Alcohol and substance abuse costs the Australian economy A$24.5bn a year. The human toll from accidents, overdoses, chronic disease, violence, mental illness and family disruption, however, is immeasurable…
In the aftermath of Glee star Cory Monteith’s death, a lot of media attention has focused on his ‘troubled life’ and ‘dark past’.
EPA/MIKE NELSON
Public attitudes towards drugs are shaped by many things, including high-profile celebrity encounters with drugs and addiction. One unfortunate example of this involves popular Canadian actor Cory Monteith…
Researchers found early and persistent cannabis users showed an eight-point decline in IQ compared to those who hadn’t used cannabis in this way.
Jonah G.S.
A study published today in the scholarly journal PNAS questions the conclusion of a paper from last year that was widely seen as greatly strengthening the evidence that regular cannabis use beginning in…
The finger has been pointed at Collingwood player Dane Swan in the latest drugs in sports ‘scandal’.
AAP
Here we go again. Another high profile sportsperson has been implicated in the latest drugs in sport “scandal”. This time the finger is being pointed at Collingwood Brownlow medallist Dane Swan. The same…
Alcohol is responsible for more drug treatments than any other substance.
AAP/Melanie Foster
Alcohol continues to account for nearly half of government-funded substance abuse treatment in Australia. A report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) shows 47% of drug treatments…
The products marketed as “legal weed” might cause more harm than the real thing.
prensa
Synthetic cannabis is a lab-made product that mimics the effects of cannabis to give users a high when smoked. It has been sold in Australia since 2011 under various brand names, with a range of chemical…
US-led enthusiasm about so-called “smart drugs” may be problematic.
rafa2010
Do so-called “smart pills” enhance performance in students? Are they part of a widespread, growing phenomenon? You would be forgiven for thinking so. In a recent article on The Conversation, Simon Outram…
Would it be so bad if a pill that improved athletic performance was available to everyone?
Dave Campbell
The Olympics is arguably the greatest show of combined physical and mental prowess we’ll ever see. The Games challenge competitors and challenge the watching public to think about the achievements they’re…
Doctors, just like the rest of the population, make personal choices about drug use. Some choose to use legal drugs such as tobacco and alcohol; others take illicit substances like cannabis and amphetamines…
Drugs smuggled into a South Australian prison. If jails can’t be kept drug free, what hope is there for wider society?
AAP/Thuy On
Australians have always loved their drugs – more so than any other nation in which those same drugs are proscribed and used under threat of native, criminal penalties. Drug taking is a national trait…
Brazilian police patrol a favela in Rio De Janiero.
EPA/Marcelo Sayao
Former Brazilian President, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, has argued that the war on drugs has failed and cannabis should be decriminalised. He argued that the hardline approach has brought “disastrous” consequences…
Shamed senior police officer Mark Standen is lead away from King St Supreme Court after being found guilty of attempting to import a massive haul of pseudoephedrine.
AAP/Tracey Nearmy
The Australia21 report on illicit drugs draws much-needed attention to many serious issues, including the major role played by corrupt police in drug distribution networks. The role played by drugs in…
He’s in the spotlight for taking a drug that probably didn’t even help his performance.
EPA/Alberto Martin
After a drawn-out and controversial case, Spanish professional cyclist Alberto Contador has been found guilty of doping and banned from the sport for two years. Contador was stripped of his victories at…
Addicts have choices, but those choices might be severely constrained.
davidblume
Neil Levy, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
Welcome to part four of _On the brain, a Conversation series by people whose job it is to know as much as there is to know about the body’s most complex organ. Here, Neil Levy, Head of Neuroethics at Florey…
Susceptibility to addiction can be seen as a form of Russian Roulette.
kriffster
Welcome to part three of _On the brain, a Conversation series by people whose job it is to know as much as there is to know about the body’s most complex organ. Here, Professor Andrew J. Lawrence, the…
There’s been an upward trend of cocaine use in the general population.
Marcin Wichary/Flickr
The National Drug Strategy Household Survey Report 2010, which indicates the behaviour and attitudes of Australians to drug use, shows reductions in daily tobacco smoking, a range of mixed findings on…