WHILE we light our candles in sorrow for our fellow Australians being executed for drug trafficking and while we stomp and rant about sporting heroes getting "let off" for their own forays into the world of illegal drugs, there are many loud opinions being voiced. However, what I am not hearing is the calling out about our own failed drug policies. Most people have been totally indoctrinated with the idea that drugs need to be illegal for our own safety. However, all the evidence shows that prohibition of drug use, the criminalising of addicts and the "zero tolerance" approach that is the war on drugs has failed humanity. Prohibition does not save lives, does nothing to help addicts and only serves the violent criminal gangs that profit from the lack of oversight and regulation that occurs as a natural consequence of making drugs illegal. Prohibition of drugs causes and compounds suffering. The whole notion that drugs need to be illegal is based on lies. When will those in power listen to the experts and the clear evidence they present? MICHAEL BROER Maroochy River [end]
Losers preyed upon RUTHLESS loan sharks are recruiting desperate Crown casino losers to babysit drug crops in Melbourne's suburbs. Court records show how criminals are preying on out-of-luck punters to look after hydroponic cannabis setups worth millions. Judges have expressed frustration at the number of cropsitters who say they ended up minding the houses after coercion by the lenders. It has also emerged an Asian organised crime figure was paid a $5000 commission for each casino patron he could lure into acting as heroin mules on high-risk international runs out of Vietnam. [continues 350 words]
WE ARE increasingly being confronted with the scourge of drugs on society. The tragedy of talented actors and musicians that overdose generates a feeling of sad loss and shock as we look at a person who has achieved more success than most can imagine and are loved and we contemplate the waste of life. The scandal of football heroes allegedly at the centre of a drugs syndicate leaves us with a feeling of betrayal as we as a society hoist these people up as mentors for our children. [continues 150 words]
Public hearings considering the use of marijuana for medical purposes will begin on Thursday, as a leading drug law reform advocacy group called for the ACT to become the first jurisdiction to establish a legal scheme. A Legislative Assembly committee will hear evidence on the subject as part of its consideration of legislation introduced by Greens minister Shane Rattenbury, which would allow for the use of medical cannabis for the terminally and chronically ill to alleviate pain and symptoms. In a submission to the inquiry, advocacy group Families and Friends for Drug Law Reform have called for the scheme to go ahead without a new clinical trial. [continues 359 words]
IT'S nearly three years since I used this literary real estate to provoke conversation on the decriminalisation of drugs. I didn't know then if it was an appropriate response. I still don't. Watching convicted Australian drug smugglers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran being driven off yesterday in armoured vehicles to be executed was one of the saddest things I've ever seen. The talkback callers on Triple M's Hot Breakfast also made me think many things, none of which I had an answer for. Why should I care about a couple of greedy drug smugglers? [continues 754 words]
Drug Seizures and Arrests Hit Highest Levels in 2013; Spike in the Use of Ice The imminent execution in Indonesia of two Australians caught there for trafficking drugs comes as Australia faces its own worsening narcotics problem. PHOTO: REUTERS Mr Suhandro Putro, representative of The Javanese Christian Church funeral home, says they usually receive orders for caskets when executions are carried out on Nusakambangan, an island off Java. The extent of the problem can be seen from the Australian Crime Commission's most recent report on illegal drugs, released last April. [continues 689 words]
Despite Prohibition and Tough Penalties, the World Is Losing the War on Drugs Writes Greg Barns INDONESIA'S President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo leads a developing world country. And like many developing world countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America illicit drugs are part of daily life. Where President Jokowi differs from some developing world leaders is, he naively thinks imposing draconian penalties like the death penalty will send a message to those who grow, manufacture and sell drugs that they ought to avoid Indonesia. [continues 695 words]
Karmichael Hunt is learning that the potency of an illicit drug scandal is likely to be far stronger than anything he has ingested. In the wake of the allegations against Hunt, a predictable hysteria has swept through the country. And while there is no doubt that Hunt is alleged to have done something extremely foolish, if so, his real crime is underestimating our society's deeply irrational attitude to certain substances. Part of the problem is the catchall term: drugs. A drug is any substance that has a physiological effect when introduced into the body. Everything we ingest is, by definition, a drug. In terms of the effects they produce, it is time we accepted that all substances appear on a spectrum. Your favourite coffee or red wine is favoured precisely because of the altered states of consciousness it brings about. And any reasonable debate about drugs must be anchored to the specific effects they produce. We can demystify illicit drugs by paying attention to what they are and how they work. [continues 589 words]
