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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
Dunne Underwhelmed by Officials' Evidence but Drug Foundation Fears Advice Outdated. An investigation into the use of cannabis for medical purposes has been carried out by the Ministry of Health. Growing numbers of jurisdictions allow cannabis for medical use and the Government has come under pressure to re-examine its use here. Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne, who oversaw New Zealand's innovative regulations on so-called legal highs, asked officials to look into the issue. "My office receives regular correspondence seeking legislative change . cannabis, I am told, is apparently the panacea for a plethora of ailments, some of which, sadly, are painfully debilitating," Mr Dunne said. [continues 422 words]
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]
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]
A government investigation into the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes has found little evidence to support a wider review. Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne asked the Ministry of Health to report amid domestic and international pressure to legalise the drug's use among certain patients. The report said although some research had found cannabinoids might be useful to treat some ailments, overall, data was limited. "To date, clinical trials of unprocessed or partially-processed cannabis products have suffered from limited participant numbers and lack of data on long-term effects," the ministry said. [end]
A government investigation into the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes has found little evidence to support a wider review. Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne had called on the Ministry of Health to provide a report, amid growing pressure to legalise the drug's use among certain patients. Dunne said the issue needed to be addressed as and when new evidence emerged. [end]
CHASING THE SCREAM: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs, Johann Hari, Bloomsbury Circus $27 Johann Hari's new book is a clear-eyed look at the war on drugs, writes David Herkt. MOST OF us know the war against drugs has been a comprehensive failure. Many of the negative effects of drug use are due to its criminalisation. In Portugal, Switzerland, and Uruguay, which have removed some of the legal consequences of drug use, we see countries that haven't collapsed into chaos, but have, in fact, a decreasing social problem. [continues 372 words]
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - President Joko Widodo of Indonesia has been too busy during the past three weeks to accept a phone call from the Australian prime minister to plead for the lives of two death-row prisoners, an Indonesian envoy said Thursday. Prime Minister Tony Abbott told reporters on March 5 that he had requested a telephone conversation with Widodo on the impending executions of Australian heroin traffickers Andrew Chan, 31, and Myuran Sukumaran, 33. Indonesia's ambassador to Australia, Nadjib Riphat Kesoema, on Thursday brushed off suggestions of a diplomatic snub. [continues 118 words]
An anti-drugs lobby group has told the Legislative Assembly that medical marijuana could act as a "Trojan horse" for illegal drug use in the ACT and any change to current laws could prompt an increase in addiction. Drug Free Australia representatives Gary Christian and Ross Colquhoun are to give evidence on Tuesday to a public hearing considering a medical cannabis scheme proposed by Greens Minister Shane Rattenbury. The lobby group's 125-page submission to the inquiry outlines domestic and overseas evidence that is critical of medical cannabis schemes and says reform is not needed in Australia because some patients already have access to legal synthetic cannabinoid drugs. [continues 503 words]
Lucy Haslam, the mother of the late-medical marijuana campaigner, Dan, has criticised the state government for moving too slowly to provide access to the drug to the ill. Ms Haslam, whose son died in February, five years after being diagnosed with cancer, testified before a federal Senate inquiry held at the NSW parliament on Tuesday. "We cannot afford to wait for the results of clinical trials," Ms Haslam said. "Don't dismiss the urgent need of people now. "If someone with a terminal illness says that their pain is less [. . .] what are we worried about? [continues 233 words]
TWO more states have joined a medicinal cannabis trial being led by NSW. The Queensland and Victorian governments both announced yesterday they would become involved in the trial. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said her Government would broaden the trial beyond NSW to include Queensland patients, and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said his Government was working with NSW to ensure at least a quarter of the participants are from Victoria. The Tasmanian Government announced its involvement in the NSW trial in January. [continues 100 words]
