For those who need it, Adderall and other stimulants can be game-changing medications that help restore the chemical imbalances underlying ADHD. But for those who don’t, these drugs can be harmful.
Doping is condemned in sports. But what about in the military? Should soldiers be allowed or even encouraged to take drugs that make them superior fighters and more likely to complete a mission?
We’ve got better at managing the health risks of traditional drugs of abuse, but novel psychoactive substances, or ‘legal highs’, are a dangerous unknown.
As in other parts of the world, the war on drugs in Southeast Asian countries has huge social, moral and medical costs. Now, an approach that places harm reduction at its centre is gaining support.
Extensive drug use was reported at the 1952 Helsinki Games, but it was the death of two athletes that finally galvanized international sporting authorities into taking action against doping.
Professor, Director of Research and Statistical Support Service and Program Leader for Substance Use and Mental Health, Centre for Health Services Research, The University of Queensland