Six years ago, The Government of West Australia imposed an alcohol ban in the remote West Australian town of Halls Creek. Now it’s causing more problems as the alcohol ban has given rise to a black market for alcohol as well as prostitution in the town, reports Lucy Martin for ABC News.
Ice use in the mining industry is escalating, and this situation is starting to raise concerns among industry groups who are keen on resolving it, says an ABC News article.
The Daily Telegraph has conducted a survey testing pubs across Sydney for traces of drug use within their premises, and the results reveal that 80 per cent of the licensed establishments surveyed has turned up evidence of rampant illicit drug use.
The rising incidence of ice use in the construction industry has raised concerns among unions, who are now open to the idea of mandatory drug testing on construction sites, says Sue Lannin in a report for ABC News.
The ice epidemic is getting worse in Australia, but one central New South Wales town is having it so bad it has earned the nickname “South Pole”, says an article on News.com.au
A top addiction research centre has testified before a Federal Senate inquiry that high unemployment rates are driving many regional Australians to abuse drugs and alcohol, says Geoff Egan in a report for the Sunshine Coast Daily.
Professor Ann Roche, director of the Flinders University National Centre for Education on Training and Addiction, told the Senate Committee inquiry into ice in July that residents of regional and rural areas—where life opportunities tend to be scarce—are especially vulnerable to abusing alcohol and drugs, including crystal meth or ice.
“The individuals in those communities are more vulnerable to the use of substances that are basically going to make them feel better when life is not looking particularly good,” Roche told the committee at the meeting in Mount Gambia in South Australia.
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There is a mounting call for a change in Australia’s drug laws to make drug use a public health issue and not a criminal issue, and three federal MPs have just added their voices to that call, says Nick Jarvis in an article for InTheMix.
If you thought only athletes from traditional sports are prone to taking performance-enhancing drugs, think again. With the admission of some professional gamers that they have been boosting their performance levels by taking drugs like Adderall, pro gaming league ESL has taken the initiative to actually implement drug testing procedures on gamers who join its tournaments.