Black Poppy's Drug Diaries

Black Poppy has moved blog

2010-12-05T02:39:00.004Z

Black Poppy has moved its blog to wordpress at the link above. We are also on Face Book under Black Poppy Publications http://www.blackpoppymag.wordpress.com/ You can also follow us on twitter at #blackpoppymagaz and receive a mini Black Poppy Gazette every day covering all the lastest news and links from the world of drugs and drug culture. See you there!

Black Poppy is re-vamping up its place in cyberspace

2010-10-11T13:57:00.005+01:00

Stay tuned - over the month of October 2010, BP will be reforming its BP's website (currently being updated), adding a FaceBook page, and keeping our readers more updated on our blog. We have a new issue about to go to the printers - we are just trying to get a little bit more money together (please subscribe or donate!) for publication. The next issue is full of the usual bang up to date,

Travis Jenkins Award 2008; Thanking Theo

2008-06-02T01:25:00.003+01:00

As the lights dimmed in the auditorium and, for the last time this year the spotlight zeroed in on the podium speaker, a tall lanky Dutchman in a sharp black suit made his way up the stage steps to collect a few dues. After 2 decades of innovative and inspirational work within the drug using community, Theo Van Dam smiled broadly as he accepted the 2008 Travis Jenkin’s award from IHRA on the

Black Poppy bends it in Brighton - get out the prescription pad!

2008-04-27T15:01:00.005+01:00

Last week, Viv and I (Erin) gladly took up an opportunity of; 2 days in Brighton, hotel by the seaside, and an interesting conference with the Royal College of General Practitioners, "Meeting the Needs of Diverse Populations: Hard to Reach or Easy to Ignore?" Well, we know the answer to that one. The night before we traveled down there Viv and I had been talking about the title of this

The Best Users Union in the World??!!

2008-04-13T15:11:00.007+01:00

Setting the Scene... When BP received a request from the Danish Users Union to speak on the topic of heroin prescribing, we were more than keen to take up the invitation of visiting our peers in the North. We already knew several members of BrugerForeningen (the Danish Users Union) who were great activists from way back, and word about their evolving, expertly

Black Poppy picks up pace on Blogging.

2008-04-12T21:04:00.002+01:00

Ok Ok, we know we haven't blogged since last year when we went to Poland as the 1st contingent of user activists to be formally supported by an official body. We were sent to cast our expert eyes and ears over the worlds best and most innovative harm reucdtion projects and research in order to take back the best and most adaptable bits to inform the UK's first Harm reduction strategy. And itwas

Remembering Dr. Vincent Dole: Taking it to the Streets of Russia.

2007-06-10T23:48:00.000+01:00

Simon is from the West Midlands in the UK - works in the drug field, is a service user, and was part of the UK contingent to attend the IHRA conference in Warsaw in May 07.Having just returned from the 18th International Conference on Harm Reduction, I take away the belief that harm reduction really has come of age. It seems, by and large, to be a universal acceptance that the chemically

2007-05-29T16:54:00.000+01:00

VIDEO: Voices Vs 'Scripts? Or Time for a Change?

2007-05-28T02:18:00.000+01:00

Click on the title above for a video link, produced by BP.This video gives you a brief rundown on the history of INPUD, the International Network Of People who Use Drugs - and their place in the world's largest harm reduction conference. Getting the world's most committed drug user activists together in one place, 'finances, health issues, and prescriptions permitting, is an international

The UK Crew Take Their Ideas back Home

2007-05-21T22:18:00.000+01:00

The UK Crew: What we will be taking back to the UK Alex: There is a few things but I’ll focus on one thing here and it’s about getting better information to current users about the risks involved in the injecting process and specifically – we know that people have got the message that its risky to share needles and syringes but everything else in the process of cooking up, particularly social

VIDEO LINK: The Polish Situation for the drug using community

2007-05-21T21:28:00.000+01:00

VIDEO LINK: CLICK THE TITLE ABOVE: Maria tells BP about the situation for drug users in Poland. As the IHRA conference was held in Warsaw this year, we felt her story and insight into the drug scene within her country should be heard. Poland are facing many challenges - in particular as you will hear, the transmission of blood borne viruses through their methods of producing 'homemade' heroin, (

Ibogaine

2007-05-21T19:50:00.000+01:00

Click the link above which is from the ibogaine website in the UK which takes you directly to a links page which has a rundown of some of the best ibogaine links currently online.The Ibogaine session in Warsaw was one of the most interesting satellite sessions at the conference, however it was held at a different hotel, and it was funded to appear, I believe, by a different company (not IHRA).

VIDEO LINK: News and ideas to search out for the UK

2007-05-21T19:38:00.000+01:00

VIDEO LINK: Click on the heading / link above to gain a brief insight into what the UK contingent are hoping to gain from this conference and this international meeting of minds; for ideas, research and information they each wish to take back to the UK....We have finally sorted our youtube problems, thanks so much to the last person who sent in a comment to try Google's video uploader, a much

More to come...The last posting.

