The House of Commons debate last Monday was a fantastic display of support and solidarity for families, campaigners and advocates alike, all hoping to expand access to medical cannabis that remains almost entirely inaccessible on the NHS. Speakers from across the House offered emotional and impassioned pleas for intervention by Under Secretary for Health Jo … Continued
The Scottish government has announced that they will be introducing Drug Consumption Rooms in an attempt to get to grips with the ongoing drug crisis in Scotland. This announcement comes shortly after the latest statistics reveal a record number of drug related deaths, the highest since records began, with a 5% increase in DRDs … Continued
Home Secretary Priti Patel last week formally asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to “review the harm caused by nitrous oxide”, announcing that the unlawful possession of nitrous oxide could be made a crime in England and Wales. Patel claimed that “protect[ing] the futures of our children and young people” was … Continued
Decriminalising psychedelic drugs is undoubtedly an important step for social justice. However, there is a much larger issue that needs to be addressed for the psychedelic movement. To see real and widespread change, psychedelic drugs must be accepted in the mainstream medical framework with regulatory clarity setting out a structured pathway. Decriminalisation is necessary but … Continued
The return of night life sadly comes with the return of increased drug-related harm. Over the weekend two young people died in Bristol and London from preventable drug-related deaths linked to what is believed to be high strength MDMA pills. With several hospitalisations there has been an increased concern over these not being isolated incidents. … Continued
The government last week released their official response to Dame Carol Black’s Independent Review of Drugs parts one and two, a disappointing culmination of the insightful work of Dame Black on the matter since February 2019. The response by Health Secretary Sajid Javid, Home Secretary Priti Patel, and Sponsor Minister for Combating Drug Misuse Kit … Continued
The Psychoactive Substances Act (PSA) was introduced in 2016, making the production or supply of any chemical substances that may be used for its psychoactive effects a criminal offence. The introduction of this law was in response to growing concerns over the grey area through which New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) were legally being sold in … Continued
First Wednesdays in collaboration with data from Crunchbase and Seedrs last week released their report titled ‘The European Cannabis Investment Ecosystem (ECIE), examining “the scope and scale of major, EU-wide investments by venture capitalists and retail investors”. The report determined that the European cannabis sector was “extremely hot for European investors right now”, with total … Continued
Commissioned by Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid in his previous position as Home Secretary, Dame Carol Black’s highly anticipated ‘Review of drugs: phase two’ was released today. The first part of the report, published in February 2020, was a watershed moment for the UK government’s understanding of drug supply, the impact of the … Continued
The decriminalisation of psychedelic drugs is undoubtedly an important step for social justice. However, there is a much larger issue that needs to be addressed for the psychedelic movement. To see real and widespread change, psychedelic drugs must be accepted in the mainstream medical framework with regulatory clarity setting out a structured pathway. Decriminalisation is … Continued