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Published: 24 December 2025

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“The Convention on the Rights of the Child has been under attack since 2008, where those seeking to legalise illicit drug use have sought to position drug users as victims, more vulnerable than children. They are seeking to undermine what is the most ratified (196 countries) of all UN Treaties and Conventions. This document provides the evidentiary basis upon which so many countries agreed to protect their children, focusing here on Article 33 - the Right of the Child to live in an environment free of illicit drug use.”

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Published: 01 November 2025

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Key Takeaways 

• Broad temporal and population spectrum on cannabis use & mental health.
• Cannabis linked to depression, anxiety and suicidal tendencies in studies.
• Early cannabis use in youth leads to mental health issues in adulthood.
• Systematic review and meta-analysis updates cannabis mental health risks evidence.

Abstract: Cannabis is the most widely consumed illicit drug globally. In 2021, 46 % of countries identified cannabis as the predominant substance associated with drug abuse disorders, with 34 % indicating it as the primary cause for seeking treatment. Young individuals represent the largest consumer demographic, experiencing substantial negative health effects. Despite extensive research on its mental health impacts, many aspects remain unclear. This study examines cannabis use among young people including anxiety, depression, and suicidal behavior. Studies involving individuals aged 15–30 were included. Data sources included PubMed, Mendeley, Embase, WOS, CINAHL, and Scopus. After screening 6466 articles, 36 met the inclusion criteria, with 18 included in the meta-analysis. These studies were published between 2013 and 2025. The results indicated that the odds of depression were 51 % higher in young cannabis users (OR = 1.51, 95 %CI = 1.23–1.86), decreasing to 28 % after adjustment (aOR = 1.28, 95 %CI = 1.10–1.50). Anxiety showed a 58 % increase (OR = 1.58, 95 %CI = 1.15–2.15). For suicidal ideation, the increase ranged from 50 % in unadjusted models (OR = 1.50, 95 %CI = 1.05–2.14) to 65 % in adjusted models (aOR = 1.65 95 %CI = 1.40–1.93). Finally, the odds of suicide attempt were 87 % higher (OR = 1.87, 95 %CI = 1.25–2.80), remaining elevated at 80 % after adjustment (aOR = 1.80, 95 %CI = 1.30–2.49).

(Complete Research - Source: Science Direct )

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Published: 24 October 2025

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In a courtroom in Oregon City, Ron Ross moves with purpose and compassion. He greets each person with a fist bump or a hug, hands out his cell phone number freely, and tells people facing their darkest moments: “I got you. I believe in you.”

This courtroom behavior stands out from the norm. Ross brings a different perspective as a recovery mentor, someone who has walked the same difficult path as those he now helps and emerged on the other side with something precious to offer: hope born from experience.

A New Approach to an Old Problem

When Oregon’s Legislature reversed course on drug decriminalization last year, making minor drug possession a misdemeanor again, it allocated over $20 million to create deflection programs. These innovative approaches guide people away from jail and toward housing and treatment rather than simply reverting to the old system of punishment.

Clackamas County’s program represents one of the most promising models emerging from this shift. The specialty court focuses on redirecting people struggling with addiction into support services rather than incarceration. At the heart of this program are people like Ross: peers who have lived through addiction and recovery themselves.

The results speak for themselves. According to Deputy District Attorney Bill Stewart, recovery mentors like Ross have proven “absolutely critical” to the program’s success, far exceeding initial expectations.

The Power of Lived Experience

Ross knows the chaos of addiction intimately. His own story includes a litany of consequences from alcohol abuse: police encounters, DUI arrests, wrecked cars, assaults, broken relationships, and lost jobs. He moved from Connecticut to Oregon in 2014, hoping distance would help him escape his addiction. The hope alone wasn’t enough at first.

But on August 29, 2016—a date he calls his “clean date”—something shifted. With the support of other peers in recovery, Ross found his way out of alcoholism. Now, nearly a decade later, he channels that transformation into helping others find their own path.

Tony Vezina, executive director of 4D Recovery who mentored Ross during his own recovery, describes Ross as possessing something rare and unteachable. “He has that special X factor, where he naturally can just engage people, make them feel supported, inspire them to change, and then he’s able to just get people into all these services so quickly.”

How the Program Works

Ross’s role extends beyond traditional peer support. As a program navigator for OneLove, a nonprofit serving people experiencing homelessness, he acts as a bridge between the court system and treatment services. While court is in session, he circulates among participants, triaging needs, making phone calls, and tapping into his extensive network across the Portland area to find housing, treatment slots, and ongoing support.

The county’s investment of roughly $261,000 in contract funding with OneLove represents about 60% spending on actual treatment and housing, with the remainder going to administration and training. For that investment, they get someone who understands both the system and the struggle.

When Calvin Harding, a 26-year-old battling opiate addiction, landed back in court on new drug possession charges, Ross greeted him with a hug rather than judgment. Harding credits Ross with always having his back: “Anytime I ever ask him for help, no matter what shape I’m in, he never judges me for being on drugs. He always answers the phone.”

An Emerging Workforce

Ross is part of a growing movement. Oregon now has approximately 4,000 state-certified recovery mentors, each required to complete 40 hours of training and maintain at least two years of recovery. These positions represent both a support system and a career pathway for people in long-term recovery.

Janie Gullickson, executive director of The Peer Company (one of the Portland area’s largest organizations providing peer support), sees these navigator roles as an important evolution. She notes that while the position differs from traditional peer support due to its reporting requirements to the court, it demonstrates how lived experience with addiction can inform a wide variety of professional roles.

The Peer Company exemplifies this potential. Most of its workforce consists of people in long-term recovery, including Gullickson herself. She points to peers who have gone on to medical school, carrying their peer support experience into new professional contexts.

