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
Last week the government released the Statistics on Drug Misuse: England, 2018. The report outlines the latest statistics (gathered in 2016/17) about drug use in adults and children, drug-related hospital admissions, drug-related deaths and drug seizures by the police. Here are the 10 main takeaways from the report. Drug use in children has risen. 37% of … Continued
For decades, the debate about drug policy reform has been a ‘third rail issue’ in the UK. Last year, neither of the two main political parties mentioned drug reform at all in their general election manifestos. This inertia contrasts with dramatic changes taking place around the globe, notably the legalisation of cannabis for adult use in … Continued
This article was published in collaboration with Vice UK. It’s common knowledge that prisons in the UK have become overcrowded, violent, drug-riddled hellholes. And yet, most of us can’t imagine what it’s really like to live in that hellhole, day in day out. And that’s ok, we don’t have to – we spend our lives … Continued
Bereaved through Alcohol and Drugs (BEAD) is a project that was set up four years ago to offer peer support to people who have lost someone due to drug or alcohol use. Funded by the Big Lottery, it is a result of a partnership between Adfam, a charity which supports the families of drug and … Continued
The drug education children are receiving in school is severely lacking. So, in the absence of high quality education about drugs, where are young people getting their information from? Often it is from each other, usually from a friend using the drug in question. This is deeply problematic because not only is there the obvious concern … Continued
With drug-related deaths at an all-time high and new drugs entering the black market all the time, drug education for young people is more important than ever. This is especially true when you consider that around 1 in 5 (18%) of 16-24 year olds have taken illicit drugs in the last year, equivalent to 1.1 … Continued
At the weekend, Justin Gatlin sprinted to victory in the 100m at the World Athletics Championships, beating fellow American Christian Coleman and the famous Usain Bolt into 2nd and 3rd place respectively. Gatlin received a distinctly frosty response from the crowd however, who booed him as he celebrated his win. This is because Gatlin has a reputation … Continued
On the 3rd July, Addaction held their first ever National Young Person’s Conference, on the fantastic backdrop of the Oval cricket ground in London. It was organised so that young people and professionals could have the opportunity to feed into how Addaction shape their services and it also gave other organisations, such as Volteface, an … Continued
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) sufferers should have access to legally regulated medical cannabis, according to a major MS charity. They claim that one in ten sufferers of the condition could use it to ease their pain and spasticity as a last resort when other medication does not work. However, cannabis is currently a schedule one drug, … Continued