Gino Vumbaca, President of Harm Reduction Australia and Pill Testing Australia, questioned why strip searching has to continue in the first place. “I think what’s fundamentally missing from this report is an understanding of the impact of strip searching people, and young people at that” […]
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Outrage Grows Over NSW Government’s Backflip on Drug Law Reform
NSW premier Chris Minns last week shattered the drug law reform agenda he’d been spruiking pre-election. The Labor leader has pushed his drug summit back to the end of the term and said he has “no mandate” for decriminalising drugs on the day his party colleagues made it law in the ACT. […]
A haven for ‘drug tourism’ or beacon of hope? The rhetoric around decriminalisation in the ACT
Ahead of new laws coming in October, advocates answer police fears about more drug-driving deaths and bikie violence with a call to work together […]
Calls to take Canberra’s drug-checking service CanTEST on the road to better help Australians
The facility has confirmed what authorities had long warned – that each link in the illicit drug trade is in it for themselves. Dealers often dilute drugs, mixing in chemicals that stretch their stash – and their cash – as far as possible. […]
VIDEO: Drop-in drug checking clinic provides worrying insight into Australia’s party drugs
Nearly a thousand people have come forward to have their drugs tested and the results suggest a host of dangerous supplements and contamination may be found in the country’s party drugs. […]
‘Scare tactics’: Criminal defence lawyer slams moral panic over ACT drug decriminalisation
A recent push to decriminalise cocaine, heroin and ice in the ACT has sparked a reaction as old as time itself from the police. […]
A haven for ‘drug tourism’ or beacon of hope? The rhetoric around decriminalisation in the ACT
Ahead of new laws coming in October, advocates answer police fears about more drug-driving deaths and bikie violence with a call to work together […]
NSW Premier Says No to Drug Decriminalisation, as the ACT Embarks on Bold Health Approach
Finally, this week, drug decriminalisation came to Australian shores. Laws passed by a Labor Greens government in the ACT came into effect on Monday. Yet, on that very same day, NSW Labor premier Chris Minns decided to rain down on Canberra’s parade, telling the Murdoch press that his government isn’t contemplating drug decriminalisation at present, but if he is voted in again, it might contemplate it some time after that. […]
“I Hope It’s Overturned”: Former Magistrate Heilpern on Revoking of Drug Driving Mistake Defence
The drug driving regime in this state, as in the rest of the country, has always been controversial, as the testing model used, which ultimately sees people charged and lose their driver licence, doesn’t test for impairment levels, like drink driving, but rather tests for the mere presence of a drug. […]
NSW court ruling will make it almost impossible to contest drug-driving charges, legal experts claim
David Heilpern, a former magistrate who retired in 2020 in large part because of his concerns NSW’s drug-driving laws were too punitive, described the judge’s decision as “extraordinary” and precedent-setting. […]
Opioid overdose countering drug naloxone to become standard issue for WA police officers
The force will become the first in the southern hemisphere to start carrying naloxone, which can restore normal breathing within minutes of its use. […]
Greens hope to legalise cannabis nationwide with new bill, for industry expected to generate $28 billion
The decriminalisation of cannabis nationwide is one step closer as Greens senator David Shoebridge introduced a bill on Thursday which would allow adults to grow up to six plants at home. […]
Inside the plan to legalise cannabis in Australia and how it could generate billions in taxes for the government
Thousands of Australians support legalising cannabis, backing in the Greens’ plan that could generate an additional $28billion in revenue over nine years. […]
Labor under pressure for drug reform after Sydney’s spate of shootings
President of Harm Reduction Australia and Pill Testing Australia Gino Vumbaca said the organisation had offered to run free pill testing trials, both during last month’s pride month or at a future music festival, which were not responded to favourably. […]
Why medical cannabis patients should be allowed to drive
An effective framework for allowing patients who use medical cannabis to drive is one that prioritises road safety while also recognising the importance of driving for freedom of movement and quality of life, write Dr Thomas Arkell and Associate Professor Vicki Kotsirilos AM. […]
How an open-minded GP restored senator Peter Whish-Wilson’s health and saved his career
Debilitated by the pain of complication from shingles, a friend suggested he try an alternative therapy […]
‘Like an A380 going down every year’: Victorian drugs campaigner laments a political culture costing lives
Sam Biondo is leaving the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association after 16 years leading the organisation. […]
Melbourne has had Australia’s worst heroin addiction for years. Why can’t the city kick its habit?
