DS Daily - 24th January 2011 |
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Government drug adviser under fire over views on gay lifestyle
The body that advises the government on its drugs policy faces fresh controversy after the appointment of an expert with controversial views on homosexuality and the role of religion in combating addiction [Observer, UK]
Not enough help for users of 50 pence drug GBL
It reportedly costs 50 pence and it's popular on the party drug scene, but Gamma-Butyrolactone has similar effects to GHB and is also highly addictive [BBC, UK]
Buprenorphine suits minority aiming for make-or-break cure to opiate addiction
Compared to methadone, buprenorphine is more often chosen in a make-or-break attempt to divorce oneself from illicit opiates, found the first large-scale study to compare the drugs in real-life conditions at a British opiate addiction maintenance treatment programme [Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK]
Early Intervention: The Next Steps
A Briefing from the [Drug Education Forum, UK]
'My son played Russian roulette with cannabis - and lost'
Patrick and Henry Cockburn tell their story [Daily Mail, UK]
Passing the buck
A charity is mounting a legal challenge to cuts it says threaten thousands of homeless people - Mark Easton [BBC, UK]
Payment by results enters adult social care field
The method of funding NHS hospitals may be extended to adult care. Gordon Carson examines payment by results' prospects [Community Care, UK]
New Substance Misuse Treatment Service in Worcestershire
CRI has been commissioned by Worcestershire Drug and Alcohol Action Team, part of Worcestershire County Council, to lead a partnership of service providers who will implement a new treatment system that will transform the delivery of substance misuse services across Worcestershire [CRI, UK]
Children given 'chemical cosh' drugs for shyness
Children are being prescribed mind-altering “chemical cosh” drugs for conditions such as shyness and mild social anxiety, behaviour experts have warned [Telegraph, UK]
Sativex – still a forbidden medicine
It’s a real case of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, the sort of thing that can’t happen in the real world but does with prohibition laws and politicians [UKCIA]
All aboard that’s going aboard: How do we engage treatment professionals with recovery?
So how do we get addiction treatment professionals and other relevant parties on board? I’m frustrated by travelling in a train that has plenty of recovering people in the carriages, but few professionals from the field [Binge Inking]
Tackling children’s alcohol related emergency visits
A major new research programme to tackle children’s alcohol related emergency department attendances, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), has been awarded to a consortium of research centres led by the [Institute of Psychiatry, UK]
I Thought I Was In Control
Martin’s Story of Confronting his Alcoholism [Inexcess TV, UK]
Alcohol and poor diet linked to UK breast cancer rates
Women in Britain are more likely to be be diagnosed with breast cancer than those in most other developed countries because of their unhealthy lifestyles, according to a new study [Telegraph, UK]
Smoking warnings hit home as UK cancer rates drop
Britain has done better than many countries at tackling its 'tobacco epidemic', says government cancer adviser [Guardian, UK]
Dutch parliament to be lobbied to legalise all 'recreational' drugs
The petition is being promoted by the Netherlands Drugs Policy Foundation, and has high-profile support from former EU commissioner Fritz Bolkestein and former deputy prime minister and scientist Dr Els Borst-Eilers [Irish Times]
Khat inhibits self-control: researchers find
Dutch and Spanish scientists have warned that long-term use of the drug khat, obtained from a plant native to East Africa, lowers inhibitions with potentially dangerous results [Independent, UK]
Move methadone program to clinic: pharmacist
Access to illicit methadone could be curbed if a replacement program for narcotics experts was moved out of pharmacies and into clinics, a veteran St. John's pharmacist says [CBC News, Canada]
A strategy to deal with that other drug
Many substance abuse experts have lamented the fact that while the dangers of recreational drugs are frequently discussed, relatively little attention is paid to the damage done by alcohol abuse [Vancouver Sun, Canada]
Officials: 'Bath salts' are growing drug problem
Some say the effects of the powders are as powerful as abusing methamphetamine [Washington Post, USA]
Personalizing Addiction Medicine
Gene variants make anti-craving drugs a hit-or-miss affair [Addiction Inbox, USA]
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome after Methadone or Buprenorphine Exposure
These results are consistent with the use of buprenorphine as an acceptable treatment for opioid dependence in pregnant women [New England Journal of Medicine, USA]
Colombia stepping up anti-drug training of Mexico's army, police
Long experienced in fighting cocaine cartels and Marxist guerrillas, Colombia is training thousands of Mexican policemen as well as soldiers and court officers to help contain drug gangs that have turned parts of Mexico [Washington Post, USA]
Drug-user patrols plan
Volunteer foot patrols could be handing out drug-injecting equipment on Canberra's streets if a local harm-minimisation group's proposal is adopted by the Government [Canberra Times, Australia]
Complaint lodged against drug guide
A Sydney activist says he has lodged a complaint with NSW police over a booklet - produced by a group which receives funding from the NSW government - which shows the safest ways to take illegal drugs [The Age, Australia]
Judge puts users of new drug on notice
Partygoers should be wary of the legal and health implications of using the ecstasy-like designer drug known as ''meow meow'' despite it not being listed as a controlled drug in Victoria, a judge has warned [The Age, Australia]
Males fuel rise of the Ritalin generation
The use of stimulant drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children has soared, with prescriptions for Ritalin and its equivalents up 300 per cent in seven years, research shows [The Age, Australia]
NSW police warn about alcohol crime
NSW police have issued a stern warning about alcohol-related crime on Australia Day after a string of violent attacks on officers [SMH, Australia]
Afghan infants fed pure opium
With no real medical care in these parts and the high cost of medicine, all the families out here know is opium [CNN, USA]
High opium prices threaten drug control efforts of recent years
Rising opium prices may encourage farmers in Afghanistan to plant more opium poppy - Afghanistan Opium Survey 2010 [UNODC]
Innocent bystanders : developing countries and the war on drugs
This book contributes to the debate by shedding light on the understanding of the economics and logistics of the drug market. 27.44MB PDF [World Bank]