A new law, that came into effect in December, criminalised “illegal rave parties” in Italy. We interviewed Susanna Ronconi from Forum Droghe, an organisation that opposes the law on human rights and public health grounds.
Written interviews
Czech Journalist Prosecuted for “Inciting Toxicomania” – Interview with Robert Veverka
Robert Veverka, an activist, a politician and the editor of the most popular Czech cannabis magazine, Legalizace, is being prosecuted for “inciting and promoting toxicomania.” Read our interview with him.
The Needs of the Youth Are Ignored in Armenia – Interview with Ashot Gevorgyan
An organisation of progressive young people, The Dignity Movement, is fighting for a more inclusive and supportive drug policy in Armenia. We interviewed the president of the organisation, Ashot Gevorgyan.
Street Lawyering Program in Athens – Interview with Emmanouela Soldatou
HumanRights360, a human rights NGO, in partnership with STEPS, a harm reduction NGO, started a new program to provide legal help to people who live on streets in Athens. We interviewed Emmanouela Soldatou, the research and advocacy coordinator of STEPS about this new initiative.
Malta at the Crossroads of Drug Policy Reform – An Interview with Karen Mamo
For a long time, Malta had a repressive approach to drugs, but there is an increasing understanding and acceptance of harm reduction measures now. We interviewed Karen Mamo, a researcher and harm reduction professional.
A Reality Check of the Official Data on Harm Reduction – Interview with Eberhard Schatz
The Correlation European Harm Reduction Network published its first monitoring report (download here!) of harm reduction in Europe. On this occasion, we interviewed Eberhard Schatz, one of the two coordinators of the network about new trends and challenges.
“Radical Action is Needed Across Wales” – Interview with Martin Blakebrough
The overdose epidemic in Scotland attracted international media attention but we know less about what is the situation in other parts of the UK. We interviewed Martin Balekbrough, the CEO of the Kaleidoscope Project from Wales.
YouTube Removed My Channel for Promoting Harm Reduction – An Interview with Damian Sobczyk
Damian Sobczyk is a Polish videoblogger and a drug user activist whose mission is to help young people to reduce the risks of drug use. His channel had 137,000 subscribers when YouTube decided to ban it without any concrete explanation. Read Drugreporter’s interview, conducted by Adam Stasiak!
Beyond the Medicalisation of Psychedelics – An Interview with Levente Móró
Levente Moro is a well-known member of the European psychedelic community. He earned his PhD in 2017 at the University of Turku, on the subject of hallucinatory altered states of consciousness. In 2012 he started PsyHelp, an organisation by partiers, for partiers, to make psytrance and Goa concerts and festivals safer. Read the interview made by our intern, Jonathan Brozdowski!
“Marseilles Bears a Heavy Stigma of Drug Trafficking and Use” – An Interview with Beatrice Stambul
The city of Marseilles decided to open its first drug consumption room. Read our interview with Beatrice Strambul, who has been in the forefront of the harm reduction movement in France since the 1990s.