There’s heated debate about a second safe injecting room for Victoria’s capital – yet few are asking why use of the drug is so much higher than other cities […]
‘Canary in the coal mine’: Alert for deadly fentanyl shipments at our borders
The drug fentanyl has been at the heart of a deadly and devastating opioid crisis gripping the United States, but for years has had a relatively minimal presence in Australia’s illicit drug scene. […]
Giving voice to those with ‘lived experience’ will better inform drug policy, advocates say
There’s been a long-term push for the Tasmanian government to fund an independent “‘peer-led” advisory body. […]
Opioid Dependence Treatment Program (ODTP) Reforms Pharmacists Fact Sheet
Reforms to the Opioid Dependence Treatment Program (ODTP) will come into effect on 1 July 2023. HRA has compiled this fact sheet for community and hospital pharmacists to provide an overview of the reforms and their implications for pharmacy
[…]Opioid Dependence Treatment Program (ODTP) Reforms Consumer Fact Sheet & Examples
If you are on the ODTP (on methadone or buprenorphine – tablets/film/injections) you may have heard about changes to the program in the 2023 Federal Budget. At HRA we understand this is important, so here’s the main information to know.
[…]100,000 Australians were prescribed medicinal cannabis for chronic pain in 2022
With the exception of Tasmania, Australia’s drug driving laws prohibit the use of THC, even with a script. […]
Australia Has Legalised Psychedelic Therapy — Here’s How It’s Going to Work
Before you start thinking all the rules have gone out the window, there are quite a few caveats here. […]
‘Historic’ funding changes for opioid dependency treatment
Medicines prescribed for the treatment of patients with opioid dependence are set to become more accessible in the coming weeks. […]
To tackle Australia’s opioid overdose problem, learn from global solutions
“We must recognise that addiction is a public health issue – not a law enforcement problem,” Schumann writes below. […]
Australia ranks third for opioid deaths: national drug crisis revealed
The extent of Australia’s drug crisis has been revealed, with the country following the United States and Canada to rank third for the highest number of opioid overdose deaths. […]
A free, legal drug checking service is being set up in three cities around Aotearoa.
The new service is now available at community clinics in Wellington and Christchurch five days a week, and four days a week in Dunedin. […]
CanTEST on their first 1000 drug tests
Canberra’s drug checking site has now tested 1000 substances.
The harm reduction service reported a majority of users disposing of their illicit drugs when testing found they contained unexpected and dangerous substances.
ABC’s Adam Shirley spoke with Stephanie Stephens, the Director of Service Delivery at Directions Health. […]
Drive Change Submission to Law Reform Commission of NSW
David Heilpern, Lead of Drive Change, an organization auspiced by HRA to lobby for change to the drug driving laws for prescribed medicinal cannabis patients
[…]No doubting the need, Melbourne needs a second safe injecting room
If there is a lesson to be learnt from Melbourne’s first safe-injecting room in North Richmond, which the state government finally made permanent this month after a five-year trial, it’s that the success of such a facility relies on appeasing the community as much as managing what goes on inside. […]
HRA Federal Budget Media Release – 9 May 2023
Harm Reduction Australia welcomes the announcement in tonight’s Federal Budget that will see $377.3m over 4 years (with $98.4m ongoing) invested in making access more affordable under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for the Opioid Dependence Treatment Program (ODTP).
[…]Heroin overdoses surge in Melbourne as health services struggle to cope
The most recent data from the Victorian coroner’s court shows between July 2020 and June 2022 Melbourne’s city centre had the highest amount of fatal heroin overdoses of any local government area. […]
Five drug-induced deaths per day in Australia in 2021: new report
There were 1788 drug-induced deaths among Australians in 2021, according to preliminary estimates in a new report by the Drug Trends program at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), UNSW Sydney. […]
Richmond safe injecting room made permanent after late-night vote
Victoria’s first safe injecting room will become permanent in North Richmond after a protracted debate in the state’s upper house ended in a late-night vote on Thursday. […]
This medication has cost Leah’s family $180,000, and counting
Harm reduction experts say excluding opiate treatment patients from those PBS benefits amounts to discrimination against some of Australia’s most vulnerable people. […]
Singapore executes prisoner for smuggling cannabis
A prisoner has been hanged in Singapore for smuggling 1kg of cannabis, despite a plea from the United Nations to urgently reconsider the execution. […]
Queensland Confirms Drug Law Reform but is the ‘Devil Still in the Detail’?
