Author Archives: Toby Seddon

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About Toby Seddon

Professor of Social Science at UCL. Interested in new ideas and thinking about drug policy.

Landmark Cannabis Inquiries

Today, May 28th 2025, the London Drug Commission’s report on cannabis law and policy has finally been published. It has been an extremely interesting project to be involved in, as co-lead with my UCL colleague Ben Bradford on the reviewing … Continue reading

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Drugs, gender and Dope Girls

There are many very fine non-fiction books written about drugs and the number grows each year. But over time a handful stay the course and become classics that stand out from the crowd for their originality and insight. Marek Kohn’s … Continue reading

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10: Rethinking Drug Laws: book launch episode

This special episode marks the publication of my new book, Rethinking Drug Laws: Theory, History, Politics, published by Oxford University Press. It draws on over a decade of theoretical, conceptual, historical and empirical work in area of drug law reform, … Continue reading

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9: LSD, Bicycle Day and psychedelic history: A conversation with Alan Piper

To mark ‘Bicycle Day’, April 19th, a special episode on LSD and psychedelic history. The focus is on a new book of essays by Alan Piper which deconstructs some of the myths around the discovery of LSD, as well as … Continue reading

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8: Drugs, prohibition and harm reduction: A conversation with Dr Ben Boyce

A conversation with Dr Ben Boyce, ranging widely over some of the fundamental issues of the field, from how societies decide what to label as a ‘drug’ (and what this means), to prohibition itself and how this happens, through to … Continue reading

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7: A conversation with… Mark Gilman (part 2 of 2)

The second of a two-part conversation with Mark Gilman. In this part, we pick up the story in 1999, when Mark moved from Lifeline to the Home Office. The conversation ranges widely, covering treatment, recovery, social justice and crime, reflecting … Continue reading

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6: A conversation with… Mark Gilman (part 1 of 2)

The first of a two-part conversation with Mark Gilman. Mark has been a major figure in the field over four decades and directly involved in many of the most significant developments we have seen. In this part, we talk about … Continue reading

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5: Drug law reform in the Asian Century

This episode takes a long view of global drug policy, arguing that shifts in global power have always had a significant impact on drug control throughout the last 200 years. What then might be the implications for drug law reform … Continue reading

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Rethinking Drug Law Reform in the Asian Century

I recently wrote a piece for the Social & Legal Studies blog. Read it here.

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4: John Marks, heroin prescribing and HAT

This episode explores the issue of prescribing heroin to people with heroin problems, a practice with a long history and usually today termed Heroin Assisted Treatment or HAT. The episode draws on a recent research project exploring the controversial work … Continue reading

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