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Every year, the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at UNSW Sydney surveys hundreds of people who regularly use drugs to understand trends in substance use around Australia. This year’s report had a surprising finding.
People who regularly use ecstasy or other stimulants are increasingly using pharmaceutical stimulants without a prescription. This includes drugs like Ritalin and Vyvanse, which are commonly taken for ADHD. The illicit use of these drugs has tripled since 2007.
They increase alertness, concentration and memory and they’re important and relatively safe when taken as directed. But when they’re not, there can be some serious health implications.
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Phoebe Roth
Health Editor
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Rachel Sutherland, UNSW Sydney; Amy Peacock, UNSW Sydney; Caroline Salom, The University of Queensland; Jodie Grigg, Curtin University; Raimondo Bruno, University of Tasmania
In a sample of people who regularly use ecstasy and other illicit stimulants, 54% reported using pharmaceutical stimulants without a prescription in the previous six months.
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Jeff Borland, The University of Melbourne
Until now, Australia has been more successful than the US, UK and Canada in managing inflation and unemployment, but underlying weakness in the labour market are putting that success at risk.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Governor Michele Bullock might need her flak jacket when she fronts the media next Tuesday after the bank’s two-day board meeting. Following the United States cutting interest rate by half a percentage point.
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Nick Bisley, La Trobe University
The leaders of the US, Japan, India and Autralia will again meet this weekend, but it remains to be seen if the grouping can move beyond rhetoric and into action.
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Andrew Hughes, Australian National University
Tupperware was a pioneer of ‘multi-level marketing’ and enjoyed decades of success. Its demise offers important lessons for marketers in an age of new ‘side hustles’.
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Karen Raubenheimer, University of Wollongong
Global action is urgently needed to tackle microplastic – and the problem has never been more pressing.
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Sarah Robertson, RMIT University; Gordon Walker, Lancaster University; Ralph Horne, RMIT University
We examined how households in Victoria cope with, adapt to and endure summer heatwaves. Most took a short-term view. A more sophisticated, long-term approach to managing heatwaves is needed.
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Amanda Tattersall, University of Sydney
Organising to stop gasfields or coal mines sounds like a similar challenge. But one environmental group has endured, while the other ran out of energy. Here’s why
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Sally Patfield, University of Newcastle
In September, many universities are making early offers to Year 12 students. This is a contentious practice but research shows it can provide much-needed support to young people.
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Alexander Howard, University of Sydney
The shadow of Ayn Rand (beloved by Donald Trump and Elon Musk) looms large over new novels by Lexi Freiman and Lionel Shriver, which satirise cancel culture. One of them is a useful critique of our age.
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Politics + Society
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William Partlett, The University of Melbourne
Centralising power in a president is more likely to foster personalised, corrupt governance that is democratically unaccountable.
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Fabio Serpiello, CQUniversity Australia
Some of the world’s best soccer players started off by playing futsal, an indoor variant of the sport. It’s growing fast in Australia, too.
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Richard Buning, The University of Queensland; Narelle Haworth, Queensland University of Technology; Scott N. Lieske, The University of Queensland
Despite loud calls for tough policing of e-scooters and even outright bans, the problems can be better managed with technology and public education.
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Health + Medicine
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Dileep Sharma, University of Newcastle
Scraping or scrubbing will help prevent bacteria build-up and improve your breath. And knowing what a healthy tongue looks like can help you spot early signs of disease, including cancer.
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Gemma Sicouri, UNSW Sydney; Annabel Songco, UNSW Sydney; Chloe Lim, UNSW Sydney; Jennie Hudson, UNSW Sydney
A panic attack is a sudden, intense feeling of fear or discomfort. Here’s what it looks like in children – and how to respond.
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Science + Technology
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Jiaru Tang, Queensland University of Technology; Patrik Wikström, Queensland University of Technology
In places like India, Vietnam and China, churning out weird AI videos is the latest side hustle for students and stay-at-home mothers.
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Luke Barnes, Western Sydney University
Astronomers have found a true colossus of a jet in the night sky, over 100 times larger than our galaxy. It’s almost perfectly straight, which presents a puzzle.
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Jessie Jacobsen, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Suzanne Musgrave, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Comprehensive genetic testing can provide a more timely and accurate diagnosis and personalised support for autistic individuals and their families.
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Environment + Energy
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Justine Bell-James, The University of Queensland
Australia’s main environment laws have long been regarded as not fit for purpose. But efforts to strengthen environmental protection have met huge pushback.
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Education
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Collin Bjork, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University
Big EdTech is increasingly filling a gap left by university underfunding. But tertiary stakeholders must question whether such “solutions” really contribute to a university education.
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Arts + Culture
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Lauren A. Miller, Swinburne University of Technology
Meta has announced third-party augmented reality filters will no longer be available on its apps as of January 2025. The removal comes far too late.
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Books + Ideas
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Philip Johnson, Flinders University
Unfounded claims by Donald Trump and JD Vance about Haitian immigrants ignore the role of the US in their plight. Many of Haiti’s problems can be traced to debt forced upon it by the US and France.
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Business + Economy
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Freya Higgins-Desbiolles, University of South Australia
A report on the future impact of climate change has found more than 150 Australian tourism sites are at risk, but it probably underestimates the potential damage.
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