Society
Drugs
In our articles, we highlight some of the most pressing drug-related issues of our times.
Spanning the opioid paradox in India to the prisons of Manila, our coverage poses thought-provoking questions: What are the best approaches for tackle drug addiction? And how much has really been spent on the ‘war on drugs’? Continue reading this section to learn more.
India’s opioid paradox
Sick people are dying in pain thanks to the misguided ‘war on drugs’, writes Martin Drewry.
Ukraine’s war on drugs drives HIV epidemic
Spiralling rates of the diseases have punitive policies at their root. Madeline Roache reports.
The drugs don’t work
Lea Surugue reports on the dramatic rise of heart disease in Africa and the corresponding crisis of fake cardiac drugs.
Shopping for their lives
Breakthrough hep C drugs are so costly, patients are defying the system to get them. Sophie Cousins writes.
Get up, stand up! Cannabis in South Africa
Alice McCool meets the Rastafarian lawyer fighting for cannabis freedom.
Inside the jails of Duterte’s drug war
A glimpse of the lives of those sleeping in shifts in Manila's overcrowded jails.
The story of Kian
A 17-year-old is another victim of Duterte’ war on drugs, writes Iris Gonzales.
Duterte’s drug war threatens Philippine democracy
On this International Day of Democracy, Iris Gonzales reports on the heavy-handed campaign of the country’s president.
Photo Gallery: visualizing Philippine democracy through UN SDGs
For International Day of Democracy, Iris Gonzales offers snap shots of the country's corruption, poverty and drug war.
Philippines’ war on drugs is ‘steamrolling the rule of law’
Human rights organizations have called for global intervention into the crisis, Iris C. Gonzales reports.
Evergreening and how Big Pharma keeps drug prices high
Drug companies keep a tight leash on patenting, depriving tax-payers of millions each year. Deborah Gleeson and Hazel Moir explore the issue.
Malaria battles in Sierra Leone
Bankolay Turay comments from Freetown on the tussle between traditional beliefs and pharmaceuticals in treating the epidemic.
Corporates cashing in on mental-health diagnosis
Some of the experts who put together a popular psychiatry manual have fingers in Big Pharma pies, reports Adam McGibbon.
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What would legalization of drugs look like?
Heroin in every lunchbox? Not quite. Medic Max Rendall answers your questions...
Illegal Drugs - The Facts
The demand for illegal drugs is solid and the trade in them resilient - despite expensive and punitive attempts to stop it.
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India’s whitening obsession goes vaginal
Mari Marcel Thekaekara is horrified by the latest addition to the global skin-lightening fetish as women are encouraged to bleach down below.
Mental health – The Facts
Prevalence, provision, dangerousness and discrimination-related figures for mental illness worldwide: a zoomable infographic.
A healthy mind in a healthy society
Mental health shouldn’t just be about individuals, we need strong communities too. Dinyar Godrej makes the case.
