Cannabis withdrawal has now been included in the newly updated Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Another notable amendment has been that autism is now “the sole title for a range of previously separate diagnoses that used to include Asperger’s, autistic and…

A recent NSW parliamentary committee has “recommended the medical use of cannabis for people with terminal illness and AIDS.” However Saxon Smith, vice president of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), who gave evidence to the committee, said the AMA “does not endorse the…

A recently released report by Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre has found that paramedic call-outs in Melbourne for crystal methamphetamine cases have “more than doubled within 12 months.” It was also found that “in rural Victoria, the rate of call-outs for cannabis and…

Researchers in Denmark have found that “patients with first-episode psychosis who continue to use cannabis after diagnosis have higher levels of psychotic symptoms than those who stop using the drug.” After interviewing 314 first-episode patients it was shown that only 30 per cent of…

A 2012 National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) study has found a “significant increase in ecstasy use” amongst drug users surveyed in Canberra. It was also found that “more than 50 per cent [of drug users said] they had recently driven while under the influence” of…