In Indiana, the drugs that nearly destroyed my life were perfectly legal. Doctors administered them through IV lines while I lay in hospital beds: morphine, fentanyl, Dilaudid. I wasn’t chasing a high. I was a patient, and I trusted the system. Between 2014 and 2019, my life became a revolving door of hospital admissions. I… Keep Reading
The drug’s history of healing and experimentation stretches from ancient China to American counterculture — yet its promise remains trapped in a legal straitjacket. This article is adapted from The MIT Press Reader and reprinted with permission. It is adapted from Cannabinoids by Linda A. Parker, published by MIT Press. An altered state of consciousness,… Keep Reading
One of the biggest myths about drugs is that their use is new, purely recreational, or a way to escape reality. “In the good old days, people didn’t do drugs—that’s something for the lost youth,” a sentiment that still resonates today. However, historical evidence tells a very different story. Various substances have played a significant… Keep Reading
The Commission on Narcotic Drugs’ new 19-member expert panel will help inform the UN’s 2029 global drug policy review, with potential consequences for cannabis regulation, harm reduction, treaty flexibility, and criminal justice reform worldwide. The United Nations’ Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) recently announced the participants of its newly established Expert Panel, whose purpose is… Keep Reading
Yesterday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro appeared before the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, where he firmly criticized outdated anti-drug policies (such as cannabis prohibition) and proposed alternatives to state violence. This is far from the first time Petro has expressed these views before the international body. True to form, the president spoke during the opening… Keep Reading
