Would ending the "War on Drugs" reduce gun violence?
Hopes&Fears answers questions with the help of experts who know what they are talking about. Today we ask the experts about the link between the illicit substance economy and gun-related violence.
What's the "best" form of capital punishment?
Hopes&Fears answers questions with the help of people who know what they are talking about. Today we wondered, if the state insists on killing people, what's the "best" way to do it?
It’s all a charade. The world has not understood the way of peace... There will be lights, there will be parties, bright trees, even Nativity scenes - all decked out - while the world continues to wage war.
Pope Francis
on Christmas, during mass at the Basilica di Santa Maria last week
Why do some hallucinogens cause universal hallucinations?
Hopes&Fears answers questions with the help of people who know what they’re talking about. Today we ask the experts about common visions while tripping on psychoactive substances.
How common is alcohol abuse in cities around the world?
From Dublin to Dubai, Hopes&Fears looked at self-reported statistics and factors that affect alcohol abuse around the world.
From tech bros to armed robbery,
what it’s like to deliver weed by bike in NYC
In the latest installment of our anonymous interview series, we spoke with three bike messengers who brave cops, robbers and inclement weather to deliver your weed.
Can you get high on art?
Hopes&Fears answers questions with the help of experts. We asked a neuroscientist, an art critic and a neuroesthetics specialist if we can experience a high—or something similar—from viewing art.
From suicidal shrimp to spiked tap water: where unused medications end up
It used to be common practice to flush old medications down the toilet, but reports of feminized fish and drugged runoff have raised concerns. Alternative drug disposal methods are not much better.
From price gouging to public sex, what it's like to be a bartender in NYC
In the latest installment of our anonymous interview series, we spoke with two bartenders who have mixed and served drinks in a range of establishments across New York City.
Witches, bread and LSD: how a poisonous mold may have caused hallucinogenic hysteria
Hopes&Fears speaks to historic gastronomist Sarah Lohman about how a bad trip caused by ergot could be the root of monster myths, demonic possession and the Walking Dead.
How much more does medication cost in the US?
We found, perhaps unsurprisingly, that many medications have fairly consistent pricing once you get outside the US.
Philly band Nothing wants to leave label backed by drug price-gouger Martin Shkreli
Hopes&Fears talked to Nothing's lead singer, Dominic Palermo about the band's predicament and his plans going forward.
Prop masters explain the movie magic of fake cocaine
What are actors actually snorting on film. How does it all work? For Goodfellas' 25th anniversary, we got technical with the prop masters behind the The Knick and other productions.
Colorado, Washington have collected a combined $200 million in taxes from legal weed sales
Colorado has used this revenue to fund the many costs of legalization, including building a regulatory infrastructure.
We can now grow opiates with yeast
For the first time, lab-engineered sugar successfully produced hydrocodone, a common opiate painkiller. Another strain produced thebaine, an ingredient for oxycodone.
The Electronic Sports League will ban the same drugs as the Olympics
The league will enforce the ban with randomized saliva tests.
91-year old straight-edge Australian man arrested for smuggling 11 pounds of cocaine
Police believe Twartz was scammed by Indian smugglers who tricked him into carrying the drugs.
Smoking pot as a teen doesn't cause health problems as an adult, study finds
A new study found that smoking pot during adolescence doesn’t cause health problems (like asthma, depression, or psychotic illness) during adulthood.
Drug found that fights addiction by wiping out memories
It's like a real-life 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'.
Drone drops drugs into prison yard where inmates get caught fighting over them
A drone dropped a package of drugs into the prison yard at the Mansfield correctional institution in Ohio.
Watch the first FDA approved 3D-printed drug dissolve magically in seconds
If you've ever had trouble swallowing pills, rejoice.
FDA approves first 3D-printed drug
The Food and Drug Administration of the United States has approved a prescription drug which uses 3D printing technology. This can allow for customization to suit patients' needs in the future.
Faking it while you make it: the best and worst counterfeit goods
Today, a fake iPhone factory in China was raided, but many other counterfeiters are still out there.
Can you go to jail for selling fake drugs?
Hopes&Fears answers questions with the help of people who know what they're talking about. Today, we discuss a suspicious plot line from 'Orange is the New Black.'
Rock and rollers have it right: living risky makes you happier
Many rock and roll stars untimely deaths have transformed them into legends. Now we know these behaviors quite possibly have economic and biological reasoning behind them.
The war on drugs accounts for 89% of US government wiretaps
Out of 3,554 wiretaps in the United States in 2014, a full 89% were for narcotics cases.
A user's guide to drug apps
Here is a guide (and a Los Angeles-based user's commentary) to the apps that might make your life as a recreational drug user easier, more interesting, and definitely more tech savvy.
The price of recreational weed is falling fast in Colorado
Since the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado about a year ago, the industry has been growing, but the price of the product itself has been dropping, a new survey reveals.
Attention without choice: David Foster Wallace's Adderall novel
Daniel Kolitz looks at the legacy of The Pale King, the original Adderall novel, and Obetrol, the original Adderall.
8-bit Philosophy: What are drugs good for?
"Is the possibility of one bad trip worth missing out on the possibility of experiencing all the knowledge in the universe?"
Update: female Viagra approved by the FDA
The US Food and Drug administration will decide today whether to approve the new female Viagra.
You might be the reason why diet pills don't work
In a world where thin is in, many frequent dieters often notice that when using diet pills that they gain weight instead.
Fictionalized drugs in movies and their real life equivalents
We round up memorable made-up drugs from Judge Dredd, Scanners, Looper and other films along with their real life analogues.
"Ecstasy store" opens in Amsterdam
The world's first and only "ecstasy" store opened in Amsterdam in a demonstration aimed to decriminalize the drug.
New test screens for cocaine via single fingerprint
For the first time, researchers will be able to determine whether or not you have ingested cocaine via new, non-invasive test.
D.A.R.E. falls for a clearly satirical killer-weed-candy Coachella story
D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) posted a laughably hilarious news story (since removed from the organization’s website) about the dangers of edibles.
Hey, you got cocaine in my bananas
Over €15 million worth of cocaine was accidentally delivered to supermarkets in Berlin this morning.
