From July, authorised psychiatrists will be able to prescribe the drugs for post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression
After decades of “demonisation”, psychiatrists will be able to prescribe MDMA and psilocybin in Australia from July this year.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration made the surprise announcement on Friday afternoon.
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Continue reading...Conflict and economic hardship force farmers to rely on opium, with poppy cultivation rising by 33% in 2022
Production of opium has flourished in Myanmar since the military’s seizure of power, with the cultivation of poppies up by a third in the past year, according to a UN report.
In 2022, in the first full growing season since the military wrested control from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, Myanmar saw a 33% increase in the cultivation area to 40,100 hectares, according to the report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime released on Thursday.
Continue reading...Suella Braverman pushing plan to change law on nitrous oxide as part of crackdown on antisocial behaviour
The Home Office is preparing to introduce a long-mooted ban on the sale or possession of nitrous oxide, one of the most popular recreational drugs among young people, as part of a wider crackdown on antisocial behaviour.
The plan is being pushed by the home secretary, Suella Braverman, according to officials, and would lead to people found with laughing gas, which is usually inhaled from balloons filled via small metal cylinders, facing prosecution.
Continue reading...Prohibitionist approach risks fuelling the black market, worsening health outcomes and sending people to jail unnecessarily, experts say
The criminalisation of nicotine vaping risks “unintended consequences” including fuelling the black market, causing worse health outcomes and even potentially putting people in prison when we should be trying to keep them out, the Australian Alcohol and other Drugs Council (AADC) says.
It is an offence in all states and territories to supply a nicotine vape to someone without a prescription, and to either possess or use one without a prescription.
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Continue reading...Two men charged with drug and money laundering offences, as well as theft of electricity, after officers raid Coromandel East property
Two men have been arrested after police uncovered an elaborate underground bunker allegedly used to grow cannabis in Adelaide’s south.
Officers attended a semi-rural property in the suburb of Coromandel East on Monday where they discovered the bunker’s entrance.
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Continue reading...Pharmacists are having to convert tablets into liquid alternatives needed for small children
Australian medical groups and pharmacists have warned that a national shortage of medicines including common antibiotics is getting worse, with some pharmacists having to convert tablets into liquid alternatives for children.
Some doctors are now urging the federal government to invest in the development of domestic manufacturing as a long-term solution to overcome global supply chain challenges.
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Continue reading...Federal police warn ‘smuggling drugs internally is idiotic’ after man, 28, charged with importing 120g of cocaine into Melbourne airport
An Irish man is behind bars after he was stopped at Melbourne airport and taken to hospital for a CT scan which allegedly revealed six Kinder Surprise capsules packed with cocaine.
The passenger’s bags were searched at the international airport in late December with Australian Border Force alleging there was a positive result for the presence of cocaine.
Continue reading...New study finds most medications are ineffective against strains currently circulating but thankfully full vaccination still offers protection
The antiviral Paxlovid is the “last drug left in the cupboard” to treat people vulnerable to severe disease and death from Covid-19, a leading virologist says.
The message from Associate Prof Stuart Turville is particularly concerning given the variants circulating now are adept at evading antibodies.
Continue reading...Exclusive: White powder residue found after events held at Chevening and Downing Street, say sources
Traces of a suspected class A drug were found at a government grace-and-favour home after parties attended by political allies of Liz Truss, the Guardian has been told.
The white powder was discovered at the Chevening estate last summer in the days before Truss won the Tory leadership contest and became prime minister, according to sources.
Continue reading...Despite premier Daniel Andrews refusing to budge on the issue, Legalise Cannabis party promises to push ‘forcefully’ on drug reform
A group of progressive candidates that might hold the balance of power in the Victorian upper house have vowed to push for cannabis decriminalisation despite premier Daniel Andrews refusing to budge on the issue.
While the Legalise Cannabis party said it was too early to “count their eggs”, preliminary projections suggest they are in the running to win three upper house seats – but it is promising to push “forcefully” on drug reform if elected.
