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Opioid crisis

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A ban on over-the-counter codeine products has been attributed to fewer deaths of despair in Australia.

Codeine bans helped avoid a COVID spike in ‘deaths of despair’

Deaths of despair have surged in parts of the world as people use drugs or alcohol. But a new study shows Australia has not followed that trend.

  • Shane Wright

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Metonitazene, a type of nitazene, intercepted by law enforcement officers in a parcel bound for the Northern Territory.

‘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.

  • Amber Schultz
Michael Keaton in Dopesick.

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.

  • Ben Pobjie
If the judge approves the deal, the Sacklers, owners of Purdue Pharma, would pay as much as $US6 billion to help address the opioid damage.

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?

  • Noah Feldman
Xanax and Valium are common benzodiazepines used to treat anxiety.

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.

  • Amber Schultz
Nyxoid, a brand of Naloxone, is a nasal spray that blocks or reverses the effects of opioid drugs.

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.

  • Amber Schultz
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The benzodiazepine medication known as Xanax.

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.

  • Amber Schultz

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.

  • Cate Faehrmann
Dr Simon Holliday, seen here in a photo from 2017.

‘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.

  • 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.

  • Liam Mannix

Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/topic/opioid-crisis-1ndk