Stop and Search

Fully legal weed: For about a month cannabis has been legal and on sale in Canada - so what's really going on? We're joined by Jon Hiltz, journalist and author of the new book The Wild West: Canada's Legalization of Marijuana . Did the country really run out of cannabis in the first days of general sale? How do the citizens feel about being the first G7 country to have a fully legal system for mar...

What are the real causes of depression in society and individuals? And what part do these factors play in addiction and mental health? We're joined by author Johann Hari as we discuss his latest book, Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions. You may have heard Johann on our Stop and Search podcast before, but now we delve further into the causes of...

We're literally inviting you to join us at a real London cannabis members club, but not only that we're joined by: Arfon Jones - Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for North Wales Greg de Hoedt - Chair of the UK Cannabis Social Club movement, known as the UKCSC Dr. Melissa Bone - Lecturer at the University of Leicester, academic, and very knowledgeable on human rights Yes, we're actually at a ful...

A very special episode on Ireland where we're joined by: Tony Duffin - CEO of Ana Liffey Drug Project Emmet Kirwan - Playwright, actor, writer, spoken-word artist, and star and writer of Dublin OldSchool We're talking about Ireland and the major changes that have been taking place, both in drug policy and in wider societal reforms. Tony Duffin also gives us an up-close perspective about Safe Injec...

What differences do women face when it comes to substance use, addiction, and treatment? We could not be more thrilled to speak to two very knowledgeable women: Jenny Valentish is a journalist and author originally from the UK who now lives in Australia. She's the author book 'Woman of Substances: A journey into drugs, alcohol and treatment'. Milly Chowles is a radio reporter and producer. Having...

We're joined by author Laurie Penny, Channel 4 News reporter Anja Popp, and Executive Director of Release, Niamh Eastwood, as we discuss the worrying statistics that drug related death in women continues to increase. Why? Consecutive years have shown that we've an alarming trend - when we recorded this episode female drug related deaths had seen an a 95% increase, and yet women consume less drugs...

Recorded live from the parliamentary estate we chat with Crispin Blunt MP, Ronnie Cowan MP, and Thangam Debbonaire MP - this is the Parliament Podcast on the award-winning Stop and Search. There's a lot going on in drug policy at the moment and we are very lucky to have this rare and special opportunity to record a podcast with MPs who are at the forefront of drug policy reform in their respective...

Channel 4 News Asia correspondent, Johnathan Miller, has seen firsthand what's going on in the Philippines with over 10,000 deaths through extrajudicial killings. The president, Rodrigo Duterte, is also known by his nickname Duterte Harry due to his swagger, violent style, and his brutal war on drugs. Jonathan has written an extremely brave biography of the Philippines leader who has a bizarre leg...

We're speaking to Laurie Penny! Author, journalist, activist... Laurie has recently published Bitch Doctrine, a book of essays which covers gender, diversity, social justice, and many other themes which are relevant to drug policy. After reading Laurie's book, I had to invite her on for a chat. Writing for the New Statesman, Laurie has covered drug policy in the past, but there are many overlappin...

Part 2 of Professor Nutt, comedian Chris Coltrane, and Elle Wadsworth from What's the Crack podcast... we're picking up where we left off to discuss if we're fearful and cynical over 'experts' in policy making. In this part we'll be taking audience questions. This is a pretty open and no holds barred conversation around science, politics, and of course how this all relates to drug policy. Hosted o...

Professor David Nutt, comedian Chris Coltrane, and What's the Crack podcast co-host Elle Wadsworth - what a panel! We discuss: 'The Fear of Experts'. Are we sceptical of scientists and experts? Do we listen to evidence or are we more likely to believe in our own prejudices? We cover a lot of ground in this episode as we try to get to the bottom of why there's so much stigma around drug policy refo...

Former President of Switzerland Madame Ruth Dreifuss - a true definition of the term 'world leader'. Under Ruth Dreifuss' tenure she implemented a number of reforms which are still cited today as the template for progressive drug strategies, placing drug consumers' health first over stigma. Since leaving office, Madame Dreifuss now Chairs the Global Commission on Drug Policy where she sits alongsi...

The drugs business is huge, so much so that The Economist journalist, Tom Wainwright, noticed that he was covering legitimate business stories in the same ratio and themes as the Latin American drug trade. This prompted Tom to set about writing Narconomics, an unbelievably good book which really delves into drug cartels and their global operations. We were privileged to sit down with Tom at Waters...

