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...
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...
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...
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...
The Netherlands Closes Prisons, While Australia Builds More
As previously reported, the Dutch prison system is suffering a curious problem: they don’t have enough inmates, so they’re closing down prisons. In 2014, the government shutdown 19 facilities, while in 2009, they closed the doors on eight. And in...
Parents or Foster Care? What to do with at-risk children
By Blake O’Connor and Ugur Nedim A spate of recent cases suggest that children placed in foster care are being exposed to cruel treatment, illegal drugs and even sexual abuse. The foster care system is accused of failing to look...
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...
Drivers Beware, Double Demerits Are Here
Ahh, the October long weekend. The weather has started out great, so it’s an ideal time to take a little road trip out of the big smoke. But be warned: double demerits point apply on our roads from today until...
People Power: Russian Drug Users Fight Government
Three drug user activists are challenging the Russian government’s zero-tolerance approach to illegal drugs. The trio have filed a case in the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), claiming Russia’s blanket ban on substitution treatments is an abuse of their...
NSW Drug Driving Laws: Arbitrary, Unfair and Without Evidentiary Basis
NSW Police are well into their unprecedented ‘crackdown’ on drug driving, with an explosion in the number of roadside tests for the presence of illegal drugs over the past 18-months. Last year saw a 109% increase in drug driving charges...
