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Presenting our new Cannabis App
Welcome to #CannabisWeek!
Today we are launching our unique and exclusive ‘cannabis app’ for all smart phones and with cannabis being the most common illicit drug used around the world- what better way to begin?
drugs meter was launched last month and since then over 3,000 people have taken the drugs meter, bringing our comparison database to over 15,000 people! Like all drugs meters, the cannabis app provides you with immediate, objective and personalised feedback and lets you compare your cannabis use with thousands of other current cannabis users. So far around 5,000 cannabis users have examined their use against others on drugs meter….and wouldn’t it be interesting for you to anonymously compare your cannabis use to others within the community- well now you can. Read more
Driving while under the influence of cannabis
This is a short letter written by Adam and published in the BMJ in response to an editorial piece written by Professor Wayne Hall. Professor Halls editorial is available here- Driving while under the influence of cannabis and addresses the topic of whether roadside drug testing reduces cannabis impaired driving. Below is Adams response using findings from the 2012 Global Drug Survey.
Driving while under the influence of cannabis
Dear Editor
I read with interest the editorial by Wayne Hall and the systematic review by Abridge et al in the BMJ, highlighting the increased risk of fatal road collision while driving under the influence of cannabis. As part of a wider survey on drug use patterns and harms conducted at the end of 2011 by Global Drug Survey (www.globaldrugsurvey.com) in partnership with Mixmag and the Guardian newspaper, we asked current cannabis smokers about the risk of being identified as intoxicated with cannabis (without alcohol) whilst driving, if they got pulled over by the police within 2 hours of smoking a joint.
Data from over 10,000 last year cannabis users from around the world was obtained. The results from the UK, USA and Australia are outlined in table 1. The findings tend to support the cautious view put forward by Wayne Hall regarding the likely impact that roadside drug testing would have upon drug driving. For any drug driving policy to be an effective deterrent, drugged drivers must consider the risk of being stopped and subsequently detected as being under the influence as a real possibility.
Our results suggest that only a minority of current cannabis users think they would be detected as driving stoned using the present detection approaches utilised in their countries. The full results of the 2012 Global drug Survey are published exclusively in the Guardian and Mixmag on March 15 2012.
Table 1- BMJ- UK, US and Australia sample
Adam R Wintock, Consultant Addiction Psychiatrist
Read all about it! Global Drug Survey is front page news
The first Global Drug Survey hit the Guardian front page this morning and is set to lead two days of drug coverage – from ‘hidden’ drug users to synthetic cannabis to prescription drugs and our very own drugs meter app. dominating the society most read and Guardian Zietgeist, we had over 300 comments by 10am! Check out the animation, video, data and editorial here.
Mixmag has launched their coverage of the Global Drug Survey data today with a massive 10 pages of coverage on all things drugs! Mixmag have been at the forefront of making drugs a media issue for the last decade and Global Drug Survey is proud to be working with them. Check out their beautiful coverage here.
Global Drug Survey will be releasing our own exclusive coverage later today – want to see what drugs are the most popular? Watch this space!
Anything is possible on the Silk Road- by Monica Barratt
Much of the research and discussion about drugs and the internet has focused upon either buying drugs online or seeking drug-related information online. News coverage has particularly focused upon the capacity to buy drugs from web vendors (eg, Psychedelic drugs just a click away online, Deadly drug on the net).Yet, evidence from the last decade indicates that most drug transactions still occur in the traditional way.
Popular illegal drugs are not generally available online: unless the product can be marketed as ‘legal’ or ‘not for human consumption’, the legal risk and practical problems associated with selling heroin, MDMA, amphetamines, and cannabis through an online marketplace are just too big, for both buyers and sellers.
Yet, evidence from the last decade indicates that most drug transactions still occur in the traditional way.
Recovery Foods- by Susan Kath
Whether your prepping for a nuts night out or in recovery mode from a session the night before, here are some tips by Susan Kath to help you recover.
Big night out? Feeling low and flat and lacking in energy?
Replace depleted nutrients to get you going again.
Also drink lots of water or herbal teas to overcome dehydration.
Replace electrolytes, e.g. sodium & potassium. Read more
On course to being the biggest drug survey ever !
Global Drug Survey has launched the annual Mixmag Drug Survey in partnership with The Guardian, which is anticipated to be the worlds biggest, most comprehensive drug survey ever conducted.
Receiving over 7000 responses in the first 48 hours alone, the anonymous online survey addresses how people are using illegal drugs as well as alcohol, tobacco and prescription Read more