It’s Friday night. You’re planning on going to a festival with your friends. But first you take your bicycle and you take a trip to the ‘XTC-shop’. The cashier calculates exactly how much MDMA your pill needs to contain based on your weight and experience. The ingredients of the pill are listed on the … Continued
Psychedelics are making a comeback. We’ve recently witnessed a wave of re-emerging interest and research into psychedelic drugs. This has undoubtedly been a beneficial force for breaking down stigma, whilst highlighting the incredible potential psychedelics have for healing deep-rooted trauma. However, a narrative that isn’t addressed nearly enough is that our psychedelic research perpetuates … Continued
France has the highest use of cannabis in Europe, but it still remains illegal for both adult and medical uses. On the 13th of January 2021 the French government launched a consultation, asking the public’s opinion on the legalisation of cannabis for adult use. This consultation is open until the 28th of February, and … Continued
Belgium, June 2019: I am convicted along with nineteen other pioneers, based on the 1921 drug law. As a doctor in medical science, researcher, nurse and former humanitarian aid worker, I am all of a sudden demoted to an ordinary criminal, convicted to fifteen months in prison for my volunteering in an Antwerp Cannabis … Continued
The government has announced an additional £80 million funding for drug treatment services in England, in an attempt to tackle drug related crime. While it is good news that these vital services will receive a much needed cashboost, this ‘package’ is like attempting to heal a broken leg with a plaster. This funding comes … Continued
The new, more dangerous strain of COVID 19 has raised pressures facing substance misuse services to an all-time high. As more community workers contract the virus, and their close contacts and colleagues are forced to self-isolate, concern is growing for the welfare of service users and the challenges ahead. Martin Blakebrough, CEO at Kaleidoscope, … Continued
Our understanding of how psychoactive substances affect us has been largely based on researching their intoxicating effects. But what about the after effects? I’m talking about the comedowns, the hangovers, the withdrawals. This might be a more important research focus, to better understand the nature of addiction and what drives individuals to use substances … Continued
It’s been a great start to the year for social justice in cannabis reform, with the expungement of 500,000 low-level cannabis offences in the state of Illinois. This has given us reformers a boost of optimism for 2021, but is this enough? Last month, Volteface explored the proposal to expunge federal cannabis convictions through … Continued
2021 undoubtedly holds exciting opportunities for cannabis reform. The last few months of 2020 have been promising for global reform, as we’ve witnessed a shift toward evidence over ideology. Despite some good news, the work is far from done. We will continue to advocate for evidence-based drug policy through highlighting the economic, social and … Continued
People, dancefloors and drugs have always been connected. Plants with psychoactive properties and fermented fruits have been used during rituals for centuries. With time and scientific discoveries, substances may have changed. In parallel, contemporary dancefloors are increasingly commercially exploited, and their origins forgotten, in our expansion and consumption-based economies. Yet the relationship between dancefloors … Continued