Daily news - 3rd November 2015 |
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UK news
November issue of DDN magazine
In this month's DDN, Ian Sherwood asks whether drug treatment is being derailed by the sector’s refusal to push for reform. Also this issue – Karen Biggs makes the case for specialist recovery housing as a pathway to long-term recovery, and Rowdy Yates discusses the value of therapeutic communities | DDN, UK
Painkiller addiction: 'I would drink a bottle of morphine every day'
Nearly 8 million people in the UK suffer from chronic pain and GPs are prescribing record numbers of potentially addictive painkillers, the BBC's Panorama programme has been told | BBC, UK [ Hooked on painkillers, Panorama, BBC iPlayer]
Nick Clegg launches campaign to persuade EU leaders to back reform of drug laws
Exclusive: Former Lib Dem leader hopes to build support for new approach at 2016 UN meeting | Independent, UK
Horses to help Kickstart Addiction Recovery!
Following a successful pilot over the summer Lloyds Bank Foundation has given their backing to a partnership project working with those who are ‘stuck’ or disengaged from talking therapies for their drug and alcohol use. The Horse Course charity and EDP Drug & Alcohol Services have been working together to offer the ReStart course to 12 EDP clients from Dorset, an evidence based 5 day programme designed to kick start recovery | EDP, UK
Y-Stop 'stop and search' app will instantly hold police to account
People stopped and searched by police will be able to record them and instantly send the footage to lawyers by shaking their phone, using a new app designed to hold officers to account | WIRED, UK
London clinic survey shows impact of chemsex on condom and PEP use
Findings show strong need for pre-exposure prophylaxis and hepatitis C prevention | NAM Aidsmap, UK
Applications are now invited for the 2015 Alcohol Research UK grants programme
Alcohol Research UK is dedicated to supporting new research in the alcohol field. Over the years we have awarded over £12 million in funding to 500 projects, many of which have made a significant contribution to the evidence base in this area | Alcohol Research UK, UK
Drug User Identity - survey
To take part in this survey you must be between the ages of 18- 35 and must have used an illegal substance in the past month. If you are receiving structured drug treatment, or have a clinical diagnosis of dependence you are not permitted to take part in this survey | Rebecca Cook (LJMU), UK
Man jailed for smuggling sandwich and drugs into prison
A man has been jailed for smuggling drugs, a knife and a McMuffin sandwich into Wormwood Scrubs prison | BBC, UK
International news
E-cigarettes BANNED from checked luggage on all US flights in new rules to prevent in-flight fires
A new air safety rule, which will be implemented on November 6, means both passengers and crew flying to, within and from the U.S. are banned from bringing the devices on any aircraft in a checked bag - due to fears that they may cause a fire in the hold | Mail Online, UK
German teenager sold one tonne of drugs from his mother's flat
Boy nicknamed the ‘bedroom dealer’ jailed for €4m online drug business run from his apartment in Leipzig | Guardian, UK
French pilots who fled Caribbean over drug convictions arrested
Pascal Fauret and Bruno Odos, who left Dominican Republic to avoid 20-year prison terms, arrested at home in France | Guardian, UK
Lebanon charges Saudi prince with drug smuggling
Prosecutors in Lebanon have charged a Saudi prince and nine other people with drug smuggling, a week after a record seizure at Beirut's airport | BBC, UK
Injection rooms for addicts to open next year, says Minister
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin says Misuse of Drugs Bill set to unblock legislative obstacles | Irish Times, Ireland
Opening injection rooms 'not simple', says Varadkar
Health Minister Leo Varadkar supports the introduction of supervised injection rooms for drug addicts, but the Government has yet to give the proposal the go-ahead, and changing the law will not be a "simple matter" | Independent, Ireland
Our drugs minister has backed decriminalisation in a major London speech
The minister cited Portugal’s approach to drugs as a possible model for Ireland | Journal, Ireland
Expert urges roll out of alcohol treatment pilot
The Community Alcohol Response and Engagement (CARE) Alcohol Treatment Pathways Project can serve as a way forward in the treatment of problem alcohol use, which now affects every aspect of Irish life and places huge social, health and economic burdens on society, a GP specialising in addiction has said | Irish Medical Times, Ireland
Practitioner Resource
NDC librarians recognise that practitioners have limited time to keep up-to-date with evidence. Our aim is to help you find and effectively use the quality evidence you need for best practice | NDC, Ireland
Nick Clegg joins the Global Commission on Drug Policy
Former Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg has joined the Global Commission on Drug Policy, an international group that advocates for drug policy reform on a global level | Global Commission on Drug Policy, Brazil
Maintenance opioids in drug users linked with lower rate of hepatitis C infection
Intravenous drug use (IVDU) is the most common risk factor for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Incidence rates of HCV are especially high among new users, a majority of which are young adults. Previous studies have shown reduced HCV infection rates in association with opioid agonist therapy | 2 Minute Medicine, USA
Brain imaging can predict the success of large public health campaigns
Neural data from 50 smokers predicted the outcome of an anti-smoking email campaign sent to 800,000 | EurekAlert, USA
Death rates, health problems, rise among middle-aged white Americans
Suicide, drug and alcohol poisoning, liver diseases are top causes of death | EurekAlert, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Time to rewrite drink drive laws
The main legislation dealing with road safety has been updated and modernised regularly over the years but yet six out of 10 people due before the courts on drink-driving offences are able to escape without a conviction | Independent, Ireland
I Sell Drugs to British Tourists at Croatian Music Festivals
Summer is properly over. It's dark when you get up and dark when you get home; the John Lewis Christmas ad is being premiered this week; and all the summer music festivals have released their round-up mini-movies to make us all feel a bit shit about our lives, bringing back memories of smiling and sweating quite a lot on a boat party somewhere off the Adriatic Coast | VICE, UK
Why Is it Still Illegal to Visit the US if You Admit to Using Drugs?
Shaun Shelly was looking forward to speaking at the annual International Drug Policy Reform Conference in Washington, DC, this month. The 48-year-old is the founder of South Africa's first harm-reduction program aimed at fighting HIV in injection drug users, and he was glad to have been invited to discuss the deleterious global influence of America's harsh drug policies at a major international meeting | VICE, USA