A VETERAN police inspector admits containing the drugs scourge in Richmond is an uphill battle, but one police remain determined to win. Addicts have turned parts of Melbourne's biggest public housing estate into makeshift shooting galleries. Inspector Bernie Edwards, due to finish a four-year spell as Yarra Police inspector in coming weeks, said the drug menace was an ongoing fight. "People talk about adopting a zero-tolerance hardline approach, but that doesn't work," Insp Edwards said. "You can't win by just putting people in jail. What you have to do is try and break that cycle of use." [continues 198 words]
Shooting Gallery Not the Answer A NEW push to set up a legal heroin-shooting gallery in one of Melbourne's most drug-affected suburbs - dubbed "zombie town" - has angered traders and residents. They are tired of junkies littering Richmond's streets with discarded syringes. But Yarra Council, the Yarra Drug and Health Forum, the Greens, the Australian Sex Party, and the Australian Medical Association are keen for the State Government to follow NSW's lead by sanctioning a six-month trial of a supervised injecting room. [continues 583 words]
THE number of students using or possessing drugs in NSW schools is at record levels. On average 20 students are suspended each week after being busted with illicit drugs, with some principals calling it a "crisis". Schools handed out 790 long suspensions for drug offences in 2013 - the highest number in almost a decade and more than double the number of suspensions in 2009. For the two years 2012 and 2013, schools imposed 1539 long suspensions on students for offences involving suspected illicit substances, data collated by the NSW Department of Education and Communities shows. While much of the drug and alcohol use occurs outside school, some students have become seriously ill in class or in the playground and have had to be taken to hospital. [continues 275 words]
A MAVERICK Sydney doctor who sacrificed his career to treat epileptic kids with cannabis oil has warned the NSW Government's trial of medicinal cannabis will progress too slowly to save hundreds of sick children. Andrew Katelaris was deregistered in 2005 for refusing to stop supplying cannabis oil to the families who had turned to cannabis in a last hope to treat their children. He spoke to a packed Nimbin Town Hall at Saturday's medicinal cannabis workshop the second event in as many months. [continues 370 words]
GRUMPY4810, referring to your text about law enforcement "bleating on that they had wiped out the drug trade in 1940 but 75 years on it's the same". Give the hardworking police their due, Grumpy dear. Stone Age Man got a millennia headlong start when he discovered how to numb the fears and hardship of his/ her life, by brewing beer and the habit has stuck. When they finally migrated to the Euphrates Valley they cultivated grapes and now wine is big business and so are his fears and hardships. [continues 388 words]
The NSW government's clinical trial of medicinal cannabis is inappropriate for patients suffering extreme pain, and the drug should be legally approved for patients diagnosed by doctors, a paper in a top medical journal argues. "We are behind the times on medical cannabis," writes David Penington, an emeritus professor at Melbourne University, in a paper in the Medical Journal of Australia on Sunday. "Twenty three states in the US have legalised use of cannabis for medical conditions, as has Canada since 2001. Other countries approving it include Israel, Holland and the Czech Republic." [continues 132 words]
TERMINALLY and chronically ill Victorians could legally grow their own cannabis plants and get early access to the drug, under an ambitious plan by a top drug expert. The use of cannabis for medical purposes should be decided by a discussion between a patient and doctor, rather than relying on the results of an upcoming trial into the drug's effectiveness held across the eastern states, says the University of Melbourne's Professor David Penington. Writing in the Medical Journal of Australia today, Prof Penington said even if the trial proved the drug as effective, cannabis could never be regulated as a pharmaceutical product like other medications for prescription. "It contains a variety of components of variable potency and actions ... consequently, cannabis has variable effects in individuals," Prof Penington said. [continues 113 words]
PRISONERS are getting high behind bars with almost every drug, including heroin, cocaine and marijuana, found in more than 2000 drug incidents across the state's jails. Inmates were caught with drugs and utensils more than 670 times a year for the past three years, with the state's largest jails showing the worst results. Prisoners were also busted with alcohol, brewing implements, "smoking devices" and drug test decoys in the centres, documents obtained under Right to Information show. Drug tests, both random and targeted, showed hundreds of prisoners were getting wasted on drugs, while hundreds more refused to give urine samples. [continues 301 words]
