More than half (54 per cent) of 1511 Victorians over 18 who took part in an online survey late last year were in favour of decriminalising cannabis and creating a regulated market for personal adult use. […]
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Drug survey backs RACGP’s calls for harm reduction
The RACGP is using the latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2022–23 report to reiterate calls that GPs treating people with problematic alcohol and other drug (AOD) use need more support. […]
NSW Health warns of opioid risk after people took heroin thinking it was cocaine or methamphetamine
The NSW health department has issued a drugs warning after 11 people who believed they were using cocaine or methamphetamine recently experienced an opioid overdose. […]
Emergency departments report spike in hospital admissions linked to illicit drug GHB or fantasy
Dr Green said that, without drug testing being made available to the public, it was too challenging to find out what was in a drug after a patient had suffered an overdose. […]
New drugs mean more risk of overdose. Experts say we need more pill testing now
Chemistry lead of CanTEST, Australia’s only fixed-site drug checking service, Malcolm McLeod told ABC RN’s Life Matters that “around 10 per cent to 15 per cent of samples [are] maybe not as expected”. […]
Victorian Legislative Council – Legal and Social Issues Committee
HRA & Drive Change Submission to the Inquiry into Workplace Drug Testing
[…]No way for Sydneysiders to test the secret threats in drugs that could send them to the hospital
Gino Vumbaca, president of drug safety organisation Harm Reduction Australia, said his website receives “at least two to three emails a day” from people who want to safely test the pills that they or their children have. […]
How much a pill-testing trial would cost Victoria
A two-year pill-testing trial would cost Victoria about $3.7 million, the Parliamentary Budget Office has found, as left-wing crossbenchers pressure the state government over drug reform after overdoses at this summer’s festivals. […]
The state government must take this golden opportunity on pill testing
A 2023 report on the first six months of Canberra’s fixed drug-testing site showed that when a substance tested was not what the user expected, they were four times more likely to discard the drug. These tests can serve as a last-ditch attempt to save a life. […]
‘We have this conversation every summer’: The cost of MDMA overdoses
Victorian taxpayers spend up to $3.9 million a year on MDMA-related overdoses in ambulances, emergency departments, hospital admissions and coronial inquiries, leading advocates to argue there is a financial case for pill testing. […]
Canberra chemists identify three new recreational drugs after mystery substances turn up at Australia’s only fixed pill-testing site
Three mysterious recreational drugs have surfaced for the first time in Australia with chemists describing them as “unexpected, new psychoactive substances”. […]
Dozens of drug deaths at music festivals potentially preventable, study finds
More than 60 music festival drug-related deaths over 20 years could have potentially been prevented, with experts saying the new study analysing national coronial records bolsters the case for pill testing. […]
How does Victoria’s stance on pill testing shape up against the rest of Australia? Here’s what you need to know
Pill testing advocates have long argued the service could reduce the harm of drug taking at festivals by helping users better understand the substances they may be consuming. […]
NSW’s Pill-Testing Stance A Risk As Festival Season Rages On
How many more of our young people will needlessly lose their lives this summer due to government inaction? […]
Report shows MDMA involved in most drug-related music festival deaths | ABC News
Australian National University researchers say MDMA, otherwise known as ecstasy, contributed to more than 65% of all drug-related deaths at Australian music festivals. The report found there were 64 drug-related festival deaths over the past two decades. Co-author David Caldicott says communication around drugs needs to focus on harm reduction and advice, rather than prohibition-style messaging. […]
I was grateful my kids could get their pills tested, if they had any
Over the upcoming hot summer months young people in NSW will be heading to music festivals right across the state but unlike at Spilt Milk, young people will be denied the same chance to know more about any drugs they might be using and to have a conversation with a health professional about their drug use. […]
Four people hospitalised due to ‘drug issues’ after attending Western Sydney dance music festival
As the pill-testing debate rages on, several doctors say the conversation is swamped by political discourse and are concerned partygoers don’t understand the risks in mixing certain drugs, how potency can turn lethal, and why extreme heat is deadly. […]
This stroke survivor wants the government to do one thing in his lifetime
Tony Trimingham wants to see one outcome from his 20 years of drug reform advocacy: that NSW decriminalises small quantities of drugs. Harm Reduction Australia executive director Annie Madden has urged Minns to announce the summit to “get on with the business of saving lives and reducing drug-related harms”. […]
Australian Medical Cannabis Users Say Our ‘Outdated’ Road Rules Are Putting Them At Risk
Patients say that they are being unfairly penalised despite not being high, and are urging governments to make changes that bring driving laws to bring into line with other drugs such as opiates and antidepressants. […]
Australia ‘lags internationally’ in harm reduction as drug overdose deaths continue to rise
Harm Reduction International executive director Naomi Burke-Shyne says Australia has now fallen behind in the harm reduction space, failing to offer “innovative and comprehensive services” […]
Victorian government approves health services to hand out life-saving overdose-reversal drug
Victorians will be able to get an opioid overdose-reversal drug directly from addiction support services at no cost from this week, in a move advocates say is long overdue. More than one person every day dies of an opioid-related overdose in Victoria, according to the Coroners Court. […]
Harm Reduction Journal Publication on Pill Testing in Australia
A step change model analysis of the establishment of pill testing in one Australian jurisdiction […]
Greens introduce Pill Testing Bill in NSW Upper House
