Matters of Substance November 2007 contents
Cover Story
Marijuana. It’s the most widely used and least talked about (illicit) recreational drug in New Zealand. In this special edition of Matters of Substance, we’ve asked interested and interesting people from across the cannabis spectrum to share their thoughts.
Features
The point of prison needle exchange
Like it or not, prisoners do drugs, and the blood-borne diseases they acquire from dirty needles get paroled back into society along with them. Why then are prison needle exchanges so controversial?
It’s doing your brain in
Is alcohol-related brain impairment a silent but growing epidemic amongst heavy drinking New Zealanders? New research suggests our culture of drunkenness may be putting our brains at risk, and most won’t know until it’s too late.
Regulars
Introduction to this special edition, and comment on the review of New Zealand's drug law.
Guest Editorial - A new blue line?
Harm minimisation and police law reform Mike Webb of the New Zealand Police writes about a major review of the Police Act, which is currently underway, and the opportunities this might bring about for harm minimisation at the frontline of policing.
Opinion - Seeing past the smoke
For years, the health message to smokers has been “quit or die”, a message that clearly fails with hardcore nicotine junkies. Ann McNeill and Jamie Bridge argue it may be time to look more at harm minimisation for those who just can’t quit, no matter what.
Mythbusters - Hard time and hard numbers
Numbers and statistics abound around how alcohol and drugs contribute to crime, imprisonment and re-offending. In this issue, Mythbusters look at why the numbers can appear to differ and what the statistics actually mean.
