Wayne Hall | The University of Queensland, Australia (original) (raw)
Papers by Wayne Hall
Results: Seven compounds were quantified in all the samples. Our data indicated higher drug consu... more Results: Seven compounds were quantified in all the samples. Our data indicated higher drug consumption on weekends. Cannabis was the highest used drug in both sampling periods. Compared to the first sampling campaign which indicated that cocaine and methamphetamine use exceeded ecstasy usage, the second sampling
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 2008
To suggest ways of testing hypotheses about the impact that information on genetic risk may have ... more To suggest ways of testing hypotheses about the impact that information on genetic risk may have on the social stigma of mental disorders and to analyse the implications of these hypotheses for genetic screening for mental disorders. Literature review and critical analysis and synthesis. An optimistic view is that information on the genetic risk for mental disorders will reduce blame and social stigma experienced by individuals living with mental disorder. A more pessimists view is that genetic risk information and the use of predictive genetic testing will lead to earlier stigmatization of those at risk of mental disorders. Research is identified that is needed to provide a better understanding of the implications of predictive genetic testing for the stigmatization of different mental health disorders. It is essential that research on the genetics of mental disorders is accompanied by social science research on the ways in which genetic findings influence the lives of those who are tested.
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 2008
To suggest ways of testing hypotheses about the impact that information on genetic risk may have ... more To suggest ways of testing hypotheses about the impact that information on genetic risk may have on the social stigma of mental disorders and to analyse the implications of these hypotheses for genetic screening for mental disorders. Literature review and critical analysis and synthesis. An optimistic view is that information on the genetic risk for mental disorders will reduce blame and social stigma experienced by individuals living with mental disorder. A more pessimists view is that genetic risk information and the use of predictive genetic testing will lead to earlier stigmatization of those at risk of mental disorders. Research is identified that is needed to provide a better understanding of the implications of predictive genetic testing for the stigmatization of different mental health disorders. It is essential that research on the genetics of mental disorders is accompanied by social science research on the ways in which genetic findings influence the lives of those who are tested.
Annals of Pharmacotherapy, 2009
Results: Seven compounds were quantified in all the samples. Our data indicated higher drug consu... more Results: Seven compounds were quantified in all the samples. Our data indicated higher drug consumption on weekends. Cannabis was the highest used drug in both sampling periods. Compared to the first sampling campaign which indicated that cocaine and methamphetamine use exceeded ecstasy usage, the second sampling
The Promises and Perils of Neuroscience Research on Addiction, 2011
Drug and Alcohol Review, 2015
The brain disease model of addiction posits that addiction is a persistent form of neural dysfunc... more The brain disease model of addiction posits that addiction is a persistent form of neural dysfunction produced by chronic drug use, which makes it difficult for addicted persons to become and remain abstinent. As part of an anticipatory policy analysis of addiction neuroscience, we engaged family members of addicted individuals to assess their views on the place and utility of brain-based accounts of addiction. Fifteen in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted and used to develop a quantitative online survey that was completed by 55 family members. This article reports responses on what addiction is and how it is caused and responses to explanations of the brain disease model of addiction. Participants gave multiple reasons for their family members developing an addiction and there was no single dominant belief about the best way to describe addiction. Participants emphasised the importance of both scientific and non-scientific perspectives on addiction by providing multifactorial explanations of their family members' addictions. Most family members acknowledged that repeated drug use can cause changes to the brain, but they varied in their reactions to labelling addiction a 'brain disease'. They believed that understanding addiction, and how it is caused, could help them support their addicted relative. Participants' beliefs about neurobiological information and the brain disease model of addiction appeared to be driven by empathetic, utilitarian considerations rather than rationalist ones. We discuss the importance of providing information about the nature and causes of addiction. [Meurk C, Fraser D, Weier M, Lucke J, Carter A, Hall W. Assessing the place of neurobiological explanations in accounts of a family member's addiction. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015;●●:●●-●●].
Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics, Jan 16, 2015
A major challenge in assessing the public health impact of legalising cannabis use in Colorado an... more A major challenge in assessing the public health impact of legalising cannabis use in Colorado and Washington State is the absence of any experience with legal cannabis markets. The Netherlands created a de facto legalised cannabis market for recreational use, but policy analysts disagree about how it has affected rates of cannabis use. Some US states have created de facto legal supply of cannabis for medical use. So far this policy does not appear to have increased cannabis use or cannabis-related harm. Given experience with more liberal alcohol policies, the legalisation of recreational cannabis use is likely to increase use among current users. It is also likely that legalisation will increase the number of new users among young adults but it remains uncertain how many may be recruited, within what time frame, among which groups within the population, and how many of these new users will become regular users. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
… , Prevention, and Policy, 2007
Address: 1School of Environment and Development, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manch... more Address: 1School of Environment and Development, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK, 2School of Health and Social Care, Oxford Brookes University, Jack Straws Lane, Marston, Oxford, OX3 0FL, UK and 3Centre for Drug Misuse ...
