Weekly news - 20th September 2013

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DrugScope/Recovery Partnership State of the Sector Survey

The purpose of this survey is to establish a narrative of change for the drug and alcohol sector at a time of wide and far-reaching changes to the policy and commissioning environment | DrugScope, UK

Turning lives around? Drugs, alcohol and the Offender Rehabilitation Bill

As summer comes to an end and politicians return from recess, the Offender Rehabilitation Bill is about to continue its path through Parliament. The Bill – which was published in May, alongside the Government’s response to the ‘Transforming Rehabilitation’ consultation – is comparatively short, but nevertheless important, and contains a number of provisions that are likely to have an impact on those with drug and alcohol problems in contact with the criminal justice system | DrugScope Blog, UK

Steroid users at risk of HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C

Men who inject anabolic steroids and tanning drugs are at higher risk of HIV and viral hepatitis | PHE, UK

A cost benefit analysis of cannabis legalisation

The research by Professor Stephen Pudney, Dr Emilia Del Bono and Dr Mark Bryan analyses the cost benefits of legalisation. The main conclusions of Licensing and regulation of the cannabis market in England and Wales: Towards a cost benefit analysis (PDF) are as follows | ISER, UK

Legal cannabis market 'would be worth £1.25bn a year to government'

Report sets out potential cost savings and tax take from a regulated cannabis market in England and Wales | Guardian, UK

Dramatic rise in crystal meth casualties fuels fear of Australian 'ice' boom

Study finds 318% rise in number of occasions ambulances were called to emergencies related to drug in Melbourne | Guardian, UK

Britain has a drinking problem, and it needs help

Though we spend a fortune on the consequences of excessive drinking, we spend a relative pittance on the causes | Telegraph, UK

A&E: Staff forced to cope with alcohol-related problems - video

Staff in accident and emergency wards are increasingly having to deal with patients with alcohol-related problems. One unit in Birmingham claims one man has visited more than 250 times in the last few years, as Joanne Writtle reports | BBC, UK

Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education

Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is an important and necessary part of all pupils’ education. All schools should teach PSHE, drawing on good practice, and this expectation is outlined in the introduction to the proposed new national curriculum | Dept for Education, UK

The Status of PSHE education in the 2014 Curriculum

This briefing provides information on the status of PSHE education in the national curriculum, its links to statutory duties on schools and how PSHE education can help schools to succeed in Ofsted inspections | PSHE Assoc, UK

Finding a formula for treating addicts

Despite the lurid tabloid headlines, methadone therapy works and pharmacists can play a bigger role in the therapy, says Harry McQuillan | Scotsman, UK

Why legalising cannabis isn't logical

The choice is not either to ban or to legalise everything. What is needed is restraint and protection for children | Guardian, UK

How does the cocaine trade work in Ibiza?

The facts behind Michaella McCollum Connolly and Melissa Reid’s arrest will hopefully be ironed out at their trial... but in the meantime, how common is drug muling? Why would anyone take the risk? And just how is Ibiza’s insatiable demand for cocaine met? Mike Power, author of Drugs 2.0, did a little digging for this Mixmag special report | Mixmag, UK

Acpo issues 'drunk tanks' call to tackle disorder

The idea of privately run "drunk tanks" to tackle alcohol-fuelled disorder has been backed by police chiefs | BBC, UK

European Commission takes decisive action against legal highs

The European Commission today proposed to strengthen the European Union’s ability to respond to ‘legal highs’ – new psychoactive substances used as alternatives to illicit drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy | Europa.eu

EMCDDA welcomes European Commission call for stronger EU action on new drugs

The EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) welcomes the European Commission's proposal today to strengthen the EU’s response to new psychoactive substances (‘new drugs’) | EMCDDA, Portugal

Apparent Consumption of Alcohol, Australia, 2011-12

This publication provides estimates of apparent consumption of alcohol based on the availability of alcoholic beverages in Australia | Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australia

Public Health Matters - new blog launched

The official blog of Public Health England, providing expert insight on the organisation's work and all aspects of public health | PHE, UK

Global Drug Survey on Sky News - video

Dr Adam Winstock, founder of Global Drug Survey gets across some simple & effective harm reduction strategies on a national news programme | GDS, UK

David Stuart talks about MSM drug use trends - video

David Stuart from the Drug Club Clinic in London talks about the new drug use trends that are emerging in the MSM scene and the challenges main stream drug services face | Drug Club Clinic, UK

There’s still too much haze around cannabis psychosis

Sourcing unbiased information about the health effects of using cannabis has always been difficult. Government-sponsored propaganda was evident as far back as the 1930s in the film Reefer Madness, which had a central message (in case you hadn’t guessed it from the title) that using cannabis will induce some form of crazed mental disturbance | Conversation, UK