Medicinal marijuana to be tested AN ADVOCATE for the legalisation of medicinal cannabis has welcomed Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's announcement the state will be part of scientific trials of the treatment for cancer, epilepsy and end-of-life patients. But Hervey Bay's Jannean Dean, who stood as an independent candidate during the State election, was concerned at the cost and delay of trials. Queensland will join forces with New South Wales which has already committed to medicinal marijuana trials, with $9 million to be spent over five years as the trials are carried out. [continues 233 words]
THE family of a four-year-old boy has welcomed news the Victorian Government plans to fund a medicinal cannabis trial for people suffering terminal or life-threatening illnesses. Nationally recognised as one of the most controversial cases surrounding the use of the drug, epileptic Cooper Wallace's family stood tall during yesterday's announcement at Treasury Place. "It's exciting, we just hope that the laws change quickly enough for children like Cooper, and that we're not left waiting," his mother Cassie Batten said. [continues 253 words]
THE State Government is still determining whether a legislative change will be needed for Queensland to take part in medicinal cannabis trials. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk yesterday announced Queensland would work with the NSW Government in trialling the medicinal use of cannabis. Children with drug-resistant epilepsy are most likely to be included in the program. "Let's be very clear, this is strictly medical cannabis," Ms Palaszczuk said. The Premier said the state would now determine whether law changes would be needed. [continues 83 words]
Premier swayed on cannabis trial by epileptics A CAIRNS mum whose two daughters suffer from a rare and painful disease wants them to be among the first patients involved in Queensland's medical cannabis trials Sherri Hickey, whose teenaged daughters Elyshia and Emily - aged 19 and 15 - have both been diagnosed with the rare Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, says medical marijuana would provide them with an effective alternative for pain relief. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced that Queensland will take part in medical marijuana trials aimed at helping people with various illnesses, including children with epilepsy. [continues 257 words]
THE family of a four-year-old boy has welcomed news that the State Government plans to fund the use of medicinal cannabis in a trial for people suffering terminal or life-threatening illnesses. Nationally recognised as one of the most controversial cases surrounding the use of the drug, young epileptic Cooper Wallace, with his family, stood tall in light of the announcement. "It's exciting. We just hope that the laws can change quick enough for children like Cooper, and we're not left waiting," his mother, Cassie Batten, said. [continues 186 words]
Green fun and games at town's annual 'protestival' ONLY in Nimbin could a protest rally be celebrated with a parade full of hemp-themed floats, bong-throwing contests and a flock of green, prancing Ganja fairies down the main street. This weekend was the 2015 Nimbin Mardi Grass cannabis law reform rally, a tradition that began as a small, peaceful protest outside the Nimbin police station in May, 1993. This year, heavy rain and wild winds threatened to wreak havoc on the popular "protestival". [continues 511 words]
Michael Coulter The war on drugs has filled our jails, enriched the worst among us, wasted police resources and blotted up millions of dollars that could have been far better spent. 'Are we in the grip of an ice epidemic? No. Are all ice users violent monsters? Certainly not.' 'Are we in the grip of an ice epidemic? No. Are all ice users violent monsters? Certainly not.' It would be nice to say that the war on drugs had achieved nothing. The truth is far worse. [continues 758 words]
More than two-thirds of Australians back the use of medicinal cannabis, according to a new survey likely to bolster support among MPs who are set to vote on the issue in the coming months. Palliative Care Australia has found 67 per cent of people are happy to see the drug used to help patients with chronic pain and illness - and support is strongest among the elderly. The survey found people in older age brackets were more supportive of legalisation than the young: 72 per cent of 75 to 84-year-olds are in favour, compared to 62 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds. [continues 352 words]
