“The ACT Government does not condone the use of illicit drugs, we know the safest option is to not take drugs,” Health Minister Stephen-Smith said. “However, we also believe governments have a responsibility to not only try to prevent drug use but also to support initiatives that reduce the harms associated with drug use. […]

Since 1997 Family Drug Support has built and developed a model for supporting families impacted by a family member’s alcohol or other drug issues by listening and talking to thousands of families and undertaking focus testing of their programs. “We advocate for harm minimisation as a oppose to zero tolerance, we believe that families do the best they can and…

HRA is pleased to announce 4 new Board Members Media-Release-HRA-Announces-New-Board-Members-Feb-2020Download […]

Health experts warn destroying drugs ditched in amnesty bins is a wasted opportunity. The bins give festival-goers a chance to ditch their illegal drugs – and have been used at eight events in New South Wales. Currently, the substances collected are destroyed by a waste management company. The Deputy State Coroner says testing the bins could provide information to health…

The ACT laws are a good first step, but they contradict federal laws that make cultivation and possession of cannabis a criminal offence. And it’s not clear whether these federal laws will continue to be enforced in the ACT. The new laws also do little to regulate the supply of cannabis or its seeds. […]

A joint media release from HRA, Take Control & Pill Testing Australia regarding the NSW Special Commission on Ice Report being handed to the NSW Government Joint-MR-Ice-Commission-Report-Government-must-move-swiftly-to-release-and-respond-to-Ice-Commission-findings-4Download […]

Counsel assisting the ice inquiry have urged commissioner Dan Howard, SC, to recommend the personal use of ice and other illicit drugs be decriminalised in NSW under a public health-focused drug policy. Under the potential recommendations, pill testing would also be trialled and the use of medically supervised drug consumption rooms would be expanded. […]

Police and Crime Commissioner Jones believes that the UK’s approach to drugs needs to change. He said: “In my policing career I have never met anyone who has caused violence through cannabis, as opposed to the hundreds of violence cases I have seen related to alcohol, which is a legal substance. […]

Few are better placed to comment on the impact of pill testing at the coal face than Dr David Caldicott from the ANU College of Health & Medicine and Pill Testing Australia. Twice, he has been part of a team that provided government-sanctioned on-site facilities at Groovin the Moo festival. “We knew it would work because it’s worked everywhere else it’s been…

The upfront cost of drug safety testing is relatively minor; indeed, a simple reallocation of public money currently spent on drug detection dogs would more than fully fund it. It would also save costs of emergency services and hospitalisations.  Drug safety testing is a proven harm reduction measure. Drug detection dogs increase drug-related harm. […]