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We're joined by prominent human rights activist and barrister, Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, someone who barely needs an introduction owing to the many high profile roles and cases that she's undertaken in her career - a true world-leading figure in human rights and law. We discuss the creation and inception of the highly controversial Covert Human Intelligence Sources Act (CHIS Act), a law which gives immunity to agents of the state, as well as the growth of 'child spies'. There's a great deal to unpick in this discussion and we're lucky that Baroness Shami is able to walk us through it. Shami and a collection of UK politicians went above and beyond in attempts to water this bill down, and it is now an act, making it an official law. It's been described a 'dystopian'. So what's the story? We're also joined by Neil Woods, many regular podcast listeners will know Neil, he's a former undercover operative who now advocates for a raft of reforms in efforts to make our communities fairer and safer. Neil also took part in the CHIS Act discussions and briefings, so we get to hear from both Shami and Neil about the backstory and ultimately what this now all means. Please follow Law Enforcement Action Partnership across the globe and subscribe and share this podcast where you can. With appreciation form us all! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Please welcome to the show... Bowling for Soup's maestro, Jaret Reddick! In this episode we're privileged to hear from Jaret on some very personal topics such as his own journey with mental health and anxiety. As someone who lives on the road for a significant portion of his life, we find out about Jaret's coping mechanisms, and we also hear about the low parts of his life which have enabled him to reach new perspectives. We also delve into Jaret's work with the incredible organization Punk Rock Saves Lives - an initiate which marries up live music and harm reduction. Jaret is a serving board member and is passionate about their work which saves lives in a variety of ways, so please find out more about this unique organization via: PunkRockSavesLives.org And as always, you can find the work of Law Enforcement Action Partnership across the globe via LawEnforcementAction.org and @PoliceForReform Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To mark Overdose Awareness we hear from Wayne Harris, a retired Deputy Police Chief and now Board Chair of Law Enforcement Action Partnership - LEAP. In his career on the frontlines of policing, Wayne has seen addiction and overdose from a very personal perspective. What are his thoughts and conclusions? How can we do better? And what can law enforcement do better in saving lives? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To mark Overdose Awareness, we speak to a family who have been touched by potential tragedy and addiction. Please meet Gretchen Burns-Bergman, a mother with two sons who have experienced addiction and survived overdose - and we're also privileged to be joined by her sons Elon and Aaron Burns too, they are able to convey their own journeys with addiction and overdose as well as speak about what they have seen firsthand among their peers. Aaron and Elon also manage to put into words just what addiction and overdose does to a family. Gretchen, Aaron and Elon now all work tirelessly to bring more awareness to the issues using their own lived-experience; Gretchen has been part of campaign groups such as Moms United, Anyone's Child, and now leads in a new project, A New PATH - Parents for Addiction, Treatment and Healing. This is part one of a two part special, this episode gives the family perspective of overdose and addiction, and be sure to look out for part two which gives the policing perspective. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most people will know Alex Winter from his acting career given his legacy starring in cult classic movies, but Alex is also decorated and highly respected documentary maker. His work includes The Panama Papers, Zappa, Downloaded, and the two in particular that we shall be talking about in this episode, Deep Web and The Youtube Effect. At the time of recording of this conversation with Alex a large part of the dialogue was centred around his documentary Deep Web and the story of The Silk Road, an online marketplace which pioneered in bitcoin and the deep web, patrons were able to purchase nearly anything they desired. The creator of Silk Road, Ross Ulbricht, was given a disproportionately long prison sentence consisting of double life plus 40 years. At time of releasing this podcast episode, and over a decade of time served, Ross has been released from prison with a presidential pardon. Alex Winter is able to give a unique insight into the Ross' case and the Silk Road journey, as well as the Ulbricht family to whom Alex got to know well over the years. Ross' mother, Lynn, has been a previous guest on the Stop and Search podcast. In this episode we will discuss Ross Ulbricht and his headline-making case, but we also speak about a great deal more, such as the delivery of information in this new era of global communications, what this means for the human