ONE of Australia's top lawyers will lead a review into the use of medical marijuana. The appointment signals good news for patients and families who say they need a sign they can be confident the State Government is doing all it can to change the law. Attorney-General Martin Pakula has appointed leading lawyer Dr Ian Freckelton, QC, as Special Commissioner to the Victorian Law Reform Commission's review into the use of medicinal cannabis. "This is an important step in investigating the legal practicalities in making medical marijuana available to help people in dire need," Mr Pakula said. [continues 60 words]
Food ministers have rejected advice from Australia's food standards agency that hemp be allowed to be used in food. Hemp is a species of cannabis, but unlike marijuana contains no or very low levels of the mind- altering chemical tetrahydrocannabinol ( THC). It is used in Australia in clothing and building products, but cannot be used in food. In 2012, Food Standards Australia New Zealand approved an application to include hemp in food. Food ministers asked the agency to review its decision, which the agency reaffirmed, noting that foods derived from hemp seeds did not present any safety concerns. [continues 120 words]
NSW has been hit by an ice-berg. Rates of ice use and detection are crashing through the roof and have now reached pandemic proportions. Experts have compared the crisis to the crack cocaine scourge that hit the United States in the 1980s. It's a problem that's careering out of control, and the Liberal State Government doesn't have a clue what to do about it. Trust me, I know -- because I've seen this crisis first-hand. As a criminal lawyer (who mostly deals with legal aid clients) much of my work involves defending people who are struggling with drug addiction and/or mental health issues. [continues 710 words]
HIS lawyer made every effort to keep him from spending time behind bars, even likening the case to drug trafficking charges faced by a former Queensland Origin star, but ultimately [name redacted], 19, was denied bail. Defence lawyer Travis George represented [name redacted] in Maryborough Magistrates Court and told magistrate John Smith his client was "crapping himself" at the prospect of spending time in jail. "He's never been in prison before," Mr George said. "He's just had 24 hours straight in the watchhouse. He's petrified of going to jail." [continues 213 words]
Keira MP Ryan Park has thrown his support behind Labor leader Luke Foley's push for a more ambitious approach to medicinal cannabis. Mr Park, a long-time advocate for the availability of the drug, has echoed the call for bi-partisan action to ensure people can "get some comfort from this drug and not feel like a criminal in the process". "I am very supportive of the fact that Luke has put this issue on the agenda because, to be frank, I think it is one that has been kicked around for too long," Mr Park said. [continues 301 words]
Wollongong police have defended the use of drug detection dogs, despite data showing up to 61 per cent of searches in the Illawarra returning no result. Data provided by NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge showed there were 156 searches conducted in Wollongong after a drug dog indication in 2013, but drugs were found in only 60 of those searches - what Mr Shoebridge calls a "false positive" rate of 61 per cent. There were 69 searches in the Lake Illawarra area in 2013 with drugs found in 41 cases, while 10 drug searches in the Shoalhaven turned up four positives. [continues 231 words]
Drug Prohibition Isn't Working, and the New State Government Could Do Worse Than Look to Portugal for Some Fresh Ideas. The dramatic rise in Victoria's drug trade over the past five years has occurred because the government has pursued failed prohibition policies. According to figures published in The Age on Monday, demand for "illegal narcotics such as ice is growing at breakneck speed. Use and possession offences for all drugs have skyrocketed 68 per cent in the five-year period, while cultivation, trafficking and manufacturing offences have jumped 25 per cent. [continues 772 words]
Medical Drug Use Surfaces Ahead of Legal Push FIVE doctors who prescribed their patients medical marijuana can continue to practise medicine, after health authorities ruled they were not putting the community in danger by recommending the controversial medication. It comes as the Victorian Government has promised marijuana will soon be legal for use by people who are terminally ill or who suffer life threatening illnesses. But the Herald Sun can reveal that state child protection workers continue to threaten Melbourne parents who have been treating their sick children with the drug. [continues 285 words]
THERE'S a whiteboard on the kitchen wall in the Tune house with an important message. "You are BRAVER than you believe," it starts. "STRONGER than you seem. SMARTER than you think. And LOVED more than you'll ever know!" A photograph is pinned to the bottom. In it, Katrina Tune lies in a hospital bed. They've wheeled her in to see her little boy, born by caesarean section only an hour before. He isn't breathing on his own. It would be days before she'd give him a name, refusing to do so until they'd removed the breathing tubes so she could see his face. Those big eyes. The cherub lips. His name was Angus.In his 23 short months of life, Angus has had 12 hospital admissions, numerous trips to the emergency department, 17 EEGs and has been prescribed five different anticonvulsants - some with terrible side effects. [continues 275 words]
