DS Daily - 16th January 2012

STRESS - a balancing act?

Treatment first - Why prison should always be the last resort | Drink and Drugs News, UK

Getting it right

People who enter services through the criminal justice system should have the same access as anyone else to the right treatment at the right time, says Ros Weetman | Drink and Drugs News, UK

The case for treatment

Kelly Overton speaks out on behalf of women in prison for drug-related offences | Drink and Drugs News, UK

Frankie Owens’ life seemed destined to revolve around the criminal justice system until he finally got the right treatment in prison for his mental health problems. He tells his story | Drink and Drugs News, UK

Prepare for the opportunities and challenges of 2012

Leading personalities in the field of addiction treatment and recovery use their insights and inside information to predict what they consider will be the major opportunities and threats of the year to come | Addiction Today, UK

NCVO, ACEVO and NAVCA have written to all local authorities

The letter reminds them of the Government’s official advice of a three month notice period for any funding cuts | NCVO, ACEVO and NAVCA, UK

NCVO quick guide to challenging funding cuts

This guide briefly sets out the three main options that you could potentially use if funding to your organisation is set to be cut | NCVO, UK

Government invests £19.4m in liaison and diversion services

Revolving Doors Agency welcomes the government’s decision to increase its investment in criminal justice liaison and diversion services as part of its efforts to ensure help is available in police stations and courts across the country | Revolving Doors, UK

Cigarette display ban delayed several years

The ban on the display of tobacco products in large stores could be delayed for as long as three years due to legal wrangles with tobacco manufacturers, the Scottish Government has admitted | Scotland on Sunday, UK

Possession of cannabis for personal use

The legal status of cannabis when used or cultivated/possessed for personal use in the different countries | EMCDDA

Plan to give free booze to alcoholics is worth a shot

The fall-out from news a group in Vancouver is lobbying government to pay for a 'lounge' of sorts where alcoholics from the Downtown Eastside can get free booze, and even timely counseling, is sure to come. Many will condemn it, some have already | Digital Journal

CDC Vital Signs: Reducing Binge Drinking

The January 2012 issue of Vital Signs, the monthly health indicator report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), finds that more than 38 million U.S. adults binge drink an average of four times a month and the most drinks they consume, on average, is eight | Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, USA

The Mexico drug war: Bodies for billions

This article begins an occasional series looking at the violence tied to Mexican drug cartels, their expanding global connections and how they affect people's daily lives | CNN, USA

Guatemala president orders army to join drugs fight

One day after his inauguration, Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina has ordered the army to join the fight against drug cartels | BBC, UK

Study finds increase in caffeine poisoning

According to a study published in The Medical Journal of Australia, nearly 300 calls were made to the New South Wales poisons centre regarding adverse reactions to energy drinks between January 2004 and the end of 2010, with more than a third of people attending hospital | The Age, Australia