Labor backbencher Bec Cody said the war on drugs had been a “disaster” and the ACT needed to do what it could to solve the problems caused by prohibition. She said Mr Pettersson had “pointed out to all of us that we can and should do more to end the ridiculous policy of prohibition”. […]

“Figures released from the Victorian government show that more than 2,200 clients have used the service, and staff have safely managed more than 650 overdoses that may have otherwise been fatal. “The facility is literally saving lives, and this must be at the forefront of all of our conversations about this particular site and any other facility’s future.” […]

The Ted Noffs Foundation’s CEO Matt Noffs said 80 per cent of program participants have mental health issues, and the public had to recognise drug use was not simply a “bad choice” but intrinsically linked to poverty and traumatic upbringing.He said mental health services had done well to reduce stigma, but in the field of drug and alcohol addiction there…

One barrier to treatment – social stigma – has consistently been raised by experts and drug users alike during this week’s hearings in Sydney. “The kids come in with so many labels that you’re a drug addict, you’re a junkie, you’re scum, you’re all these different things,” Mr Ferry told the commission. […]

Sniffer dogs and punitive policing are driving up the number of drug overdoses at music festivals and causing other problems in NSW, a special inquiry has been told. Festival-goers often “preload” before entering a venue by downing an excessive amount of alcohol and drugs, according to NSW Users and AIDS Association chief executive Mary Harrod. […]

The hospitalisations come just a week after pill testing at the Canberra Groovin the Moo was herald as a success. The program tested 171 samples from 234 attendees. Seven dangerous substances were detected, with patrons using an amnesty bin to toss the drugs once alerted. But, despite the success, the Tasmanian government is still staunchly opposed to the practice. […]

A Geraldton lawyer has called for the complete legalisation of all illicit substances — including heroin, meth and cocaine — a move he says is the only way to stop the poor and addicted from stealing to feed drug habits. “People are always saying the magistrate should just lock them up,” Mr Giudice said. […]

Ahead of the first hearing of the government-commissioned inquiry into the drug “ice” on Tuesday, Guardian Australia can reveal commissioner Dan Howard SC attended a pill testing trial at the Groovin the Moo festival in Canberra last month. The commissioner’s chief operating officer, David McGrath, told Guardian Australia Howard’s visit was about helping to “form an opinion about the merits…

Pill Testing Australia carried out its second trial at the Canberra event, with its organisers saying it was an “overwhelming success”. Pill testing Australia says those carrying the dangerous drugs used the amnesty bin provided after learning about the potential harm they could cause. “What the trials in Canberra show is we’re able to help people avoid taking dangerous substances,” President…

Pill testing might be the thing that saves someone’s life – it might end up being the deterrent that stops a person from taking drugs in the first place. And if it saves even one life – then it’s something worth having a discussion over. The discussion over pill testing is bigger than politics – let’s talk. […]