2016: The year in drugs

2016 has been a weird one hasn’t it? Trump, Brexit, Bowie and Prince etc. Frankly, it’s been a bit shit so no wonder people have felt like getting away from the real world. However, while there have been glimmers of progressive attitudes, it’s been a dangerous year for drugs.

The rise of PMA as a substitute for MDMA in pills was thought to be a contributor to a number of ecstasy-related deaths this year, and super-strength pills remained on the rise. In Ibiza, a batch tested for 400mg of MDMA, five times stronger than the average dose. Unfortunately governments around the world have remained resistant to pill testing.

Cannabis legalisation was another big topic, with the USA leading the way for legalised weed and the British government realising they could earn £1bn in tax if they regulated the market.

Most of all, however, was a widespread realisation backed by multiple medical journals that the war on drugs, that relic of the 70s and 80s, had probably been lost and was actually doing more harm than good.

Check out our timeline to read about the biggest drug stories of '16 in full.