development of the nascent medical cannabis … Continued
Arts & Culture
The Volteface Interview with Antony Loewenstein: ‘Pills, Powder and Smoke’
Five years ago, Jerusalem-based, Australian investigative journalist, author and film-maker Antony Loewenstein turned his attention from Disaster Capitalism, his book and film, to the war on drugs. In his new book, Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs, he investigates the consequences of politically manufactured conflict at front lines across the … Continued
Frontline Security Enter the Drug Debate
A new, comprehensive guide has emerged from Working the Doors providing a macro-look at drugs and drug taking. Rather than beating the tired ‘zero tolerance’ drum echoed from many corners of night-time security (which refuses to acknowledge that drug taking in public spaces, such as nightclubs, DOES exist), Steve Johnson recognises the issues in this … Continued
Ian Marchant Talks Music, Drugs, And Politics
Last week Volteface met the writer, academic and raconteur Ian Marchant. Marchant’s new book A Hero for High Times is an elegy for wild times, a revolution that never quite occurred and a culture now half forgotten. Listen to him talk music, drugs and politics with our Director Steve Moore.