Switzerland’s national drug policy, introduced in the 1990s, comprises four pillars: prevention, therapy, harm reduction and prohibition. The Swiss public voted the approach into law in 2008.
All drug use has a risk of harm, which can include death. This Viewpoints argues either side of the question: Does cannabis cause 32 deaths each year in New Zealand?
Our Through the Maze symposium in July was a starting point for change.
We've developed a new model drug law based on evidence and experience. We think it would go a long way towards reducing drug harm. What do you think?
The Waitangi Tribunal’s (Wai 2540) Tu¯ Mai te Rangi! report says the Crown has breached its Treaty of Waitangi obligations by failing to address the high rates of Māori reoffending and reimprisonment.
Local Alcohol Policies promised more community participation. Has the new Act delivered?
Dr Huhana Hickey (Ngāti Tahinga, Whakatōhea) is a research fellow at the AUT and an outspoken medical cannabis law reform campaigner.
Last year, media seized on research that seemed to show using alcohol could have incredible benefits in a white collar work environment.
That guy who is notorious for getting legless at every social gathering might be called an alkie or an alcoholic behind his back. But the label is unlikely to be on the mark, at least not from a diagnostic point of view.
At the end of last year, NZ lowered its legal blood alcohol limit. How has that affected drivers and the hospitality industry?
What can the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the world drug problem achieve? In this feature, we share perspectives from people working in South America, West Africa and Asia and in global development.
It’s almost the stuff of science fiction. Will trending new handheld devices for identifying substances become an important and useful detection tool, or are they unnecessary and a potential further intrusion on our civil liberties?