Druglink news item 2013 – Ganja games by Max Daly
Press claims that the ‘Lambeth experiment’ on cannabis resulted in soaring rates of hospital admissions for Class A drugs were wafer-thin on evidence. In April, two national newspapers declared that...
View ArticleDruglink article 2000 – Head counting: two polls of public opinion by...
Two MORI polls of public attitudes to drugs show that the British view may not be what policymakers and researchers imagine Head counting: two polls of public opinion (PDF)Read more →
View ArticleDruglink interview 2013 – Baroness Molly Meacher by Harry Shapiro
Events worldwide prompted Baroness Meacher to try to move the drug law reform debate on in the UK. Interview – Baroness Molly Meacher (PDF)Read more →
View ArticleDruglink article 2001 – An eloquent silence: evidence for prohibition by...
The government boasts of evidence-based policy making, yet there seems to be little evidence available to support the current policy of prohibiting drugs An eloquent silence: evidence for prohibition...
View ArticleDruglink interview 2012 – Bob Ainsworth by Jeremy Sare
In December 2010, former Defence Secretary and Drugs Minister, Bob Ainsworth, astonished party colleagues by declaring his support for a fundamental reform of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. In a...
View ArticleDruglink article 2012 – The year of living dangerously by Malcolm Dean
Politicians can usually rely on the press to back ‘tough on drugs’ stances. But not always The year of living dangerously (PDF)Read more →
View ArticleDruglink article 2002 – Policing cannabis reclassification – easy as A B C by...
In March 2000 the Independent Inquiry into the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 set up by the Police Foundation published its recommendations for legal reforms. The inquiry made 81 recommendations, 9 on...
View ArticleDruglink article 2011 – Alphabet soup by Harry Shapiro
Identifying the array of chemicals now being sold over the internet as recreational drugs is a daunting task. But how much of a risk do these substances actually pose? In its report in February, the...
View ArticleDruglink article 2010 – An unchartered course by Jeremy Sare
Plans to introduce a temporary ban on new legal highs seem a logical step, but will navigate our drugs laws into unknown waters, claims Jeremy Sare An unchartered course (PDF)Read more →
View ArticleDruglink article 2004 – Long arm of the law by Jane Mackenzie
Drug users from America to Thailand are subjected to human rights abuses on a grand scale. Jane Mackenzie on the brutal treatment meted out on behalf of the global war on drugs. Long arm of the law...
View ArticleDruglink factsheet 2004 – Drugs and driving
How do drugs reduce driving ability? Driving and medicines. Drug driving and the law. Drug testing and driving. Factsheet – Drugs and driving (PDF)Read more →
View ArticleDruglink article 2004 – Gimme Shelter: Winter comfort five years on by Kevin...
The jailing of Ruth Wyner and John Brook in 1999 under section 8 of the Misuse of Drugs Act failing to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent heroin dealing at heir drop-in centre sent shivers down the...
View ArticleDruglink article 2005 – Keeping tabs on the herbal highs by Andrea Wren
Legal highs such as the herb salvia are becoming a popular choice at ‘head’ shops because they offer a mellow, legal buzz. But, says Andrea Wren, drug services need to wise up because natural doesn’t...
View ArticleDruglink article 2005 – Labour’s ‘eight wasted years’ by Harry Shapiro
The war on drugs has had its supply lines cut because Labour has gone soft on cannabis, has failed to invest in residential rehabs and is not getting enough drug offenders in court. Conservative leader...
View ArticleDruglink article 2005 – Liberal lines by Harry Shapiro
Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy explains to Harry Shapiro that drug testing schoolkids is wrong, legalisation is not on the agenda and how Anne Widdecombe sparked a more mature drugs debate...
View ArticleDruglink article 2005 – Labour: the drugs test
How has Labour performed in the drugs field since being elected eight years ago? What would you like to see happen by the end of the government’s drug strategist in 2008? And what major issues will the...
View ArticleDruglink article 2005 – K is for ketamine by Mark White
The Home Office will make the increasingly popular drug ketamine illegal before the end of the year. Mark White on an anaesthetic which – via the battlefields, the gay clubbing scene and Indian...
View ArticleDruglink news item 2006 – Cornering the middle market by Max Daly
Home Office plans to set specific limits for the personal possession of drugs were greeted with horror by both the media and civil rights campaigners. Max Daly reveals the inside story behind the new...
View ArticleDruglink article 2006 – Class politics by Harry Shapiro
The huff and puff surrounding the Home Secretary’s decision to leave cannabis as a Class C drug clouded what may be a far more significant announcement – to review the whole classification system....
View ArticleDruglink article 2006 – Prohibition: a rum do by Mark Kleiman
Many drug law reformers cite America’s post World War One experiment with Prohibition as evidence for legalising all drugs. But, says Mark Kleiman, the reality behind an era popularised by mobsters and...
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