Culture
Denting The Ecstasy Myth: Doctors Weigh In After Deaths
After any spate of drug-related deaths, there’s an almost compulsive sociological kickback of media-stoked exaggeration and fear-inducing pontificating, almost all of which smacks of moral panic (not to mention, often, inter-generational myopia). When two youths sadly lost their lives in ecstasy-related deaths at recent Australian festivals, the hyperbole machine lurched into action once again, betraying the need for a measured and reasonable discussion of the matter.
To address this culture of fear, the Guardian published an op-ed with two of Australia’s leading health and policy professionals: Alex Wodak, previous director of the Alcohol and Drug Service at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney and Gideon Warhaft, member of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation. Read it here.