race, challenges we face with online platforms, and yes, the 'drug war' and the many consequences of punitive policies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He was one of the very first television gladiators, the yardstick of 'sports entertainment', Dan Clark is better known as Nitro to millions of people across the world and will forever be the true definition of a TV gladiator. In a new Netflix documentary, Muscles and Mayhem, Dan and his co-stars delve deep into the real world of American Gladiators and provide an unprecedented insight into the television phenomenon. Having watched the documentary series, we were intrigued to know more... Dan 'Nitro' Clark opens up and gives us such an honest and moving account of his personal life, from addiction to bereavement, and from stardom to his own health struggles, his life is quite something. Dan also has a book out which is titled F Dying: How Cheating Death Kicked My Ass into Loving, Learning and Living My Best Life. In this episode we speak about Dan's family and the entrenched problems with trauma and addiction. We also of course cover his incredible career, both as a gladiator, but also his time in film and television. And also so much more - Dan really and truly gives us an open and honest conversation! Please follow him on Instagram: @DanNitroClark And you can see all of Dan's projects, including his heralded Ted Talk and his book, on his website: www.DanNitroClark.net Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Please meet Wes Cunliffe - he has the most incredible story... As a teenager Wes was on the frontlines of county lines dealing. He's been stabbed multiple times, had literal run-ins with the law, and has experienced the harsh realities of a life fraught with struggle; Wes' life was one of survival. He is now flourishing on the rugby pitch, as well as being one of the most respected youth mentors around. Wes dedicates his time to making sure young people don't take the route that he did, and he's even started a new charity called Rize & Reach, aimed to provide mentoring, training and services in the community. Keep an eye open for Wes and Rize & Reach's work! Thank you Wes! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How much do you know about the infamous site Silk Road and its creator Ross Ulbricht, also known as Dread Pirate Roberts? We speak to Lynn Ulbricht, the mother of Ross... Ross was a pioneer of the deep web and bitcoin. He created a new market place which ended up as a vending system for an array of things, including drugs. Ross was the mastermind behind the website but didn't actually partake in vending himself. Ross now serves a double life prison term and many people feel this is an injustice on many levels. The toll this has taken on the family is inconceivable. We're joined by Lynn to speak about the history of Silk Road and the journey which led up to Ross' imprisonment. How is Ross now, and what is he doing? What hope is there of his release? And why is this perceived by so many people as a gross injustice? An incredible tale of criminal and social justice on trial. If you would like to know more or support Lynn and Ross, go to: freeross.org Disclaimer: All views expressed in this episode represent the individual only Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is an epic episode with some of the all-time great voices from international drug policy. Recorded live at the Cranstoun conference in Brighton in February 2023, the guests were all briefed to go beyond the usual scripts and be as honest as they could be... and they did not disappoint. This conversation was one of the most open that you're ever likely to hear. Featuring: Alex Stevens, Professor in Criminal Justice at the University of Kent Niamh Eastwood, Executive Director, Release Kassandra Frederique, Executive Director, Drug Policy Alliance Danny Ahmed, Clinical Director, Cranstoun Zoë Dodd, Co-organiser Toronto Overdose Prevention Society Megan Jones, Director, Cranstoun Thank you for all the work from the Cranstoun crew who put the event and conference on and enabled us to get this conversation recorded, and thank you to Stage One Audio and Visual LTD for all the work on the day. And of course, thank you to Peter Krykant for making this all happen. Special mention and praise to Nigel Brunsdon who provided all photography and images - as ever Nigel is a legend and you must check out his work via Instagram: @nigelbrunsdon and also nigelbrunsdon.com Disclaimer: All views expressed in this episode represent the individual only. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today's Stop and Search we're joined by Matt Hutchinson. He's a doctor specialising in Rheumatology and General Medicine, and also a comedian - what a combo! We have a very open and wide-ranging conversation about drug policy, medicine, addiction, the prescribing of pain medication, comedy, and so much more. We really do cover some bases in this chat. Matt is also performing at the Edinburgh Festival, so if you would like to see him in action then go to Assembly George Square Studios on the dates of Aug 2-14, and 16-27 - see his new show Hostile. We're going to be coming back to Matt as he has so much more to say - so thank you to him for such a wonderful chat! Find him on Twitter @Hutch_up Small disclaimer, let's be honest and real, you know how it works: All views expressed by guests are their own and don't necessarily reflect that of Law Enforcement Action Partnership. