“You would think that a murder has taken place” – Police close down Sydney nightclub
NSW police raided Candy’s Apartment nightclub on Saturday night over allegations of drug supply and licensing breaches. Around 40 police officers poured out of unmarked buses and stormed the club, telling patrons to leave, as the venue was being closed down....
MDMA Can Cure PTSD: An Interview with Dr Stephen Bright
Most Australians think of MDMA as the illicit party drug ecstasy. Often it’s the main ingredient. However, an ecstasy pill will usually contain a range of substances, such as PMA, which mimics the effect of MDMA, but can be much...
Terminally Ill Victorians May Soon Have the Right to Die
Dying with dignity might become a reality for the terminally ill in Victoria, as end-of-life legislation is set to be introduced into state parliament in the second half of next year. Victorian premier Daniel Andrews announced on Thursday that all...
Police Raid Newcastle Medical Marijuana Dispensary
As the use of medical marijuana is fast becoming accepted across Australia, NSW police raided a medicinal cannabis growing dispensary in Newcastle. Last Thursday, 215 plants were seized from a hydroponic operation run by a local group called the Church...
Free pill testing kits will be available at music festivals
Free pill-testing kits will flood Sydney’s music festivals this summer, despite Mike Baird refusing to formally implement the harm minimisation measure. Fed up with the government’s “unrealistic” zero-tolerance approach, drug reformists are taking matters into their own hands by vowing...
Harm Minimisation and Beyond: An Interview with Unharm’s Will Tregoning
Australia has a long history of harm minimisation. Since 1985, reducing the risks associated with drug use has formed the basis of the nation’s National Drug Strategy. Indeed, Australia has been a world leader in a field that acknowledges some...
Legalise Cannabis: An Exclusive Interview with 420 organiser Chris Hindi
Last Sunday, the Free Cannabis community 420 picnic was held in Sydney’s Victoria Park. The event saw about 170 marijuana enthusiasts turn up, light up and get high. It’s the fourth picnic Free Cannabis NSW has organised this year, aiming...
Preventing Deaths from Drug Overdoses: Sniffer Dogs Are Not the Answer
By Blake O’Connor and Ugur Nedim The recent 2016 “Listen Out” festival is another example that the government’s approach to drug enforcement is ineffective and even dangerous, putting party-goers in harm’s way. Despite the heavy police presence at the festival,...
Arrests, Illegal Searches and Drug Overdoses at Listen Out Music Festival
By Ugur Nedim Police and sniffer dogs were out in force as more than 25,000 revellers attended Sydney’s Centennial Park for this year’s Listen Out music festival over the weekend. Event organisers and police described the event as a success,...
Sniffer Dog Searches Falling in NSW
Recent figures show the number of drug dog searches being carried out by NSW police is in decline. In 2015, police performed 12,893 searches compared with 14,541 in 2014. This represents an 11 percent decrease in the space of a...
