The Human Rights Watch said it was appalled by the death penalty verdict by a Vietnam criminal court against an Australian grandmother for drug trafficking. Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, was highly critical of Vietnam’s policy to apply the death penalty for drug trafficking. […]

“The evidence speaks for itself. There are more than 130 research papers on drug consumption rooms around the world — it’s been deeply researched,” Mr Noffs said. He said it was a stepping stone to getting people into treatment and helped filter drug-related cases away from mainstream hospital emergency departments. […]

The idea that rooms are provided to allow people to take drugs like crystal methamphetamine needs to be taken seriously. When my son Damien died in 1997, the idea of injecting facilities and prescription heroin drew my attention but I was cautious about them. Rather than dismiss them out of hand I took it upon myself to visit Switzerland and…

Each tragedy that swells the ranks of the Anyone’s Child campaign is preventable, and each one further evidences the fact that legalising and regulating the UK’s supply of drugs will save lives. Nobody’s child needs to provide the government with another case study. […]

If we are genuine about reducing the harm caused by drugs we need education, regulation and health-based programs underpinned by evidence. The days of empty, chest beating calls for a war on drugs are hopefully over. […]

Dr Angella Duvnjak has been appointed CEO of the Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL). […]

Tough love, interventions and 12-step programs are some of the most common methods of treating drug addiction, but journalist Maia Szalavitz says they’re often counterproductive. […]

Drugs, legal and illegal, are prevalent in Australian society. And over-consumption causes addiction, disfunction and death. But the illegal ones – those tested for by the NRL – are, according to experts, less harmful than the legal ones that sponsor rugby league. […]

The first step to solving a problem is admitting there is one. So together we must realise that the real problem is not the use of drugs, it is the fear and the subsequent belief we created that the criminal justice system is the answer. […]

It’s impossible to remove the stigma of addiction while drug use remains illegal – the two concepts are completely at odds with one another. […]