Drug use, particularly that of marijuana, is endemic in all our communities, and yet we persist in throwing up our hands, sputtering outrage and condemning users whenever the four-letter-word is mentioned, writes author Kate Holden.
Public health policy
On ciggies, Australia the world leader in public health reform
Plain cigarette packaging was removed from the public health agenda in the ’90s due to the threat of legal action. But in 2010, it seems governments won’t be so easily scared off by this legal hot air, write Becky Freeman and Professor Simon Chapman.
Better tactics needed to fight anti-vaccination
Health professionals often seem to think you can just feed vaccine dissenters the facts, educate them and this will correct wayward thinking. But that isn’t working, says Dr Julie Leask. So what will?
Are surveys useful as a basis for public health policy?
Should we really be basing our public health policies on what consumers say in telephone surveys? We would be outraged if that happened in another industry, writes Jennifer Doggett.
The other trouble with WiMax…
Poor reach and poor policy may turn out the least pressing issues for the government’s WiMax roll-out. The sword could well be triple-edged, if overseas developments are anything to go by, writes Katherine Wilson.
