Most of our drugs policies have failed to curb use or reduce their impact on individuals or society. It’s time for a more enlightened and informed approach.
LSD causes euphoria, increased body temperature and hallucinations where some or all of the senses are distorted.
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During the 1950s and 1960s, LSD was used more for psychotherapy than recreation. Between 1950 and 1965, many were treated with LSD for alcoholism, depression, schizophrenia, autism and homosexuality.
Drug analysis would be a safe, ethical and cost-effective way to reduce harm to young people.
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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.
How effective are drug-detection dogs in minimising harm?
AAP/Paul Miller
Drug-detection dogs don’t stop most drug use. And they have been shown to encourage more dangerous practices, criminalise and traumatise marginalised groups, and render all as potential suspects.
Pills sold as ecstasy contain variable amounts of MDMA, sometimes none.
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Ecstasy is the street name for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA, an illicit party drug that speeds up messages to and from the brain and alters the user’s perception of reality.
The AFL season opened this week. But on the day that Collingwood was slated to play Sydney, the media was focusing on much more than the footy. The Herald Sun alleged that 11 Collingwood players had positive…
Drug checking would make music festivals safer.
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Not only are our drug policies not working, we’re falling behind the rest of the world and what evidence says is best to ensure we have fewer deaths from illicit drugs.
While Sydney’s medically supervised injecting centre has had positive results, we need drug consumption rooms all over the country.
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The ice taskforce’s report sends a clear message about the importance of focusing on drug use as a health issue. This signals an important shift in thinking.
Evidence-based drug treatments are relatively successful at reducing use and improving quality of life.
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This week the AFL announced revisions to its illicit drug policy. With strident critics calling for “zero tolerance” and even criminal sanctions for transgressions, it is an opportunity to reflect on why…
Policymakers should consider other solutions, such as prison diversion programs.
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The challenge is to intervene before users hit crisis point. A Hawaii-based program does just this and has achieved substantial reductions in drug use. A similar scheme could work in Australia.
The Prime Minister said ice was more dangerous than any other illegal drug.
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Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said ice is far more potent, far more dangerous, and far more addictive than any other illegal drug. Is that supported by the data?
These mixed messages reflect a longstanding tension in public policy and legal debates about drug use.
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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.
In March 2015, Karmichael Hunt pleaded guilty to four counts of cocaine possession. This coincided with the end of his career at the Gold Coast Suns AFL club. At the close of the court case, a colleague…