Drug dogs should target dealers, not users

Editor's note

Drug detection dogs have been used for almost 20 years in NSW, with the aim of sniffing out suppliers. But new research from Caitlin Hughes and Winifred Agnew-Pauley shows they’re failing – most people the dogs detect have small amounts of drugs on them, usually cannabis or ecstasy. The authors argue it’s time to redeploy drug dogs from public places to residential premises where there’s a better chance of catching suppliers.

And a teen wrote to us last week asking if experiencing pain after sex was normal. We put the question to the original Dolly Doctor, Melissa Kang. She says sex should never hurt. If it does, you should tell the person to stop. And if you’re experiencing pain after sex, the best course of action is to get checked out by a doctor – better to be safe than sorry.

Fron Jackson-Webb

Deputy Editor/Senior Health + Medicine Editor

Top story

The use of drug dogs leads to riskier drug-taking at festivals. Shutterstock

It’s time to change our drug dog policies to catch dealers, not low-level users at public events

Caitlin Hughes, UNSW; Winifred Agnew-Pauley

It's ineffective to use drug dogs at festivals and in public places because they're much more likely to catch small-time users than suppliers.

Education

I Need to Know: ‘is it normal to get sore down there after sex?’

Melissa Kang, University of Technology Sydney

I Need to Know is an ongoing series for teens in search of reliable, confidential advice about life’s tricky questions. If you’re a teen, send us your questions about sex, drugs, health and relationships…
There’s little reason for optimism about Closing the Gap, despite changes to education targets

Melitta Hogarth, University of Southern Queensland

There is little reason to think changes made to the Closing the Gap targets and partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives will have much of an impact.
Pages and prejudice: how queer texts could fight homophobia in Australian schools

Annamarie Jagose, University of Sydney; Lee Wallace, University of Sydney; Victoria Rawlings, University of Sydney

Including queer texts in the English curriculum has the potential to affect real social change, including in understanding and confronting inequalities.

Environment + Energy

The battle against bugs: it’s time to end chemical warfare

Lizzy Lowe, Macquarie University; Cameron Webb, University of Sydney; Manu Saunders, University of New England; Tanya Latty, University of Sydney

It's easy to whip out the fly spray, but our fondness for pesticides can bring knock-on effects such as increased resistance, and harming beneficial insects in and around our homes.
The glowing ghost mushroom looks like it comes from a fungal netherworld

Alison Pouliot, Australian National University

Wander in the dark forest and you might spot the radioactive glow of the ghost fungus.

Arts + Culture
Sailors’ journals shed new light on Bennelong, a man misunderstood by history Brett Goodin, Australian National University History has typically depicted Bennelong as a tragic figure lost between two worlds - but sailors' journals suggest he still held authority after his return from the UK.

Business + Economy
The decoy effect: how you are influenced to choose without really knowing it Gary Mortimer, Queensland University of Technology Most pricing structures nudge us to spend more. But there's a particularly cunning type of pricing that can get us to swap our preference from a cheaper to a more expensive option.

Science + Technology

Just like HAL, your voice assistant isn’t working for you even if it feels like it is

Nathalie Collins, Edith Cowan University; Jeff Volkheimer, Duke University

Tech companies portray virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri as our helpers. In reality, we're helping them gather the behavioural data they need to turn a profit.
Farewell, Opportunity: rover dies, but its hugely successful Mars mission is helping us design the next one

Andrew Coates, UCL

Rovers including 'Rosalind Franklin' will pick up where Opportunity left off – trying to answer the question of whether there is, or ever has been, life on Mars.
Australia: well placed to join the Moon mining race … or is it?

Andrew Dempster, UNSW

Australia has a well-earned reputation as a mining nation. Now we're moving towards mining 'off world', on the Moon.

Politics + Society

A peace agreement in Afghanistan won’t last if there are no women at the table

Susan Hutchinson, Australian National University

The US is negotiating a peace agreement with the Taliban, so it can safely withdraw its troops. But how can peace last in Afghanistan if women aren't at the negotiating table?
Labor’s lead cut to 51-49% in latest Ipsos poll

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

The result will be a major fillip to government MPs, who are hoping the revival of the boats issue will swing public opinion in the Coalition's direct.
VIDEO: Michelle Grattan on reopening Christmas Island and One Nation’s shenanigans

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

Deep Saini and Michelle Grattan talk about the week in politics.
The Catholic Church is headed for another sex abuse scandal as #NunsToo speak up

Kathleen McPhillips, University of Newcastle

Twenty-five years ago, an Irish nun handed a report to the Catholic Church that detailed sexual abuse against nuns by priests worldwide. It was ignored. But now nuns are finally sharing their stories.

Health + Medicine
Putting babies under general anaesthetic won’t affect their development, new research shows Michael Vagg, Deakin University One of the concerns parents have if their baby needs surgery is whether the general anaesthetic will affect the child's developing brain. New research finds it won't.