An archive of recent news articles on the topic of alcohol and drugs.
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Public duty to share terror of meth addiction
5th February 2013
Sir Paul Holmes was best known for his radio and TV work. But he was a great columnist for the Herald on Sunday. Here is one of his most moving pieces, written the year he was named best columnist at the print media awards.Not the best week, but we were ready for it at least. My daughter faced it bravely and the outcome could have been a lot worse. I find it hard to write about the evils of pure methamphetamine, because of the heartbreak it has caused us all. And I have a dilemma. Every time I mention meth, as I have vowed to do because I feel an obligation to play a part in the struggle against it, you will form a picture in your mind of my daughter. She is not a circus, yet every time I mention the drug you will be reminded of her mistakes.
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Drink-drive let-off savaged by QC
5th February 2013
A Queen's Counsel has blasted a judge who gave a drink-driving sportswoman a discharge without conviction, saying the decision "condones" her criminal behaviour. Nigel Hampton says the ruling will send the wrong message about drink-driving and its consequences. The woman was caught driving with a breath-alcohol level of 801 micrograms per litre of breath - double the legal limit of 400mcg. Judge Graham Hubble, in the Gisborne District Court, granted her permanent name secrecy, meaning the Herald cannot tell you who she is, the sport she's in or what she's achieved.
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New jab sparks immediate hangover
31st January 2013
A new experimental jab that aims to cure alcoholism will give anyone who's had the vaccine an immediate and head-splitting hangover with just one sip of booze. According to the Daily Mail, scientists from the University of Chile have spent a year developing the drug. The shot is effective for about six-months and works but speeding up the hangover process. It sends a biochemical message to the liver to stop it from processing alcohol. When a person who's had the shot tries to have a sip of booze they immediately feel severe nausea, accelerated heartbeat and general discomfort, the Daily Mail reports.
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Schleck to miss 2013 Tour after backdated ban
31st January 2013
Frank Schleck will miss the 2013 Tour de France after he was handed a one-year backdated ban for failing a dope test during last year's race, the Luxembourg Anti-Doping Agency (ALAD) said today. Schleck, third overall in the 2011 Tour, tested positive for the diuretic Xipamide following the 13th stage. ALAD representative Raymond Mousty told a news conference that the ban started from the day Schleck failed the test on July 14, 2012. Schleck, who has denied knowingly taking a banned substance, will be eligible to compete again two weeks after the start of the Tour.
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FebFast 'no quick fix' for drinkers
30th January 2013
Battling the booze? You just can't win. Hundreds of Kiwis are expected to go dry for FebFast, but a British Liver charity says short-term abstinence is futile and gives a false sense of security. And New Zealand experts agree that a month-long detox is no quick fix for the liver. The British Liver Foundation recommended cutting alcohol a few days a week for the rest of the year instead. And so yet another alcohol message is added to conflicting health advice as to what's the best way to consume alcohol, which ranges from drinking red wine daily for your heart to abstaining altogether. FebFast co-ordinator Jackson Wood said the Liver Foundation is correct that reverting back to binge drinking after a dry month would not offer any health benefits.
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Meth labs damage sewage systems - expert
30th January 2013
Chemicals used by meth labs are causing massive damage to New Zealand sewage systems, a water quality scientist says. Tara Okan, from water monitoring firm DCM Process Control, told Radio New Zealand's Morning Report he discovered the damage after unexplained breakdowns at a North Island treatment plant stopped once police closed down a nearby methamphetamine - or "P" - lab.
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Hewitt: I can help you, Zac
29th January 2013
Former All Black Norm Hewitt has approached Zac Guildford to offer the troubled winger help in his effort to overcome an alcohol problem. Hewitt, who overcame his own alcohol demons after a high-profile incident as a player, told the Herald he had been in touch with Guildford. He said the contact had been his initiative, but would not comment further, including whether it would be ongoing. "I'm not going to say any more ... I've been in contact, and that's where I'm leaving it until we get something sorted."
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Province alcohol rules eyed
29th January 2013
Southland councils are considering introducing a province-wide alcohol policy to regulate the supply of alcohol within the region. Under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012, territorial authorities can choose to implement a local alcohol policy to regulate maximum opening hours and locations of off-licence premises. Southland District councillors discussed the issue at an activities performance audit committee meeting yesterday, where environment and community group manager Bruce Halligan said the new legislation gave the council three options: it could decide not to adopt a local policy, it could develop one for the Southland district, or it could work with the Invercargill City and Gore District councils to create a Southland-wide policy.
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Welfare drug tests may break privacy law
24th January 2013
Forcing beneficiaries to take drug tests under tough new welfare rules is potentially illegal, the Privacy Commissioner says. In a submission to the Government's latest round of welfare reforms, commissioner Marie Shroff says making beneficiaries take pre-employment drug tests could violate their privacy. It could also leave beneficiaries in a "catch-22" situation, caught between an unlawful drug test and the threat of losing their benefit, she said. The Government's latest welfare reforms - contained in the Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill - will create three new benefit categories with a greater focus on finding work.
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Hazy thinking on drug use
24th January 2013
OPINION: Politicians should be wary of sending confusing signals about drugs. When Palmerston North MP Iain Lees-Galloway says drug laws are failing, he likely means one of two things. 1. There are so many people caught and punished that it's clear the system is failing to discourage people from taking drugs. 2. Drug-taking per se is not a serious evil requiring the state's official condemnation.
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