Research from a Glasgow university has revealed that the majority of Scots back the introduction of drug consumption rooms (DCRs) – with academics insisting the idea remains an option despite UK Government opposition. Scotland is Europe’s drugs death capital with more fatalities per person than any other nation, according to the latest data – amid reports that the rate has risen further during the Covid-19 lockdown. The Scottish Government has long-backed introducing supervised DCRs in a bid to treat the crisis as a health issue, but the UK Government renewed its opposition to the policy during February’s drugs death summit in Glasgow. (See also: Study finds ‘compelling’ case for safe drug taking facilities)

The professor behind Dutch addicts getting taxpayer-funded heroin has called on the Scottish Government to do the same in its fight against drugs. Researchers headed up by world-renowned addiction expert Wim van den Brink analysed Scotland’s harrowing addiction death toll. Professor van den Brink, who led a pioneering scheme in the 90s that saw free heroin administered to users in the Netherlands, said he was shocked by Scotland’s drug problem. He compared it to the opioid crisis in the US, where it is estimated 500,000 people have died from misuse since 2000. The professor of psychiatry and addiction at Amsterdam University said: “When I started looking at the data in Scotland, I was left furious."

Ministers are refusing to say if there were any breakthroughs on the stand-off with London over the Government’s flagship cannabis legislation during top level talks with a senior British official. Ministers are staying quiet despite the matter leaving Bermuda on the brink of a constitutional crisis. Paul Candler, the Overseas Territories Directorat the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, visited Bermuda for talks after Rena Lalgie, the Governor, effectively stalled the Cannabis Licensing Act and called for discussions on the matter between Hamilton and Westminster. The Government has been unusually tight-lipped on the issue since the Governor reserved giving Royal Assent to the Bill – a move just short of rejecting it. (See also: Canadian law may signal way out of constitutional impasse)

A decision by Rena Lalgie, the Governor, to reserve assent on the Government’s controversial flagship cannabis legislation plunged Bermuda into uncharted constitutional waters. But the Governor urged Bermuda officials to work with the British Government to find a compromise in comments which seemed to suggest she was trying to avoid a constitutional crisis. David Burt, the Premier, has previously stated that if the move to legalise consumption and production of the drug was not granted Royal Assent it would “destroy” relations with London. The Governor said in a statement that the Cannabis Licensing Act 2022 appeared to her to be “inconsistent” with what she understood to be obligations held by the UK and Bermuda under UN Conventions. (See also: Government says it is waiting to hear from UK on cannabis law)

Howard Marks made his name in the illicit drugs trade but the late drugs baron is making a posthumous comeback to cash in on a booming legal trade in cannabis-related products. Borrowing his most famous alias, the first Mr Nice store opened in London’s Soho district on Thursday, selling everything from upmarket bath bombs and face creams to hoodies inspired by Britain’s best-known drug smuggler. Mr Nice bills itself as a “modern cannabis destination” that sells “carefully curated cannabis accessories from around the world”. Xan Morgan, the chief executive of Equinox International, the international cannabis company behind the venture, plans to launch 10 Mr Nice stores across the UK.

Frequent cannabis use and high-strength varieties are likely to increase the chance of mental health problems, according to researchers in Lancet Psychiatry. Experts have previously flagged a link between cannabis use and psychosis. Now research suggests the potency of the cannabis is important, with patterns in cannabis use linked to how often new cases of psychotic disorders arise. The study estimated that 30% of first-time cases of psychotic disorders in south London, and half of those in Amsterdam, could be avoided if high-potency cannabis was not available. The study had limitations because it relied on self-reported use of cannabis and a small numbers of participants. Also, THC and CBD content of the cannabis was not directly measured. (See also: NORML responds to latest cannabis and psychosis claims)

