AOD Policy

Australia ran the most successful anti-smoking campaign the world had ever seen. Not one of the most successful, the most successful. We reduced daily tobacco consumption from around 52 per cent of all Australians aged 16 and over in the late 1940s down to around 13 per cent just a few years ago. That is

INTRODUCTION: A Crisis Hiding In Plain Sight Two numbers define the scale of the problem. In the United States alone, more than 100,000 people die from opioid-related overdoses every year. Among 15-year-olds in England, 44 per cent have been offered drugs and nearly a quarter have used them. These figures represent the downstream consequences of

Australia ran the most successful anti-smoking campaign the world had ever seen. Not one of the most successful, the most successful. We reduced daily tobacco consumption from around 52 per cent of all Australians aged 16 and over in the late 1940s down to around 13 per cent just a few years ago. That is

Synthetic opioids are changing overdose statistics worldwide. Cannabis legalisation has shifted public views on risk, even as potency keeps climbing. Vaping has introduced a new generation to nicotine dependence, often through products that look harmless. Amid these shifts, we keep losing sight of one principle: drug use is not inevitable. It is a preventable behaviour

As Vietnam launches its toughest anti-drug campaign yet, it is choosing its model. And it isn’t the one its neighbour just abandoned. Through June, Vietnam ran its 2026 Anti-Drug Action Month under a blunt national theme: a shared determination to build a drug-free commune. Provincial police forces launched simultaneous high-intensity operations to suppress drug crime

A New York Times podcast on the global drug crisis raises urgent concerns, but leaves the most important questions unasked. There is something almost cinematic about the way The New York Times framed its recent investigation into the synthetic drugs crisis. A mysterious death in a Chicago jail. A criminal investigator who says “keister” instead

National Tragedy Triggers Immediate Tobacco and Cannabis Cravings, New Research Finds Collective Trauma and Substance Cravings: The Reflexive Response Nobody Talks About When a national tragedy unfolds, the psychological fallout runs far deeper than grief or anxiety. New research in the Journal of Health Psychology shows that collective trauma and substance cravings are directly linked. Regular tobacco

Building a Healthier Future Through Conscious Choices Making choices that support personal health and long-term well-being is one of the most empowering journeys a young person can embark upon today. In a world full of academic pressures, social media expectations, and peer influences, deciding to look after your mind and body is a profound act

In May 2026, the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) marked thirty years of its Drug Trends program with a quiet announcement and a new bulletin series. NDARC framed the launch as a milestone: three decades of monitoring Australia’s drug markets, a commitment to drawing together multiple data sources, and a new series designed