On this month’s episode of The Volteface Podcast, Director of Policy Liz McCulloch is speaking to Megan Jones, Policy Manager for the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner. They speak about the benefits of drug consumption rooms, the acceptance of harm reduction within the police, and how uniting is the best way to bring … Continued
Today the Government has announced new measures which are being put in place to improve patient access to medical cannabis. The steps being taken will allow for patients to receive the required medication in a matter of days, whereas previously the wait time was months. The key takeaways from the announcement are that: Cannabis can … Continued
In today’s episode Director of External Affairs Paul is joined by CEO of Hanway associations George McBride. They discuss what has changed since George’s early days in drug reform at the Beckley Foundation and consider the chances of cannabis being legalised here in the UK. Expect an honest and entertaining chat between two ex-colleagues … Continued
“The illegal drugs market has long existed but has never caused greater harm to society than now.” That is the dark conclusion that has come out of the release of a major independent review of illegal drug use and supply in the UK. In it, author Dame Carol Black points to a number of … Continued
A team of researchers from Manchester Metropolitan University are gathering anecdotal evidence from those who have ‘lived experience’ with drug use for an upcoming project. The team, led by Dr Rebecca Askew recognise the importance of listening to those most impacted by current drug policy and want to hear from them! Read below for more … Continued
In this episode Volteface Director Paul North speaks to Kira Weir, Training and Communications Officer at the drugs charity Crew and volunteer at The Loop. Paul and Kira talk about what good harm reduction looks like and explore how we can keep people safe from the harms of drug use. Follow Volteface Podcasts HERE for updates … Continued
Wales is facing a public health emergency as drug related deaths rise to alarming levels. Martin Blakebrough, CEO of Kaleidoscope Project & ARCH Initiatives, examines how in spite of government support of current initiatives and largely unaffected drug treatment budgets in Wales, drug related deaths continue to rise unabated. Martin argues that access to … Continued
2019 was a jam packed year for all involved with Volteface, from taking crossparty delegations to Canada to seeing the legalisation debate storm into the mainstream, it is safe to say that 2019 has been transformative for drug reform. As the country starts to wake up from the festive season fresh from an election, … Continued
This month the Volteface directors, Liz McCulloch and Paul North, reflect on the year gone by and what it has meant for drug policy. We’ve had MPs investigate the ‘Canadian experiment’, a newspaper campaign on cannabis legalisation, the exposure of drug dealing on social media and cross-party support for drug reform. Expect a frank … Continued
Following the tragic news of Ron Hogg’s death last week, Michael Fisher of Teeside Cannabis Club pays tribute to the man who he credits for the progress and longevity of the club: I first met Ronald Hogg whilst running a facebook page from which I was distributing cannabis oil. He’d read a profile on me in the … Continued