Social Services Minister Christian Porter told Q&A that 'rates of drug use amongst unemployed are 2.5 times higher than amongst employed people'. Is that correct?
Generally, people under 40 have reported a decrease in recent illicit drug usage since 2001, while people 40 or older have reported an increase in recent years.
AAP Image/Paul Miller
The proportion of population who use legal and illegal drugs has remained stable or trended down. Fewer young people are using, but the proportion of older people using drugs and alcohol has grown.
Medically supervised injecting facilities can prevent overdoses turning into a medical emergency. So why has progress in Victoria stalled?
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There's no legal reason why Victoria can't have its own medically supervised drug injecting room to prevent more overdoses, despite political setbacks.
The not-for-profit UK group The Loop said it tested the drug ecstasy with ‘loop lasers’ at a festival in July 2016.
The Loop UK/Facebook
Victorian Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said conducting on-site drug tests at public events "safely and quickly is not really a practical option". But the technology is available.
Police seized 200kg of methamphetamine during a drug bust in Perth, Western Australia, in May 2016.
AAP Image/Department of Immigration and Border Protection
West Australian Labor leader Mark McGowan said his state has the "worst rate of methamphetamine usage in the country". We asked the experts to check the evidence.
US TV-style ‘interventions’ aren’t the answer.
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There is a potential for significant harm in Australia if we don't have adequate systems in place to monitor our drug markets and respond rapidly when specific dangers are detected.
There has been particular concern about methamphetamine use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.
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Around 2.3% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians 15 years and over report using speed or amphetamine in the past year. This is similar to the general population.
While Sydney’s medically supervised injecting centre has had positive results, we need drug consumption rooms all over the country.
AAP/Paul Miller
There is no evidence to suggest mandatory treatment outside of the criminal justice system would work. Instead, we need to increase funding for treatment programs, including early intervention.
Prohibition of popping pills to hit night clubs near you.
' stevendepolo/flickr'
International evidence suggests "awareness" campaigns are not the best way to address harmful methamphetamine use. Fear-based approaches can increase stigma and drive people from treatment.
Only a small proportion of Australians who use methamphetamines fall into a category of dependent users.
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There is no doubt methamphetamine can cause harm. But when politicians hijack drug issues and overplay them for political purposes, that too can cause harm.
The number of people who use methamphetamine has not changed in at least the last ten years.
Matthew/Flickr
Prime Minister Tony Abbott today launched a taskforce to tackle the growing problem of ice. But while Australia certainly has a problem with ice, it's hardly an epidemic.
Methylamphetamine, in particular crystal meth or ‘ice’, has been the subject of much scrutiny in Australia in recent times.
AAP/David Crosling
How does the ACC report help inform the debate around methylamphetamine, and what practical lessons can Australian society and law enforcement draw from it?
Housing First is a program that offers housing to homeless drug users – regardless of whether or not they’re drug free – with a goal of social recovery.
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Over the past decade, drug use in the US has risen dramatically, with heroin use reaching epidemic proportions. The country’s policy for combating abuse has involved incarceration, abstinence-only treatment…
