The Criminalisation of Trauma - Why the War on Drugs was never about drugs
In February 2026 our friends at Mind Global invited Ben Curran, from the Museum of Drugs to deliver a lecture as part of their IMPACT 2026 Conference. You can watch that lecture below. Please note the Content Warning at the start of the lecture.
Under the Influence
‘America’s Public Enemy Number One in the United States is Drug Abuse’
- President Richard Nixon launches ‘The War on Drugs’, June 17th1971.
In his talk, Ben Curran will be exploring the roots of international drugs policy and how criminalisation has resulted in the traumatisation of people across the globe. Was this the unfortunate by-product of well-intentioned public health initiatives? Or were there other factors at play?
Since 1971, criminalisation has created what Ben describes as the ‘perpetual cycle of trauma’, causing harm to the mental health of individuals, families, and communities across the world.
It is time to learn from history, and to call for change.
