TalkingDrugs | Drug Information, Issues, Stories & News

The neighbourhood of Santafé in Bogotá, Colombia.

‘Violence is our daily bread here’: Rethinking Harm Reduction from the Streets of Colombia

What do we mean by drug-related harm? For those of us working in harm reduction, that is an essential question we rarely pause to consider. In policy and in practice,…

Sam Shirley-Beavan

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Jul 16, 2026

Cannabis Drug Policy

From Sacred to Illegal: Inside India’s Cannabis Debate

In the cedar forest mountains outside Manali, a tourist town in the Kullu Valley of the Indian Himalayas, Ajay* plies his trade. “Me and my family do everything together,” he…

Niko Vorobyov

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Jul 14, 2026

Nigerian flags flying in front of a state building.

Drug Harm Reduction Drug Policy

‘Not in the Room’: Nigeria’s New Harm Reduction Masterplan Excludes Reformers

Nigeria is currently finalising the document that will shape its drug policy for the next five years. The fifth National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP), covering 2026 to 2030, is…

Ryan Hesketh

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Jul 10, 2026

Latest Stories

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…

Two police offers stand over an arrested man laying on the floor.

Coca & Cocaine Drug Trafficking

Europe’s Northern Gateway: Inside the Cocaine Trade in Belgium and the Netherlands

Jonathan Alpeyrie

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Jul 7, 2026

By any traditional metric, Belgium and the Netherlands are among the most stable, prosperous, and administratively efficient societies in the…

A protester in a Bolivian flag kneels in front of the supreme court in La Paz, Bolivia.

Drug Trafficking

Bolivia Borrows Trump’s ‘Narco-Terrorist’ Label For Protestors

Ryan Hesketh

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Jul 6, 2026

On 8 June, riot police fired tear gas through the streets of La Paz as protesters hurled stones and firecrackers…

European Union flags in front of the European Parliament.

Drug Policy Psychedelics

The Growing Momentum Behind Europe’s Psychedelic Industry

André Gomes

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Jun 30, 2026

There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen. At the risk of sounding dramatic, European…

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 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…

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…

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…

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…

‘Violence is our daily bread here’: Rethinking Harm Reduction from the Streets of Colombia

From Sacred to Illegal: Inside India’s Cannabis Debate

‘Not in the Room’: Nigeria’s New Harm Reduction Masterplan Excludes Reformers

Latest Stories

Beyond the Prison Gate: Why Harm Reduction Belongs in Prison

Europe’s Northern Gateway: Inside the Cocaine Trade in Belgium and the Netherlands

Bolivia Borrows Trump’s ‘Narco-Terrorist’ Label For Protestors

The Growing Momentum Behind Europe’s Psychedelic Industry

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.

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

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

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