2007-05-21T01:41:00.000+01:00

On Monday 21st, BP will be filling in the last of this blogg. We will be including the discussions on prohibition and the fantastic organsiation LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and our exclusive interview with Jack Cole, the exec dir) and what it means to harm reduction.We will discuss the insights gained into Ibogaine and the interview BP had with Howard Lotsof and Dana Beal, and what

INPUD; The International Network of People who Use Drugs; (bringing you up to date)

2007-05-21T01:18:00.000+01:00

Catching Up...Chapter 2(Left pic: Stijn Goossens; INPUD Activist, Belguim).While we are still catching up on what has just gone before, let us not go any further without mentioning the International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD) and what is has set out to achieve.To attempt to set up an international network of drug user groups is no small feat, in fact it must be one of the most

Catching Up on Warsaw (Things we just didn't get to write up in time; Chapter 1)

2007-05-20T21:18:00.001+01:00

Sat, 10th May 2007: A part of the global Million Marijuana March, The Free Hemp Rally in Warsaw was attended by several thousand people. As the crowd grew, so did the sense of anticipation. Cannabis is viewed with deep suspicion by Polish society in general and in particular, by the Polish police who stood around in small groups looking serious and irritated. This was fairly new territory for the

The final uploading begins

2007-05-19T19:26:00.000+01:00

We apologise for the lack of pictures and videos uploaded while we wereaway, the workload was intense and the ability to upload was severly hampered by some dodgy connections. However, over the next 48 hours we will be uploading and adding all the good bits to the blogg - and embedding the video links within it. Please check back shortly for clips on the polish user scene, the UK crew and their

What's on for today

2007-05-16T06:36:00.000+01:00

Today - I'll be attending a satellite meeting with Howard Lotsof - the man that brought the world IBOGAINE. He has agreed to an interview which we hope to publish in Black Poppy Magazine very soon (perhaps next issue) and it will be fascinating to hear what has been happening with Ibogaine over the last decade. More and more people are using it in the UK and it was interesting when having a chat

Themes emerging...

2007-05-16T06:05:00.000+01:00

Morning! Upon waking up to a rather overcast Polish day, many themes and issues are emerging from this conference and the agenda for today is sure to restore a bit of energy. Firstly, in terms of themes emerging - one thing keeps springing up - and that is that harm reduction groups and activists need to liaise a lot more closely with drug law reform and drug policy groups. The simple fact is, we

The Scots have got the idea! What are we waiting for?

2007-05-16T05:50:00.000+01:00

Harm reduction in prisons -Plenary session, P2 mon 14th – 9-10.30 - post by JimiHey all,So many wonderful harm reduction innovations in one day - but there was one that lept out and bit me. At a harm reduction in prisons plenary, a little gem appeared and i just cant keep my gob shut a second longer.Baroness Vivien Stern spoke of the way scottish prisons handle drug testing. All the money they

Beyond BBV's: Other injection related infections...

2007-05-14T22:39:00.000+01:00

This was a fascinating workshop. It was the first time I had seen a group of presentations focussing on injecting related infections - not because I'd not attended such a thing before - it is more like there has rarely been such a workshop before. Two issues in particular I wanted to flag up here for any injectors or health professionals reading:Don't lick the fruit! Risk factors of systemic

The UK crew - Taking news back home: Video link

2007-05-14T22:15:00.000+01:00

Well, the energy, the sessions and the interest in the topics up for discussion has all stepped up the pace. 1000 people are networking, talking, debating and presenting a whole range of fascinating subjects, research, projects and ideologies. The Uk gang are working hard, all meeting up at least twice a day to run through the conference programme, allocating reps to workshops and plenarys,

Mixing it up in Warsaw - Where there is smoke theres...bubbles?

2007-05-13T18:05:00.001+01:00

Link to a new youtube video later tonite...After living in London for years, the seeking out of a another nations gay bar wasn't exactly feeling like a leap into the unknown. A gay bar is a gay bar is a gay bar...isn't it?Well, the one my pal and I visited (still on our first nite in Warsaw) we felt was something rather unique. Gay men, lesbians and bisexuals happily - naturally - danced, drank

Warsaw starts chatting to BP.

2007-05-12T15:34:00.000+01:00

Saturday afternoon: 30 hours of sussing out the locals... (Approx 16 hours till conference kick off). As the conference hotel starts filling up with the busy humm of doctors, drug workers, drug user activists, researchers, psychiatrists etc I made for a quick and quiet exit - there'd be plenty of time for talk later, but right now we had a Cannabis Rally to attend to...Taxi! Warsaw Centrum!But

Video: Introduction to our trip to Warsaw

2007-05-10T21:29:00.000+01:00

This is a short YOUTUBE video, briefly talking about why we are going to Poland and what we'll get up to there. Please Click to start or click the title link for a direct link to the YOUTUBE site and video.

2007-05-08T18:13:00.000+01:00

Please feel free to comment or request BP to seek out information based on the conference programme at the IHRA website (www.ihra.net)

2007-05-08T17:58:00.000+01:00

IHRA in POLAND: On the 11th May 2007 BP will be travelling with a UK contingent of 11 user activists and staff from the UK's National Treatment Agency to cover the world's largest harm reduction conference. BP will be compiling coverage of the launch of the world's first International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD) and will be interviewing and recording shorts and interviews with some

Black Poppy travels to Poland

2007-05-08T17:25:00.000+01:00

Black Poppy Magazine is a health a lifestyle magazine for the drug using community. Written and created by people who use drugs - for people who use drugs, BP is a unique and essential port of call for any drug user. Our hard copy magazine is based in the UK and focuses on drug culture, drug policies /politics and drug history; we look at what we are using and how we are using it - striving to