Here’s my keynote lecture at the 2021 Australian & New Zealand Addiction Conference on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. I spoke around my 2019 book, “Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs“. The Australian & New Zealand Addiction Conference was hosted by the Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association, a non-government,…
Showing all posts tagged Britain

The dark underbelly of Newcastle, Britain
In my recent book, Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs, I spend time across the UK, including the city of Newcastle, documenting the often brutal ways that the state mishandles drug users and addiction. The UK Sun newspaper commissioned me recently to write about my experiences in Newcastle. It’s not a…

Bring Julian Assange home
I’ve been a supporter of Wikileaks since its inception in 2006. It’s been a wild ride, full of challenges and exhilaration. Right now, the life of founder Julian Assange is in danger so I’m happy to have signed a letter, alongside other prominent Australian writers and journalists, asking Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne to take…

War on drugs will continue long after Covid-19 is done
What’s happening to the drug war during Covid-19 and where will it lead once it’s over? My essay/analysis for British outlet Unherd: The image was startling in its brazenness and simplicity. The convicted Mexican drug cartel head Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán is in a maximum security prison in the US, but his daughter, Alejandrina Guzmán,…
RT TV interview on Pills, Powder and Smoke
During my recent UK book tour for Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs, I was interviewed by RT TV on the drug war, Honduras, Guinea-Bissau and US imperialism:

What UK Labour should consider on serious drug reform
In my new book, Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs, I investigate drug policy in the UK and it’s a very mixed picture (my recent Guardian article gives a grim assessment). UK Labour just lost an election and now has the opportunity, if it wants, to craft a sensible drug policy.…

Popular UK podcast Stop and Search on Pills, Powder and Smoke
During my recent London book tour for Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs, I was interviewed by one of the most popular drug-themed podcasts, Stop and Search, in front of a live audience at Queen Mary University.

UK Telegraph newspaper reviews Pills, Powder and Smoke
The UK Telegraph is a conservative newspaper but thankfully positively reviewed my new book, Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs, last weekend, giving it 4 stars out of 5. The review is by Colin Freeman: Do modern drug dealers have a conscience? Browse the dark web for cocaine these days, and…
Britain’s Novara Media TV interview on Pills, Powder and Smoke
Last week in London, during my book tour for Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs, I was interviewed by one of the country’s leading alternative media groups, Novara Media. With a massive online reach, the conversation covered a lot of ground from Honduras to legalisation to why the drug war is…