Blog
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VAADA Statement: Drug Decriminalisation
In the lead up to the 2026 Victorian State Election to be held in November, the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) is publishing an Election Statement that reflects the priorities of the Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) sector: https://www.vaada.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/DOC_State-Election-Statement_FINAL_16072026.pdf This statement is intended to inform the next State Government…
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Festival Strip Searches Class Action
On 21 July 2022, Slater and Gordon Lawyers and Redfern Legal Centre issued a class action proceeding for people who have been unlawfully searched by NSW Police at all music festivals in NSW between 22 July 2016 and 21 July 2022. On 30 September 2025, the judgment in this proceeding…
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National Press Club – Tobacco Policy has increased harms
The National Press Club presentations on July 22nd discussed the topic “Illicit tobacco – It is costing Australia heaps”.The speakers raised a number of issues relevant to tobacco policy:-have tobacco policies over the past decade been counter productive to reducing the harms associated with tobacco use?-why have many countries been…
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Free naloxone machines rolling out across Victoria
Opioid overdose is the leading cause of drug-related death in Victoria and it can happen to anyone.Naloxone is a free, easy-to-use medication that can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose. You can use naloxone even if you’re not sure whether someone has taken opioidsNaloxone is legal, suitable for people of all…
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Ambulance call outs plummet after injecting room opens in Melbourne.
Some of the following is taken from ABC News report dated Thursday July 9: The success of the Medically Supervised Injecting Room in North Richmond has been demonstrated with recently released report containing data from Monash University and TurningPoint Centre. The report shows ambulance call-outs for heroin related overdoses fell…
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Dr John Crozier’s Opinion Piece on Medicinal Cannabis & Driving Gets It Wrong
In today’s SMH there is an appalling opinion column headlined “As a trauma surgeon, I know cannabis kills. Don’t green-light medicinal drivers” by surgeon John Crozier. It is so full of downright inaccuracies, that I am surprised it got a run. It typifies the response of the naysayers to this…
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NSW Police Sniffer Dogs Announcement
After years of lobbying by legal services, human rights groups and victims of questionable police conduct, NSW police have finally conceded that the use of drug dogs at music festivals and other major events has mostly targeted people who use drugs, not traffickers. When the Police Powers (Drug Detections Dogs)…
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The Pacific Drug & HIV Crisis
https://apple.news/A0IzBn91ZReqhvyrfsTk_4Q Recent media reports highlight the growing use of the South Pacific as a transit corridor within the transnational cocaine trade, particularly in relation to the Australian market. Most recently, developments in Fiji have again drawn attention to the impact of illicit drugs on local communities that are ill-prepared and…
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$77 billion shortfall in government revenue from cigarette excise
It’s often forgotten where Australia started to go wrong in its response to cigarettes and vaping: Australia ignored the fact that its official national policy since 1985 has been ‘harm minimisation’. This term was defined in the 1990s as supply reduction plus demand reduction plus harm reduction. Australia’s commitment to harm…