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Toxic leukoencephalopathy is when the brain’s white matter is damaged. It is often deadly.
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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.
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One report says methamphetamine use is rising. Another says it’s falling. So what’s going on?
Spice is the name given to a diverse group of drugs called ‘synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists’.
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Spice has been nicknamed the ‘zombie drug’ due to the debilitating effects it can cause.
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The good news is most teenagers don’t use illicit drugs, and the majority of those who do only do so occasionally and don’t come to serious harm.
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A new polydrug is destroying lives in west Africa.
Xanax pills.
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Synthetic opioids called nitazenes are ones to watch in 2024.
An Italian military policeman holds up a Captagon tablet from a large seizure of the drug.
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From mead to magic mushrooms to methamphetamine – drugs have always fuelled battles.
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Taking MDMA can raise our body temperature higher than it should be. Extreme heat may compound this effect.
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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.
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Nitazenes were developed as a powerful class of painkiller in the 1950s, but they were abandoned – until now.
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The US has seen a huge rise in drug deaths in the past decade involving a stimulant and a depressant.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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As British Columbia begins a new era in drug policy, the drug poisoning crisis continues without an end in sight.
Peter Krykant’s unsanctioned overdose prevention centre allowed users in Glasgow to take drugs in his medically equipped van.
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There are around 200 supervised injection facilities around the world but the UK government remains opposed to their introduction
Only a small amount of fentanyl is enough to be lethal.
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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.
People around the world mourned loved ones on International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31, 2021.
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False narratives about drug addiction and policies that are not supported by research are deepening the overdose epidemic in the US.
Impurities are often added to recreational drugs to mask poor quality.
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In an effort to reduce costs, drugmakers and dealers often cut, or adulterate, recreational drugs with substances that have been banned by the FDA.