Hot Press is proud to once again be the official Irish print partner for the Global Drugs Survey 2022, which is live now at https://www.globaldrugsurvey.com

Special areas of investigation this year include sex and psychedelics, drink spiking, no and low alcohol drinks and illicit tobacco.

Rewinding to the first topic on that last, GDS head honcho Professor Adam Winstock says: “Psychedelics have long been associated with reflection and discovery around people’s sense of self. So, as well as event-level information about people’s sexual encounters, we’re interested in how psychedelic experiences might impact people’s thinking around their sexuality and gender more generally. Finally, we’ll ask whether those who have experienced any kind of sexual trauma have found their use of psychedelics to have had any impact here. We’ll use our findings to contribute to understandings of the role psychedelics have to play in people’s sexual lives.”

Anonymous, confidential and encrypted, the Global Drug Survey is one of the best ways of separating pharmaceutical fact from fiction with close to a million respondents during its ten year run. Its findings have been presented to governments, medical professionals and law enforcement worldwide, and spawned dozens of highly-regarded research papers.

It’s all a far cry from the small coteries of prohibitionist Irish doctors who’ve been peddling a new wave of reefer madness this year, as reported on in the bumper 2022 Hot Press Annual.

Thankfully, there are a far larger number of progressive voices, among them Dr. Garrett McGovern, Natalie O’Regan, Aodhán O Riordáin, Dr. Jo-Hanna Ivers, Dr Cathal Ó Súilleabháin, Dr Órfhlaith Campbell, Senator Lynn Ruane , Garry Gannon, Senator Fintan Warfield, Blindboy and Philly McMahon, advocating for drug policy based on facts and science rather than fear.

Hot Press took to the barricades in May to pour scorn on the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland’s claim that cannabis is the “gravest threat” to young people’s mental health in this country.

Read it here https://www.hotpress.com/opinion/the-college-of-psychiatrists-of-irelands-claim-that-cannabis-is-the-gravest-threat-to-young-peoples-mental-health-in-this-country-is-insulting-22851117

With Germany, Malta, Luxembourg and Holland all moving these past few months to regulate the cannabis markets in their countries, the dinosaur doctors who just want us to say “no” look more and more to be swimming against the legislative tide.