“They lie about marijuana. Tell you pot-smoking makes you unmotivated. Lie! When you’re high, you can do everything you normally do just as well — you just realise that it’s not worth the fucking effort. There is a difference.” – Bill Hicks The relationship between cannabis and motivation is, on the face of it, seemingly … Continued
London clubbers, Drum and Bass fans and music industry figures are reeling this morning in the wake of news that Fabric, London’s most iconic nightclub, has had its licence revoked. The licence review by Islington Borough Council went on into the early hours of last night, with many fans of the club staying up to hear … Continued
In the US, cannabis is now legal in 8 states. In Europe, cannabis is openly sold in Dutch ‘coffee shops’, Spanish members’ clubs and Copenhagen’s Christiania. Couple this with support for legalisation from both the Lib Dems and Greens, and recent favourable polling on the topic, and it seems a regulated UK cannabis market may … Continued
VolteFace is delighted to announce The Tide Effect, a new project in collaboration with the Adam Smith Institute and the writer Boris Starling. The Tide Effect, to be published on 30th September, will explore the implications for policymakers in the UK of emerging international approaches to legalise and regulate the sale of cannabis. The report … Continued
This biggest news story this week in UK drug policy has been announcement that Secret Garden Party has been the first UK event to trial ‘front of house‘ drug testing – a service where festival-goers could anonymously get their drugs tested and receive advice on the risks of their drug use and how to reduce … Continued
The discovery of antibiotics revolutionised modern medicine during the 20th Century. Dr Ben Sessa, paediatric and addictions psychiatrist makes the case that its unique combination of attributes mean MDMA could be just as revolutionary in the field of psychiatry in his recent TEDx talk at the University of Bristol. In Ben’s fascinating talk, he illustrates … Continued
The Royal Society for Public Health and the UK Faculty of Public Health, two of the UK’s most highly respected public health bodies, have today called for the decriminalisation of possession of all drugs in a bold joint report, Taking A New Line On Drugs. The report urges policymakers to shift away from treating drugs … Continued
With the introduction of the Psychoactive Substances Act today, our Policy Editor takes a close look at the possible outcomes, and posits what alternatives the UK, and others, should be considering in this long read. It is done. It is now illegal to sell, make, import or export all but a few explicitly exempted psychoactive substances. While it … Continued
Peter Dunne MP, New Zealand Minister for Internal Affairs – and long running voice of reason in New Zealand’s debates on drug policy – provided new hope of progress for the country’s tortured reforms Yesterday. Giving the keynote speech at a satellite event of the 10th annual conference of the ISSDP: Regulating Drug Use: Beyond Prohibition and Legalisation in … Continued
There has been a dramatic year-on-year rise in incidents involving legal highs, according to police figures obtained by the BBC through freedom of information requests. The figures detail incidents reported by 23 of the the 39 police forces in England, from antisocial behaviour through to criminal activity, in which various names of legal highs were mentioned, such … Continued