Across Australia increasing numbers of families are turning to cannabis as a last resort to relieve their children's seizures, chronic pain and a host of other suffering. But with no legal supply and many doctors unwilling to discuss use of an illegal drug, they are left to run the gauntlet of trial and error and the uncertainties of the black market. In this first part of a series looking at the medicinal cannabis debate, Scott Hannaford meets one family facing tough choices. [continues 9965 words]
Garth Browning, 59, of New Plymouth, has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to health and the community in the Queen's Birthday Honours. A reluctant recipient, Browning said it was for a team of community organisations such as Like Minds and New Waves. "I work with those organisations, Jamie up at the Cathedral, the Salvation Army. By myself, the work I'm trying to do wouldn't happen without those people." Browning is the co-ordinator of Needle Exchange Taranaki Services, which provides clean needles for people with drug addictions. [continues 452 words]
More people are buying recreational drugs such as ecstasy and cocaine online, partly because it is much cheaper than buying them on the street, where the price of drugs in Australia is more than double the global average. An international survey on drug habits has detected a rapid increase over the past six years in the number of people who buy their drugs online using sites such as Silk Road, whose founder was jailed for life last month. The Global Drug Survey 2015, which was conducted in partnership with global media organisations including Fairfax Media, polled 102,000 people from 50 countries, including 4030 from Australia, about their patterns of drug use. [continues 495 words]
AMERICA is once again in the grip of Reefer Madness. This time though, it's a mad rush to make a dollar out of the burgeoning legal marijuana trade, which has gained strong momentum on the back of a wave of legislative change washing over what has traditionally been one of the toughest countries in the Western World when it comes to drug laws. Marijuana, or cannabis, is now legal for both medical and recreational use in Colorado, Washington, Alaska, and Oregon, and according to Wikipedia, 23 states have passed laws allowing some degree of medical use of marijuana. [continues 907 words]
Marc Lewis Argues That Addiction Is the Result of ' Deep Learning', Probably Triggered by Stress or Alienation. It Can Duly Be Unlearned... Via Better Habits For a long time, Marc Lewis felt a body blow of shame whenever he remembered that night. " We thought you were dead," accused one of his mates, leaning over him. Lewis was slumped half-naked in a bathtub. " We were just talking about what to do with the body." Lewis was at only the beginning of his odyssey into opiates. After this overdose, he dropped out of university and didn't pick up his studies for another nine years. At the next attempt, he was excelling at clinical psychology when he made front page news. He'd been busted raiding a pharmacy for goodies, hopefully Demerol or Methedrine. That was careless; he'd been successfully pulling off three or four break- ins a week. [continues 1417 words]
How severely people are dealt with for possession of illegal drugs or drug utensils is to be reviewed. Officials will focus on whether action is proportionate to how much harm an offence causes. Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne has released the 2015-20 National Drug Policy, which could significantly reform the treatment of drugs such as cannabis. Mr Dunne said three words - compassion, innovation and proportion - were of the utmost importance when developing drug policy. The policy has been hailed as hugely significant by the NZ Drug Foundation, which says it signals an armistice in the "war on drugs". [continues 148 words]
Prime Minister Should Back Bill Legalising Medical Marijuana to Ensure It Passes, the Greens Say. Richard Di Natale is forging ahead with his bid to legalise medical marijuana and warns the Turnbull government would be foolish to stand in the way. The Greens leader will ask the Senate to vote on his bill co-sponsored by Liberal, Labor and crossbench senators next month and he's calling on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to get on board to ensure its success. Senator Di Natale will personally press Mr Turnbull for his support when the pair meet in Canberra this week. [continues 359 words]
The Turnbull government wants to make it legal to grow medicinal cannabis in Australia this year. On Friday, Health Minister Sussan Ley said she was finalising changes to the Narcotics Drugs Act to allow cannabis to be legally grown for medicinal and scientific purposes. Victoria and NSW state governments have indicated they want to legalise medicinal cannabis, and are waiting on a federal regulatory scheme to do so. This comes days after Greens leader Richard Di Natale announced he would put a separate cross-party bill on the same issue to the Senate next month. [continues 180 words]
