The first public event for the European Cannabis Advocacy Network will take place on the 17th of December, which will be focusing on cannabis reform in Ireland and Spain. Each month we will be inviting advocates from two European countries to discuss the current state of cannabis reform in their country, and shine a … Continued
The latest book from Professor David Nutt is a one-stop-shop for everything you could ever need to know about cannabis. As the world slowly but unstoppably moves away from a century of cannabis prohibition, this book acts as an indispensable guide to the past, present and future of cannabis and its uses across the … Continued
Between the narrative that nothing natural could ever do us any real harm, and scaremongering ideas that – even if it doesn’t act as a gateway to the use of stronger substances – smoking cannabis will turn you into a lazy, paranoid and ultimately useless member of society, the space for nuanced interpretations is … Continued
If you’re from the UK or US, you’ve most likely heard of benzodiazepines, or ‘benzos’ for short. They’re commonly used as a form of tranquilliser in medical fields for treating anxiety and sleep disorders. When prescribed by medical professionals and taken correctly, benzos such as diazepam can be lifesavers for individuals experiencing anxiety attacks … Continued
As the revolutionary therapeutic potential of psychedelics resurfaces in popular consciousness, pharmaceutical companies are scrambling for patents over psychedelic compounds and therapies. The unique characteristics of psychedelics provoke a plethora of ethical implications in intellectual property law and our capitalist society more broadly; namely, that the patenting of psychedelic compounds promotes biopiracy and threatens … Continued
There are unimaginable amounts of money to be made through covertly manufacturing and transporting drugs. When that takes place in the shadows, outside civilised society and free of law and order, it inevitably results in brutality and tragedy. In November 2020, Orges Rizak and Agustin Grembi were arrested at a converted industrial building in … Continued
Volteface is today launching a new initiative that aims to improve the medical cannabis industry by giving patients a voice, and the chance to shape their future care. Partnering with Maple Tree Consultants, we have launched Patients First, a scheme which will pay medical cannabis patients for participating in professionally facilitated focus groups. Patients … Continued
According to a report published by the World Association of Newspapers World Press Trends, more than half the world’s adult population read a newspaper – a number that surpasses all internet users across the globe. More than 2.5 billion read print newspapers, while more than 600 million get their news digital form. That’s a … Continued
Illicit market operators are perfect candidates to recruit into recreational cannabis markets, representing an opportunity to place social justice at the core of the industry. Global momentum for regulatory change when it comes to cannabis is building. Even authoritarian regimes such as Thailand are embracing medicinal cannabis programs, whilst legal recreational markets emerge in … Continued
I started working at Volteface just over a year ago now, during a bizarrely unprecedented time. What I would have liked to be a front-facing position in the advocacy space, suddenly had to be performed from my bedroom, in the gloom and isolation of lockdown hibernation. My experience stood in stark contrast to the … Continued
Much to the chagrin of ‘project fear’ prohibitionists, yet another study has found that legalising cannabis has no effect whatsoever on the number of young people who use it. Published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, the study looked at state-level cannabis prohibition laws between 1999 and 2017, and found no association between cannabis legalisation … Continued