TalkingDrugs | Drug Information, Issues, Stories & News

A poster depicting Colombian president Abelardo de la Espriella

“There Will Be Rollback’: Colombia’s New Right-Wing Government is Coming for Coca

In December 2025, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declined Bolivia and Colombia’s request to reclassify the coca leaf – a culturally significant plant for Indigenous and campesino (rural farmers) communities…

Lara Loaiza Arias

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Aug 17, 2026

A cannabis dispensary sign reads "No Medical Card Required".

Cannabis Drug Policy Psychedelics

Washington D.C.’s Crackdown on Unlicensed Cannabis Shops is a Warning for Underground Networks

Over the past 18 months, Washington, D.C. has escalated its law enforcement crackdown on unlicensed cannabis shops and the illegal commercialisation of psychedelics. Since the Medical Cannabis Conditional License and…

Jack Gorsline

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Aug 13, 2026

A protest for Women's Day in La Paz, Bolivia.

Drugs & Gender

Exclusive: How Bolivia’s Drug Laws Enable Sexual Torture

She had done nothing but leave a nightclub. In September 2023, in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, a young woman was stopped by police who said she smelled of cannabis.…

Ryan Hesketh

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Aug 7, 2026

Latest Stories

The front desk of an overdose prevention centre in Rhode Island, USA.

Drug Harm Reduction

‘It Makes Everything Happen’: The Benefits of OPCs Beyond Overdose Prevention

Katherine Dunham

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Aug 7, 2026

2021 was a monumental year for harm reduction in the United States. In July, the country’s first bill legalising overdose…

A woman standing in front of a kaleidoscope pattern.

Drugs & Gender Psychedelics

The Representation Crisis: The Problem in the Medicalised Psychedelics Model

Noor Vissram

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Jul 29, 2026

This is Part 2 in a two-part series about the lack of representation in psychedelic research. Part 1 explores the…

Drugs & Gender Psychedelics

The Representation Crisis: Who is the Psychedelic Revolution Really For?

Noor Vissram

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Jul 29, 2026

This is Part 1 in a two-part series about the lack of representation in psychedelic research. This first part explores…

Personal Stories

Cuckooing: How Drug Dealers Are Occupying UK Homes

Liam Knowles

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Jul 23, 2026

In the UK, the practice of “cuckooing” has become increasingly prominent, particularly through its highly mediatised connection to county-line drug…

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

Drugs & Gender Psychedelics

The Representation Crisis: The Problem in the Medicalised Psychedelics Model

Noor Vissram

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Jul 29, 2026

This is Part 2 in a two-part series about the lack of representation in psychedelic research. Part 1 explores the…

Drugs & Gender Psychedelics

The Representation Crisis: Who is the Psychedelic Revolution Really For?

Noor Vissram

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Jul 29, 2026

This is Part 1 in a two-part series about the lack of representation in psychedelic research. This first part explores…

The entrance of a prison through barred gates.

Drug Harm Reduction

Beyond the Prison Gate: Why Harm Reduction Belongs in Prison

Matilde De Sousa Cristóvão

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Jul 9, 2026

Drug use does not stop at the prison gate. In fact, around 4 in 10 people entering prison have a…

The Next Fix: The Winners and Losers in the Future of Drugs by Kojo Koram book cover.

Drug Policy

Book Review: “The Next Fix: The Winners and Losers in the Future of Drugs” by Kojo Koram

Carrie Lou Hamilton

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Jun 22, 2026

As a legal intern in 2012, Kojo Koram was sent to visit clients in Angola – not the country, but…

Drug Trafficking Stimulants

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

David McNeill

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Jun 3, 2026

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

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

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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

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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

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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

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Oct 21, 2024

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

“There Will Be Rollback’: Colombia’s New Right-Wing Government is Coming for Coca

Washington D.C.’s Crackdown on Unlicensed Cannabis Shops is a Warning for Underground Networks

Exclusive: How Bolivia’s Drug Laws Enable Sexual Torture

Latest Stories

‘It Makes Everything Happen’: The Benefits of OPCs Beyond Overdose Prevention

The Representation Crisis: The Problem in the Medicalised Psychedelics Model

The Representation Crisis: Who is the Psychedelic Revolution Really For?

Cuckooing: How Drug Dealers Are Occupying UK Homes

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.

The Representation Crisis: The Problem in the Medicalised Psychedelics Model

The Representation Crisis: Who is the Psychedelic Revolution Really For?

Beyond the Prison Gate: Why Harm Reduction Belongs in Prison

Book Review: “The Next Fix: The Winners and Losers in the Future of Drugs” by Kojo Koram

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

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