By keeping cannabis as a class B drug, it’s possible that, far from deterring its use, we actually increase its cachet As the headlines this week alone demonstrate, the whole process of determining drug classification has become quite complex and highly politicised. I focus on cannabis partly because it is the only drug that has….
Continue reading ›
For 35 years she’s been sober and helping the homeless and mentally handicapped She hit bottom just before Christmas, 1974. That was a long time ago, but that’s also part of the point: For more than 35 years, Adele McGrath-Davis has been sober. But at 93 years old, that means there were a lot of….
Continue reading ›
New Zealand needs to address its serious alcohol problem, says an Otago University professor who is holding a public meeting on the Shore. Doug Sellman, a professor of psychiatry and addiction medicine, says at least 700,000 Kiwis are heavy drinkers. “New Zealand is paying a heavy price through deaths, injuries, chronic diseases, police apprehensions and overburdened emergency departments,….
Continue reading ›
Scotland’s deadly underage binge-drinking epidemic has seduced a new generation of “pocket-money boozers” – and most of them are Girls. The shocking news comes in a Scottish Sun investigation which shows 3,799 under-16s were treated in hospital for alcohol-related problems in the last five years – some of them as young as Nine. And disturbingly,….
Continue reading ›
Montana’s culture of drinking and driving isn’t going to change overnight, but with enough clear-eyed determination and statewide support, we can get started down the road that will lead us there. By now it should be apparent to every resident that Montana needs to change its relationship with alcohol. Incredibly, there are still a lot….
Continue reading ›
Caroline knew she’d reached the pits of despair as an alcoholic when her mother threatened to disown her. Downing five bottles of wine each night was par for the course – and she had no hope and no job. The Whitstable woman’s battle to stay sober is now fought a day at a time. Caroline….
Continue reading ›
Before Bill Wilson founded Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935, there was little hope for those with a drinking problem. Intelligent, highly successful people could not understand why they consistently got into trouble when they drank. Moreover, they could not fathom why they repeatedly returned to the bottle despite pledges of total abstinence. Alcoholics frequently visited hospitals….
Continue reading ›
Obama’s decision not to prosecute medical marijuana users and sellers suggests the war on drugs is ending Ships of state tend to change course slowly. Policies set in place over decades, and implemented by large, self-perpetuating bureaucracies and enforcement systems are pretty hard to dismantle. Fundamental change rarely happens overnight. Much of the criticism that….
Continue reading ›
Maltese boozers start younger but handle their drink better, an international study finds. And while the law has often been amended to address issues such as underage drinking, enforcement has to date been scant. James Debono analyses our alcohol culture through statistics Maltese teenagers are more likely to binge than their peers in the United….
Continue reading ›
The Obama administration tells federal authorities not to prosecute users and suppliers following state laws, reversing Bush’s position. The Obama administration on Monday told federal authorities not to arrest or prosecute medical marijuana users and suppliers who aren’t violating local laws, paving the way for some states to allow dispensaries to provide the drug as….
Continue reading ›