Opioid crisis
‘Terrifying potency’: The overdose-inducing drug invading suburbia
The number of unintentional opioid overdose deaths in Australia has continued to grow, the latest data shows.
- by Amber Schultz
Latest
★★★★
What to watch
Michael Keaton stars in a corrosive view of America’s opioid crisis
Dopesick, now streaming for free on SBS On Demand, is sad but essential viewing.
- by Ben Pobjie
Opinion
US Supreme Court
US Supreme Court may push Sackler opioid case to Congress
How much of a fresh start does the Sackler family deserve – without having to declare bankruptcy themselves?
- by Noah Feldman
Common anti-anxiety meds turning Australians into accidental addicts
Patients aren’t being properly told about the long-term risk of everyday medications, with Australians developing dependencies on the drugs.
- by Amber Schultz
The free life-saving opioid antidote that remains unused
With a growing proportion of opioid overdoses caused by prescription painkillers, experts are calling for an expansion of the Take Home Naloxone program.
- by Amber Schultz
Exclusive
Drugs
The common medication involved in killing more Australians than alcohol
Xanax, Valium and other benzodiazepines are contributing to more than a third of all accidental overdose deaths, making them the second most deadly drug after opioids.
- by Amber Schultz
Opinion
Drug reform
Legalising cocaine would give ganglords what they fear most: Centrelink
Our communities are vulnerable and our streets are unsafe because the war on drugs policy empowers drug gangs rather than stopping them.
- by Cate Faehrmann
‘Man-made disaster’: Doctors, pharmacists sound alarm on ‘rushed’ new opioid program
Doctors and pharmacists warn historic reforms, which will make it cheaper for Australians to buy life-saving medicines for opioid addiction, are being threatened by a rushed and “disastrous” roll-out.
- by Melissa Cunningham and Lachlan Abbott
Opioids are a go-to for back pain, but a new study suggests some don’t work
Slow-release opioids are no more effective at treating acute back and neck pain than a placebo, a new study has found.
- by Liam Mannix
Opinion
Cancer
I’m not dope sick, I’m dying. So don’t make me doctor-shop for pain relief
Bad press around opioids has resulted in a reluctance to prescribe the drugs, even for terminally ill patients in chronic pain, like me.
- by John O'Brien
‘A very dark time’: When his doctor changed his prescription, the effect for Kevin was instant
It took Kevin James two years to recover after doctors changed his medication. He doesn’t want this to happen to anyone else.
- by Amber Schultz
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/topic/opioid-crisis-1ndk