End Prohibition. Vote HEMP: An Interview With Dr Andrew Katelaris and Michael Balderstone
As Australian historian Dr John Jiggens recalled in 2010, an article appeared in a major Australian newspaper in 1938, warning about a “Mexican drug” that causes madness. And this report introduced the term “marijuana” to the Australian public. “Under the...
Canberra’s Second Pill Testing Trial Hailed a Resounding Success
Despite initial hurdles, it can now be said that two government-sanctioned pill testing trials have taken place in the ACT. And by all accounts, the second, held last Sunday, was a resounding success. Not only did it prove that the...
Woman Are Less Likely to Support Cannabis Legalisation Than Men
Community attitudes towards the legalisation of cannabis have shifted in recent years, with more and more people calling for marijuana to be legalised in Australia. However, research by North Carolina State University has suggested that women are less likely than...
It’s Time to Regulate Cocaine and MDMA: An Interview with Transform’s Steve Rolles
The debate around legalising recreational cannabis in this country is growing louder. What once seemed to Middle Australia like a far-out idea held by some rural hippies, nowadays, isn’t such a distant concept as the news of successful legalisation in...
On Legalising and Regulating Cocaine: An Interview With Dr Julian Buchanan
The NSW police drug detection dog program has been widely criticised, as it gets it wrong between two-thirds to three-quarters of the time. And the 2006 Ombudsman report pointed out that when searches are successful, most only turn up small...
From Decriminalising to Legalising Cannabis: An Interview With Ex-ACT Health Minister Michael Moore
As far as ACT Labor MLA Michael Pettersson is concerned, his territory will be legalising the use and personal possession of cannabis before the year is out. The legislation he introduced to make this happen is currently before a parliamentary...
Calls for Overhaul of Drug Driving Laws
Roadside drug testing was introduced into the NSW setting in 2007. Just like random breath testing (RBT) for alcohol, drug testing drivers was said to be brought in to improve safety on the roads. But, unlike RBT, it doesn’t test...
Police Should Test for Impairment Levels of Drugs, Not Minute Traces
On the first weekend of this month, NSW police carried out a roadside alcohol and drug driving blitz in the Northern Rivers region. And while locals aren’t complaining about officers booking drunk drivers, they are opposed to those charged with...
NSW Greens Push to Legalise Recreational Cannabis
The NSW Greens are set to introduce a private member’s bill within 100 days post-state election that could see recreational cannabis legalised for adult use in NSW during the next parliamentary term, which is a move that an increasingly large...
Police Strip-Search 19-Year Old, Find Nothing but Kick Her Out of Festival Anyway
NSW police are continuing their war on music festivals, signified by exorbitant costs for user-pays policing, illegal strop-searches and the denial of entry to patrons even where no drugs are found after a search. This time, their alleged victim is...