While some may view the government dishing out of tips on howto get high safely as cynical and degenerate, surely this is a health issue rather than a moral one? Last week's announcement by Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne that government experts may be able to offer advice on recreational drug-taking will probably go down like a cup of cold sick with conservative Kiwis. In Dunne's time as associate minister, the very flexible centrist politician who prides himself on his common sense has been learning on the job, his rocky journey into legal highs taking him to professional lows. [continues 579 words]
Tenants contaminating state houses with P face year-long bans from renting Housing New Zealand (HNZ) homes and steep costs to have the properties repaired. HNZ is taking a hardline against illegal activity as it combats a growing number of homes contaminated by the use and manufacture of the Class A drug methamphetamine, also known as P. Drug-abusing tenants can expect to be evicted and taken to the Tenancy Tribunal to pay the thousands of dollars it costs to decontaminate properties. HNZ can also suspend them from being in one of its houses for up to a year. [continues 482 words]
Five weeks ago, Bill Shorten visited Cherie and Trevor Dell in their Sydney home to talk about how medicinal cannabis is helping their daughter Abbey, aged 3. The very next day, the police came knocking. Abbey suffers from a genetic disorder which results in constant violent seizures. They tried every legal medicine and treatment under the sun but found that nothing worked. Eventually, desperate to relieve Abbey's suffering, they turned to underground suppliers that provide illegal medicinal cannabis oil to families in need. [continues 308 words]
Visual test shows better scores in children exposed to drug in utero Smoking cannabis during pregnancy produces infants who score better on one measure of brain development, according to a study of New Zealand children. The researchers say their test outcome cannot be construed as maternal marijuana use being good for babies' brains. Drinking alcohol, however, led to worse scores - and when both drugs were used, they cancelled each other out. But the optometry and psychology researchers who did the study warn that women should not self-medicate on the strength of their findings because cannabis use in pregnancy is also known to lead to poor outcomes on other measures of brain development, [continues 347 words]
Australia No Longer in the Lead Australia is caught in an irrational, unwinnable war against drugs that is just a "war against its own children", health and legal experts say. A new group run or supported by some of Australia's top drug experts, Harm Reduction Australia, will argue more needs to be done to support harm minimisation - including the decriminalisation or even legalisation of some drugs. Australia uses only about 2 per cent of its drug spending on harm reduction activities, compared with 66 per cent (about $1.1 billion) on law enforcement. Australians spend more than $7 billion a year buying illicit drugs. [continues 493 words]
PROTESTERS against saliva testing drivers gathered outside Lismore Local Court yesterday as more than 50 people faced the magistrate on drug driving charges. Inflatable joints, large hand made banners and signs including 'swab testing is not impairment testing', 'change the law not our lives' and 'good medicine' dominated the peaceful rally a protesters heard from a number of speakers. Nimbin Hemp Embassy President Michael Balderstone told protesters due to the alarming statistics police had gathered about drug driving, they plan on trebling the number of saliva tests in NSW next year. [continues 203 words]
THE ice epidemic has emerged as a key driver of this year's horror New South Wales road toll, which has shot back up to the highest level since 2013. Almost 50 per cent of motorists who failed roadside drug tests in 2015 took ice, while 72 per cent took cannabis, 6 per cent took ecstasy - and a whopping 97 per cent had a combination of drugs in their system. After years of falling crash rates, including a record low in 2014, this year's road toll has spiked 12 per cent with 333 deaths so far in 2015, up from 298 last year. Back in the 1970s around 1300 people died each year on NSW roads. [continues 321 words]
OPINIONS of The Northern Star's online readers are divided on the controversial issue of saliva testing motorists to identify who is driving with illicit drugs present in their system. When the paper shared to its Facebook page a story about Monday's anti-saliva testing protest held outside Lismore Court, more than 40 readers commented. The majority of the comments supported the use of random drug testing by police. Sara Elizabeth Carr posted: "Don't do drugs or drink and drive. Simple." [continues 173 words]
2015 In Review: Australasia
