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Welcome to
DS Daily

 

Welcome to DS Daily, our new daily drug and alcohol news service. We are launching the service both as part of our core commitment to the provision and dissemination of up to date information and in support of our role as a membership organisation for the sector.

 

We are also very pleased to announce that Jim Young, formerly of Daily Dose, has joined our DS Daily team.

 

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Weekly news - 26th June 2009

World Drug Report 2009

It provides detailed estimates and trends on production, trafficking and consumption in the opium/heroin, coca/cocaine, cannabis and amphetamine-type stimulants markets. This year, for the first time, the World Drug Report includes special feature sections on the quality of drug data available to UNODC, trends in drug use among young people and police-recorded drug offences. It also discusses one the most formidable unintended consequences of drug control - the black market for drugs - and how the international community best can tackle it [UNODC]

Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey (SALSUS)

The latest survey was carried out during the autumn term of 2008 with a sample of over 10,000 pupils from S2 and S4 classes from across Scotland 3.41MB PDF [DMIS, Scotland, UK]

Statistics from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System

Assessment Report 1 June 2009.23-page PDF [UK Statistics Authority]

Life saving kits to be given to families of injecting drug users in groundbreaking scheme

The families and carers of injecting drug users will be given training in how to respond to overdoses and how to administer a drug called naloxone in the event of a heroin overdose in a groundbreaking new scheme to help save lives [NTA, UK]

To the Home Affairs Select Committee Cocaine Trade Inquiry

This submission from the UK Drug Policy Commission raises a number of issues which the Committee might wish to consider, focusing on evidence relating to the cocaine market, with occasional reference to crack cocaine to make comparisons. 13-page PDF [UKDPC]

The Cocaine Trade

Witnesses: Independent Drug Monitoring Unit and Release [Home Affairs Committee, Parliament, UK]

The future of alcohol treatment services

The objective of the Inquiry was to investigate and understand, using a qualitative approach, the current state of alcohol treatment services and their future. 28-page PDF [All Party Parliamentary Group on Alcohol Misuse, via link from Alcohol Concern, UK]

Transforming community services: ambition, action, achievement

These best practice guides have a vital role to play in the delivery of the intentions for High Quality Care for All: the Next Stage Review [DoH, UK]

Transforming Community Services Quality Framework: guidance for community services

This guidance sets out how the seven elements of the Quality Framework apply in community services. It includes a set of proposed indicators of quality that will be developed and assured for publication. The Department will be seeking views from interested stakeholders on these indicators [DoH, UK]

CQC publishes plans on how it will assess health and social care in 2009/10

Building on the work of predecessor regulators, the Commission is introducing an approach that assesses quality across health and social care as it moves towards a single registration system for providers of care in both sectors in 2010. Report download page [Care Quality Commission, UK]

Death of the smoking den

The initial impact of no smoking legislation in psychiatric units in England in 2008. 41-page PDF [Mental Health Foundation, UK]

Drugnet Ireland 30

Summer 2009 issue. 28-page PDF [Alcohol and Drug Research Unit, HRB, Ireland]

New Video on Drug Treatment Outcomes in Ireland

From The National Advisory Committee on Drugs [Drugs.ie]

Advances in brain research throw light on addiction

How people become addicted to drugs and why they may find it difficult to stop are issues explored by the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) today in new material released ahead of International day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking (26 June) PDF [EMCDDA]

European Drug Policy Survey

This is a report on the results of a public poll survey on drug policy opinions among
the general adult population of 6 European Union member states: Bulgaria, Czech
Republic, Poland, The Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark. 21-page PDF [Hungarian Civil Liberties Union]

Discussion Forum: Supervised Injection Site Evaluative Research

Despite the wealth of research conducted to date, questions continue to arise
regarding aspects of Insite’s operations and impact, the level of evidence deemed
sufficient to support various courses of action, and the next steps and longer-term
plans necessary to best meet the needs of the target population. 11-page PDF [CCSA, Canada]

Clearing the Smoke on Cannabis

Maternal Cannabis Use During Pregnancy. 8-page PDF [CCSA, Canada]

Prominent US drug policy experts provide critical testimony to Congress on last 8 years of White House Policy

One by John Carnevale and the second by Peter Reuter and Jonathan Caulkins. Both submissions provide damning assessments of the performance of the Office of National Drug Control Policy over the last 8 years [IDPC]

Pseudoephedrine Smurfing Fuels Surge in Large-Scale Methamphetamine Production in California

The National Drug Intelligence Center collected and analyzed data and reporting from 2007-through May 2009 related to methamphetamine production and pseudoephedrine smurfing. This report draws upon data from the National Seizure System, as well as information obtained through interviews with federal, state, and local law enforcement officers [NDIC, USA]

Massachusetts Bar Association releases Drug Policy Task Force report

Massachusetts must enact meaningful drug reform for nonviolent offenders, focusing on education and treatment instead of incarceration and punishment, according to a 60-page PDF report of the MBA Drug Policy Task Force [Massachusetts Bar Association, USA]

Response to the 2008 Annual Report of the International Narcotics Control Board

This response to the 2008 Annual Report focuses on the INCB analysis of the history of the drug control system, and on its positions on three contemporary debates – harm reduction, the search for effective cannabis control, and the Bolivian request for reconsideration of the status of the coca leaf. 12-page PDF [IDPC]

What you need to know: a plain-English guide to hepatitis C

Like the previous edition, our 84 page booklet provides a comprehensive overview of hep C but with newly added information on Fibroscan, liver surgery and transplant, rapid viral response and early viral response. 84-page PDF [Hepatitis C Council of NSW, Australia]

Coca Myths

History has been unjust to the coca leaf, denying it distribution on a global scale despite its proven value as an energy enhancer, and limiting its potential for widespread use as a healthy alternative to all sorts of chemical stimulants currently available on the world market. 24-PAGE PDF [TNI]