This Month
Was your drink spiked? How to recognise the symptoms and what to do
The festive period is riskier as people go out more often for office parties and end of year gatherings. Here are the signs to look out for.
- Emily Craig
The CEOs are tripping. Can psychedelics help the C-suite?
A growing cottage industry is dedicated to the theory that mind-altering drugs can improve business leadership.
- Emma Goldberg
Remaining Bali Nine members return to Australia
Australians Matthew Norman, Michael Czugaj, Scott Rush, Martin Stephens and Si Yi Chen were accompanied back to Australia by government officials on Sunday.
- Ronald Mizen
Ex-NSW Liberal leader’s son gets community service for drug dealing
Mark Chikarovski, 38, will serve a 35-month sentence in the community for supplying a range of drugs via the dark web.
- Max Mason
March
Musk says his ketamine prescription is in investors’ best interests
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has told former CNN anchor Don Lemon that using the drug alleviates periods of low mood, and “what matters is execution”.
- Daniel Zuidijk
Illicit drugs bought online often adulterated, study warns
Researchers say the high rate of adulteration of drugs sold online highlights the urgent need for more local pill testing facilities.
- Jill Margo
January
‘On Ozempic I immediately lost all desire for alcohol’
Intriguingly, some users also reported that semaglutide decreased their desire to smoke or vape.
- David Cox
Armed men storm Ecuador TV studio amid escalating violence
The South American country has been rocked by attacks, including the abductions of police officers, following a powerful gang leader’s apparent escape from prison.
- Annie Correal and Genevieve Glatsky
Elon Musk’s drug use is the latest headache for Tesla’s board
The Wall Street Journal detailed Elon Musk’s history of recreational drug use, the latest in a long line of tests for a board packed with the CEO’s acolytes.
- Craig Trudell and Dana Hull
September 2023
The end of addiction? Scientists are re-engineering our brains
New gene therapies could hold the key to freeing addicts from their abusive cycles – but will altering their receptors change their personalities as well?
- David Cox
July 2023
Cocaine growers in Colombia give up as crop price plunges 75pc
The price of coca, the key commodity used to make cocaine, has plunged this year in Colombia thanks to oversupply and the growth of production in other countries.
- Oliver Griffin
Who took cocaine into the White House?
President Joe Biden and his family were away at Camp David when a uniformed Secret Service agent found the substance during a patrol of the West Wing.
- Katie Rogers
January 2023
How the marijuana ‘green rush’ fell apart
Supply is now flooding the market in several US states, economists say, depressing prices and decimating already-thin margins.
- Updated
- Rachel Lerman
Why the golden age of cocaine is happening right now
The drug is reaching corners of the planet that have never seen it before, thanks to a massive growth in acreage as well as higher productivity on coca farms.
- Matthew Bristow
December 2022
Wait, is my dog stoned?
We thought our pet was having a stroke. She was high. Vets say that’s getting increasingly common these days.
- Susan Coll
September 2022
NSW pins hopes on ‘two strikes’ policy against drugs
The state government ruled out accepting a recommendation to decriminalise the drug ice.
- Samantha Hutchinson
August 2022
Medical MDMA focus for Forrest’s new $250m health tech fund
Andrew Forrest’s new venture capital fund sees potential to patent variations of psychedelic drug MDMA for the treatment of mental health problems.
- Brad Thompson
July 2022
Peter Hunt’s psychedelic riposte to Four Corners
Things have been getting foggy at Mind Medicine Australia after an ABC investigation.
- Michael Roddan
June 2022
Weed wonderland: pot smokers rejoice as Thailand legalises marijuana
It’s like a dream come true for an ageing generation of pot smokers who recall the kick the legendary Thai Stick variety delivered.
- Grant Peck and Tassanee Vejpongsa
February 2022
‘I am not the story’: publicist dodges CEO drug scandal
A publicist who represented former Lark Distilling CEO Geoff Bainbridge refused to explain why he allegedly lied in a media interview about his drug use.
- Aaron Patrick