Writing for the Criminal Law Committee of the NSW Bar Association, Stephen Odgers ("Drug control needs radical rethink", canberratimes.com.au, December 23) correctly concludes the best way to achieve a reduction in levels of illicit drug-related harm would be to replace the black market for drugs with a form of legal availability under a highly regulated system and to view drug use not as a law enforcement but as a health and social issue. What is being proposed by the lawyers is not radical but has considerable evidence to support it. [continues 154 words]
CHILDREN with severe epilepsy and terminally ill adults may be treated with medical marijuana under a NSW clinical trial. The NSW Government will fund the $9 million trial of at least three marijuana-derived medicines. The trial will examine the benefits to patients with a number of serious diseases. The epilepsy trial will be run at the Westmead and Sydney Children's Hospitals and is expected to start enrolling patients in 2016. NSW Premier Mike Baird said patients and parents of ill children were "increasingly desperate" for cannabis-based medication to be used to manage some illnesses. [continues 93 words]
A 40-year-old middle school teacher was arrested Tuesday for allegedly allowing minors to smoke marijuana at her home in Cherokee County and two of them may have been her children. Christine Cantrell, a Teasley Middle School in Canton, was charged with possession of marijuana less than an ounce, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and keeping a disorderly house, meaning she allowed illegal activity to occur there, according to Cherokee County officials. Cantrell's husband, Jeff, was also arrested on similar charges, Commander of the Cherokee County Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad Phil Price said. Both were released on $3,000 bonds Tuesday night, Price said. [continues 286 words]
SYDNEY student Georgina Bartter has become the latest casualty in the unwinnable war against drugs. As her family and friends come to terms with the loss of a beautiful and promising young woman, campaigners have renewed calls for a wideranging crackdown; to end the scourge and save lives. It's commendable but it's too late. Any push to round up dodgy dealers or curb the spread of illicit drugs must start with a clamp on the most common legal drug of all. [continues 593 words]
NO matter who wins the Victorian election, the state is heading into what was until recently a political no-go zone legal access to medical marijuana. No longer left to fringe parties or the Greens, the issue now has support from the major parties. It was the stories of Victorian families turning to cannabis oil and seeing improved quality of life for their seriously ill children that brought the issue into the political mainstream. Liberal, Labor and even the Australian Sex Party are in rough alignment on the issue. [continues 240 words]
POLITICIANS love to whip up a crisis. It's all part of the 24/7 news cycle that is eroding the capacity for rational dialogue in our democracy. And the latest "crisis" is ice. According to Tasmanian Green MP Cassy O'Connor, ice - a methamphetamine also known as crystal meth - "threatens to destroy multiple generations in single families". "Where's the acknowledgment that a crisis exists? Where's the commitment to responding effectively, with the necessary reprioritised resources to save a generation of Tasmanians from being laid to waste by ice?" Ms O'Connor fumed in an October 21 media release. [continues 691 words]
Illicit drugs and alcohol are being smuggled into mental health wards run by the state's busiest public hospitals, undermining patient care and putting psychiatric staff at risk of violence. Parents have reported that their children have bought and used illegal drugs while in hospital being treated for drug-induced psychosis, and health authorities say patients are returning to wards affected by drugs after going on temporary approved leave. The families of mentally ill patients say the system is failing them and have raised concerns about a lack of drug rehabilitation services, forcing people with mental health and substance abuse problems into psychiatric wards. [continues 747 words]
CLINICAL trials of medicinal cannabis should be expanded to include a range of illnesses, not just terminal ones, and should be fast-tracked to allow widespread use of the therapy, advocates say. Medical professionals, state politicians and the families of those with chronic conditions have called for an expansion of clinical trials and immediate action on the issue, after the announcement that health ministers supported the trials. Tony Abbott yesterday said he was "happy to support" trials to be established by NSW Premier Mark Baird. Victoria is also about to explore trials. [continues 263 words]
