Australia has one of the toughest anti-nicotine laws in the world. For many smokers, indulging in a traditional cigarette or a sweet-flavoured vape is an expensive habit. In fact, those without a hefty disposable income could be shelling out 14% of their weekly wages to satisfy their nicotine cravings.

Nicotine in all its forms is both highly addictive and challenging to quit. While soaring tobacco prices have stopped many Australians from taking up, it has done little for those who are already knee deep in their nicotine dependence.

Australia is currently grappling with the complexities of e-cigarette regulation, particularly concerning young people. 

While well-intentioned policymakers aim to curb youth vaping and nicotine addiction, the prevailing approach has leaned towards criminalisation.

I am one of the 8 million, otherwise law abiding Australians who have wilfully defied the drug laws by using an illicit drug during their lifetime.

I am one of the 2 million Australians who has used cannabis in the last 12 months. The truth is I rarely partake anymore more but I stand with the millions of Australians that use recreational drugs regularly, as I once did.

I confess to being a little more enthusiastic about cannabis than most having enjoyed it for over 40 years.

I've also used narcotics including heroin, cocaine, and amphetamines and although at times have enjoyed the pleasure and relief they offered, at other times have suffered addiction and despair through their abuse.

Earlier this month, drugs sold as cocaine in Melbourne were found to be contaminated with a powerful group of opioids, known as nitazenes.

These new synthetic drugs were also the suspected cause of four people being hospitalised in Sydney in May. And in April, nitazenes were found in drugs used by around 20 people who overdosed in outer Sydney.

The rise of synthetic opioids like nitazenes in Australia requires an urgent response. Understanding solutions such as nitazenes test strips and other harm reduction strategies is crucial to preventing a catastrophic health crisis.

Nitazenes: Australia's Looming Health Crisis

Imagine a drug so powerful that a minute dose the size of few grains of sand can kill you in minutes. This is the grim reality of a new class of drugs called nitazenes which are synthetic opioids up to 1000 times stronger than Morphine.

The recent deaths of 2 young men who attended Knockout Outdoor Festival in New South Wales have reignited calls for pill testing in Australia. These deaths, suspected to be linked to MDMA use, follow at least ten other drug-related deaths at festivals in NSW since 2021.

Jen Ross-King, the mother of Alex, another young woman who lost her life at a festival in NSW in 2019, has begged the government to introduce pill testing - a service that could possibly have saved her daughter's life and the lives of many others. Her voice adds to the chorus of mothers like Adriana Buccianti, who lost her son, Daniel, at the Rainbow Serpent Festival 10 years ago also calling for pill testing at festivals.

Australia continues to reject calls for pill testing. How many more need to be lost?

As many states weigh legalising cannabis, here's what they can learn from the struggles of growers in Canberra?

Alison Ritter, UNSW Sydney

A landmark report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) exposes the unintended consequences of drug prohibition.

The report pushes for a major rethink of global drug policy by Member States, advocating for a public health and human rights approach rather than criminalisation. 

After years of endorsing drug prohibition, could this groundbreaking UN report be a harbinger of change in global drug policy?