Rob Ralphs
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robralphs.bsky.social
Rob Ralphs
@robralphs.bsky.social
Professor of Criminology & Social Policy @ Manchester Metropolitan University. He/Him. Mancunian. Interested in all things drug related:Use/Markets/Policy/NPS/IPEDS/Chemsex/Harm Reduction/Trends/ Treatment/Homeless/Pleasure/Prison/Testing etc.
Great to see this paper out from 2 of my fav ppl in the drug market research field:👍👇

academic.oup.com/bjc/advance-...
Competing Through Service: Entrepreneurial Bricolage and the Servitization of Local Drug Markets
Abstract. Customer services has long been a central pillar of drug sellers’ attempts to build and maintain customer loyalty. However, recent years have see
academic.oup.com
April 1, 2025 at 6:44 AM
Reposted by Rob Ralphs
Drones dropping drugs and weapons into high security prisons are a threat to national security.

Read the Manchester report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo...

And the Long Lartin report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo...
January 14, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Reposted by Rob Ralphs
🔥 NOW HIRING: 2 Part-Time Cooks @Coffee4Craig Manchester!

✨ Accredited Living Wage (£16,901.33/yr) 🕒 3 days on/3 off 📍 Manchester City Centre

Think Ready Steady Cook meets community impact! Cook for 80+ people daily.

Details & apply: [email protected]

#Manchester #Jobs #Hospitality
January 13, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Reposted by Rob Ralphs
Grim conditions highlighted in today's @hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social reports.

Manchester had a rodent infestation, while at Long Lartin, a continued lack of in-cell toilets led prisoners to use buckets in their cells and throw bags of excrement out of the windows.
howardleague.org/news/long-la...
January 14, 2025 at 10:55 AM
R.I.P Patsy Mckie. An amazing and inspiring woman who I had the honour to know and work with @ Mothers Against Violence. A huge loss to the community and to those who work to reduce youth violence. ❤️
January 10, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Reposted by Rob Ralphs
Study of the bureaucratic amorality of the UK's khat ban, including perspectives from British Somali communities link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Khat-Chewing, Adiaphorisation and Morality: Rethinking Ethics in the Age of the Synopticon - Critical Criminology
In June 2014, the UK Government made khat (Catha edulis) a Class C drug under the UK Misuse of Drugs Act. Based on limited evidence, this decision went against the Government's own Advisory Council on...
link.springer.com
December 17, 2024 at 6:52 AM
Reposted by Rob Ralphs
In our latest blog, Dr @gabrielcaluzzi.bsky.social explores how midlife women’s drinking is shaped by work pressures, caregiving demands, & class.

Moving beyond the ‘wine mum’ stereotype, he highlights the need for a deeper understanding of these influences.

www.ias.org.uk/2024/12/18/b...
Beyond the ‘Wine Mum’: Understanding Midlife Women’s Drinking - Institute of Alcohol Studies
Midlife women’s drinking is shaped by stress, societal norms, and shifting identities. While the “wine mum” stereotype simplifies this, a recent study of Australian women reveals diverse influences, f...
www.ias.org.uk
December 18, 2024 at 9:38 AM
Reposted by Rob Ralphs
📣♾️📣♾️📣
In 2024 The Loop tested 643 pills, obtained from across UK event-based & community-based testing.
What did we learn?
>95% of pills contained more than an average adult dose (~100mg) of MDMA
>99% of pills contained only MDMA & no other drug
🐌 #GoSlowStayLow
💧#TakeQuarterSipWater
📣♾️📣♾️📣
December 13, 2024 at 7:52 AM
Reposted by Rob Ralphs
Really honoured to be part of the organising committee for this year’s Int Society for the Study of Drug Policy (ISSDP) in Manchester. Hosted by Manchester Met (who madly made me a visiting professor ☺️). Call for abstracts opened www.issdp.org
ISSDP
The International Society for the Study of Drug Policy
www.issdp.org
December 11, 2024 at 2:34 PM
Reposted by Rob Ralphs
🇬🇧 Drug use trends, 16-24 year olds, 1995 v 2023:

💨 Speed: tanked, from 12% to sub 1%
🙂 E: fallen by two thirds
🌱 Weed: halved
🍭 LSD: halved, but creeping up
🍄 Mushies: after falling, back to '95 levels
❄️ Cocaine: tripled (altho same level as '00)
🐴 Ketamine: tripled (since K stats started '07)
Drug misuse in England and Wales: year ending March 2024 - An overview of the extent and trends of illicit drug use. Data are from the Crime Survey for England and Wales. Out now from ONS - www.ons.gov.uk/releases/dru...
December 12, 2024 at 4:23 PM
Reposted by Rob Ralphs
"Prohibition has not worked. Humane, evidence-based strategies are the only way forward"

@TheLancet editorial on Global Commission @globalcdp
new report "Beyond Punishment: From Criminal Justice Responses to Drug Policy Reform"
1/
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Harm reduction must replace punitive drug policies
The so-called war on drugs has failed. In the last century, countries have increasingly attempted absolute prohibition of drug use, often via penal measures. Despite global action, these policies have not deterred drug use: we have reached record levels of “abuse, illicit cultivation and production and manufacture of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances”, as acknowledged at the 2024 UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs. Drug trafficking networks have become increasingly sophisticated and violent, and deaths related to drug use have increased.
www.thelancet.com
December 9, 2024 at 4:20 PM
I would have put it much higher, at least two-thirds 🤔👇
"32% of PhD students are at risk of having or developing a common psychiatric disorder, especially depression.

This estimate was significantly higher than those obtained in the comparison groups."

Worth remembering. Be kind.

#academicsky #mentalhealth

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
December 9, 2024 at 6:56 PM
I never get tired of listening & looking @ Michael Linnell’s pioneering harm reduction art work. Great to have him come and talk to our Criminology & Sociology students as part of our harm reduction panel alongside Early Break’s Janine Day and Jon Findlay, Way Throughs national harm reduction lead.👍
December 9, 2024 at 6:53 PM
That’s about 100 times more than my most read journal article on NPS use in homeless populations: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
December 7, 2024 at 2:37 PM
Fantastic to see so many engaged professionals discussing best practice and learning around reducing ketamine related harms @ Think Ketamine @manmetuni.bsky.social
November 27, 2024 at 12:38 PM
Reposted by Rob Ralphs
Useful update from the NCA on 'county lines'. It notes that activity is becoming more localised, which leads to the question, when do 'county lines' stop being 'county lines'. Again, despite some public/media speculation, drugs involved predominately crack/heroin news.npcc.police.uk/releases/cou...
County Lines becoming more localised
County Lines are changing to become more localised, reveals new County Lines Strategic Threat Risk Assessment.
news.npcc.police.uk
November 25, 2024 at 9:21 AM