Legalising Psychedelic Drugs: An Interview with LSD Advocate Greg Kasarik
Greg Kasarik appeared in Melbourne’s Magistrates Court on January 10 this year, on a charge of being in possession of a drug of dependency. Kasarik was arrested on April 19 last year, when he was found in possession of LSD, while he was...
From Prisoner to Principal Lawyer: An Interview with Debbie Kilroy
Queensland attorney-general Yvette D’Ath announced the members of the reinstated Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council on November 10 last year. The council works to advise the state government and Court of Appeal on sentencing matters. Amongst the ten members of the council...
Stop Funding Anti-Sex Work Group: An Interview with Vixen Collective’s Jane Green
Victorian sex workers are speaking out against the state government’s announcement that it will provide funding to an anti-sex work organisation called Project Respect. Sex worker advocates say the group is increasing discrimination against their already marginalised community. Victorian minister...
Police Against Drug Prohibition: An Interview with LEAP’s Greg Denham
In 2001, the Uniting Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) was established in Sydney’s Kings Cross, in response to a spate of heroin overdoses. Ten years on, studies found that the facility had been a resounding success. Ambulance call-outs were down by 80...
Indigenous Treaties: An Interview with Narungga Elder Tauto Sansbury
Many are calling it a historic event, while others are saying it’s about time. Several state governments around Australia are finally entering into treaty discussions with the nation’s First Peoples. The South Australian government announced last week that it will begin...
Legalise It: An interview with Australian Hemp Party President Michael Balderstone
It’s been a big year for marijuana in Australia. In February, federal parliament passed the Narcotic Drugs Amendment Bill 2016 allowing for the legal cultivation, manufacture and distribution of medicinal cannabis. Under the new system - which came into effect on October...
End the Detention of Palestinian Children: An Interview with APAN’s Jessica Morrison
A nine-year-old Palestinian boy, who we’ll refer to as Ahmad, was detained by Israeli soldiers on July 26 this year. He was playing with friends near the Wall in the West Bank village of Zububa, when two Israeli soldiers chased him...
Empowering Women Inmates: An Interview with WIPAN President Kat Armstrong
More women in Australia are being incarcerated than ever before. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures suggest that since 2005, the incarceration rate for women has risen by close to 40 percent, compared with 18 percent for men. Women account for around...
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...
Returning to Work after Cancer: An Interview with Professor Bogda Koczwara
In the past, the C word was something people didn’t like to discuss in polite company. However, with increasingly better treatments becoming available, cancer no longer necessarily marks the end of a person’s life. This year, the number of Australians...
