9 January 2020
An opinion piece by Professor Sally Casswell entitled ‘Beware the influence of vested interests' input into the cannabis debate’ was published by Stuff.
14 Nov 2019
New research about legal cannabis has revealed a sobering statistic. In states where recreational marijuana has been legalised, teenagers are suffering higher rates of addiction.
The study of 505,796 respondents was carried out by researchers from New York University's School of Medicine.
It compared use of the drug before and after legalisation in the US.
The proportion of people aged 12 to 17 who reported cannabis use disorder grew from 2.18 percent to 2.72 percent.
Chris Wilkins, a senior drug researcher at Massey University says the research is a "red flag".
New Zealand cannabis hospitalisations more than double in decade - Ministry of Health
Chlöe Swarbrick confident weaker drug laws won't encourage new users
Parliament passes medicinal cannabis Bill, promises regulated market and legal defence
See more details here.
8 Nov 2019
Our Enabling Participation of Disabled Young People research project (funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand) worked with disabled young people to understand the factors that enabled or constrained their everyday participation in community life. While urban environments presented many obstacles, participants reported discriminatory ableist attitudes were much more constraining than physical barriers. We collaborated with graphic artist Toby Morris on a comic which has been widely disseminated in print and online, to highlight examples of everyday ableism participants encountered. You can see it here.
Below, a series of large posters of the comic attract attention from people passing by in Symonds Street, central Auckland.
8 Nov 2019
The Commonwealth has launched a regenerative climate change model combining indigenous knowledge with emerging technologies and scientific approaches to achieve sustainable development while protecting the planet. Common Earth is creating a network of projects which can be adapted and replicated in any community or country. When delegates from around the Commonwealth met in London in October, our co-design project with Wiri school children (funded through National Science Challenge’s Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities, Ko Nga wa Kainga hei whakamahorahora) was showcased as an example of regenerative development in Tāmaki Makaurau/ Auckland.
21 Oct 2019
The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education FARE have provided a recording of the public event of the KBS Advancing Public Health in International Alcohol Control meeting held in Melbourne on 3 October, where Prof Sally Casswell was a speaker.
This has now been uploaded to the FARE website and you can view it here.
18 October 2019
The Lancet has published a Comment written by Sally Casswell to coincide with the WHO consultation process on the implementation of the global strategy to reduce harmful use of alcohol and the way forward, which will feed into the report from the Director General to the 2020 World Health Assembly. This will be the first time alcohol has appeared on the WHA agenda since the endorsement of the global strategy in 2010. The Comment argues a stronger response is required.
8 October 2019
This short research bulletin presents preliminary findings from the second online New Zealand Drug Trends Survey (NZDTS) conducted in 2018/19 by the SHORE & Wharki Research Centre, Massey University. Download the bulletin here.
4 Oct 2019
With the possibility a medicinal cannabis scheme could be up and running next year, researchers say there is still time to learn from similar schemes overseas.
In a report out on Friday morning, the experts warn legalising recreational cannabis at a similar time might undercut the market and lead to less access to safer medicinal products.
Massey University academic Marta Rychert joined The AM Show.
See more here.
20 Sep 2019
Massey University is hosting a series of public lectures on cannabis policy reform in the lead-up to the national referendum cannabis law planned for next year’s general election.
Associate Professor Chris Wilkins and Dr Marta Rychert from the SHORE & Whāriki Research Centre, in collaboration with colleagues from the College of Creative Arts’ Design & Democracy Project, are bringing speakers from Australia, Belgium, Canada, the United States and Uruguay to speak about the cannabis reforms enacted in their countries in a series of lectures open to the public in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington next month.
In addition to a public seminar being held in Wellington on 15 October, Massey University has partnered with the University of Auckland Public Policy Institute and University of Otago to bring the speakers to Auckland (October 17) and Christchurch (October 18).
Who are the international experts?
Professor Beau Kilmer
RAND Corporation Drug Policy Research Center, United States
Associate Professor Rosario Queirolo
Catholic University of Uruguay, Latin American Marijuana Research Initiative
Professor Simon Lenton
National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University, Australia
Professor Tom Decorte
Ghent University, Belgium
Professor Benedikt Fischer
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Canada; now with Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland
Where and when?
Auckland:
17 October (Thursday) 6pm-8pm, University of Auckland
Science Centre (Building 301) Large Chemistry Lecture Theatre (Room G050), 23 Symonds St.
