Mythbusters - substance and substantiation

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Mythbusters, a regular feature in our Matters of Substance quarterly magazine, unpicks the hype, hysteria and fictions often found around drug policy debates (especially those covered in the press).

  1. Does alcohol make you fat?

    Daylight saving is over, and the shorter colder days make snuggling on the couch with takeaways and a bottle of wine much more tempting than getting outside to exercise. The winter padding is setting in, and rising obesity prevalence figures suggest this padding will be permanent for many. Is our national weight gain related to changes in alcohol consumption? What effect does alcohol really have on our waistlines?

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  2. Is drinking in moderation good for my heart?

    We all know prolonged heavy drinking and regular bouts of binge drinking are bad for our health. But what about light or moderate drinking? Is a small amount of alcohol actually good for the heart? Mythbusters investigates…

  3. Alternative education - the root cause of drug use?

    “Many teenagers in the school system of last resort are smoking pot. The high rates of drug abuse are among concerns about the alternative education system that have prompted Education Minister Anne Tolley to review its funding.”

  4. Busting alcohol policy myths

    This year is a particularly significant one for alcohol policy in New Zealand. Amendments to the 20-year-old Sale of Liquor Act are currently at select committee stage, and the Law Commission is conducting its comprehensive alcohol law review. Acceptance is high that alcohol-related harms are significant, and there’s a high level of media interest in proposals to mitigate those harms.

  5. Blown away: defeating the breathlyser

    Mythbusters have some bad news for drivers keeping breath mints in their glove box for that special occasion when they’re invited to speak into the machine. Drinking and driving is bad enough, but if you think you can beat a breath test, you’re even more of a bloody idiot.

  6. Ignorance isn't bliss - The harm reduction debate

    "Harm reduction increases the likelihood that drugs will be avaliable...It increases the drug harm that results from it. It decreases the efficacy of police and disempowers parents and the community." New Zealand 'war on drugs' zealot

  7. Ketamine: not just for horses, also for badgers

    Ketamine is a short-acting general anaesthetic used for both human medical and veterinary purposes. It is termed a ‘dissociative’, because it impedes the brain’s sensory connection to the body. On 26 February 2008, Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton announced Cabinet had approved the reclassification of ketamine to Class C under the Misuse of Drugs Act to take effect as soon as Parliament approves.

  8. Drinking during hard times: Wheres the proof?

    "People are drinking more, because people tend to drink more during tough times." A US Beverage analyst, 2008

    "It is an article of folk wisdom that heavy drinking increases during economic downturns: when people lose their jobs, they turn to alcohol." Business Week, 2007 

  9. Coming clean on meth

    Mythbusters always enjoy a grain of salt or two while reading media stories about rampant methamphetamine epidemics. However, we do concede the drug is quickly addictive and incredibly difficult for addicts to give up.

  10. How attractive is the Swedish model?

    With the Misuse of Drugs Act and UN drug control reviews, Mythbuster wondered how successful other countries have been with drug policies.

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