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James Nicholls @jamesnicholls.bsky.social · 6d

It was great to meet everyone. Should be a fantastic project!

James Nicholls @jamesnicholls.bsky.social · Aug 20

Indeed - Orwellian in a different sense! Not sure I’ve come across quite such purple prose in a similar doc before. Can you think of any?

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James Nicholls @jamesnicholls.bsky.social · Aug 20

That's exactly what I thought.

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James Nicholls @jamesnicholls.bsky.social · Aug 20

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...

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Reposted by James Nicholls

James Morris @jamesmorris24.bsky.social · Jul 22

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

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Reposted by James Nicholls

Drugs: education, prevention and policy @deppjournal.bsky.social · Jul 26

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

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James Nicholls @jamesnicholls.bsky.social · Jul 7

Having observed the shift in youth drinking from ‘Is this a thing??’ 15 years ago, to many years of ‘I reckon it is due to x, y or z…’ It’s great hear to mature, informed consideration of the wider social realities that it reflects - even tho most (speaking as a parent of teens) are quite melancholy

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James Nicholls @jamesnicholls.bsky.social · Jul 7

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

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James Nicholls @jamesnicholls.bsky.social · Jun 12

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...

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

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James Nicholls @jamesnicholls.bsky.social · Jun 10

Yesterday 😞 Sly Stone: A funky life - in pictures www.bbc.com/news/article...

Sly Stone: A funky life – in pictures

The singer and front man of Sly and the Family Stone was known for his big style and even bigger hair.

www.bbc.com

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James Nicholls @jamesnicholls.bsky.social · Jun 9

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

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Reposted by James Nicholls

James Morris @jamesmorris24.bsky.social · May 31

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

Published in Addiction Research & Theory (Ahead of Print, 2025)

www.tandfonline.com

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Reposted by James Nicholls

Prof Harry Sumnall @profhrs.bsky.social · May 28

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

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James Nicholls @jamesnicholls.bsky.social · May 28

Moving it to the PSA is an interesting approach.. What’s your view on that?

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James Nicholls @jamesnicholls.bsky.social · May 28

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.

DrugWise @drugwise.bsky.social · May 28

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...

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James Nicholls @jamesnicholls.bsky.social · May 21

Congratulations Ben!

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James Nicholls @jamesnicholls.bsky.social · May 13

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.

Alex Stevens @profalexstevens.bsky.social · May 10

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

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James Nicholls @jamesnicholls.bsky.social · May 6

This looks great! Looking forward to reading it.

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James Nicholls @jamesnicholls.bsky.social · May 6

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.

Drugs: education, prevention and policy @deppjournal.bsky.social · May 2

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....

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

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Reposted by James Nicholls

Amy Pennay @amypennay.bsky.social · May 6

This is out! Exciting!
@gabrielcaluzzi.bsky.social @soc-researcher.bsky.social @jholmessheff.bsky.social

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Reposted by James Nicholls

Drugs: education, prevention and policy @deppjournal.bsky.social · May 2

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....

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

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Reposted by James Nicholls

Prof Harry Sumnall @profhrs.bsky.social · Apr 17

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

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Reposted by James Nicholls

ISSDP @issdrugpolicy.bsky.social · Apr 22

#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

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

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Reposted by James Nicholls

Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · Apr 23

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...

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

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James Nicholls @jamesnicholls.bsky.social · Apr 24

I agree with that analysis. It made me think of your work, as well as Griffin, Szmigin, Measham, Backley etc from around the same time. Carnival, innit!

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