Drug and the law Are drug laws just a political tool? Should we embrace the fact that drugs bring pleasure? In this week’s episode, we speak to Niamh Eastwood – CEO of the legal charity ‘Release‘ about the UK’s drug laws. Niamh Eastwood is the executive director of Release, the national centre offering legal services …
Fifteen years ago, the World Health Organization developed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which aims to provide governments with guidelines for reducing tobacco use. Every two years, representatives meet at the Conference of the Parties (COP) to discuss ways in which the FCTC might be improved. The ninth Conference of the Parties (COP9) …
Drug Science was invited to give expert commentary on: Thematic session 3:The availability of internationally controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes, including for the relief of pain and palliative care, remains low to non-existent in many parts of the world; (21 October 2020) After earlier speakers focused on the availability, or lack thereof, of …
By Dr. Meg Spriggs and Professor David Nutt On October 17th 2020, New Zealanders will be given the opportunity to change the way recreational cannabis use is viewed and treated. At present, recreational cannabis use¹ is illegal under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 (either class B or C depending on its form). Despite this, …
In 1971, the war on drugs went international when the UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances was signed into international law. This Convention broadened the scope of previous UN drug legislation, facilitating the prohibition of almost any drug imaginable at the time. However, in the past 50 years, various countries across the world have been rejecting …
This week, Professor Nutt speaks to journalist Johann Hari about the ‘war on drugs’. It is now widely accepted that the ‘war on drugs’ has failed, with many people believing it can never succeed. Despite this, politicians from around the world continue to follow this mantra as an effective strategy to reduce drug-related harms. The …
Crispin was elected MP for Reigate in 1997 having formerly served as an army officer. In Parliament, Crispin has served in the Shadow Cabinet with briefs including trade and energy and security and counter-terrorism. He has served as both Minister for Prisons and as Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. He is currently the co-Chair …
Adam Winstock joins Professor David Nutt to discuss how drug use has changed in the past 20 years and the data that he has collected as a part of the Global Drug Survey (GDS). Using anonymous online research methods Global Drug Survey runs an annual survey collecting information on people’s drug use. Using this data, …
Professor David Nutt begins season two of the Drug Science Podcast by taking a deep dive into entheogenic plants with a legend of the psychedelic renaissance – Dennis McKenna. Dennis deliberates on his life’s work, ethnobotany, innovation within psychedelic industry, the therapeutic potential of DMT and the indigenous use of ayahuasca. Dennis McKenna’s research has …
What do horse riding, motorsports, base jumping, mountain climbing, storm chasing, and drug use have in common? They are of all course all potentially dangerous activities pursued for a thrill, a rush, and often a great deal of enjoyment. But in our modern-day prohibitionist culture, one of those things is not seen as being like …
This event was held ten years to the day that Professor David Nutt was fired from his role as chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs for standing for drugs policies grounded in science and evidence. Now a decade later, we held another event with Professor Nutt to take stock and …
The Lancet has recently published a series of articles about drug use. More specifically, the use of opioids, cannabinoids, stimulants, and new psychoactive substances (NPS). One of these articles highlights an increasingly relevant issue of international drug policy. This comment titled Change But Not Progression, emphasises that Governments around the world continue to pedal policies …
There are fewer than ten empirical studies on the transition from prison to university so the article “Moving from Prison to PhD” is a step in the right direction to highlight this neglected and important topic. Globally, millions of individuals are arrested and charged with drug offences every year. Most of them will be scarred …
On the 30th of October 2019, our Founder – Professor David Nutt spoke at the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies with Professor Alex Stevens about the regression of drug policy in the UK. This was later reported in the British Medical Journal as follows: Drug policy in UK has regressed in past decade, says …
The UN General Assembly Special Session on drugs held in April 2016 has been organized by the international drug control entities, but has confirmed the inclusion of other UN agencies in the global debates on drugs. Out of these, WHO and UNDP have played a major role in linking drug policy with the priorities of …
Fifteen years ago when Portugal decriminalized the consumption of all narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances it was both a bold and a desperate move to curb the drug problem that the country faced at the time. In this paper, I analyse the Portuguese drug policy, its historical foundation, its success and its possible future. This …