Search

The author reflects on the British Parliament's passage of the Psychoactive Substances Bill in January 2016 which attempts to outlaw substances that mimic drugs like ecstasy and cannabis, commenting that alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine are all exempted, and comments on how legislatures misunderstood medical evidence and lacked scientific literacy.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles in previous issues including Robert Gifford's article on climate change from July 11, 2015, Paul Young's article on Great Britain's fracking industry from July 11, 2015, and David Nutt's article on proposals to outlaw psychoactive drugs from June 13, 2015.

The author discusses a campaign for a blanket ban of new psychoactive drugs, called legal highs, sold in head shops throughout Great Britain. The author argues that the campaign is based on a false claim that over 90 people were killed in Great Britain by legal highs in 2012, that a ban would increase illegal drug sales through street dealers and Internet sales, and that a ban would negatively affect pharmaceutical research on brain disorder treatments.

The article presents feedback from readers about articles in previous issues. The readers addressed topics such as the smell of a certain type of Asian civet, unusual qualities exhibited by animals and the declining rate of children's sleep. A reader also reacted to the plan of the British government to impose its blanket ban under the Psychoactive Substances bill.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles and topics in previous issues including an item in the November 14, 2015 issues on the British government's Psychoative Substances bill, a money-saving tip in March 12, 2016 issue, and the pocket knives being offered by Victorinox.

Several letters to the editor are presented on articles in the January 2016 issues including one about the last things that one would do before bed, another on the knits foil-coated prophylactics that reflect electromagmetic signals, and about the psychoactive substances bill in Great Britain.

The article focuses on the passage of legislation in Great Britain which would prove nearly impossible to reinforce, such as the Psychoactive Substances Bill which would ban most substances which alter mental states, an attempt to justify health reforms for a seven-day National Health Service, and the tendency of the government to remove checks and balances on its power.

The article presents humorous reader feedback on miscellaneous topics related to science. Topics, including quantum uncertainty in Netherlands rivers, canals and harbors, article titles, planet Earth's continental lithosphere, the prohibition of incense, the banning of psychoactive substances and reducing the environmental impact of global warming, are discussed.

The article offers feedback from "New Scientist" readers on miscellaneous topics. Topics include a response by Great Britain's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to a drug policy proposing a blanket ban on psychoactive substances, the efforts of James Le Quynch to raise funds for his Enclosed Loop Electric Windmill System on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter, and claims of life on comet 67P made by Chandra Wickramasinghe, director of the Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology.

The article discusses proposed legislation in New Zealand that would allow the sale of designer psychoactive drugs such as synthetic cannabis to recreational users if they comply with safety requirements and are approved by government regulators.