Impending Bali executions rely on mistaken ideas about drugs

The impending execution of Bali Nine members Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran has led to an impassioned public debate about capital punishment. But some of the reasons being used to justify the executions just don’t hold up under scrutiny. Proportionality – the notion that punishment must fit the crime – is a fundamental principle of criminal…

Addiction around the world: SSAC on HuffPost Live

How do the United States’ responses to drug use stack up when compared with Canada, Australia and Europe? A recent HuffPost Live discussion hosted by Ricky Camilleri (‘How Does the Rest of the World Treat Addiction’) made clear that while the US is showing promising signs of change, much remains to do to bring the…

Talking Point: addiction – Dr Kate Seear speaks with ABC Radio

[audio http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/local/overnights/201402/r1236120_16345757.mp3 ] After the February 2014 death of American actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman, ABC Radio’s ‘Talking Point’ program hosted an hour-long special dedicated to a discussion of addiction and injecting drug use. With SSAC’s Dr Kate Seear as the program’s expert guest, host Rod Quinn explored a series of issues. In a wide-ranging discussion, Dr Seear…

Rape and the ‘gendered’ effects of alcohol

What is the nature of the link between alcohol, other drugs and crime? Is there a causal link between drug and alcohol consumption and rape? And if there is a link between alcohol and violence, how should we respond? SSAC staff recently took up these questions in a piece written for the Australian academic news website…

Comment: Cory Monteith’s addiction and overdose death

Canadian actor Cory Monteith, from the popular American television program Glee, was found dead in a Vancouver hotel in July 2013. His death led to an outpouring of grief on social media, and renewed debate about the nature and origin of addiction, as well as the causes of fatal overdose. SSAC staff member Dr Kate Seear explored…