Almost all cannabis seized by police now comprises high-strength varieties, with outdoor-grown herbal strains and hashish barely found, according to a new analysis. In the first study of its kind for 10 years, researchers found 94% of samples seized were varieties with a high psychoactive content, suggesting they dominate the illicit market. The increasing discrepancy between THC and CBD levels in cannabis could increase the number of users at risk of developing psychotic disorders. "It’s certainly worth putting the real risk into context, which this doesn’t," said Jon Liebling of the United Patients Alliance (UPA). "The risk of early onset psychosis due to long-term heavy use of cannabis is one in 26,000." (See also: How hash and weed all but disappeared from Britain's streets, as high-strength ‘skunk’ took over)

Every Friday for the past two months, Peter Krykant has parked his white van on Parnie Street in central Glasgow and waited for people to come by and inject illegal drugs. Inside the van are two seats and two tables, each with a stainless steel tray and hypodermic needles, as well as several biohazard trash cans. The van is also equipped with naloxone, the medication used to reverse an opioid overdose, and a defibrillator. Scotland is in the midst of its worst drug crisis on record, and one of the worst in the world. The country has tallied five straight years of record-setting, drug-related deaths and now holds a per capita death rate three times higher than anywhere else in Europe. (See also: Lord Advocate has a role to play over safe consumption rooms)

For more than two decades, Maua enjoyed booming business propelled by the growth and sale of khat, known locally as miraa, a popular herb whose leaves and stems are chewed for the mild high they offer. But last year the UK, home to one of khat’s biggest markets, declared the stimulant a class C drug and banned all imports, prompting Maua’s rapid descent into economic purgatory.

An illegal cannabis delivery start-up in the UK is generating millions of pounds in revenue less than a year after it was created, according to its founder. Dispenseroo, which unlike other online drug markets operates on the open web, has attracted thousands of customers in recent months through guerilla advertising campaigns and word-of-mouth. The unorthodox approach of shunning the dark web means the site is easily found through popular search engines like Google and DuckDuckGo, allowing it to grow tenfold in recent months. The founder, who goes by the name “S”, told The Independent that he had never sold drugs before starting Dispenseroo, and only created the service out of frustration with “archaic” cannabis laws in the UK.

London cannabis dealers would welcome the legalisation of their trade, despite apprehension that they would be excluded from enjoying the fruits of the process and lose their livelihood. This was one of the key findings of a research project by London Metropolitan University and the Evening Standard in which two criminologists carried out interviews with cannabis dealers to glean their views on legalisation. Two dealers described dual cannabis markets, one for “pure weed” smoked by the older generation and another for skunk, smoked by young people. They were adamant that high-potency skunk should not be legalised as it was a contributing factor to street violence and mental illness, despite skunk being “more profitable”. (See also: 50 arrests as police swoop on 'cannabis cafe' in east London)

The UK justice secretary, Robert Buckland, has hit back at the former drugs adviser David Nutt for labelling the government’s criminalisation of nitrous oxide hysterical. Buckland said nitrous, also known as laughing gas or hippy crack, was a dangerous drug, and giving young people mixed messages could put lives at risk. Nutt, a former adviser to the Home Office and more recently a vocal critic of government drugs policy, said nitrous was far less toxic or addictive than wine or beer. Nitrous oxide was banned alongside other co-called legal highs in 2016, but Nutt said the substance could be “fun without the risks of alcohol”. “The effect is over in a few minutes. You’re perfectly safe, you can go back home, you can drive, you are much more in control of it, you don’t have a hangover,” he said.

The leafy substance khat, grown by many Kenyan farmers, is of economic and cultural significance to many Africans. The UK government has decided, against the advice of its own experts, to treat khat as a class C drug to "protect vulnerable members of our communities". In July, UK Home Secretary Theresa May said khat would be banned "at the earliest possible opportunity" but a ban has yet to be imposed. A team of Kenyan MPs lobby the UK government not to follow suit.

