Research Reports

Excerpt: Marijuana’s primary psychoactive compound, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), drives persistent epigenetic changes that undermine neuroplasticity and reward system integrity, with cannabidiol (CBD) offering limited mitigation upon repeated exposure. These modifications, observed across preclinical and human studies, heighten risks for addiction, cognitive impairment, and intergenerational effects, particularly in vulnerable populations like adolescents. View PDF

Abstinence From Psychoactive Substance Use as Foundational Best Practice for Neurodevelopment and Brain Health From the Abstract: This paper argues that abstinence from nonmedical psychoactive substance use should be conceptualized not merely as harm avoidance but as a positive enabling condition for neurodevelopment and neurorehabilitation. Abstinence removes maladaptive plasticity pressures, facilitates recovery of brain structure

“Drug use, be it licit or illicit, and the developing brain is always a complex issue, with absolutely no doubt that any amount of drug use detrimentally impacts the developing brain, even if ever so minutely.”… Read more in the full Document (Also see Is marijuana a gateway drug? | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) 

“With several global jurisdictions legalizing cannabis for either ‘medicinal’ or recreational use, the issue of its influence on public safety, particularly in motor vehicle crashes and the subsequent injuries and deaths, a more robust understand of harms must be established.”… Read more in the full Document

“Alcohol marketing is a global phenomenon in which companies spend considerable sums to establish and embed their brands in the lives and lifestyles of populations. Global spending on alcohol advertising of six of the largest alcohol producers, mostly concentrated in Europe and the United States, totalled more than US$2 billion in 2006.1″… Read more in

“‘Stigma’ is the well- worn phrase appealed to when faced with data that doesn’t fit the harm reduction narrative. The alternative simply does not find any platform in the debate.”… Read more in the full Document

ABSTRACT “The war on drugs and attempts at prohibition have failed.” This statement frames virtually every public drug debate and is the core defence for pushing everything from the legalisation of recreational marijuana to every illicit drug… The ‘evidence’ to support these changes appear numerous but most often include the mention of Portugal’s drug policy.

“What is addiction; a disease, or dis-ease, or disorder, or dysfunctional behaviour?”… Read more in the full Document

2015 Research Reports DRR Alcohol Peeling Back Label Alcohol Advertising & Young People – 2015   2014 Research Reports   DRR HIV and HCV transmission among Intravenous Drug Users June 2014 Alcohol Outlets: Recreational Ethanol Availability and its Social Impact   2012 Research Reports   DRR The Prohibition Evaluation DRR Cannabis and Psychosis January12 DRR