News

The Opium Balloon: Taliban Crackdown Moves Opium Market to Pakistan

Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have sought to completely eradicate the opium market by banning poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. The ban, enacted in April 2022, has successfully…

Nikhil Dawood

Jul 24, 2025

Latest Posts

Drug Trafficking Opioids

Ethylbromazolam – The New Global Benzodiazepine

Tori Rudkowsky

Jul 16, 2025

On 17 January, the Welsh drug testing service WEDINOS received a sample of what was purchased off the illegal market…

Cannabis Drug Policy

After London’s Drugs Commission, What Is Labour Waiting For?

Jack Hayes

Jul 15, 2025

When London Mayor, Sadiq Khan announced in 2021 that he would commission a report exploring the effectiveness of cannabis legislation…

Drug Harm Reduction Drug Trafficking Opioids

Nitazenes in the Baltics Are a Warning for Europe

André Gomes

Jul 14, 2025

Since 2017, the Baltic nations of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have acted as the canaries in the mine for Europe’s…

One of the islands of Tonga with map trails drawn around it, signifying the methamphetamine trade routes occurring through the water.

Drug Harm Reduction Drug Trafficking Stimulants

Tonga Reports Record Low Meth Seizures After Public Health Struggles

Ryan Hesketh

Jul 10, 2025

Tonga’s fight against methamphetamine appears to be bearing fruit—at least on paper. Police Minister Piveni Piukala announced this week that…

Drugs & Development Opioids

Exploring Iran’s History of Drug Use and Prohibition

Niko Vorobyov

Jul 8, 2025

As the sun set over an ancient riverside town in Iran, I was sat down with Sam (not his real…

Psychedelics

Virtuous Drug Use: How Certain Drug Taking Becomes Acceptable

Caroline Chatwin

Jul 3, 2025

In traditional philosophical and theological debates, sobriety is usually thought of as virtuous, while the non-medical use of drugs is…

Drug Harm Reduction Drugs & Development

Is There a Place for AI in Harm Reduction?

André Gomes

Jun 26, 2025

The recent launch of Drugbot, a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool from British drug treatment charity Cranstoun, has highlighted how…

Cannabis Drug Policy

Cannabis in Argentina: A Story of Victories and Reversals

Carolina Ahumada

Jun 19, 2025

Cannabis in Argentina has a long history going deep into its past. As author Alejandro Corda wrote, “the use of…

Drug Harm Reduction Personal Stories

The Reality of Harm Reduction in Hong Kong

Karen Joe Laidler

Jun 16, 2025

The global drug policy landscape is becoming increasingly polarised: some countries are moving towards legalising and decriminalising drug use and…

Cannabis Drug Policy Psychedelics

New Czech Bill Will Legalise Cannabis Cultivation and Psychedelic Therapy

Niko Vorobyov

Jun 11, 2025

Last week, Czech parliamentarians quietly passed a major overhaul of their drug laws. From January next year, Czechs will be…

Drug Trafficking Opioids

Europe Remains Safe Despite Growing Afghan Heroin Adulteration

Ray Tomlinson

Jun 9, 2025

Three years after Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Taliban, announced his religious edict banning poppy cultivation, Afghan…

Drug Policy Drugs & Development

The Future of Drug Policy After USAID Defunding

André Gomes

Jun 6, 2025

The harm reduction world is still reeling from the after-shocks of the global health disruption caused by the Trump regime’s…