Addiction remains shrouded in stigma, while the system through which we provide addiction treatment in Australia is fragmented and failing. There’s no better time to address these issues.
Possessing heroin, cocaine, meth and other drugs for personal use is no longer a criminal offense in Oregon. The idea is to get people with problem drug use help, not punishment.
It’s hard to get an accurate picture of how the pandemic has influenced drug use, but initial data suggests treatment services are reporting increased demand.
Can’t make up your mind in the recreational cannabis referendum? You’re not alone, so here’s some tips from both sides of the debate to help you decide.
Yelena Ionova, University of California, San Francisco
There are ingredients in your pills other than the one designed to treat your ailments. Those unnamed ingredients can alter how you respond to a medicine or even make you sick.
While many people said they drank more during the pandemic, others actually drank less, mainly because socialising at clubs, pubs and parties wasn’t possible.
The head lice drug ivermectin is being touted as a coronavirus killer. But studies suggest it would need to be taken in mega-doses far higher than those currently used, with unknown side-effects.
With regular music festivals, people can more easily seek help or advice about drug and alcohol or mental health issues. But with drive-ins we need to be creative to minimise harms.
When news reports tout a drug, people get interested, even if the benefits are unproven. Patient hopes, requests and demands can easily turn into real prescriptions in their doctor’s office.
Nevan Krogan, University of California, San Francisco
Kinases are cellular control switches. When they malfunction, they can cause cancer. The coronavirus hijacks these kinases to replicate, and cancer drugs that target them could fight COVID-19.