News
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Australians want more spent on drug education and treatment – survey
Australians prefer harmful drug use to be tackled using education and treatment instead of law enforcement to a greater degree than they did three years ago, the latest results from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey show. […]
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Pill Testing At Spilt Milk Is A Huge Win For Harm Reduction
In a landmark decision the ACT Government has allowed a pill testing service to operate at Canberra’s Spilt Milk festival this November. This service is the first of its kind to ever occur in Australia. It is groundbreaking. By allowing it to happen, Chief Minister Andrew Barr and the ACT Government have elevated…
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ACT government’s decision to allow a pill testing trial at Spilt Milk festival is a good one
The ACT government has made a courageous decision to proceed with a pill testing trial at a music festival in the territory. While the nation’s capital is thought of as one of the more progressive jurisdictions in the country it is still nonetheless a big step to green light such a…
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Police support injecting room in Melbourne
‘Heroin overdoses are predominantly a health issue that commonly cause death and leave our members and other emergency service workers frequently picking up the pieces when lives are tragically lost,’ union secretary Wayne Gatt said on Monday. The union said a trial for safe injecting rooms – like the one at…
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Fact check: Is there evidence that mandatory drug testing of welfare recipients can help drug users get off welfare?
Mr Porter’s claim is wishful thinking. Of six reports put forward by Mr Porter’s office in defence of his claim, only two specifically relate to drug testing of welfare recipients and both strongly reject it as a viable strategy. The other four relate to the drug treatment of offenders in the criminal…
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Drug-testing welfare recipients an ‘absolute disgrace’, Australian of the Year says
McGorry is the latest prominent Australian to voice his concern about the measure, which will see 5,000 welfare recipients drug tested at three trial locations. He has warned the policy fails to understand the intersection between mental illness and drug and alcohol addiction. The consequence will be to drive vulnerable Australians…
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Until my son became dependent, drugs weren’t part of my world. I hope they’re never part of yours
If someone is addicted to drugs and you take away their ability to spend money on drugs, will they stop using?No, they will find other criminal ways to score, break and enters or dealing drugs. That’s why I’m naming this bill “desperate measures”, because that’s what it will induce in…
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A medically supervised injection facility matters for Victoria – and for more inclusive mental health support
The many people who died from preventable heroin overdoses were members of a Melbourne community – and their lives mattered. We can choose to be the kind of community that supports each other when people are struggling and need help. Now we need to make sure that establishing a medically supervised…
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Drug testing welfare recipients is about money not love
The personal cost and harm of this policy is much more obvious than the love. We know that risky alcohol and drug use are closely linked to living in remote and disadvantaged areas. Being marginalised and disadvantaged leads to increased drug and alcohol use, not the other way around. Targeting already…