We're back for part two with Jonathan Pie co-writer and comedian Andrew Doyle, social media guru and digital news editor Felicity Morse, and Partly Political Broadcast podcast host and comedian Tiernan Douieb. We have a snuffle around the modern day media landscape, what's fake news and real news, and just generally have a bit of a giggle whilst addressing some very interesting topics. Have a list...

We're joined by writer, comedian, and co-writer of Jonathan Pie, Andrew Doyle, along with digital news editor Felicity Morse, and comedian and podcaster Tiernan Douieb. This panel is pretty superb to say the least, the conversation flowed as we dissect the media. Where's the dividing line between satire and reality these days? In part 1 of 'Breaking the News' we discuss fake news, real news, parod...

Johann Hari, Tom Gash, Livvy Haydock, what a panel! This is part two of Is Addiction a Crime? What do you think? Have a listen as our superb panel take questions. Just to remind you, our guests are: - Johann Hari, journalist and author of Chasing the Scream - Tom Gash, author of Criminal: The Truth About Why People Do Bad Things - Livvy Haydock, producer and presenter, Livvy has made films for the...

Johann Hari, Tom Gash, and Livvy Haydock, well, this is a truly fascinating conversation! We cover a lot of ground in this episode, so much so that we've turned it into two parts. So, to introduce our guests properly: - Johann Hari is a journalist and author of 'Chasing the Scream', a definitive book on the 'war on drugs' - Tom Gash is the author of the insightful and enlightening book 'Criminal:...

We're very pleased to be joined by comedian, actor, writer, and all around darn good bloke, Marcus Brigstocke. Marcus is incredibly open in this podcast as we talk about his addictions - some 'legal' and some 'illegal' - one of the most impacting dependencies that Marcus has had to deal with is food addiction, something that affects many people and is often misunderstood. So please do join us as w...

What does the 'legalization' of drugs actually mean? What examples can we look at? Is the legalization of drugs a scary concept? Join our very distinguished panel: - Steve Rolles is the author of the new book: 'Legalizing Drugs: The Key to Ending the War' (and he's also the Senior Policy Analyst for Transform Drug Policy Foundation)- Judith Yates was a GP for many years and is now part of Internat...

'Support. Don't Punish' is a global day of action to help us understand the need for a health, evidence, and compassion based drug policy instead of a punitive system - and you can get involved! Joining the panel we have: - Ann Fordham from the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) - Jennifer Randall who is a senior lecturer at the University of East London (UEL)So what is Support. Don't Pun...

Have you seen the film Pride? Minds and politics have been changed with the power of social movements. United groups have challenged the status quo - what can drug law reform learn from these examples? To discuss, we have: Peter Tatchell - Human rights campaigner Steve Topple - Independent journalist (The Canary) Jane Slater - Project lead for AnyonesChild.orgAs ever, Stop and Search was recorded...

Episode 11 of Stop and Search, and it's a special one... Please meet the mums who are legalising drugs. This is an episode produced in collaboration with AnyonesChild.org. You'll hear from Anne-Marie Cockburn and Donna May, both of whom have lost children and now campaign for the reform and regulation of all drugs. This is a unique episode of Stop and Search as former guest and Guardian journalist...

Episode 10 of Stop and Search, and we're here to have a look at what took place over the last year. Joining us: - Ronnie Cowan - MP for Inverclyde - Damien Gayle - Guardian journalist - Sally Hayden - Freelance journalist, worked with Thomas Reuters Foundation, BBC and formerly with ViceOn February 29th 2016, LEAP UK officially launched in the Houses of Parliament with a press conference declaring...

Episode 9 of Stop and Search, and we're going in-depth. As you may know, Colorado fully legalised cannabis in 2014. They now have a regulated market and are breaking ground in this blossoming industry. Olly Pollard and Becky Soloman were embedded in the highs and lows of Colorado's new weed business - they made a collection of documentary shorts which can be seen on Channel 4's online platform. We...

Episode 8 of Stop and Search - and Happy New Year! It's far too easy to deploy a cliché - and drugs are no exception. "Won't somebody think of the children?!" is a popular saying, made even more risible by the Simpsons. It's easy to get wrapped up with emotive energy when discussing drugs and children, so how do we make sure we don't patronise our emerging generations? Joining us, well, we couldn'...