The Philosophy of Hope

Ross’s approach is built on an unwavering belief in human potential. No matter how many times someone relapses or fails to show up, he maintains hope. His philosophy is simple but profound: “There’s a light that’s in everybody. Sometimes we dim that light with just the nonsense that we put ourselves through, and sometimes it just takes the work of the individual and somebody else who cares to clean that light up so they can shine again.”

This isn’t naive optimism. It’s faith grounded in personal experience. Ross describes his former self as “a lost cause,” someone people gave up on. He knows what it means to be on the receiving end of judgment versus compassion—and he’s chosen to offer the latter.

In practical terms, this means asking questions that matter: “Is Oregon City dangerous for you? Can you stay sober there?” It means understanding that returning to old neighborhoods might trigger relapse. It means telling people, “If there’s any time you feel like you want to use, you’re getting squirrely, you need help with something, just reach out to me”—and actually answering when they call.

A Model for the Future

As counties across Oregon implement their deflection programs, models vary widely. Multnomah County operates entirely outside the court system, with police able to take people to a standalone center for screening and voluntary services. Clackamas County’s hybrid approach combines specialty court with community-based support and offers another path forward.

What’s becoming clear is that peer support serves as essential infrastructure for these programs. People facing addiction need more than services; they need someone who understands the journey, who has walked through the fire and emerged with wisdom to share.

The traditional justice system often treats addiction as a moral failing requiring punishment. Programs like Clackamas County’s specialty court, powered by recovery mentors like Ross, recognize addiction as a human struggle requiring compassion, support, and genuine belief in people’s capacity to change.

(Source: WRD News) 

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Published: 17 October 2025

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A new study published by the University of Sydney has revealed that up to one in 28 Australians (3.64 per cent) may live with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), a figure that translates to one child in every classroom or two adults on a bus during peak hour.

The research, published in June 2025, identifies fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Australia as the nation’s leading non-genetic, lifelong developmental disability. Yet despite this prevalence, most Australian psychologists, social workers, speech therapists and occupational therapists have not received training to recognise or support people with the condition, contributing to high rates of underdiagnosis.

The Hidden Disability

Alcohol exposure at any point during pregnancy causes FASD, a lifelong physical brain-based disability. The condition often hides, receives misdiagnosis or goes unnoticed altogether, leaving those affected without crucial support.

People with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Australia face unique challenges including difficulties with learning, memory, impulse control, sensory processing and emotional regulation. They are at significantly higher risk of experiencing mental ill health, substance use disorders, physical health problems, school disengagement and involvement with the justice system.

However, with proper diagnosis, appropriate supports and understanding, people with FASD can thrive, according to Sophie Harrington, CEO of the National Organisation for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (NOFASD).

Prevention Campaigns Show Results

The Every Moment Matters campaign, funded by the Australian Government and delivered by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE), launched in 2021 with a clear message: no amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy.

An evaluation report released in 2025 demonstrated the campaign’s effectiveness, with an estimated 16,554 fewer women drinking alcohol whilst pregnant across the reporting period. The initiative targets both the general public and high-risk groups whilst providing essential training to health professionals.

The Strong Born campaign, led by the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), complements this work by providing culturally appropriate information to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Updated Guidelines Released

In 2025, the National Health and Medical Research Council approved updated Australian Guidelines for Assessment and Diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Australia. The guidelines support health professionals in assessing and diagnosing people with FASD, incorporating the latest evidence whilst strengthening the voices of people with lived experience and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The Australian Department of Health and Aged Care has demonstrated commitment to implementing the National FASD Strategic Action Plan. However, significant gaps remain in prevention, diagnosis and care within national alcohol and other drugs strategies.

The Human Cost

Families and adults supported by NOFASD Australia face daily struggles including repeated school suspensions, unmet needs in classrooms and parents who receive unfair judgement for their children’s behaviours. Many report feeling unheard, misunderstood and dismissed by systems that fail to recognise the condition.

“The profound and far-reaching impacts of FASD remain under-recognised,” Harrington notes. “These gaps perpetuate health and disability justice inequalities and systemic disadvantage for individuals and their families.”

With up to one million Australians potentially living with the condition, the scale of unmet need is substantial.

Critical Reforms Needed

Advocates are calling for the Australian Government to continue its commitment to implementing the National FASD Strategic Action Plan in full. Training and strategies for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Australia must be embedded across education, social services, out of home care and justice system reforms.

Key recommendations include universal screening for prenatal alcohol exposure at the earliest stages of pregnancy, continued investment in public awareness campaigns and culturally safe education programmes tailored to at-risk communities.

People with lived and living experience of FASD require targeted, FASD-informed advice and navigational support. Crucially, they must be included in decision-making at both organisational and government levels.

Recognition as a Disability

To ensure equity and inclusion, advocates argue that FASD must be included on the Australian Government’s List of Recognised Disabilities. Without formal recognition, inconsistent access to funding, services and individualised supports throughout people’s lives will continue.

“Australia is at a critical point on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder,” Harrington states. “After decades of advocacy from families, clinicians, researchers and organisations, awareness of the hidden disability is higher than ever in 2025. But despite progress, more education, reform and investment are needed to cement lasting change.”

NOFASD Australia has championed these calls for over 25 years. With growing awareness and evidence, the organisation sees a pivotal opportunity and urgent responsibility to act.

“Through education, policy reform and sustained investment, we can prevent harm before it occurs,” Harrington concludes. “Australia must seize this moment to change the trajectory for the up to one million Australians who live with FASD, and to prevent future generations from experiencing this alcohol-related harm.” (Source: FARE)