Matters of Substance August 2009 contents
Volume 19, Number 3

The Director's Cut
The Law Commission's liquor review presents a wonderful opportunity for constructive debate. it's time for New Zealand to get talking.

Cover Story - Alcohol in our lives: Travelling to a better place

The Law Commission has spent the last year gathering information about the extent of New Zealand's alcohol problems. Stage one of its liquor review is now complete, and it's time for public debate on potential solutions.

Counting the cost: The BERL report has put the social cost of alcohol and drug misuse at nearly $7b per annum, but there are those who say the report has got things terribly wrong.

Tackling sport's alcohol culture: New Zealanders play hard, and all too often they drink hard. Can anything be done to mend our boozy sporting ways?

It's our loss: Lianne Dalziel on what the Liquor licensing Authority said about loss-leading.

Guest Editorial - Let's offer treatment!
Michael Bird challenges the treatment sector to stop its navel gaing and start moving forward. He presents a 12-point plan to get things underway.

Opinion - It's time for the facts to get in the way of a good story
Liz Read, corporate Affairs Director of Lion Nathan, says it's wrong to blame the alcohol industry for New Zealand's binge drinking woes.
Making sense of Mexico's drug wars
Sanji Gunesekara writes about the political, economic and social background to Mexico's violent and bloody drug wars.
Research Update - Driving High: findings from the Great New Zealand Drug-Driving Survey
The results are in. What do kiwis think they know about drugs and driving?

Mythbusters - Busting alcohol policy myths
In this Mythbusters special, we counter some of the current myths about alcohol policy, by seeing what the evidence really says.

Mythbusters - Blown away: Defeating the breathylser

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