The ACT will join a Commonwealth-backed national clinical trial of medical cannabis, set to be led by the New South Wales Government. ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher confirmed the territory's involvement in the trial during an official visit to China, welcoming a national approach to the issue after discussions with NSW Premier Mike Baird at the Council of Australian Governments meeting in Canberra on Friday. The Canberra Times reported on Tuesday plans for a trial were well under way. [continues 262 words]
Shane Rattenbury has split with ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher on the territory's approach to medical marijuana, criticising her calls for a national or state-based clinical trial. A day after the New South Wales Government said an ACT representative would not be welcome on a working group preparing a planned cannabis trial, the Greens minister said overseas evidence was adequate for the ACT to allow cannabis for pain relief. He said new trials would likely mean years of further delay for sick Canberrans and accused politicians including Ms Gallagher of seeking to slow the reform process through pursuit of new trials. [continues 530 words]
Couple's Plea to Hospital for Their Sick Son THE Melbourne couple who have controversially given their sick toddler cannabis oil now fear for his life after hospital doctors last night threatened to call the police if the drug was administered. Cassie Batten and Rhett Wallace discharged their son Cooper from The Northern Hospital in Epping before the cannabis could be confiscated. They now feel they have nowhere to turn because doctors refuse to use the drug on hospital grounds. It is the first time the family has been prepared to reveal the name of the hospital that has been supporting the use of the cannabis oil and tincture for the treatment of their three-year-old's life-threatening seizures. [continues 235 words]
OUT in the fields and talking with farmers it is glaringly obvious Tasmania is missing out on a huge opportunity from one of the oldest sustainable industries on the planet: industrial hemp. Tasmania stands on the brink of a bold new industry with hemp. However, despite having many regulatory regimes to develop models for production of industrial hemp, we are going nowhere. Industrial hemp is not a drug: it has virtually has no THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana. It seems to get confused with medicinal cannabis. [continues 318 words]
Teenagers who use marijuana daily run a higher risk of becoming drug dependent, committing suicide or trying other drugs and are less likely to succeed at their studies than those who avoid it, researchers have found. In an analysis of studies on cannabis, the scientists said these long-term health and life effects were important since several countries are planning to relax legislation on it. Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug worldwide, despite a trend towards decriminalizing it in some countries. [continues 252 words]
CANNABIS would be sold in supermarkets under a federal MP's radical plan for drug reform in Australia. Liberal Democrat Senator David Leyonhjelm wants to kill the power of organised criminals by decriminalising drugs, opening up the market and bringing down prices for a hit. Senator Leyonhjelm said that marijuana is a non-addictive drug and should be openly available. Farmers should grow cannabis for sale in supermarkets, much like fruit and vegetables, and anyone should be allowed to cultivate a crop in their garden, he said. [continues 55 words]
RESEARCHERS behind a new Australasian study into the effects of cannabis use in young adults have warned policymakers they "need to be very careful" if they are considering decriminalisation. The study, which examined the effects of Australia's most widely used drug on 14 to 19year-olds up until the age of 30, found there was a "very strong" association between cannabis use over time and harmful outcomes. According to the latest figures from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, in Australia 1 per cent of all 14 to 19-year-olds use cannabis daily, while 4 per cent use it weekly. [continues 180 words]
Government Finally Comes Around to Clinical Cannabis Trial MEDICINAL cannabis could rival the state's $100 million poppy industry if given the green light, the Opposition says, as the State Government finally throws its support behind a trial. Tasmanian Health Minister Michael Ferguson said yesterday he supported a trial, reversing a stance in July which rejected the move on health, social and security grounds. "We support appropriately conducted clinical trials, feeding into the existing national medicines regulatory framework," Mr Ferguson said. [continues 455 words]
In recent weeks we have seen the political landscape shifting rapidly as moves to legalise medicinal cannabis in Australia gain momentum. But do we have enough evidence on both its potential long-term adverse effects and the short-term health benefits to fully inform our decisions? I believe the answer to that question is no. That is why I am urging Australian governments at all levels to urgently invest in and support further research and clinical trials. The risks and benefits of medicinal cannabis should be weighed carefully, and its ingredients must be subjected to the same scrutiny as other medicines. [continues 515 words]
