NDARC is regularly approached by media outlets to provide an evidence-based perspective on drug and alcohol issues. In addition, NDARC research is disseminated to the general public through a wide range of media including television and radio programs, online publications, print media and more.
Below is a selection of recent media coverage.
2012
PRINT
The Sydney Morning Herald
Dr Louise Mewton comments on changes to the diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorder in DSM-V.
Newcastle Herald
This article draws on NDARC's report Trends in Drug Use and Related Harms 2001 - 2011 in its discussion of opioid treatment waiting times in Australia.
TELEVISION
ABC TV
Anchor of the Midday Report, Deborah Rice, speaks to Prof. Louisa Degenhardt about her paper in The Lancet on the extent of illicit drug use worldwide.
Channel 7
Paul Kadak speaks to Louisa Degenhardt about rates of cannabis use in Australia and impediments to decriminalisation.
RADIO
Talking Back the Night (3/04/2012)
Southern Cross Radio
Professor Alison Ritter discusses the idea of illicit drug decriminalisation, as raised in the Australia21 report.
ABC Radio
Dr Caitlin Hughes chats to The World Today about Australia21's recommendations for drug policy reform.
ABC Radio
Associate Professor Anthony Shakeshaft discusses a supermarket chain's decision to slash the price of select wines.
ABC Radio
Professor Alison Ritter joins a discussion looking at the effectiveness of the global 'War on Drugs'.
ABC Radio
ABC's PM program speaks to NDARC Conjoint Dr. Paul Haber about research into a traditional Chinese remedy for hangovers.
ABC Radio
Journalist Adam Harvey speaks to Prof. Louisa Degenhardt about rates of drug use worldwide.
ONLINE
ABC Health and Wellbeing
Natasha Sindicich discusses why combining energy drinks with illicit drugs may not be a good idea.
The West & others.
NDARC director Michael Farrell and Hello Sunday Morning business development manager Jamie Moore discuss young people's drinking habits. This article was a precursor to a free public lecture at UNSW on the same topic.
The Conversation
Professor Alison Ritter explains some of the evidence for and against illicit drug decriminalisation and legalisation.
The Star Observer
Coverage of NDARC's article in Drug and Alcohol Review recommending the legalisation of gay marriage to aid in the reduction of drug and alcohol harm in Australia.
The Conversation
Professor Michael Farrell discusses why some people with lung or colorectal cancer continue to smoke cigarettes after their diagnosis.
ABC News Online
Journalist Eleanor Bell speaks to NDARC Conjoint Dr. Paul Haber about research into a traditional Chinese remedy for hangovers.
The Independent
Professor Michael Farrell discusses the method used in a Chinese study that looked at 'internet addiction disorder' in adolescents.
The New York Times
This article presents key findings from a paper co-written by Professor Louisa Degenhardt for The Lancet on the extent of illicit drug use worldwide.
2011
PRINT
The Canberra Times
Dr Lucy Burns on why substance users in the ACT may be increasingly turning to mephedrone and synthetic cannabis rather than other stimulants like ecstasy.
Body and Soul
Professor Richard Mattick discusses the harms associated with parents supplying alcohol to their children.
Cosmos
Presents the latest medical research on methamphetamine, cannabis and cocaine, with comment from NDARC's Jan Copeland and Sharlene Kaye.
The Sydney Morning Herald
A Queensland case wherein a four-year-old allegedly swallowed LSD prompts an examination of LSD availability and use in the broader community.
WA Today
This article points to parallels between data from the Australian Institute of Criminology and data from NDARC Drug Trends unit which both point to an increased use of methamphetamine among certain groups.
The Sydney Morning Herald
Professor Shane Darke and Paul Dillon lend their voices to a feature story examining the use of cocaine by Sydneysiders far and wide. The story also quotes NDARC's Illicit Drug Reporting System.
Drugs and mental illness (Spring 2011)
Sane News
Associate Professor Alison Ritter spoke to national charity Sane Australia about patterns of drug use among those with mental illness.
The Sydney Morning Herald
Journalist Amy Corderoy spotlights Peter Vallely's National Drug Trends Conference presentation on the purchasing of controlled substances such as synthetic cannabis online.
The Sydney Morning Herald
A comprehensive article on the key findings from the 2011 Illicit Drug Reporting System and Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System.
Herald Sun
This is a brief article highlighting key findings from the 2011 Illicit Drug Reporting System and Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System.
