For me, it was Tom Chivers who really nailed it last week in his piece on the new Kings College cannabis potency study: “It is tempting to describe the government’s approach to cannabis as a spectacular failure. But that would be untrue: the government’s approach cannot fail, because the government has no approach. It has no goals, it has … Continued
For over half a century, various activist groups in the UK have launched campaigns to legalise cannabis, but with little success. One of the most effective arguments used by those opposed to reform is the absence of any existing regulated legal markets for selling cannabis. This is no longer the case. Over the past five … Continued
**UPDATED** THE MANIFESTO COUNT DOWN Reducing drug related deaths Tackling Spice use among vulnerable groups Regulation and control of adult use of cannabis Promoting club drug testing and harm reduction services Access to medical cannabis Why we started the Manifesto Challenge Exactly a month from today the British people will be asked to elect a … Continued
Volteface recently visited Toronto and Ottawa to learn more about the Canadian government’s plans to legalise cannabis. Here are the thoughts of our Director Steve Moore: Ten Things I Learned in Canada Last Week: 1. The Canadian Government is on course to legislate this year to create the world’s first controlled regulated market for cannabis … Continued
It is impossible to imagine the grieving any parent must endure when they lose a child in tragic circumstances. To lose two is just too unbearable to contemplate. It was reported yesterday that Lord Monson is now mourning the loss of a second son, Rupert, who died after an attempted suicide last month. Five years ago, … Continued
VolteFace was launched a year ago to change the public debate about drug policy in the UK. It had become stale. All over the world Governments are moving beyond failed policies of prohibition but here in the UK a fudging of the myriad issues of dealing with the supply and distribution of illicit drugs prevails … Continued
James Graham Wilson’s brilliant history of how Reagan and Gorbachev engaged to end the Cold War, The Triumph of Improvisation, begins with this story. Late at night Reagan and his campaign manager Lee Atwater were descending into Chicago’s O’Hare Airport near the end of his ultimately triumphant 1980 Presidential campaign. The following exchange took place. (It is … Continued
In the coming days our Director Steve Moore will share his thoughts on what Theresa May as Prime Minister means for UK drug reform. Here he sets out the immediate goals for her Premiership. The Tory grandees got what they wanted, as has the City and business. As I posted last Tuesday, their anxiety that … Continued
Last week VolteFace hosted ten UK based drug reform organisations to consider the reframing work on UK criminal justice reform recently undertaken by the FrameWorks Institute. In the aftermath of UNGASS, the long-term focus of most drug policy civil society organisations, VolteFace took this opportunity to re-examine the sector’s communications strategy. Social scientists and mass communication … Continued
Just over six months ago a small group launched VolteFace into the world. We had an expressed intention to enliven and elevate the debate about drug policy reform. Your feedback and engagement suggests we have succeeded and we now want to build upon what we have achieved. During the course of the year we have … Continued