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this breaking news, emergency broadcast, special podcast, we'll be discussing the bold new moves by the Scottish government to reform their drug policies. We speak to retired Police Inspector Ian Andrew, and former Detective and author of The Ten Percent, Simon McLean - both of whom are LEAP UK and LEAP Scotland members. Both Ian and Simon have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help these new proposals come about. So, what are we talking about here? Well, a new report recommends that Scotland decriminalises all drug possession, as well as safe consumption rooms, diamorphine assisted treatment, and drug checking services. This is also a step towards a conversation around legal regulation of all drugs. Hear from inside the circle, how this came about, how it's shaping up and crucially... how will the Westminster government react? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Louise Marwood is an actress and comedian - you may recognise her from the British soap opera Emmerdale. In recent weeks Louise has bravely spoken out via the media about her own struggles with addiction, using her platform to help build the discussion around addiction and stigma... but Louise is now embarking on a new project! With her background in the arts and comedy, Louise will be putting on a one woman show titled: Rita Lynn: The Life Coach Who Wanted to Die - part autobiographical, part comedy, part drama, this stage production looks to start a deeper conversation around what it's like to be at "rock bottom". In this podcast episode we discuss this exciting new venture as well as some very personal insights from Louise's own life, and we also discuss the much-needed nuance around 'recovery' and what that actually means. At the time of broadcast of this podcast episode Louise is crowdfunding the stage show - please do support her with whatever you can via the Go Fund Me page. All kind donations go towards making the show bigger and better, and with a chance to tour! And tickets are already on sale! You can get tickets via the Rosemary Branch Theatre. Please do support and listen to Louise's words in this podcast - and share share share if you can! Let's have this big conversation around addiction and kick the stigma right out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A journalist, newspaper editor, radio presenter, author, Stig Abell has just about done it all in the world of media and journalism. In his book, How Britain Really Works, Stig writes about the many institutions of the UK and how policy making is not always what it's cut out to be. Having done a lot of work in prisons and the justice system, Stig has seen firsthand how we may want to make some changes to the way we currently work. Stig currently co-presents the Monday to Thursday breakfast show on Times Radio and has a new fiction book out called Death Under a Little Sky. In this podcast episode we cover a lot of ground, from Westminster, to prisons, from Fleet Street and the responsibility of journalists, to the way in which politics and the media crossover. And of course, drug policy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Having served as the chief judge of the Newark Municipal Court, Judge Victoria Pratt is also professor at the Rutgers Newark School of Criminal Justice. Judge Pratt has a written a book called The Power of Dignity: Transforming Criminal Justice which delves into her work in and out of the courtroom. Having looked for alternatives to the criminal justice system for many years, Judge Pratt is an advocate of community solutions and going deeper than your average courtroom. Her TED talk, "How Judges Can Show Respect," has been viewed over thirty million times and is well worth a watch. In this podcast episode we speak about the many ways in which the justice system needs to change and how judges and police officers need a tangible link to their communities in order to understand the people in which they deal with. We also speak about the many pipelines to prison, and how people from BAME backgrounds are inherently at a disadvantage in the justice system... and of course addiction, we must speak about addiction. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shelby Hartman is the co-founder and CEO of the innovative publication Double Blind Magazine. Having written for numerous publications such as Vice, Huffington Post, Rolling Stone, Shelby and her partner Madison are now shaping how we view the emerging and exciting world of psychedelics via Double Blind Magazine. In this episode we talk about a the need for quality drug journalism, how the UK can learn from the US with the emerging psychedelic treatments around PTSD and trauma, what can the lessons of cannabis regulation teach us, and so much more! Find Shelby on twitter: @shelbyannehart And find Double Blind Magazine on your social media platforms, as well as the website: https://doubleblindmag.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.