James Nicholls
@jamesnicholls.bsky.social
Alcohol and drug policy researcher: regulation, harm reduction, culture and politics. Might post about music and other things too…
Reposted by James Nicholls
This is a hugely important editorial that sets out how UK Government proposals to reform alcohol licensing will undermine the entire purpose of the licensing system. It will explicitly move the focus from protecting public health and social order to promoting economic goals and business priorities.
A new @addictionjournal.bsky.social commentary warns of regulatory capture in UK alcohol licensing
The ‘Licensing Taskforce’ - led by industry figures - could weaken democratic accountability & redefine licensing as business promotion, not public protection
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
The ‘Licensing Taskforce’ - led by industry figures - could weaken democratic accountability & redefine licensing as business promotion, not public protection
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Regulatory capture in UK alcohol licensing policy: The 2025 ‘licensing taskforce’ report
Click on the article title to read more.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 29, 2025 at 10:16 AM
This is a hugely important editorial that sets out how UK Government proposals to reform alcohol licensing will undermine the entire purpose of the licensing system. It will explicitly move the focus from protecting public health and social order to promoting economic goals and business priorities.
New @addictionjournal.bsky.social editorial on the licensing reforms currently being rushed through by the UK Government.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
The Call for Evidence closes on November 6th www.gov.uk/government/c...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
The Call for Evidence closes on November 6th www.gov.uk/government/c...
Regulatory capture in UK alcohol licensing policy: The 2025 ‘licensing taskforce’ report
Click on the article title to read more.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 27, 2025 at 1:40 PM
New @addictionjournal.bsky.social editorial on the licensing reforms currently being rushed through by the UK Government.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
The Call for Evidence closes on November 6th www.gov.uk/government/c...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
The Call for Evidence closes on November 6th www.gov.uk/government/c...
Plans to rapidly overhaul alcohol licensing in England and Wales have just been published. They're being sold as ‘tearing up outdated licensing rules’, but could seriously undermine democratic accountability and local control. The devil (as ever) is in the details. www.gov.uk/government/n...
Cheers to Change: Red Tape Review Could Bring More Food, Music and Fun to Your Local
The Government is launching a fast-track review to tear up outdated licensing rules that have been holding back pubs, bars and local events and we want to hear from the people who know best: landlords...
www.gov.uk
October 9, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Plans to rapidly overhaul alcohol licensing in England and Wales have just been published. They're being sold as ‘tearing up outdated licensing rules’, but could seriously undermine democratic accountability and local control. The devil (as ever) is in the details. www.gov.uk/government/n...
The Government's response to the recent industry-dominated Licensing Taskforce report is quite a thing to behold. Regulatory capture as marketing copy... www.gov.uk/government/p...
August 20, 2025 at 12:37 PM
The Government's response to the recent industry-dominated Licensing Taskforce report is quite a thing to behold. Regulatory capture as marketing copy... www.gov.uk/government/p...
Reposted by James Nicholls
I've written a piece for @addiction-ssa.org on Alcoholics Anonymous, exploring it's current role - and tensions - within the current recovery landscape 90 years after its first meetings were held. Please share 🙏
www.addiction-ssa.org/features/ess...
#alcoholicsanonymous #recovery #addiction
www.addiction-ssa.org/features/ess...
#alcoholicsanonymous #recovery #addiction
July 22, 2025 at 9:11 PM
I've written a piece for @addiction-ssa.org on Alcoholics Anonymous, exploring it's current role - and tensions - within the current recovery landscape 90 years after its first meetings were held. Please share 🙏
www.addiction-ssa.org/features/ess...
#alcoholicsanonymous #recovery #addiction
www.addiction-ssa.org/features/ess...
