TalkingDrugs | Drug Information, Issues, Stories & News

From Golden Crescent to Crystal Crescent: The Making of Balochistan’s New Meth Economy

When we think about Afghanistan and drugs, one substance comes to mind: opium. Indeed, the country has essentially had a monopoly on the global production of opiates (albeit with some…

David McNeill

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Jun 3, 2026

Jars of cannabis for sale in a dispensary.

Cannabis Drug Harm Reduction

We Need to Talk About Extra Strong Weed

A man and woman are sitting in a room, the woman playing the piano, while both take drags from a joint. “Faster, play it faster!” the man demands, his face…

Niko Vorobyov

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May 25, 2026

Drug Harm Reduction Drug Policy

“Everybody Working Together”: Five Years of National Drug Checking in New Zealand

For the past several years, while most countries around the world continued to ramp up the war on drugs and push criminalisation, Aotearoa New Zealand has been quietly positioning itself…

André Gomes

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May 22, 2026

Latest Stories

Canisters of nitrous oxide discarded on the ground.

Drug Policy Other Drugs

Bigger Canisters, Bigger Harms: How the UK’s Nitrous Oxide Ban Backfired

Ella Glover

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May 19, 2026

Walking the streets of London on a Saturday or Sunday morning, it would almost be impossible to miss the discarded…

South African men participate in a protest for HIV awareness.

Drug Harm Reduction Drugs & Development

‘It’s a Calamity’: How Trump’s Aid Cuts Collapsed South Africa’s HIV Services

Ryan Hesketh

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May 18, 2026

At the beginning of 2025, bright white trucks would rumble into communities across South Africa on a set day each…

Drug Trafficking Other Drugs

Social Media Drug Groups Are Changing the Dealing Game

David Hillier

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May 15, 2026

“I will meet u at the station with the stuff when u arrive. No worries mate. I’ll be on tuk-tuk…

Drugs & Gender

It’s Not the Drugs: Sexual Violence under Prohibition and Patriarchy

Silvie Ojeda

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May 11, 2026

There are forms of violence that are spoken of openly, and there are others that slip through like shadows. There…

Language matters.

The words we use to describe drugs and the people that take them has a real and deep impact. From stigmatising labels, to being accused of murdering someone,

This month, we’re bringing together our stories that focus on on how language can shape our lives and futures.

View All Posts

Drug Trafficking Stimulants

From Golden Crescent to Crystal Crescent: The Making of Balochistan’s New Meth Economy

David McNeill

.

Jun 3, 2026

When we think about Afghanistan and drugs, one substance comes to mind: opium. Indeed, the country has essentially had a…

Drugs & Gender

It’s Not the Drugs: Sexual Violence under Prohibition and Patriarchy

Silvie Ojeda

.

May 11, 2026

There are forms of violence that are spoken of openly, and there are others that slip through like shadows. There…

An ambulance clinic in Yerevan, Armenia.

Drug Harm Reduction Opioids

“Don’t Let Anyone Know”: OST Stigma in Armenia’s Post-Soviet Healthcare System

Anna Asatryan

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Apr 8, 2026

As an addiction medicine specialist in Armenia, I often meet patients that, lowering their voices, tell me: “Doctor, please don’t…

Drug Harm Reduction

Georgia’s Soviet-Era Healthcare System is Putting Doctors in Prison

Giorgi Minasovi

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Mar 6, 2026

Should a psychiatrist face prison for obeying the law? This was the question raised by the case of an anonymous…

Drug Harm Reduction

The Aesthetics of Drug Prohibition and Harm Reduction

Lara Talone

.

Feb 16, 2026

The Opioid Crisis Lookbook, (OCL) is the provocative title of a magazine started in 2022. Even without reading the magazine…

Resources

Drug Policy

The Decriminalisation Playbook: New UNAIDS Report Lays Out Pathway for HIV Response

André Gomes

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Mar 16, 2026

For decades, the global “war on drugs” has been sold as what’s best for public health: by harshly criminalising drug…

Drug Harm Reduction Opioids

Orphines: A Rising Group of Synthetic Opioids

Emily Andrews

.

Jan 27, 2026

For the past decade, the world has seen an unprecedented explosion in synthetic drug production and distribution, particularly of synthetic…

White pills in the middle of roasted coffee beans.

Drug Harm Reduction Stimulants

Could Stimulant Replacement Therapy Reduce Cocaine and Stimulant Harms?

Tom Fresen

.

Nov 18, 2025

Stimulant deaths around the world are on the rise. In the UK, the number of deaths involving cocaine is 11…

Drug Policy Drugs & Development

UNDP Report Calls for Drug Market Reforms to Achieve Global Development Goals

André Gomes

.

Sep 19, 2025

The latest report published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is challenging governments to rethink their approach to drug…

Drug Harm Reduction Other Drugs

Alpha-PVP: What Is It, and Key Harm Reduction Tips

Noor Vissram

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Oct 23, 2024

Alpha-PyrrolidinoValeroPhenone (also known as alpha-PVP) is a relatively recent New Psychoactive Substance (NPS) in global circulation. While previously prominent in…

Drugs & Gender Psychedelics

We Need More Research into Ketamine Use By Women and Gender-Diverse People

Isabelle Gius

.

Oct 21, 2024

On 20 June, in honour of World Psychedelics Day, the Women and Harm Reduction International Network (WHRIN) and TalkingDrugs published…

From Golden Crescent to Crystal Crescent: The Making of Balochistan’s New Meth Economy

We Need to Talk About Extra Strong Weed

“Everybody Working Together”: Five Years of National Drug Checking in New Zealand

Latest Stories

Bigger Canisters, Bigger Harms: How the UK’s Nitrous Oxide Ban Backfired

‘It’s a Calamity’: How Trump’s Aid Cuts Collapsed South Africa’s HIV Services

Social Media Drug Groups Are Changing the Dealing Game

It’s Not the Drugs: Sexual Violence under Prohibition and Patriarchy

Most Popular

Is Ibiza the Disneyland of Drugs?

Global Drug Decriminalisation Map: 29 countries. 49 models of drug decriminalisation

Does Grapefruit Juice Make MDMA Stronger?

Language Matters: Is My Country a “Narco-state”?

Report: Global Drug Trafficking Market Worth Half a Trillion Dollars

Health Risks Associated with Mephedrone Use: What We Know So Far

Futuro Coca: Imagining a New Future for Coca in Colombia

Tali-Ban: How Europe’s Heroin Markets Will Survive Afghanistan’s Opium

Language matters.

From Golden Crescent to Crystal Crescent: The Making of Balochistan’s New Meth Economy

It’s Not the Drugs: Sexual Violence under Prohibition and Patriarchy

“Don’t Let Anyone Know”: OST Stigma in Armenia’s Post-Soviet Healthcare System

Georgia’s Soviet-Era Healthcare System is Putting Doctors in Prison

The Aesthetics of Drug Prohibition and Harm Reduction

Resources

The Decriminalisation Playbook: New UNAIDS Report Lays Out Pathway for HIV Response

Orphines: A Rising Group of Synthetic Opioids

Could Stimulant Replacement Therapy Reduce Cocaine and Stimulant Harms?

UNDP Report Calls for Drug Market Reforms to Achieve Global Development Goals

Alpha-PVP: What Is It, and Key Harm Reduction Tips

We Need More Research into Ketamine Use By Women and Gender-Diverse People