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
A world-first device that is able to detect spice in saliva or street material in under five minutes has been developed by a team of researchers at the University of Bath. Initially developed in 2019 and now granted £1.3 million in funding by the university to expand the prototype, the device is expected to be … Continued
Last week, MPs in Westminster and Holyrood debated issues related to drugs for the first time since 2017. The debate, led by leading drug reform advocates Jeff Smith, Labour MP for Manchester, Withington and Crispin Blunt, Conservative MP for Reigate, fluctuated between overwhelming appetite for reform and the very same rhetoric that has kept the … Continued
When otherwise polarised groups are shown to agree on some political measure, the smart politician takes note. To that end, the magic mushroom story du jour should make for particularly interesting reading in Westminster. It transpires that, whichever way you segment the population of the UK – by age group, gender, region, referendum vote … Continued