A DOCTOR says he will continue to defy authorities and supply medical cannabis to Australian children despite the threat of legal action. Cannabis oil producer Dr Andrew Katelaris, who was deregistered in 2005 after refusing to stop supplying cannabis to patients, said desperate families turned to him because they had run out of options. It is understood Dr Katelaris has a secret laboratory from which parcels of the drug, sometimes worth thousands of dollars, are sent across Australia. Cannabis oil and tincture is produced at the location, near Sydney, and delivered to 12 children across the country. He also produces cannabis resin for adult patients, including elderly people who are terminally ill. Dr Katelaris, who has been arrested a dozen times, was determined to continue, saying he is prepared to take the risk to help children. [end]
Coalition Reform Will Do Little, Say Experts A Victorian government plan to make clinical trials of medicinal marijuana easier to conduct will do little to expand access to the drug, an expert on drug law reform says. In response to growing calls for cannabis to be legalised for people with certain illnesses, including children with intractable epilepsy, Victorian Health Minister David Davis said on Thursday that he would amend the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act to make it easier for doctors to conduct clinical trials of medicinal cannabis. [continues 393 words]
I CAN'T believe opium poppy crops are being grown in northern Victoria, for pain relief drugs such as morphine and codeine. Why does the law allow opium to be grown, prescribed and given to people but medical cannabis cannot? As a parent of a disabled child who suffers from severe epilepsy (up to 100 seizures a day and taking medication), I think this is a disgrace. We are allowed to give a drug to stop people from a bit of pain, but we are not allowed to give a drug that will reduce severe pain and seizures. Carolyn Lewis, Lockington [end]
HOW is it that the public can buy morphine derivatives over the counter at pharmacies, as well as pseudoephedrine, which can be converted to methamphetamine, yet an innocent child's cannabis oil, which has significantly helped to manage his epilepsy, is taken away? My dear friend recently diagnosed with terminal lung cancer could also benefit from cannabis oil, yet he cannot purchase this legally. A 2007 Harvard Medical School study - one of many such trials - showed marijuana cut lung cancer tumour growth in half. It is legal in some US states. I am absolutely against recreational drugs, but why can't cannabis oil be strictly prescribed by GPs and oncologists, if it saves or helps prolong lives? Sally Mort, Black Rock [end]
Compound May Be Tested on Young A compound found in marijuana could soon be tested on young Australians to prevent and treat psychosis after European research suggested it could treat schizophrenia with fewer side effects than other drugs. As state and federal governments face increasing calls for the legalisation of medicinal cannabis, leading psychiatrist and mental health advocate Patrick McGorry said one part of the drug was showing promise as an anti-psychotic medicine. The director of Orygen Youth Health Research Centre said while tetrahydrocannabinol ( THC) in cannabis was widely thought to be dangerous and increase the risk of psychosis in about 10 per cent to 20 per cent of people, another component cannabidiol ( CBD) appeared to relieve psychosis, depression and anxiety. [continues 360 words]
A PARLIAMENTARY inquiry into medical cannabis has been flooded with support from Tasmanians. About 100 submissions have been sent to an Upper House inquiry set to begin hearings within weeks. Independent MLC Ruth Forrest said people seemed to be in favour of the economic benefits of a new industry, as well as the potential health benefits of cannabis for medical purposes. Ms Forrest said many people were moved to write into the inquiry on compassionate grounds, arguing medical cannabis should be explored as an option for people for whom other medications had failed. [continues 261 words]
Medical cannabis will be legalised in Victoria if Labor seizes power at November's state election. Under the proposal, Victorians with terminal illnesses or life threatening conditions such as cancer, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis would be able to access medicinal marijuana without breaking the law. Opposition leader Daniel Andrews said on Sunday that Labor would overhaul "outdated" legislation that forced parents to flout laws in order to save their children's lives. " We're talking about a medication to make people better, to improve quality of life, to provide dignity and pain relief, nothing more, nothing less," Mr Andrews said. [continues 373 words]
The drug that dragged down Harriet Wran from a life of private schools and luxury apartments has no respect for social class or status. Grinspoon lead singer Phil Jamieson became withdrawn and paranoid, stealing money from his band to feed his daily addiction. Two-time world surfing champion Tom Carroll recently described how ice made him "completely manic", saying: "It was killing me from the inside out." "No one is immune," says drugs expert Rebecca McKetin. "We like to think problems happen to other people but it could happen to us or people like us." [continues 588 words]
Inside Australia
