Among its other bounteous delights, the new issue of Hot Press, which has Paolo Nutini and Florence on its flip-cover, includes in-depth coverage and analysis of the Global Drug Survey 2015.
Compiled in association with Hot Press, The Journal and Spin, the Irish findings confirm that recreational drug taking here is as widespread as ever, with cannabis still the country's illegal drug of choice with a 60.8% usage rate.
Also gaining a toehold are the new wave of synthetic cannabises, which as revealed by GDS coordinator Dr. Adam Winstock are 30 times more dangerous than high-potency skunk.
We also bring you the lowdown on mystery white powders; the cognitive enhancers being taken by students to help them cope with study pressures; the increase in prescription drug-taking; why more people are presenting to A&E after taking MDMA and the cross-channel gay chem-sex scene linked to new cases of HIV in London.
We also present the findings of the GDS 2015 to the new Minister for Drug Strategy, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, who in a potentially game-changing interview tells us why he's "an advocate for a discussion around the decriminalisation of drugs"
He also responds to the surge of new HIV cases among intravenous Dublin drug users by coming out in support of safe consumption rooms; acknowledges that heroin-users "kill themselves" in the gap between seeking addiction treatment and receiving it, and indicates that there's an appetite for the relaxation of Ireland's drug laws among law enforcement.
"I've had off-the-record conversations with the Gardai who say that the current situation can't continue, that it's a complete waste of time and that we're not dealing with the issue in any real way, and that some of the things I've suggested around decriminalisation or consumption rooms could help in certain aspects," he says.
Read our groundbreaking interview with Minister Aodhán Ó Ríordáin in its entirety in the new issue of Hot Press, out now.
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