A decision by the UK government to ban the stimulant khat later this year is facing fierce resistance in Kenya from those farming the mildly narcotic leaves for export. Local leaders are not happy with the UK's decision to reclassify khat as a class C drug. The local MP, Kubai Kiringo, tells me Kenya could reconsider its ties to Britain if the UK does not drop the ban. "We feel bitter and short-changed. We want the home secretary to revise her decision," he says. (See also: Harmless habit or dangerous drug?)

In 2014 the UK banned khat, the stimulant stems and leaves of the tree Catha edulis. This move brought to an end the weekly importation into London’s Heathrow of about 56 tonnes of the commodity. Most had been grown on farms in Kenya’s Nyambene Hills in Meru County. An estimated £12.7 million was remitted to Kenya from the UK for this trade in 2010 alone. The loss of this income has had adverse economic effects in those parts of the growing regions that had been reliant on the UK market. While prohibitions are being introduced in other countries too, in Kenya the British ban has actually served to make the substance more respectable and secure in status. But with its last major international market of Somalia threatened, the fate of this international pariah crop is far from certain.

Prosecutors could in future decline to bring charges against people suspected of crimes linked to laughing gas after two cases collapsed when courts heard the substance was exempt from the law designed to ban it. The Crown Prosecution Service has indicated that it is considering the effect of the two failed prosecutions on its future charging decisions. But the government insisted that despite the cases, nitrous oxide is illegal under the 2016 Psychoactive Substances Act. Although the judge in one of the cases stressed that it did not set a legal precedent, there have been calls to review the dozens of convictions under the act.

New research highlights associations between teenage cannabis use and a range of mental health problems. The results suggested that use of the drug was associated with an increased risk of depression and a significantly higher risk of suicide attempts. As usual in a study based on survey data, the authors noted that a clear line of causation from cannabis use to the reported effects cannot be drawn. There are always other potential mechanisms in action. Young people who use cannabis regularly may already be experiencing mental health issues that make drug use more likely; or be facing adverse life experiences that influence both their mental health and drug consumption. (See also: The government should proceed with caution when it comes to cannabis)

The legalisation of cannabis should be tested in London to improve public health and stop young people being drawn into crime, a London mayoral candidate has said. Siobhan Benita, the Lib Dem candidate for next year’s election, said the idea of legalising the drug was “no longer controversial” and the serious crime in the capital meant it was the right place for the idea to be trialled. “Illegal drugs activity, especially in the capital, is a big part of pulling young people into serious violence,” she said. “I want to remove power from those gangs. My question would be, why haven’t we done this yet?" She said legalisation, which would free up police time, had been supported by prominent former police officers. (See also: Labour to ‘consider legalising all drugs’ including cocaine and heroin)

En Reino Unido lleva unos meses funcionando un servicio ilegal de compra de marihuana y hachís a través de una página web que la policía no ha conseguido tumbar. La empresa clandestina se llama Dispenseroo y funciona de manera similar a como lo hacen los mercados de venta de drogas en la deep web, pero funcionando a través de una página web normal que se puede encontrar por medio de los buscadores comerciales y a la que se puede acceder con cualquier navegador. Su creador, que se presenta a sí mismo con la letra “S”, declaró al diario The Independent que nunca antes había vendido drogas y que su proyecto ilegal de venta de cannabis tiene que más que ver con las restrictivas leyes que Reino Unido aplica al cannabis, que valora como “arcaicas”.

A leading think tank today called for cannabis to be sold over the counter in pharmacies — and said legalisation for adult recreational use is a matter of “when, not if”.  The Adam Smith Institute, a non-profit organisation that promotes free-market socially liberal ideas and has strong links to the Conservative Party, said the best way for the next Tory government to tackle serious youth violence and knife crime is to legalise cannabis. Its report, “The Green Light — how legalising and regulating cannabis will reduce crime, protect children and improve safety”, calls for a Colorado-type free-market model augmented by elements of the Canadian public health approach, namely educating the public as to the harms of cannabis via product label warnings and public information campaigns.