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Monica Barratt

NHMRC Post-Doc Research Fellow, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW
Dr Monica Barratt joined the Drug Policy Modelling Program at NDARC in 2014 after being awarded a National Health and Medical Research Council post-doctoral fellowship. Monica's research concerns the social and public health implications of internet technologies for people who use illicit and emerging psychoactive drugs, and the impacts of legislative responses to drug use and drug problems. Monica is particularly interested in how we respond to the emergence of new/novel drug trends and how these trends and responses are enabled by digital technologies. She specialises in engaging hard-to-reach networks and groups in digital spaces in conversations about research and policy. Through this engagement, Monica's work acts as a conduit between these groups and policy makers, and contributes to policy change.

Prior to her current appointment, Monica worked as a Research Fellow at the National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University, where she also completed her postgraduate studies. She has also worked at Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre, the University of Melbourne, Deakin University and the Australian Drug Foundation.

Dark web, not dark alley: why drug sellers see the internet as a lucrative safe haven

Mar 05, 2020 05:07 am UTC| Technology

More than six years after the demise of Silk Road, the worlds first major drug cryptomarket, the dark web is still home to a thriving trade in illicit drugs. These markets host hundreds, or in some cases thousands, of...

The profile of festival drug takers might be different to what you expect

Jul 18, 2019 23:39 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

A NSW Coronial Inquest investigating a series of drug-related deaths at Australian music festivals has heard evidence of festival goers taking multiple concurrent doses of MDMA to avoid police detection and not receiving...

Testing festival goers' pills isn't the only way to reduce overdoses. Here's what else works

Jul 08, 2019 23:40 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

The NSW inquest into recent drug deaths at music festivals is due to start this week. So focus is turning to how to make music festivals safer by reducing drug-related incidents. We know that prohibition doesnt work to...

Instadrugs: new research reveals hidden dangers when young people use apps to buy illicit substances

Jan 27, 2019 14:52 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

Markets for illicit drugs are constantly evolving to increase profits and reduce risks to suppliers in response to law enforcement tactics. New technologies have been taken up with enthusiasm: from the use of pagers and...

Economy

South Korea Central Bank Signals Inflation Concerns as Oil Prices Surge

South Koreas central bank is expected to place greater emphasis on inflation control after rising global oil prices triggered concerns that inflation could move above the Bank of Koreas 2% target. The warning came from...

Norway Core Inflation Hits 3.2% in April, Fueling Interest Rate Hike Expectations

Norways annual core inflation rate climbed to 3.2% in April, reinforcing expectations that the countrys central bank could maintain higher interest rates for a longer period. The latest figures, released by Statistics...

Goldman Sachs Delays Fed Rate Cut Forecast to 2026 Amid Rising Inflation Concerns

Goldman Sachs has pushed back its forecast for U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate cuts, now expecting reductions in December 2026 and March 2027 instead of the previously projected September and December 2026 cuts. The...

ECB Signals Possible Interest Rate Move if Inflation Outlook Fails to Improve

European Central Bank (ECB) governing council member Martin Kocher signaled that the ECB may soon need to adjust interest rates if inflation in the eurozone does not show meaningful improvement. His comments, published...

Indian Stock Market Drops as Iran Conflict Fuels Oil Price and Inflation Fears

Indian stock markets opened sharply lower on Monday as investors reacted to growing concerns over the economic fallout from the escalating Middle East conflict and rising crude oil prices. The Nifty 50 index declined 1.2%...

Politics

US Auto Industry Urges Trump to Block Chinese EV Market Access

As President Donald Trump prepares for a high-profile meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, pressure is mounting from U.S. automakers, lawmakers, unions, and manufacturers urging the administration to keep Chinese...

Trump-Xi Summit Sparks Renewed Hope for Americans Detained in China

Families of two Americans imprisoned in China for more than a decade are urging U.S. President Donald Trump to raise their cases during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The detainees, Dawn Michelle Hunt and...

Trump Rejects Iran Proposal as Strait of Hormuz Crisis Pushes Oil Prices Higher

Oil prices surged Monday after former U.S. President Donald Trump rejected Irans latest response to a U.S.-backed peace proposal, raising fears that the ongoing Middle East conflict could intensify and further disrupt...

Taiwan Confident in Strong U.S. Relations Ahead of Trump-Xi China Summit

Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said Monday that Taipei remains confident in the stable growth of Taiwan-U.S. relations as U.S. President Donald Trump prepares for a high-profile visit to China this week. Trump is...

Netanyahu Signals Plan to End Reliance on U.S. Military Aid Within 10 Years

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel aims to gradually eliminate its dependence on U.S. military assistance over the next decade while expanding strategic partnerships with Gulf nations. In an interview...

Science

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

Technology

Nintendo Shares Tumble as Weak Forecast and Rising Switch 2 Costs Worry Investors

Nintendo shares plunged on Monday after the Japanese gaming giant posted annual earnings that missed analyst expectations and issued a weaker-than-expected outlook for the current fiscal year. The disappointing forecast...

AI-Driven Inflation Raises U.S. Consumer Prices, Goldman Sachs Says

Artificial intelligence is starting to increase U.S. consumer prices through rising costs in electronics, software, and electricity, according to a new Goldman Sachs report. The investment bank said AI-related inflation...

Judge Delays SEC Settlement With Elon Musk Over Twitter Stock Disclosure Case

A federal judge has declined to immediately approve a proposed $1.5 million settlement between Elon Musk and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) tied to Musks 2022 Twitter stock purchase disclosures. The...

Broadcom Eyes $35 Billion AI Chip Financing Deal With Apollo and Blackstone

Broadcom Inc. is reportedly in discussions with Apollo Global Management and Blackstone Inc. to secure around $35 billion in financing for its expanding artificial intelligence chip business, according to a Bloomberg...

Dell Stock Hits Record High After Trump Endorsement, AI Server Demand Fuels Rally

Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE: DELL) surged to an all-time high on Friday after receiving a public endorsement from President Donald Trump during a White House event. The president encouraged Americans to go out and buy...