The drugs deal

by Olivia Foster

Last week the features team were all talking about drugs.

Professor Nutt, a government drugs advisor, was sacked for expressing his opinions on the dangers relating to some substances. He was quoted to have said that Cannabis only poses to its users a “relatively small risk” of psychotic illness; going against the Government's line on the class B drug.

We asked whether Britain's relaxed attitude towards drug use is as a result of mixed messages from the people at the top?

Students and young adults alike are made well aware of drugs culture from an increasingly young age, remember when you were in science lessons at 12 and your teacher said at some point someone will offer you something and you should, altogether now, "just say no." While their advice was meant with the best intentions, it’s a little harder to follow when it comes down to it.  

Mephedrone is the latest student drug of choice, it’s cheap, easy to get hold of and, at the moment, legal. But as David Djukic explains in his article the long term effects and dangers are still relatively unknown.

Calls are being made to outlaw the drug, which is marketed as plant fertiliser, and can be ordered online but we have to question wether this will actually make any difference. We have to remember that at some point in history all of the drugs which are now illegal were legal, even if mephedrone was to be outlawed there would soon be another drugs out there to take its place, it could even push people to experiment with yet more extreme substances.

The biggest issue with drugs, is that no matter how many times people are warned about the dangers of them or told not to take them, they still continue to do so. And, while it would be an incredibly long and difficult process perhaps if drugs were legalised and regulated there would be a better control over their use.

This week we will be taking a look back over the last 10 years, or as they have become known, the noughties. We will look at the issues that have effected us from going green to living in fear of the terrorists.

I will be taking a look back at my personal highlights and lowlights from the last 10 years, and Arts London News will be putting together a photo album of our best and worst fashions so please email them in to oliviamariellalouise@gmail.com, we’ll show you ours if you show us yours.