Greens MP and spokesperson for drug harm reduction, Cate Faehrmann, has introduced legislation that would allow a trial of pill testing at music festivals and a fixed site across New South Wales in the Upper House today. […]
Crossbench teams up on pill testing trial, as government says it’s open to cannabis discussion
Pill testing could be trialled over next year’s music festival season if three minor Victorian parties get their way on Thursday, a day after the state government announced it was open to talks about decriminalising personal use of cannabis. […]
NSW drug law overhaul would allow six marijuana plants for personal use
People would be allowed to grow six marijuana plants for personal use and give their friends pot as a gift under a proposed law being introduced to the New South Wales parliament on Wednesday, as the government comes under more pressure to enact drug reform. […]
Vending machines for clean syringes and opioid treatment proposed by Melbourne City
The City of Melbourne will investigate setting up vending machines to dispense clean syringes and opioid medication naloxone in the CBD after a council motion was passed on Tuesday night. […]
Put morality aside — drug liberalization works, says ex-New Zealand PM
Speaking ahead of the launch of a report showing that the world is failing to reduce HIV and viral hepatitis cases among people who inject drugs, Clark said measures such as drug consumption rooms, needle exchanges and decriminalization would help make progress in combating these infectious diseases. […]
Australia: Medically supervised injecting centres
In Sydney, the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (‘MSIC’) is located at 66 Darlinghurst Rd, Potts Point, across the street from Kings Cross Station. It has supervised over 1.26 million injections and managed 11,205 overdoses. It has been able to offer 22,000 referrals to ongoing care and support accepted by people attending the centre. […]
Experts Have Renewed Calls To Legalise Pill Testing: Here’s How It Works & Where Things Are At
The Greens have renewed their calls for free pill testing, in an urge to the Victorian Labor Government to take up an offer to establish a free pill testing trial. It calls growing calls from all around Australia, as experts say pill testing is essential to saving lives. The offer was made by Harm Reduction Australia and Pill Testing Australia, who want to run a trial at a summer music festival similar to one currently being trialled in ACT. […]
Correspondence to Victorian Premier re Pill Testing
At an event at Parliament House today, PTA offered a cost-free trial of its public health based pill testing service to the Victorian Government – the offer is supported and endorsed by a variety of unions and organisations.
[…]Wide Support for Cannabis Legalisation in Senate Submissions
There is strong support from more than a dozen key stakeholders across the country for the Greens plan to legalise cannabis. The support comes from organisations as diverse as the Pennington Institute, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Families and Friends for Drug Law Reform, Australian Lawyers Alliance, Drive Change and Harm Reduction Australia. […]
B.C. doctors, nurses sign open letter in support of Drug User Liberation Front
Some B.C. doctors and nurses have signed an open letter supporting the Drug User Liberation Front (DULF) in Vancouver, whose founders may be facing drug trafficking charges because of their illegal compassion club program. […]
Urgent warning reignites calls to fix serious problem affecting young Aussies
Dr David Caldicott, Clinical Lead for Pill Testing Australia and CANTest, who provide festival and fixed-site health and drug checking services in the ACT, told Yahoo News Australia that Canberra has offered other states, like NSW, free trials. […]
‘The country, the whole region, is being flooded’: tracking meth to Australia
From Myanmar to Brisbane, journalist Conor Woodman followed the drug from origin to end users. He answers 10 questions about what he found […]
Debbie’s son overdosed. She thinks this state’s push for drug testing is a ‘no brainer’
The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA), with the support of 77 health and community organisations, published a statement on Monday pushing for the Victorian government to implement a drug-checking service and early warning system in the state. […]
Girls as young as 12 and 13 are being strip-searched by NSW Police
From July 2022 to June 2023, three primary-school-aged girls and six 13-year-old girls were strip-searched, meaning they had to remove or move clothing because police believed they were concealing drugs or a weapon. […]
Greens want debate on pill testing after music festival deaths
Harm Reduction Australia and Pill Testing Australia president Gino Vumbaca said drug-checking services could not operate without the support of government and the police. “The bill would remove any doubt about our permission to operate,” he said. “Politicians are way behind the community when it comes to what people support. This is a public health program to help people get home safely, it’s not promoting or condoning drug use.” […]
NSW on-the-spot fines for drug use and possession a ‘double-edged sword’, expert says
The NSW government announced this week that police would be given the power to issue up to two on-the-spot $400 fines to adults for personal drug use and possession of a small quantity of illicit drugs. […]
Music festivals, drugs, and your leal rights when dealing with police in NSW
As the weather warms and music festival season approaches, a concern for many attendees will be how to deal with police and what your rights are. This is due to the often-overwhelming presence of police officers and sniffer dogs at festivals and concerts. […]
Two people dead after attending Knockout Outdoor music festival in Western Sydney
President of Harm Reduction Australia and Pill Testing Australia Gino Vumbaca said his offer to conduct free trials had been knocked back by the state government for the past five years. […]
Fresh calls to end use of sniffer dogs at festivals after report finds low success rate
New figures indicate drug detection dogs have a low success rate. Some are urging for an end to their use at music festivals – as well as the practice of strip searches – and the implementation of pill testing. […]
‘Out of control’: new findings suggest NSW Police aren’t abiding by strip search procedures
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” […]
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. […]