Blog

At Drug Science we like to cover different topics relating to drugs. These topics cover the many different ways that psychoactive substances have an impact on our culture and society.

Indigenous washing: the exploitation of indigenous people by the pharmaceutical industry

Jemima Lowe and Kirran Ahmad

Nov 9, 20227 min read

Opinion

Indigenous washing: the exploitation of indigenous people by the pharmaceutical industry

Article written by Jemima Lowe and Kirran Ahmad Indigenous populations¹ are active stewards of our planet and resources, safeguarding 80%...

An Exploration of Psychedelics and Creativity

Nikol Naydenova

Oct 26, 20223 min read

MPWG

An Exploration of Psychedelics and Creativity

Event review written by Nikol Naydenova At the edge of central London, over 300 people gathered in an Art Deco cinema eager to listen and...

Tripping over red tape: psychedelics for mental health

Drug Science

Mar 7, 20225 min read

MPWG

Tripping over red tape: psychedelics for mental health

The last decade has seen a new focus on psychedelics as powerful medicines for treating severe mental health issues, including the use of...

Driving Performance and Cannabis Users’ Perception of Safety - Review

Dr Michael White

Jan 31, 20223 min read

MCWG

Driving Performance and Cannabis Users’ Perception of Safety - Review

By Dr Michael White – Adjunct Senior Fellow, School of Psychology, University of Adelaide, South Australia Marcotte et al. (2022): Per se...

Why doctors have a moral imperative to prescribe and support medical cannabis—an essay by David Nutt

Professor David Nutt

Jan 26, 202210 min read

Policy

Why doctors have a moral imperative to prescribe and support medical cannabis—an essay by David Nutt

Authors David J Nutt Published January 26, 2022 “Medical cannabis has been legal to prescribe since 2018—yet just a handful of...

How does cannabis affect road crash risk? A systematic review and meta-analyses

Michael White and Nicholas Burns

Dec 14, 20214 min read

DSPL

How does cannabis affect road crash risk? A systematic review and meta-analyses

Authors Michael A. White, Nicholas R. Burns Published December 13, 2021 The development of drug driving policies should rest on sound...

Legalising Cannabis in Germany - High Ambitions

Fabian Steinmetz

Nov 29, 20212 min read

Policy

Legalising Cannabis in Germany - High Ambitions

The 24th of November 2021 was a remarkable day for German drug policy reformers and cannabis enthusiasts. The federal election allowed a...

Tiago Vasconcelos

Nov 12, 20214 min read

MPWG

Is LSD Safe - Latest Research Findings

Is LSD Safe? LSD, technically named lysergic acid diethylamide and also known as acid, is one of the most widely used psychedelic drugs....

Medical Cannabis for Epilepsy - Research Summary and Recommendations

Drug Science

Nov 11, 20214 min read

MCWG

Medical Cannabis for Epilepsy - Research Summary and Recommendations

Two Years of Research Drug Science research, conducted over the past two years and in close collaboration with the affected families,...

3 NHS Medical Cannabis Prescriptions in 3 Years - Alfies Story

Hannah Deacon

Nov 5, 20214 min read

MCWG

3 NHS Medical Cannabis Prescriptions in 3 Years - Alfies Story

Written by Hannah Deacon, mother of Alfie Dingley who receives one of 3 NHS prescriptions for medical cannabis By the time Alfie was 5...

3 Years Since the UK Legalised Medical Cannabis, and Only 3 NHS Prescriptions

Drug Science

Nov 4, 202115 min read

MCWG

3 Years Since the UK Legalised Medical Cannabis, and Only 3 NHS Prescriptions

Medical Cannabis is Legal in the UK? Medical Cannabis is legal in the United Kingdom, but you’d be forgiven for thinking that it was...

Drug Science research predicts 96% response rate for epileptic children treated with medical cannabis

Dr Anne Schlag, Professor David Nutt and more

May 25, 20215 min read

MCWG

Drug Science research predicts 96% response rate for epileptic children treated with medical cannabis

Authors Rayyan Zafar, Anne Katrin Schlag, Larry Phillips, David Nutt Published N/A Despite medical cannabis being legalised in 2018...

Drug Testing and Synthetic Cannabis in Prisons

Professor David Nutt

Mar 3, 20214 min read

Synthetic Cannabis

Drug Testing and Synthetic Cannabis in Prisons

Written by Professor David Nutt Late on Saturday night, the 27th of February, I was asked to speak on the Stephen Nolan show on BBC Radio...

Dr Anna Ross

Mar 1, 20215 min read

Guest authors

Coming Out

By Dr Anna Ross, an Honorary Research Assistant for Drug Science A reflection on the article “Coming Out”: Stigma, reflexivity and the...

Drug Science

Feb 23, 20211 min read

Science

David Nutt on Alcohol as a Drug

David Nutt – Deep Dive into Alcohol Alcohol is among the most harmful of all recreational drugs, and yet it is the most widely used in...

Professor David Nutt

Feb 5, 20213 min read

Response

Letter of recommendation to the ACMD

Download our letter to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Dear Owen Bowden-Jones I am writing on behalf of Drug Science in...

Too much pain? The Price of Politics in the treatment of childhood epilepsy

Rayyan Zafar

Jan 8, 20215 min read

MCWG

Too much pain? The Price of Politics in the treatment of childhood epilepsy

By Rayyan Zafar an Honorary Research Assistant for Drug Science. It was 5 years ago in 2016 when Nick Clegg, the then deputy...

Principled sentencing for drug supply offences: Revised methamphetamine sentencing guidelines in New Zealand

James A Foulds, David Nutt

Jul 27, 20201 min read

DSPL

Principled sentencing for drug supply offences: Revised methamphetamine sentencing guidelines in New Zealand

Authors: James A Foulds, David Nutt Published: July 27, 2020 Methamphetamine was reclassified as a Class A drug in New Zealand in 2003....

Addiction Psychiatry in the NHS in the Time of Coronavirus

Dr Tracey Myton

Jul 25, 20206 min read

Addiction

Addiction Psychiatry in the NHS in the Time of Coronavirus

By Dr Tracey Myton MRCPsych Consultant Addiction Psychiatrist Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust March 2020 seems like...

From Ebola to Covid-19. Is all nicotine bad nicotine? An epidemiologist’s reflections

Ian Sliney

Apr 29, 20206 min read

Guest authors

From Ebola to Covid-19. Is all nicotine bad nicotine? An epidemiologist’s reflections

By Ian Sliney – Epidemiologist Forty-seven years later I still remember my first cigarette, and I was addicted to nicotine from the first...

When we waken from the COVID nightmare – what then?

Professor David Nutt

Apr 28, 20204 min read

Policy

When we waken from the COVID nightmare – what then?

For almost all of us, the current COVID-19 pandemic represents the first time we have been confronted with a personal and proximate...