The Canberra Times
The newspaper reports on the trends in drug use in the ACT as drawn from the preliminary findings of the Illicit Drug Reporting System.
AAP
Dr Lucy Burns discusses declining use of ecstasy and the increasing use of crystal methamphetamine among Australian drug users.
AAP
This article reports some of the key findings from the 2011 Drug Trends Conference, including the declining use of ecstasy among drug users.
The Sydney Morning Herald
Part of the Sydney Morning Herald's 'Focus on University Research' special report, this article profiles NDARC researcher Melanie Simpson and her PhD into cannabis use among young offenders.
The Sydney Morning Herald
The article discusses a recent study by NDARC which found that heroin users who got methadone in prison and stayed on it after leaving prison were 20 per cent less likely to re-offend and less likely to die.
The Sydney Morning Herald
Professor Richard Mattick joins in the discussion on Professor Patrick Parkinson's report For Kids Sake, which found an increasing number of Australian children are being born out of wedlock. This piece by Adele Horin includes discussion of dysfunctional families, including those with drug and alcohol issues.
Uniken
Professor Kate Dolan’s article on the women’s clinic in Iran appears in the latest issue of University of New South Wales’ Uniken magazine.
WA Today
Former West Australian premier Geoff Gallop uses his regular column in the West Australian newspaper to reflect on the release of Professor Shane Darke's book, The Life of the Heroin User: Typical Beginnings, Trajectories and Outcomes.
Herald Sun
Research by NDARC on prescription drug use published in The Medical Journal of Australia attracts interest from Victoria's daily newspaper.
AAP
This article by Belinda Tasker was widely published, including by The Australian, Courier Mail, The Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, News.com.au, Perth Now, Sky News, The Sydney Morning Herald and The West Australian.
The Daily Telegraph
Coverage of an NDARC study that looked at the impact of methodone treatment programs on such things as prisoner deaths and reincarceration.
The Mercury
Professor Richard Mattick discusses his project 'Can parents teach their children to drink responsibly? Or is one drop a drop too many?'
RADIO
2SER 107.3FM
NDARC's Sharlene Kaye discusses the misuse of dexamphetamine among university students.
ABC Radio
Barney Porter interviews Dr Lucy Burns about increasing ice use among injecting drug users and regular ecstasy users.
ABC Radio
The ABC's John Barron discusses the findings from the 2011 Illicit Drug Reporting System and Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System with Dr Lucy Burns.
CAAMA Radio
Bianca Calabria discusses a family-based approach to reducing alcohol-related harms in Aboriginal communities.
ABC News Radio Mornings
John Barron interviews Professor Shane Darke about his latest publication, The Life of the Heroin User: Typical Beginnings, Trajectories and Outcomes.
666 ABC Canberra
Louise Maher interviews Professor Shane Darke about his new book, The Life of the Heroin User: Typical Beginnings, Trajectories and Outcomes, for her drive time show.
2SER-FM 107.3
Bianca Calabria discusses an ongoing NDARC research project looking at a family-based approach to reducing alcohol-related harms among Aboriginal Australians in rural New South Wales.
Life Matters
ABC Radio National:
TELEVISION
ABC TV
Dr Lucy Burns discusses findings from the IDRS and EDRS that show ice use is increasing among Australian drug users.
Channel 10
Dr Lucy Burns and Natasha Sindicich discuss the declining use of ecstasy among drug users, as well as increasing use of methamphetamine.
Channel 10
Associate Professor Anthony Shakeshaft provides comment on proposals for convenience stores to be able to sell alcohol in Australia.
ABC TV
Professor Maree Teeson lends her voice to this program examining Triple Care Farm, a rural treatment centre for youths with drug or alcohol problems.
UNSWTV
Dr Lucy Burns on her research into the medical needs of the homeless who are also drug/alcohol dependent.
ONLINE
Fatalies linkd to opioid patches (19/10/2011)
Australian Doctor
A news item on the intentional and accidental misuse of fentynal patches.
Health Canal
A new study has found that recreational drug use is not as common among elite Australian athletes as we might think.
ABC Online
Professor Jan Copeland explains how cannabis intake may impact on an employee's work performance.
The Conversation
Dr Lucy Burns provides comment on a new study published in PLoS Medicine that found moderate alcohol consumption by women at midlife was associated with modestly better overall health status.
