We must legalise access to medical cannabis as a matter of urgency
My report proves the drug can alleviate suffering for many sick people. The government must have the political courage to accept the scientific rationale
The NHS must show it cares about gay men’s lives – and roll out PrEP HIV drugs
A landmark court ruling that NHS England can fund the highly effective preventive treatment should be urgently acted on to stop the spread of the disease
Leading public health bodies call for decriminalisation of drugs
Report from Royal Society for Public Health and Faculty of Public Health says misuse of drugs should be a health issue, not a criminal one
Surge in teenagers self-poisoning renews mental health concerns
Almost two in three poisonings are intentional – up 50% in past 20 years – with young women most affected, data shows
Do hay fever tablets shrink your brain?
A new study suggests that some popular medicines – including allergy pills – could be harmful. But wait before you sneeze your way through the summer …
NHS England stalls plans for HIV prevention method known as PrEP
Consultation on Truvada will now be shelved, in move sexual health charities have described as ‘shameful’ and ‘failing those at risk’ of HIV
The poppers ban is a veiled attack on pleasure
Whatever the reasoning behind the ban under the new act, it is fundamentally flawed. Alkyl nitrites are among the safest drugs we know
The poppers ban: will it criminalise gay users?
More than 2m bottles of poppers are sold legally every year – and Yorkshire is the centre of the trade. How is one factory preparing for the ban?
Guns, car crashes and drugs cut US male life expectancy by a year, research says
Gun injuries alone shorten American men’s lives by more than five months, according to CDC research letter as experts reject ‘paralysis’ on issue
Can smartphone drug trials improve medical care?
A new clinical trial is attempting to track how participants suffering from depression respond to mental health apps
The chefs’ guide to life: how I recovered from drug addiction
Phil Howard, the chef and co-owner of The Square, Mayfair on life and work after quitting crack cocaine
Gonorrhoea could become untreatable, says chief medic
Dame Sally Davies asks GPs and pharmacies to ensure they are prescribing correct drugs after 16 cases of drug-resistant strain of STI this year
Night milk: milk taken from cows at night might be the sleep aid you need
Sedative effects of night milk have not been tested on people but the high amounts of tryptophan and melatonin suggest it may be healthier than Ambien
NHS urged to respond to growing health dangers of chemsex
Gay men describe how they became dependent on heavy drug use at group sex parties, as alarm is raised over lack of coordinated response
Chemsex: how dangerous is it?
People have been mixing sex and stimulants since Roman times and before. But the growing phenomenon of chemsex – the taking of a cocktail of drugs and having sex for up three days with multiple partners – is leading to a huge rise in sexually transmitted diseases