#alcoholicsanonymous #recovery #addiction
Reposted by James Nicholls
Check out our new issue on moralities in drug policy. Fantastic editorial and most of the papers are open access: Studying moralities in drug policy: An editorial introduction www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Studying moralities in drug policy: An editorial introduction
Published in Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy (Vol. 32, No. 4, 2025)
www.tandfonline.com
July 26, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Check out our new issue on moralities in drug policy. Fantastic editorial and most of the papers are open access: Studying moralities in drug policy: An editorial introduction www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
This is a great discussion of generational change, risk, anxiety and drinking behaviours featuring @amypennay.bsky.social and @jholmessheff.bsky.social from the @ias.org.uk podcast. open.spotify.com/episode/1avJ...
Alcohol Alert June 2025
Alcohol Alert Podcast · Episode
open.spotify.com
July 7, 2025 at 10:53 AM
This is a great discussion of generational change, risk, anxiety and drinking behaviours featuring @amypennay.bsky.social and @jholmessheff.bsky.social from the @ias.org.uk podcast. open.spotify.com/episode/1avJ...
This is incredibly sad news. Peter made a huge difference to the world. Such a loss to so many people. RIP.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Drugs campaigner Peter Krykant dies, aged 48
Peter Krykant, a former addict, set up a supervised facility from a van which he took around Glasgow.
www.bbc.co.uk
June 12, 2025 at 8:08 AM
This is incredibly sad news. Peter made a huge difference to the world. Such a loss to so many people. RIP.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
RIP Sly Stone. Absolute pioneer, and also made one of the greatest cover versions ever recorded open.spotify.com/track/52Xfwd...
Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)
Sly & The Family Stone · Fresh · Song · 1973
open.spotify.com
June 9, 2025 at 10:22 PM
RIP Sly Stone. Absolute pioneer, and also made one of the greatest cover versions ever recorded open.spotify.com/track/52Xfwd...
Reposted by James Nicholls
A further (final) reply to the 'positive stigma' debate (DM if you need full text), myself and @jamesnicholls.bsky.social
The complexity of stigma demands nuanced debate www.tandfonline.com/eprint/69FCR...
The complexity of stigma demands nuanced debate www.tandfonline.com/eprint/69FCR...
The complexity of stigma demands nuanced debate
Published in Addiction Research & Theory (Ahead of Print, 2025)
www.tandfonline.com
May 31, 2025 at 10:12 AM
A further (final) reply to the 'positive stigma' debate (DM if you need full text), myself and @jamesnicholls.bsky.social
The complexity of stigma demands nuanced debate www.tandfonline.com/eprint/69FCR...
The complexity of stigma demands nuanced debate www.tandfonline.com/eprint/69FCR...
Reposted by James Nicholls
Pleased to see the first report published by the ACMD’s standing committee on prevention. We make several recommendations to government on the importance of a whole system approach to drug prevention / www.gov.uk/government/p...
A whole-system response to drug prevention in the UK
Report on the long-term prevention of drug use and related harms among young people.
www.gov.uk
May 28, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Pleased to see the first report published by the ACMD’s standing committee on prevention. We make several recommendations to government on the importance of a whole system approach to drug prevention / www.gov.uk/government/p...
Final report from the London Drugs Commission calls for cannabis to be moved from the MDA 1971 to the PSA 2016, effectively decriminalising possession, but not creating a legal retail market - on grounds that the public health risks of commercialisation outweigh potential benefits of legal supply.
New report, "The Cannabis Conundrum - a way forward for London" is out now and concludes that the current laws are not fit for purpose and require some modification -www.london.gov.uk/sites/defaul...
May 28, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Final report from the London Drugs Commission calls for cannabis to be moved from the MDA 1971 to the PSA 2016, effectively decriminalising possession, but not creating a legal retail market - on grounds that the public health risks of commercialisation outweigh potential benefits of legal supply.
I was delighted to contribute to this fantastic special edition of @deppjournal.bsky.social on morality and drug policy - and to work with such a great editorial team. The introduction (below) sets out clearly where we are, and where we need to go next.
