Tuesday, 31 Oct 2023
6:30pm - 8:00pm
University of York

For half a century, the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 has dominated ill-judged approaches to UK drug control. Prohibition, criminalisation, blanket bans and blindness to scientific facts have distorted justice, prevented lifesaving research and thwarted calls for reform. £6.9 billion is spent annually to enforce the 50-year-old drug laws, meanwhile, the number of drug users in the UK is growing dramatically, and the drug-related death rate is 4.5 times the EU average. On the flip side, clinical researchers across the globe are amassing evidence for the revolutionary potential of psychedelics in mental healthcare, revealing significant improvements in disorders such as depression, anxiety and PTSD. Nonetheless, the use of psychoactive substances is punishable with up to 7 years of prison.

All things considered, should we worried about the drugs or the drug policy?