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 2011
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 2013
There has been increased use of prescription opioid analgesics in Australia in the past 20 years ... more There has been increased use of prescription opioid analgesics in Australia in the past 20 years with increasing evidence of related problems. A number of data sources collect information about the dispensed prescribing for opioid medications, but little is known about the extent to which these data sources agree on levels of opioid prescribing. In Queensland, all opioid prescriptions (S8 prescriptions) dispensed by community pharmacies must be submitted to the Drugs of Dependence Unit (DDU). This potentially comprises a 'gold standard' against which other data sources may be judged. There are two national data sources: the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (PBS) for all medications subsidised by government; and an annual national survey of representative pharmacies, which assesses non-subsidised opioid prescribing. We examined the agreement between these data sources. The three data sources provided consistent estimates of use over time. The correlations between different data sources were high for most opioid analgesics. There was a substantial (60%) increase in the dispensed use of opioid analgesics and a 180% increase in the dispensed use of oxycodone over the period 2002-2009. Tramadol was the most used opioid-like medication. Since 2002 different data sources reveal similar trends, namely a substantial increase in the prescribing of opioid medications. With few exceptions, the conclusions derived from using any of these data sources were similar. Improved access to PBS data for relevant stakeholders could provide an efficient and cost-effective way to monitor use of prescription opioid analgesics.
British Journal of Addiction, Jan 1, 2006
The paucity of research on the treatment needs of women with substance abuse problems has been a ... more The paucity of research on the treatment needs of women with substance abuse problems has been a serious impediment to the development of empirically validated treatment programmes. Women continue to be seriously under-represented as research subjects and clients of treatment services. This study compares the characteristics of 80 women attending a specialist women's treatment service with those of eighty women attending two traditional mixed-sex treatment agencies. Women attending a gender-sensitive service were significantly more likely to have dependent children, to be lesbian, to have a maternal history for drug or alcohol problems and to have suffered sexual abuse in childhood. These results suggest that gender-sensitive treatment services may be recruiting women who might not otherwise have sought treatment for their substance dependence problems.
Canadian Field Naturalist
We report incidental observations of Wolves (Canis lupus) tolerating human activity in central Wi... more We report incidental observations of Wolves (Canis lupus) tolerating human activity in central Wisconsin. Three monitored packs raised pups in close proximity to varying levels of human activity. Wolf pups were raised <350m from rearing pens of the endangered Whooping Crane (Grus americana), which saw daily human activity. One pack used cornfields as rendezvous sites within 175 m of a maintenance shed visited regularly by workers. Another pack centered their activities along a well-traveled state highway using both the verge and the road center for activity. Aerial locations of 10 yearling and adult dispersing Wolves were plotted to evalute human densities in natal territories relative to dispersal and post-dispersal territories. Township densities (χ = 9.02 humans/km2, SE = 4.015) and residential densities (χ = 5.59 housing units/km2, SE = 2.12) in natal pack territories were significantly greater (P <.01) for dispersal and post-dispersal township densities (χ = 43.98 humans/...
The Yale journal of biology and medicine, 2015
This paper discusses the evolution of U.S. policy responses to calls to allow patients to use can... more This paper discusses the evolution of U.S. policy responses to calls to allow patients to use cannabis for medical purposes. It first summarizes the research evidence on the safety and efficacy of cannabinoids for various medical uses. It then outlines the challenges in developing new pharmaceutical cannabinoids that are safe, effective, and acceptable to patients. It briefly describes the strengths and limitations of the different ways in which U.S. states have allowed patients to use cannabis for medical purposes. These include allowing access for research trials only, allowing medical necessity as a defense against prosecution, and allowing commercial medical dispensaries to provide cannabis to approved patients. It argues that liberal definitions of indications for medical cannabis use and the commercialization of medical cannabis supply in California have produced the de facto legalization of recreational cannabis use.
