Who we are: We are an interdisciplinary centre focused on understanding and reducing drug-related harms. We bring together expertise from the social and life sciences.

What we do: We study drugs - including legal drugs, such as alcohol, and controlled drugs, like heroin - looking at their effects and people who use them. We study how their use is shaped by ever-changing markets, new technologies, laws and policy regulation, as well as shifting social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental conditions. Through innovative methods, we generate evidence on new trends and approaches to improve health and wellbeing.

Why we matter: Drug-related harms are shaped by complex and evolving challenges. By combining diverse expertise, we produce research that helps communities, practitioners, and policymakers respond more effectively.

We developed the world’s first portable device for detecting synthetic drugs. This is used to rapidly identify new drug trends, such as synthetic cannabinoids ('spice') in vapes seized from English schools. We use our device to stem the flow of drugs into prisons, where synthetic cannabinoid use is highly prevalent and a leading cause of death.

We also developed the world’s first standardised measure of cannabis for all products and methods of use – the 'standard THC unit' – which has changed the policy of the largest health funder in the world, the US National Institutes of Health. This work is contributing to the reduction of cannabis harms globally by helping people track their consumption and influencing guidelines for safer use.