Continue reading...Researchers say despite the lack of symptom relief, more trials are needed to focus on the targeted use of medicinal cannabis
The first high quality study looking at the impact of cannabidiol oil on palliative care patients with advanced cancer found it did not improve their pain, depression, anxiety, or quality of life.
Palliative care is one of the conditions for which medicinal cannabis has been approved in Australia.
Continue reading...NSW police say several transnational organised criminal networks were collaborating on drug imports
Six Sydney men have been charged and millions of dollars in cash and drugs seized after a multi-agency police investigation into an international drug ring.
Another man was arrested in Los Angeles as part of a joint operation with US homeland security.
Continue reading...32 tonnes of packaged drug found in raids on farms and production plants across country
Marijuana with a street value of at least €64m (£56m) has been seized in Spain – the largest amount ever found – police said.
Spanish police said they had seized 32 tonnes of packaged marijuana.
Continue reading...Minister says legalisation could set precedent for rest of Europe, though plan is still subject to EU approval
Germany wants to make it legal for adults to purchase and own up to 30g of cannabis for recreational use and to privately grow up to three plants, the country’s health minister has announced, saying the intended outcome could set a precedent for the rest of the European continent.
“If this law comes to pass, it would be the most liberal project to legalise cannabis in Europe, but also the most regulated market”, the Karl Lauterbach said at a press conference in Berlin on Wednesday. “It could be a model for Europe.”
Continue reading...Country investigating 206 cases of kidney injury that could be linked to ingredients in liquid medicines
Indonesia has banned the sale of all syrup medicines as it investigates the deaths this year of nearly 100 children, warning that the liquids may contain ingredients linked to fatal kidney injuries.
The move comes just weeks after the World Health Organization issued an alert over four Indian-made cough syrups that it said were potentially linked with acute kidney injuries and the deaths of 70 children in the Gambia.
Continue reading...‘As far as we’re aware, this is the first detection of a new drug by a drug-checking service anywhere in the world,’ says professor
A new recreational drug dubbed CanKet, similar to ketamine but with unknown side effects, has been found by scientists at Australia’s first fixed pill-testing site.
CanTEST, a face-to-face drug-checking service, was launched in Canberra in August. Since then, almost 200 people have brought their recreational drugs in for analysis and advice based on the results. Some people choose to discard their drugs if the service finds they are laced with harmful or unexpected substances.
Continue reading...Researchers identify medications that could be repurposed, including treatments for heart conditions and stomach ulcers
Scientists have pinpointed a range of commonly used medicines that could be repurposed to treat people suffering from obesity and diabetes.
The medicines – to be outlined at the International Congress on Obesity in Melbourne this weekend – include treatments for stomach ulcers and heart rhythm disorders and were identified using sophisticated computer programs.
Continue reading...FDA says supply does not meet demand and drug-maker says backorders are due to ‘significant rise’ in prescription rates
An increase in prescriptions and an ongoing labor crunch have helped contribute to a nationwide shortage of Adderall across the US.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday confirmed the shortage of the drug, used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. The FDA said Teva, the largest manufacturer, is facing “ongoing intermittent manufacturing delays”.
Continue reading...Roslin Institute engineered a flock to help research into the genetics of Batten disease
A flock of gene-edited sheep has been used by scientists to pinpoint a promising treatment for a lethal inherited brain disease that afflicts young children. The researchers, based in the UK and US, say their work could lead to the development of drugs to alleviate infantile Batten disease.
In the UK, Batten disease affects between 100 and 150 children and young adults and is inherited from two symptomless parents who each carry a rare recessive gene mutation.
Continue reading...Some patients are taking cannabis for conditions where there is little evidence it is effective, GPs and researchers say
Prescriptions for unapproved medicinal cannabis products in Australia have quadrupled since 2019, with half issued for adults aged 24 and under.
Researchers and GPs’ representatives have questioned whether the boom has led to patients taking cannabis for conditions where there is little evidence it is effective, given large gaps in the data and the role of cannabis manufacturers in promoting their product to practitioners.
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