The Lancet Psychiatry, 2015
Addiction (Abingdon, England), 2015
Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.), Jan 22, 2015
There is increasing concern about the appropriateness of prescribing pharmaceutical opioids for c... more There is increasing concern about the appropriateness of prescribing pharmaceutical opioids for chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP), given the risks of problematic use and dependence. This article examines pharmaceutical opioid dose and dependence and examines the correlates of each. Baseline data were obtained from a national sample of 1,424 people across Australia (median 58 years, 55% female and experiencing pain for a median of 10 years), who had been prescribed opioids for CNCP. Current opioid consumption was estimated in oral morphine equivalent (OME; mg per day), and ICD-10 pharmaceutical opioid dependence was assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Current opioid consumption varied widely: 8.8% were taking <20 mg OME per day, 52.1% were taking 21-90 mg OME, 24.3% were taking 91-199 mg OME, and 14.8% were taking >= 200 mg OME. Greater daily OME consumption was associated with higher odds of multiple physical and mental health issues, aberrant opioid ...
The development of prescription medication for smoking cessation and the introduction of evidence... more The development of prescription medication for smoking cessation and the introduction of evidence-based guidelines for health professionals has increasingly medicalised smoking cessation. There are debates about whether medicalisation is a
positive development, or whether it has devalued unassisted quitting. In this debate the views of smokers have been neglected. This study explored the attitudes of smokers
towards a range of quitting methods, and their considerations when judging their value. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 29 smokers and analysed data using
thematic analysis. The results show that the perceived nature of an individual smoker’s addiction was central to judgments about the value of pharmacological cessation aids,
as was personal experience with a method, and how well it was judged to align with an individual’s situation and personality. Unassisted quitting was often described as the best
method. Negative views of pharmacological cessation aids were frequently expressed, particularly concerns about side effects from prescription medications. Smokers’ views about the value of different methods were not independent: attitudes about cessation aids were shaped by positive attitudes towards unassisted quitting. Examining smokers’ attitudes towards either assisted or unassisted quitting in isolation provides incomplete information on quitting preferences.
Addiction, 2015
Griffith Edwards played an important role in cannabis policy debates within government advisory c... more Griffith Edwards played an important role in cannabis policy debates within government advisory committees in the United Kingdom from the early 1970s until the early 1980s. This has largely been hidden from public knowledge by the confidentiality of these committee discussions. The purpose of this paper is to use Griffith&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s writings and the results of recent historical scholarship to outline the views he expressed, the reasons he gave for them, and to provide a brief assessment of his contribution to the development of British cannabis policy.
The Lancet Psychiatry, 2015
Results: Seven compounds were quantified in all the samples. Our data indicated higher drug consu... more Results: Seven compounds were quantified in all the samples. Our data indicated higher drug consumption on weekends. Cannabis was the highest used drug in both sampling periods. Compared to the first sampling campaign which indicated that cocaine and methamphetamine use exceeded ecstasy usage, the second sampling
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 2008
To suggest ways of testing hypotheses about the impact that information on genetic risk may have ... more To suggest ways of testing hypotheses about the impact that information on genetic risk may have on the social stigma of mental disorders and to analyse the implications of these hypotheses for genetic screening for mental disorders. Literature review and critical analysis and synthesis. An optimistic view is that information on the genetic risk for mental disorders will reduce blame and social stigma experienced by individuals living with mental disorder. A more pessimists view is that genetic risk information and the use of predictive genetic testing will lead to earlier stigmatization of those at risk of mental disorders. Research is identified that is needed to provide a better understanding of the implications of predictive genetic testing for the stigmatization of different mental health disorders. It is essential that research on the genetics of mental disorders is accompanied by social science research on the ways in which genetic findings influence the lives of those who are tested.
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 2008
To suggest ways of testing hypotheses about the impact that information on genetic risk may have ... more To suggest ways of testing hypotheses about the impact that information on genetic risk may have on the social stigma of mental disorders and to analyse the implications of these hypotheses for genetic screening for mental disorders. Literature review and critical analysis and synthesis. An optimistic view is that information on the genetic risk for mental disorders will reduce blame and social stigma experienced by individuals living with mental disorder. A more pessimists view is that genetic risk information and the use of predictive genetic testing will lead to earlier stigmatization of those at risk of mental disorders. Research is identified that is needed to provide a better understanding of the implications of predictive genetic testing for the stigmatization of different mental health disorders. It is essential that research on the genetics of mental disorders is accompanied by social science research on the ways in which genetic findings influence the lives of those who are tested.