Register here:
https://cannabis-decision-2020-auckland.lilregie.com/
Wellington:
15 October (Tuesday) 6pm-8pm, Wharewaka Function Centre, 2 Taranaki St.
Register here:
https://cannabis-decision-2020-wellington.lilregie.com/
Christchurch:
18 October (Friday) 4:30pm–6:30, University of Otago Rolleston Lecture Theatre, 2 Riccarton Ave
Register here:
https://cannabis-decision-2020-christchurch.lilregie.com/
See flyer here and more information here.
1 Aug 2019
Associate Professor Chris Wilkins has been invited by the Prime Minister’s Scientific Advisor to join the panel of experts considering cannabis law reform. See the bios of the rest of the panel and the terms of reference at the link below:
https://www.pmcsa.ac.nz/our-projects/cannabis/
19 Jul 2019
This Health Research Council funded study, undertaken with 35 disabled children and young people and their whanau, has concluded that social attitudes can undermine inclusion and participation as much if not more than inaccessible built environments. To illustrate the effects of ableism of the wellbeing of disabled young people SHORE & Whariki researchers have collaborated with cartoonist Toby Morris. Link to Toby’s cartoon here.
25 June 2019
Professor Helen Moewaka Barnes, Te Kapotai, Ngapuhi-nui-tonu, from Massey University’s SHORE & Whāriki Research Centre, has been awarded nearly $5 million to investigate environmental and kaupapa Māori initiatives aimed at providing much needed gains in Māori health outcomes.
Read more here.
17 June 2019
Professor Sally Casswell was a speaker at the Global Health Forum of the Boao Forum in Qingdao, China, June 2019, in the session on risk factors for NCDs. Professor Casswell directs SHORE, which is a WHO Collaborating Centre in alcohol and drug research and is chair of the global NGO, the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance.
12 June 2019
New Zealand should look at Uruguay as a good example for how to handle cannabis legalisation, drug researcher Chris Wilkins says.
Dr Wilkins told The AM Show Uruguay has taken a not for profit approach to cannabis, which has allowed for a much lower impact introduction of the drug.
21 May 2019
Professor Jane Mills, the PVC for the College of Health, visited SHORE & Whariki for a lunch-time catch up on Friday. After lunch, Teah Carlson, Taisia Huckle, Octavia Calder-Dawe and Angela Moewaka Barnes (pictured) gave brief presentations about the studies they are currently working on.
16 May 2019
Dr Marta Rychert from Massey University’s SHORE & Whāriki Research Centre has been awarded almost $250,000 from the Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) to explore medicinal cannabis use in New Zealand.
HRC press release is here: http://www.hrc.govt.nz/news-and-publications/news-media#medicinal-cannabis-users-focus-of-new-research
Massey release is here: https://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/about-massey/news/article.cfm?mnarticle_uuid=9257061F-233C-4D98-B6BA-AEC044E5977C
13 May 2019
Belinda (Ngati Ranginui, Ngai Te Rangi, Whakatohea) recently graduated with her PhD and participated in the celebration to honour Maori graduates at the Victoria Convention Centre in Auckland. Her thesis explores how societal privilege contributes to health inequities and how kaupapa Maori methodologies can offer new and exciting insights into complex problems that affect the health and wellbeing of the nation. She greatly appreciates the support of her family as well as her supervisors, Professors Helen Moewaka Barnes and Tim McCreanor and all the team at Whariki and SHORE.
7 May 2019
Research shows continued use of cannabis can have a harmful mental and physical impact on people under 25. Yet, an apparently leaked Cabinet paper reveals the Government is considering setting the legal age at 20.
Is New Zealand ready for its cannabis referendum? See more interview details here.
2 May 2019
He uri mokopuna tēnei no Te Whānau a Apanui, Ngāti Porou me Waikato- Tainui hoki.
Teah completed her PhD in Public Health at Massey University, titled “Kaupapa Māori Evaluation: Transforming health literacy”. She evaluated the effectiveness of a heart disease medicines health literacy intervention for Māori who were involved in the programme, exploring the contribution kaupapa Māori theorising may offer to the evaluation of health literacy activities. Teah’s research promotes reclamation of health literacy as a space for Māori to be themselves; a space that is negotiated, adaptive, and shaped by people, whānau, and communities.
1 May 2019
Associate Professor Chris Wilkins joined Breakfast this morning to discuss wastewater drug testing and New Zealand’s meth problem. View the interview here.