With thanks to co-editors @alisonritter.bsky.social & @draskew.bsky.social, here is the editorial to the special issue of @deppjournal.bsky.social on 'studying modalities in drug policy'. doi.org/10.1080/0968...
doi.org
May 13, 2025 at 11:51 AM
I was delighted to contribute to this fantastic special edition of @deppjournal.bsky.social on morality and drug policy - and to work with such a great editorial team. The introduction (below) sets out clearly where we are, and where we need to go next.
Really enjoyed working on this paper, which gets into the weeds of UK alcohol licensing, multi-level governance and the power of policy instruments.
Local authorities are bound not just by primary legislation, but a tangle of statutory guidance that significantly constrains their autonomy.
Local authorities are bound not just by primary legislation, but a tangle of statutory guidance that significantly constrains their autonomy.
Open access: Identifying innovative approaches to the temporal availability of alcohol in Great Britain—a policy analysis by Megan Cook et al @jamesnicholls.bsky.social
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Identifying innovative approaches to the temporal availability of alcohol in Great Britain—a policy analysis
In Great Britain, local authorities responsible for alcohol premises licensing produce a statement of licensing policy setting out how they intend to exercise their statutory licensing functions in...
www.tandfonline.com
May 6, 2025 at 7:50 AM
Really enjoyed working on this paper, which gets into the weeds of UK alcohol licensing, multi-level governance and the power of policy instruments.
Local authorities are bound not just by primary legislation, but a tangle of statutory guidance that significantly constrains their autonomy.
Local authorities are bound not just by primary legislation, but a tangle of statutory guidance that significantly constrains their autonomy.
Reposted by James Nicholls
This is out! Exciting!
@gabrielcaluzzi.bsky.social @soc-researcher.bsky.social @jholmessheff.bsky.social
@gabrielcaluzzi.bsky.social @soc-researcher.bsky.social @jholmessheff.bsky.social
May 6, 2025 at 4:06 AM
This is out! Exciting!
@gabrielcaluzzi.bsky.social @soc-researcher.bsky.social @jholmessheff.bsky.social
@gabrielcaluzzi.bsky.social @soc-researcher.bsky.social @jholmessheff.bsky.social
Reposted by James Nicholls
Open access: Identifying innovative approaches to the temporal availability of alcohol in Great Britain—a policy analysis by Megan Cook et al @jamesnicholls.bsky.social
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Identifying innovative approaches to the temporal availability of alcohol in Great Britain—a policy analysis
In Great Britain, local authorities responsible for alcohol premises licensing produce a statement of licensing policy setting out how they intend to exercise their statutory licensing functions in...
www.tandfonline.com
May 2, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Open access: Identifying innovative approaches to the temporal availability of alcohol in Great Britain—a policy analysis by Megan Cook et al @jamesnicholls.bsky.social
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by James Nicholls
New series on the @empirepoduk.bsky.social podcast looks at the opium/tea/silver trade in China/India (ie the ‘opium wars’) podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/e...
Victorian Narcos: Tea Starts A Drug War (Ep 1)
Podcast Episode · Empire · 16/04/2025 · 39m
podcasts.apple.com
April 17, 2025 at 7:23 AM
New series on the @empirepoduk.bsky.social podcast looks at the opium/tea/silver trade in China/India (ie the ‘opium wars’) podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/e...
Reposted by James Nicholls
#DrugPolicy researchers:
💥Harm Reduction Journal is calling for senior editors and associate editors. 💥 As a Q1 open access journal this is a great time to apply to contribute to excellence in #HarmReduction scholarship👇
harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com
💥Harm Reduction Journal is calling for senior editors and associate editors. 💥 As a Q1 open access journal this is a great time to apply to contribute to excellence in #HarmReduction scholarship👇
harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com
Harm Reduction Journal
The Harm Reduction Journal is an open access, community-focused journal for research on reducing risks and harms associated with drug use, gambling, online ...
harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com
April 22, 2025 at 9:49 PM
#DrugPolicy researchers:
💥Harm Reduction Journal is calling for senior editors and associate editors. 💥 As a Q1 open access journal this is a great time to apply to contribute to excellence in #HarmReduction scholarship👇
harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com
💥Harm Reduction Journal is calling for senior editors and associate editors. 💥 As a Q1 open access journal this is a great time to apply to contribute to excellence in #HarmReduction scholarship👇
harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com
Reposted by James Nicholls
This is an interesting piece on regret and FOMO in relation to drinking, but I think the whole framework, with a theory of 'planned behaviour' risks misunderstanding or misrepresenting the fundamental ambivalence of drinking & drunkenness. 1/5
theconversation.com/how-fomo-the...
theconversation.com/how-fomo-the...
How Fomo – the fear of missing out – affects young people’s binge drinking
Research shows the fear of missing out on a good time while drinking usually outweighs any concerns young adults have about doing something they might regret.
theconversation.com
April 23, 2025 at 8:50 AM
This is an interesting piece on regret and FOMO in relation to drinking, but I think the whole framework, with a theory of 'planned behaviour' risks misunderstanding or misrepresenting the fundamental ambivalence of drinking & drunkenness. 1/5
theconversation.com/how-fomo-the...
theconversation.com/how-fomo-the...
Reposted by James Nicholls
ISSDP is now on BlueSky - if you are interested in #DrugPolicy please consider following. 👇
Hi BlueSky! ISSDP is an 🌎society of scholars committed to advancing #DrugPolicy research & improving the interface with policy makers. We run annual conferences, webinars, capacity building workshops, research awards, engage in policy fora eg United Nations CND & more.
April 3, 2025 at 10:44 AM
ISSDP is now on BlueSky - if you are interested in #DrugPolicy please consider following. 👇
BBC documentary following the development and first weeks of The Thistle safer drug consumption facility
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
Disclosure - One More Fix
A radical new plan to help curb Scotland’s drugs crisis. Will a new centre where people can inject illegal drugs under medical supervision actually save lives?
www.bbc.co.uk
April 1, 2025 at 7:43 AM
BBC documentary following the development and first weeks of The Thistle safer drug consumption facility
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
Reposted by James Nicholls
New RAND Europe review for the Home Office finds that drug-related law enforcement activities are of limited effectiveness in reducing violence, and may even increase it www.gov.uk/government/p...
The impact of drug-related law enforcement activity on serious violence and homicide: A systematic review
www.gov.uk
March 27, 2025 at 11:58 AM
New RAND Europe review for the Home Office finds that drug-related law enforcement activities are of limited effectiveness in reducing violence, and may even increase it www.gov.uk/government/p...
Closing the loop ... our response to the responses to our paper on alcohol and pleasure is now available. Thanks again to the respondents 🙏, and to everyone who has commented in person or online. It's been a great discussion so far, and hopefully continues. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Drinking and pleasure: Interdisciplinarity points the way forward
Click on the article title to read more.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
March 27, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Closing the loop ... our response to the responses to our paper on alcohol and pleasure is now available. Thanks again to the respondents 🙏, and to everyone who has commented in person or online. It's been a great discussion so far, and hopefully continues. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Lots of mine, too. Including the 1869 classic 'Regarding the effects of remedies upon language' 😡
March 21, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Lots of mine, too. Including the 1869 classic 'Regarding the effects of remedies upon language' 😡
Reposted by James Nicholls
Just out in #HarmReductionJournal: another article from our realist review of international evidence on overdose prevention centres (AKA drug consumption rooms, supervised injecting facilities), showing how and for whom they work #harmreduction #OPCPrep 1/7 links.springernature.com/f/a/hWOfNJIE...
March 20, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Just out in #HarmReductionJournal: another article from our realist review of international evidence on overdose prevention centres (AKA drug consumption rooms, supervised injecting facilities), showing how and for whom they work #harmreduction #OPCPrep 1/7 links.springernature.com/f/a/hWOfNJIE...