Annals of Pharmacotherapy, 2009
Results: Seven compounds were quantified in all the samples. Our data indicated higher drug consu... more Results: Seven compounds were quantified in all the samples. Our data indicated higher drug consumption on weekends. Cannabis was the highest used drug in both sampling periods. Compared to the first sampling campaign which indicated that cocaine and methamphetamine use exceeded ecstasy usage, the second sampling
The Promises and Perils of Neuroscience Research on Addiction, 2011
Drug and Alcohol Review, 2015
The brain disease model of addiction posits that addiction is a persistent form of neural dysfunc... more The brain disease model of addiction posits that addiction is a persistent form of neural dysfunction produced by chronic drug use, which makes it difficult for addicted persons to become and remain abstinent. As part of an anticipatory policy analysis of addiction neuroscience, we engaged family members of addicted individuals to assess their views on the place and utility of brain-based accounts of addiction. Fifteen in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted and used to develop a quantitative online survey that was completed by 55 family members. This article reports responses on what addiction is and how it is caused and responses to explanations of the brain disease model of addiction. Participants gave multiple reasons for their family members developing an addiction and there was no single dominant belief about the best way to describe addiction. Participants emphasised the importance of both scientific and non-scientific perspectives on addiction by providing multifactorial explanations of their family members&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; addictions. Most family members acknowledged that repeated drug use can cause changes to the brain, but they varied in their reactions to labelling addiction a &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;brain disease&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;. They believed that understanding addiction, and how it is caused, could help them support their addicted relative. Participants&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; beliefs about neurobiological information and the brain disease model of addiction appeared to be driven by empathetic, utilitarian considerations rather than rationalist ones. We discuss the importance of providing information about the nature and causes of addiction. [Meurk C, Fraser D, Weier M, Lucke J, Carter A, Hall W. Assessing the place of neurobiological explanations in accounts of a family member&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s addiction. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015;●●:●●-●●].
Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics, Jan 16, 2015
A major challenge in assessing the public health impact of legalising cannabis use in Colorado an... more A major challenge in assessing the public health impact of legalising cannabis use in Colorado and Washington State is the absence of any experience with legal cannabis markets. The Netherlands created a de facto legalised cannabis market for recreational use, but policy analysts disagree about how it has affected rates of cannabis use. Some US states have created de facto legal supply of cannabis for medical use. So far this policy does not appear to have increased cannabis use or cannabis-related harm. Given experience with more liberal alcohol policies, the legalisation of recreational cannabis use is likely to increase use among current users. It is also likely that legalisation will increase the number of new users among young adults but it remains uncertain how many may be recruited, within what time frame, among which groups within the population, and how many of these new users will become regular users. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
… , Prevention, and Policy, 2007
Address: 1School of Environment and Development, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manch... more Address: 1School of Environment and Development, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK, 2School of Health and Social Care, Oxford Brookes University, Jack Straws Lane, Marston, Oxford, OX3 0FL, UK and 3Centre for Drug Misuse ...
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 2011
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 2013
There has been increased use of prescription opioid analgesics in Australia in the past 20 years ... more There has been increased use of prescription opioid analgesics in Australia in the past 20 years with increasing evidence of related problems. A number of data sources collect information about the dispensed prescribing for opioid medications, but little is known about the extent to which these data sources agree on levels of opioid prescribing. In Queensland, all opioid prescriptions (S8 prescriptions) dispensed by community pharmacies must be submitted to the Drugs of Dependence Unit (DDU). This potentially comprises a &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;gold standard&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; against which other data sources may be judged. There are two national data sources: the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (PBS) for all medications subsidised by government; and an annual national survey of representative pharmacies, which assesses non-subsidised opioid prescribing. We examined the agreement between these data sources. The three data sources provided consistent estimates of use over time. The correlations between different data sources were high for most opioid analgesics. There was a substantial (60%) increase in the dispensed use of opioid analgesics and a 180% increase in the dispensed use of oxycodone over the period 2002-2009. Tramadol was the most used opioid-like medication. Since 2002 different data sources reveal similar trends, namely a substantial increase in the prescribing of opioid medications. With few exceptions, the conclusions derived from using any of these data sources were similar. Improved access to PBS data for relevant stakeholders could provide an efficient and cost-effective way to monitor use of prescription opioid analgesics.
British Journal of Addiction, Jan 1, 2006
The paucity of research on the treatment needs of women with substance abuse problems has been a ... more The paucity of research on the treatment needs of women with substance abuse problems has been a serious impediment to the development of empirically validated treatment programmes. Women continue to be seriously under-represented as research subjects and clients of treatment services. This study compares the characteristics of 80 women attending a specialist women's treatment service with those of eighty women attending two traditional mixed-sex treatment agencies. Women attending a gender-sensitive service were significantly more likely to have dependent children, to be lesbian, to have a maternal history for drug or alcohol problems and to have suffered sexual abuse in childhood. These results suggest that gender-sensitive treatment services may be recruiting women who might not otherwise have sought treatment for their substance dependence problems.
