Robert Munsch reflects on the private struggles that existed alongside his celebrated career as one of Canada's best-known children's authors. In this revealing interview, he discusses childhood depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, alcohol and cocaine addiction, family tragedy, and his experiences with recovery. He also explores the relationship between his mental health, addiction, and writing, sharing how personal experiences and the children he encountered inspired many of his stories and shaped the public storyteller generations of readers came to know.
Rising cocaine production and increasingly pure cocaine are affecting communities thousands of kilometres from where the drug originates. This investigation follows the cocaine trade from Colombia to Canada, documenting law enforcement efforts to intercept international shipments before travelling to Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation in Labrador, where residents are confronting addiction and drug-related deaths. Through interviews with police, community members, people in recovery, and treatment workers, the report connects organized crime and international drug trafficking with the public health consequences experienced by one remote First Nations community.
Governments across Canada receive billions of dollars from gambling, creating difficult questions about their responsibility to protect people experiencing gambling addiction. This investigation examines electronic gaming machines, self-exclusion programs, responsible gambling initiatives, and the psychology that keeps players gambling. Through researchers, addiction experts, former gamblers, and industry representatives, it explores how much gambling revenue may come from problem gamblers and whether governments can effectively promote responsible gambling while simultaneously benefiting financially from the losses of vulnerable players.
Baby Boomers and older adults can face unique risks related to problem gambling, including retirement, isolation, increased free time, financial losses, and easy access to gambling. Through personal experiences and expert perspectives, this documentary examines gambling addiction in later life and the emotional, psychological, and financial consequences that can follow. It also explores why casinos and other forms of gambling may become important social spaces for older adults, challenges misconceptions about gambling addiction and willpower, and emphasizes that recovery remains possible at any age.
Thailand's 2003 war on drugs unleashed a violent crackdown on suspected drug users and dealers as authorities faced intense pressure to meet government targets. This investigation follows police, local officials, journalists, and community members as blacklists, arrests, and killings spread across the country. While the government blamed much of the violence on drug traffickers silencing informants, critics raised concerns about extrajudicial killings and innocent people being caught in the campaign. The film examines the fear, stigma, and human cost of an enforcement strategy intended to suppress Thailand's growing yaba crisis.
TOPICS: Crime, Drug Trafficking, Law Enforcement, Methamphetamine, Stigma, Stimulants, Thailand, Yaba
Journalist Elizabeth Vargas speaks candidly with Diane Sawyer about her experiences with anxiety, alcohol addiction, treatment, relapse, and recovery. Behind a successful career at ABC News, Vargas struggled with severe anxiety and increasingly relied on alcohol to cope, eventually entering treatment multiple times. She reflects on hiding her addiction, resisting help, and the impact her drinking had on her family and career. Through her story, the interview explores the connection between anxiety and alcohol use disorder, the realities of relapse, and the ongoing commitment required in recovery.
Thailand's decision to legalize medical cannabis marked a dramatic departure from decades of strict drug prohibition. This 101 East investigation examines the country's emerging cannabis industry through researchers, patients, farmers, politicians, and traditional practitioners navigating the new policy. From university laboratories and government clinics to Buddhist temples offering cannabis products, the documentary explores hopes for new treatments and economic opportunities alongside concerns about safety, regulation, and exaggerated medical claims. As enthusiasm grows around the plant, the investigation asks whether Thailand's promised cannabis revolution represents meaningful change or a mixture of politics, profit, and hype.
TOPICS: Cannabis, Decriminalization, Public Health, Science & Research, Thailand
In 2001, Portugal transformed its approach to drugs by decriminalizing possession of small amounts for personal use and shifting its focus toward health, treatment, and harm reduction. Two decades later, SBS Dateline travels to Lisbon to examine how the policy works in practice and what impact it has had on addiction, overdose deaths, and people who use drugs. Through policymakers, frontline workers, and personal stories, the investigation explores Portugal's progress, the problems that remain, and whether countries such as Australia could learn from its approach to drug policy.
Thailand's decision to remove cannabis from its narcotics list created a rapidly expanding industry almost overnight, opening new opportunities for farmers, entrepreneurs, dispensaries, and tourism. Travelling across the country, SBS correspondent Mazoe Ford examines the legal grey areas surrounding recreational use, the economic promise of cannabis, and concerns from medical professionals about regulation and public health. The investigation also looks at Thailand's history of cannabis prohibition and traditional medical use, capturing a dramatic moment in drug-policy reform before the government later moved to restrict cannabis primarily to medical purposes.
TOPICS: Cannabis, Decriminalization, Public Health, Thailand
SBS Dateline travels to Thailand to examine a changing war on drugs as the country confronts widespread yaba use, methamphetamine trafficking, prison overcrowding, and decades of punitive drug policies. Filmed during Thailand's historic move to decriminalize cannabis, the investigation follows anti-trafficking units, social workers, formerly incarcerated people, and communities affected by drug use. It also travels to the Golden Triangle, where instability in neighbouring Myanmar and the growth of synthetic drug production have transformed regional trafficking and contributed to an enormous supply of cheap methamphetamine flowing into Thailand.
