DS Daily - 13th December 2010 |
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Drug strategy consultation December 2010
Summary of the consultation responses [Home Office, UK]
Blenheim CDP's Response to the Governments New Drug Strategy
John Jolly, CEO of Blenheim CDP said "I welcome the government’s drug strategy with open arms for its engagement with reality and its move away from political gamesmanship" [Blenheim CDP, UK]
WDP response to the government’s drug strategy
Yasmin Batliwala, Chair of WDP (Westminster Drug Project) said: WDP welcomes the government’s realism in a drug strategy which adopts so much of the consultation feedback given by service providers [Westminster Drug Project, UK]
2010 drugs strategy – forcing people to live a drug free life (but not alcohol)
All things considered, the 2010 drugs strategy is quite pathetic and probably quite dangerous [UKCIA]
The youth justice system in England and Wales: Reducing offending by young people
Recent improvements to the youth justice system have contributed to reductions in recorded youth crime. However, young offenders who receive more serious community or custodial sentences remain as likely to reoffend as they were ten years ago when the youth justice system was brought in [National Audit office, UK]
SDF alert
Scottish heroin 'drought' and extreme weather may increase risks of overdose and serious infection among users [Scottish Drugs Forum, UK]
How The Heroin Drought Will Affect The UK
The UK is currently in the midst of a well documented heroin drought after a fungus dramatically reduced the most recent opium crop in Afghanistan [Independent, UK]
Drug-drivers 'stand little chance of being caught out'
In its report, the transport select committee said: At the moment, people assume - quite correctly - that they can take drugs and drive a vehicle with little chance of being caught and convicted [BBC, UK]
The oddball behind £2bn drugs empire
From a tiny flat, he traded lethal 'party high' for huge profit [Daily Mail, UK]
'Drugs nearly killed me', Elton John tells Piers Morgan
I'm not being flippant when I say that, when I look back I shudder at the behaviour and what I was doing to myself ... it just takes over your whole psyche, this stuff [Daily Mail, UK]
This was no once-off. Gerry was very fond of his cocaine – for 16 or 17 years
Gerry Ryan will be remembered for the pleasure he gave to many. But it must also be remembered that he contributed to the drugs business, because he was a drug addict [Daily Mail, UK]
Impact of GBL dependence 'chilling'
Young professionals looking for a cheap high have been caught out by the addictive and dangerous drug GBL [Independent, UK]
Salvia: more powerful than LSD, and legal
Salvia divinorum - aka the 'YouTube drug' - is banned in many countries around the world, but not in Britain. Is it as harmless as its users claim? [Telegraph, UK]
Nelson discarded needles training scheme launched
A pilot scheme to train residents in Nelson on how to deal with discarded needles and syringes is now under way [Lancashire Telegraph, UK]
On the brink: Britain's 'alternative social service'
Legendary 1960's charity Release is Britain's only specialist provider of legal advice to drug users. But can it survive in the age of spending cuts and "big society"? [Guardian, UK]
Hospital alcohol admissions highest for a decade
New figures suggest the recession has had little impact on the number of people needing hospital treatment after drinking too much [WalesOnline, UK]
The price of a drink
Levels of consumption and price paid per unit of alcohol by Edinburgh's ill drinkers with a comparison to wider alcohol sales in Scotland [Addiction Journal]
Alcohol abuse warning as one in five men put their health at risk
A study says around 92,000 adults are drinking at hazardous levels – in excess of the recommended limits – and 17,000 at harmful levels – more than double the recommended [Yorkshire Post, UK]
Drink abuse is costing our NHS £27m a year
More than a hundred health professionals gathered at a conference in Bingley on Thursday to be presented with the findings of the latest Alcohol Needs Assessment for the Bradford district [Telegraph & Argus, UK]
Acklam Tesco Express can still stock alcohol despite underage sales
At a meeting of the Middlesbrough Council licensing sub committee, councillors considered suspending the licence, but instead added conditions [Evening Gazette]
Drug and alcohol help for teenagers
A charity has launched a new service offering drug and alcohol workshops to 12 to 19 year-olds in Norfolk and Suffolk who misuse substances [EDP 24, UK]
Challenging the Conventions of Addiction and Recovery
George Williams talks to Peter Bentley, founder of Intuitive Recovery, a re-education or self-recovery method that doesn’t require treatment or long term support, and relies solely on the inner reserve of the individual [Inexcess TV, UK]
(Sex) Drugs and Alcohol - Social Norms in Stockton Schools
The third of the presentations we had at last month's seminar on social norms came from Catherine Whilburn a researcher at NWA Social Research a company that has been working with schools in Stockton to deliver the "You Said" project [Drug Education Forum, UK]
Ban on drugs is failing, expert warns
The seizure of more than €1m worth of head-shop drugs at the weekend shows the demand for once-legal highs hasn't diminished, according to a leading expert [Independent, Ireland]
Experts warn of cocaine and alcohol’s ‘lethal’ mix
Combining cocaine and alcohol "can be lethal," two top drug experts warned yesterday [Irish Examiner]
Christmas booze smugglers stopped at border
The detained alcohol will be turned into fertiliser, while the
packaging will be recycled [Home Office, UK]
Alcohol and teens: keeping it in the family
A survey on the effect of parental drinking on teenagers found that parents’ drinking habits can influence how children perceive alcohol [Irish Times]
Canada faces a flood of heroin and addicts
Treatment centres in cities around Canada are struggling to cope with a surge of addicts - many younger than ever before - who are hooked on a rising tide of heroin pouring into this country from war-torn Afghanistan [Canada.com]
Era of the Electronic Cigarette Officially Begins
Court blocks FDA from prohibiting e-cigarettes [Addiction Inbox, USA]
A Youth Worker's Guide to Nutrition for Young People
The guide has been compiled with feedback from staff and clients in Youth Justice centres to ensure that the requested nutrition information is included [Government of Victoria, Australia]
Inject reality into drug debate
However impressive the police work behind the latest bust in which 31 people were arrested and $9 million of drugs seized this week, it is unlikely to halt the steady rise in drug use [The Age, Australia]
Debate highlights alcohol irony
A debate taking place in Christchurch on 23 December highlights the irony that alcohol is sold in supermarkets in the same way as milk and bread despite the impact of the modern drinking culture on the Kiwi way of life, says Christchurch East MP Lianne Dalzie [Scoop, New Zealand]
Mothers – the hidden addicts of Afghanistan
Opium is routinely used as a painkiller in parts of the country where there is little medical help [Independent, UK]