Canadian Field Naturalist
We report incidental observations of Wolves (Canis lupus) tolerating human activity in central Wi... more We report incidental observations of Wolves (Canis lupus) tolerating human activity in central Wisconsin. Three monitored packs raised pups in close proximity to varying levels of human activity. Wolf pups were raised <350m from rearing pens of the endangered Whooping Crane (Grus americana), which saw daily human activity. One pack used cornfields as rendezvous sites within 175 m of a maintenance shed visited regularly by workers. Another pack centered their activities along a well-traveled state highway using both the verge and the road center for activity. Aerial locations of 10 yearling and adult dispersing Wolves were plotted to evalute human densities in natal territories relative to dispersal and post-dispersal territories. Township densities (χ = 9.02 humans/km2, SE = 4.015) and residential densities (χ = 5.59 housing units/km2, SE = 2.12) in natal pack territories were significantly greater (P <.01) for dispersal and post-dispersal township densities (χ = 43.98 humans/...
The Yale journal of biology and medicine, 2015
This paper discusses the evolution of U.S. policy responses to calls to allow patients to use can... more This paper discusses the evolution of U.S. policy responses to calls to allow patients to use cannabis for medical purposes. It first summarizes the research evidence on the safety and efficacy of cannabinoids for various medical uses. It then outlines the challenges in developing new pharmaceutical cannabinoids that are safe, effective, and acceptable to patients. It briefly describes the strengths and limitations of the different ways in which U.S. states have allowed patients to use cannabis for medical purposes. These include allowing access for research trials only, allowing medical necessity as a defense against prosecution, and allowing commercial medical dispensaries to provide cannabis to approved patients. It argues that liberal definitions of indications for medical cannabis use and the commercialization of medical cannabis supply in California have produced the de facto legalization of recreational cannabis use.
The Lancet Psychiatry, 2015
Addiction (Abingdon, England), 2015
Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.), Jan 22, 2015
There is increasing concern about the appropriateness of prescribing pharmaceutical opioids for c... more There is increasing concern about the appropriateness of prescribing pharmaceutical opioids for chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP), given the risks of problematic use and dependence. This article examines pharmaceutical opioid dose and dependence and examines the correlates of each. Baseline data were obtained from a national sample of 1,424 people across Australia (median 58 years, 55% female and experiencing pain for a median of 10 years), who had been prescribed opioids for CNCP. Current opioid consumption was estimated in oral morphine equivalent (OME; mg per day), and ICD-10 pharmaceutical opioid dependence was assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Current opioid consumption varied widely: 8.8% were taking <20 mg OME per day, 52.1% were taking 21-90 mg OME, 24.3% were taking 91-199 mg OME, and 14.8% were taking >= 200 mg OME. Greater daily OME consumption was associated with higher odds of multiple physical and mental health issues, aberrant opioid ...
The development of prescription medication for smoking cessation and the introduction of evidence... more The development of prescription medication for smoking cessation and the introduction of evidence-based guidelines for health professionals has increasingly medicalised smoking cessation. There are debates about whether medicalisation is a
positive development, or whether it has devalued unassisted quitting. In this debate the views of smokers have been neglected. This study explored the attitudes of smokers
towards a range of quitting methods, and their considerations when judging their value. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 29 smokers and analysed data using
thematic analysis. The results show that the perceived nature of an individual smoker’s addiction was central to judgments about the value of pharmacological cessation aids,
as was personal experience with a method, and how well it was judged to align with an individual’s situation and personality. Unassisted quitting was often described as the best
method. Negative views of pharmacological cessation aids were frequently expressed, particularly concerns about side effects from prescription medications. Smokers’ views about the value of different methods were not independent: attitudes about cessation aids were shaped by positive attitudes towards unassisted quitting. Examining smokers’ attitudes towards either assisted or unassisted quitting in isolation provides incomplete information on quitting preferences.
Addiction, 2015
Griffith Edwards played an important role in cannabis policy debates within government advisory c... more Griffith Edwards played an important role in cannabis policy debates within government advisory committees in the United Kingdom from the early 1970s until the early 1980s. This has largely been hidden from public knowledge by the confidentiality of these committee discussions. The purpose of this paper is to use Griffith&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s writings and the results of recent historical scholarship to outline the views he expressed, the reasons he gave for them, and to provide a brief assessment of his contribution to the development of British cannabis policy.
The Lancet Psychiatry, 2015