On February 1st 2018 in Australia, codeine (Panadeine, Panadeine Forte, Nurofen Plus etc) became a prescription only drug, which means that no over the counter medications (such as painkillers or cold and flu tablets) purchased in a Pharmacy or Supermarket will contain codeine (or any other opiate).
This may have implications for many workplace Drug and Alcohol testing policies, especially when it comes to the area of declared medication.
“National polling by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE), shows that 20 per cent of Australians purchased more alcohol and 70 per cent of them are drinking more alcohol than normal”
