The AFL’s illicit drugs policy has been criticised after Sport Integrity Australia’s recent investigation. However, critics should cast a broader eye when it comes to drugs in Australian sports.
The traction drug checking is gaining in Australia reflects local and international evidence showing these services reduce harm for people who use illicit drugs.
Nitazenes can be up to 50 times stronger than fentanyl. They’re not yet common in Australia so now is the time to implement policies to reduce their harm and limit their uptake.
Around 60% of Australians with hepatitis C have accessed treatment which usually cures the condition. But to eliminate the disease, we need to prevent re-infection and tackle stigma.
The problem with prodrugs is we don’t know how big the problem is because they are so hard to identify.
Drug checking is a harm reduction practice that provides chemical analysis of substances. Fentanyl test strips help drug users ensure that substances are free of dangerous fentanyl.
(AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)
Most consumables in Canada have quality controls that inform purchasing and consumption decisions. People who use illicit drugs deserve the same. Drug checking provides that harm-reduction service.
There’s a lot we don’t know about how Queenslanders will be able to get their pills tested in future. But here’s how other countries do it.
A supervised consumption site in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, in 2021. B.C. has decriminalized simple possession of drugs, including methamphetamines and opioids.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Fentanyl’s wide availability in the drug supply has led to an increase in unintentional overdoses. While prevention strategies are available, limited availability stymies their use.