News
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Pill testing is proven. I Am Hardstyle shows how much we need it
This debate has been raging for decades, but the time to act is now. Festival season is in full swing and although the police presence usually verges on the military, with vigorous searches and barking police dogs greeting revellers as they enter, at every festival young people will be taking…
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No pill testing: Daniel Andrews stays firm on state policy
Premier Daniel Andrews says he will not reconsider his opposition to recreational drug testing despite a mass overdose on Friday night at a Festival Hall rave. But Yarra Drug and Health Forum executive director and former police officer Greg Denham said drug testing would certainly reduce the risk, particularly when…
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Hooked for 30 years: the changing faces of Australia’s drug misuse
“We have to redefine [drug use] and shift from a law enforcement problem to a health and safety problem,” Wodak said, arguing Australia’s harm-minimisation policies have not pushed the pendulum far enough away from punitive responses. […]
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8 Things We Now Know That Happen (and That Don’t Happen) When We Legalize Marijuana
The prophets of doom warned of all manner of social ills that would arise if marijuana were legalized. From hordes of dope-addled youths aimlessly wandering the streets to red-eyed carnage on the highway, the divinations were dire. And they were wrong. In a report released Tuesday the Drug Policy Alliance…
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Nine in hospital after suspected drug overdoses at Festival Hall dance party
Victorian Greens MP Colleen Hartland, who has been campaigning for pill testing to be made available at festivals and dance parties, said the overdoses once again highlighted the need for such a service. “What happens in Europe is people can anonymously give over their drugs, they are tested, and then…
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Warning about elephant sedative drug Carfentanil seized in Canberra
Emergency department doctor David Caldicott, who has been pushing for a drug testing trial in the ACT, said it was another example of how testing of drugs at the point of consumption could save lives. He warned while the best way to avoid harm was to avoid drugs, opioid addicts…
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One way cities can reduce overdose deaths: open safe spaces for injecting heroin
While in an ideal world no one would use dangerous and potentially deadly drugs, many people do. So it’s better to give these drug users space where they can use with some sort of supervision in case something goes wrong. It’s a harm reduction approach. And here’s the thing: Studies…
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We now know sniffer dogs cost NSW more than $9m per
Today we’ve learned the New South Wales police detection dog unit – the largest in the country – costs more than $9 million per year. That’s not including the wages of the 6-12 officers who accompany the dogs on operations. Drug sniffer dogs have long been controversial, but the criticism…
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Norway is aiming to decriminalise drugs. The UK should choose legalisation
In the wake of Norway’s decision to decriminalise drugs, politicians from all parties should use this opportunity to take a different approach to our drug policy. By opting for legalisation, we can take the market out of the hands of criminals and raise some money for treating vulnerable users while…
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Canada: Liberal MPs urge dropping criminal penalties for all illicit drug use
Even as Justin Trudeau prepares to deliver on his promise to legalize recreational marijuana, Liberal MPs are pushing the government to eliminate criminal penalties for simple possession and consumption of all illicit drugs. […]