HRA remains concerned with the number of people to be excluded – see our 23 Feb Media Release
[…]‘Join the movement’: Minister calls for pill testing trial in NSW
A NSW minister has broken ranks to urge her Labor government colleagues to “join the nationwide movement” toward pill testing at music festivals, while also suggesting controversial policing tactics such as strip searches and drug-detection dogs should be part of the promised drug summit. […]
New Queensland drug laws will keep thousands of people out of justice system, advocates say
Queensland parliament is poised to pass legislative changes that will divert thousands of people out of the courts and into health and education programs each year in a landmark shift in the state’s approach to illicit substances that new polling shows has popular support. […]
Groovin the Moo fails to secure pill testing again as insurers remain risk averse
Pill testing will not be available onsite at this year’s Groovin the Moo festival in Canberra after exorbitant insurance premiums meant the service was too costly to offer, but CanTEST is expanding its services on the festival weekend. […]
Canberra’s Groovin the Moo music festival will again be without pill-testing, as insurance becomes 22 times more expensive
Groovin the Moo will be without pill-testing when it returns to Canberra later this month. […]
HRA & PTA Media Release – 17 April 2023
Tasmanian government unmoved on pill testing despite drug warning to Panama festival-goers
The ACT is the only jurisdiction to allow fixed and onsite drug testing. Backed by Pill Testing Australia, the CanTEST Health and Drug Checking Service uses a face-to-face service.
[…]
HRA submission to the Qld Police Powers & Responsibilities Amendment Bill 2023
Qld Parliamentary Legal Affairs & Safety Committee
[…]Strengthening Injecting-Related Harm Reduction in Prisons
March 2023
[…]Joint Letter re 2nd Melbourne MSIR
HRI23 – Hepatitis Pre Conference Program Available
Pill testing is coming to Queensland. Here’s what can we learn from programs overseas
Queensland’s move aligns the state with a growing international norm. In fact, the evidence to support such services has existed for decades.
[…]
What is found in illicit party drugs and how pill testing will work in Queensland
The Queensland government has announced it will be the second jurisdiction in Australia to provide illicit drug testing, aiming to change the behaviour of users and reduce the risk of harm. […]
Queensland Pill Testing – HRA Interview
[…]
Queensland to introduce pill testing in move away from ‘1950s …
Queensland will roll out pill-testing sites in an attempt to curb the harmful effects of illicit drugs. […]
The Australian Greens are moving ahead with the first national plan to legalise cannabis.
Senator David Shoebridge, on behalf of the Greens, has obtained compelling constitutional law advice that provides a path forward for Federal Parliament to legalise cannabis for adult use across the country. […]
Australia becomes first country to recognise psychedelics as medicines
Associate Professor David Caldicott, an emergency department doctor who appeared at the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide to advocate the drugs be used for returned soldiers suffering from psychological trauma, said he was pleasantly surprised by Friday’s decision. […]
Melbourne’s injecting room delay puts lives at risk as heroin overdoses spike in CBD
Stalled progress on the city’s second safe-injecting facility is heaping pressure on community health professionals
[…]
Canberra’s Free Pill-Testing Service Shows Most Ket Isn’t Ket
“There’s a storyline that drug users don’t care and they’re reckless and don’t give a shit about their own health, but it’s just not true.” […]
ACT extends confidential pill-testing service CanTEST as evaluation shows most users discard tainted drugs
“The lack of pill testing services outside Canberra is an ongoing tragedy for far too many people and families, and begs the question of how much more evidence is required for these services to be established,” Mr Vumbaca said. […]
We’ve detected a potent opioid in Canberra. Here’s what we know about it
Australia’s first government-sanctioned drug-checking service CanTEST has issued its inaugural ‘red alert’, the highest level of warning, following the detection of metonitazene in a yellow pill masquerading as the pharmaceutical drug oxycodone. We should be very worried about this drug’s emergence in Australia. […]