For the past 30 years Axel Klein has been fascinated by the ways in which societies have managed the psychoactive substances that are a widely known source of pleasure and pain. Trained as a Social Anthropologist at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, Klein conducted fieldwork in West Africa where he had opportunity to observe the impact of imported substances on formerly drug naif communities, and the ham-fisted response by government agencies, poorly advised by international organisations. Working as a drug control expert for the UK Home Office, the European Commission, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the African Union and other agencies Klein contributed to programmes in policies in the UK, across Europe, in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America. On projects, as an academic at the university of Kent, or heading the research department at the NGO Drug Scope, as well as in his publications Klein has advocated managing drugs by focusing on human wellbeing, avoid unintended consequences, and institutional corruption. Klein considers tobacco, cannabis, coca and khat, as falling into the same category, their legal and cultural status was quite different. While the gradual normalisation of cannabis is a great win, the concurrent demonisation of tobacco gives him great rise for concern, as he sees a continuation of many of the policy follies from the lost war on drugs in a new domain. Klein is currently working as an independent consultant and as a director of People and Psychoactive Plants.