The latest book from Professor David Nutt is a one-stop-shop for everything you could ever need to know about cannabis. As the world slowly but unstoppably moves away from a century of cannabis prohibition, this book acts as an indispensable guide to the past, present and future of cannabis and its uses across the … Continued
If the Government is serious about addressing regional inequalities, there can be few higher priorities than ending the drug death epidemic plaguing our ‘left behind towns’. “Levelling up is about much more than just addressing economic inequality” wrote Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, previewing the release of his much anticipated ‘levelling up’ white paper … Continued
Our current prohibitionist approach to drugs is incredibly easy to argue against, but rhetorical flourishes have, as yet, not translated into meaningful policy change. For policy-reform advocates looking to catalyse that change, few lines of argument are more effective than demonstrating the staggering costs associated with a policy-agenda that actively undermines its stated aims. With … Continued
Portrayals of sex in the media are changing – and how we depict drugs, their use and the people who use them must be next. In recent years, sex on screen has been subject to increased scrutiny, with a new generation of media consumers demanding a change in the way that sex is shown … Continued
The queer community and illicit drug users are inextricably linked: Both are subjected to similar politicisation of private practices, both are disproportionately aggravated by social harms, and are both fighting stigma and shame for the assurance of rights that should be fundamental. Drug use plays an outsized, if not wholly unsurprising part in the experience of … Continued
The 15th – 21st November is Alcohol Awareness Week (AAW) in the UK, and this year’s theme is Relationships. 20 people die every day in the UK as a result of their drinking, and the harms and costs that this burdens our society with are hugely underappreciated in the UK. For example, an astonishing 12 … Continued
Like the thick smoky aftertaste that lingers after bonfire night merrymaking, memory hangs heavy in the air during the early weeks of November in the UK. As the oppressive darkness of the ironically named daylight-savings time settles in, we cast our collective memory back to the foiled attempt at Gunpowder Treason in 1605. More poignantly, … Continued