Opioid crisis
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.
- by Shane Wright
Latest
‘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
★★★★
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
Original URL: https://www.watoday.com.au/topic/opioid-crisis-1ndk