The Victorian government’s decision to reject a second Melbourne injecting room earlier this year provoked a polarised public debate, but one voice was largely missing in the media coverage.
The issue of medicine-related harm is immense, and how to tackle it is an area of growing interest to governments and healthcare systems alike.
Nitazenes can be up to 50 times stronger than fentanyl. They’re not yet common in Australia, so now’s the time to implement policies to reduce their harm and limit their uptake.
Researchers have completed Australia’s most detailed analysis of opioid tapering trajectories to date, with some findings that contradict current guidelines.
While fentanyl is yet to markedly impact Australia, the North American opioid crisis shows us how bad it can get, and urgent action is needed now.
Changes to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme have influenced the way doctors prescribe opioids, but is it for the better?
Police drug-enforcement activities in Indonesia do more harm than good, and women bear the brunt of it. It’s time for Indonesia to decriminalise drug use, and expand health services.
A drug-monitoring program in hospital emergency departments is tracking the alarming rise of strange new psychoactive synthetic drugs in Australia.
Could psychedelic drugs provide the next big breakthrough in psychiatry? This episode of the ‘What Happens Next?’ podcast considers the regulatory, cultural and scientific aspects of psychedelic treatment for mental illness – and how innovation in this area could improve the lives of millions of people.
A new, long-acting formulation of the medication buprenorphine promises to improve the treatment of opioid dependence.
Victoria’s Labor Party flipped and flopped in its support of Melbourne’s first medically supervised injecting room, depending on what was politically expedient and popular at the time.
Addiction and problematic drug use is mostly a result of social disadvantage and personal trauma.
Bringing dignity to people affected by homelessness is just one of the many ways Dr Robert Gillies OAM is changing lives.
There's growing evidence that an escape from underlying physical or emotional pain is a common driver of many opioid overdoses.
Racism shapes the war on drugs, and we can't make black lives truly matter without major law reforms.
As we (hopefully) start to move out of the grip of the coronavirus pandemic, there's a variety of issues we need to retain in our conversations with, and about, men’s health.
Melbourne is set to get its second safe injecting facility, but objections to them continue to overshadow the enormous public health gains made.
New rules aim to curb opioid-related deaths in Australia. These changes are a step in the right direction, but we need to tread carefully to avoid unintended consequences.
Maintaining or expanding addiction services is vital if we’re to avert a syndemic of opioid overdoses and COVID-19.
The spread of misinformation has striking parallels with the biological pandemic – and it, too, has cost lives.
Treatments for opioid dependence, such as methadone and buprenorphine, are effective. But some people who stand to benefit are missing out.
The recent controversy embroiling the Richmond injecting room is overshadowing its positive community impact.
Opioids are among the most powerful analgesics available to medicine, but they have huge capacity to cause harm. In trying to solve one problem, is a bigger one being created?
A new report reveals alarming statistics regarding male self-harm, and how first responders feel ill-prepared to deal with patients in mental crisis.
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