We live in a “post-truth” world now, don’t we? You know it, Donald Trump knows it, even the lexicographers charged with keeping dictionaries hip know it. But while we might know it, many of us still don’t fully understand it. How can such a large chunk of the voting population just not give a fuck about the facts?
One lucky set of people who’ve at least had a little more time to comprehend this concept are those who follow British law. Drug legislators were “post-truth” before it was cool, very much leading the way when it came to ignoring experts and just reacting to whatever the red tops were making a fuss about. And this year was a big win for the tabloids: when the Psychoactive Substances Act came into force on the 26th of May, making it illegal to sell hitherto “legal highs” or nitrous oxide, it was a direct result of the moral panic they’d started themselves.
The Collected Works of Kevin EG Perry 