DS Daily - 28th May 2009 |
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The Road to Recovery: One year On
A progress report detailing achievements over the last year following the publication of Scotland's drugs strategy "The Road to Recovery" [Scottish Government, UK]
Delivering effective needle and syringe programmes. Implementing NICE guidance
The joint NTA and NICE event on 1 July 2009 will showcase the recent publications and discuss how local areas can ensure their NSPs are in line with current best practice. Flyer [NTA, UK]
Adverse effects of medical cannabinoids: a systematic review
Short-term use of medical cannabinoids appears to increase the risk of non-serious adverse events. Risks associated with long-term use were poorly characterised in the existing studies [Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, UK]
Alcohol, children & families
It is estimated that between 780,000 and 1.3 million children are affected by parental alcohol problems - Speech by Baroness Delyth Morgan [Department for Children, Schools and Families, UK]
Alcohol blamed for 6,500 dead in five years
The impact of alcohol consumption on deaths and hospitalisations in Ireland is much greater than previously realised, new research has found [Irish Times]
Home Affairs Committee: New Cocaine Trade Inquiry
We would have welcomed a wider ranging inquiry into drugs policy, but there is still plenty of scope for the Committee to review evidence about the devastating impact of prohibition [TDPF, UK]
Shoveling Up II: The Impact of Substance Abuse on Federal, State and Local Budgets
In this report, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University has identified the total amount spent by federal, state and local governments on substance abuse and addiction--the first time such an analysis has ever been undertaken. 176-page PDF [CASA. USA]
Shoveling Up II: The Impact of Substance Abuse on Federal, State and Local Budgets
The CASA report found that of $373.9 billion in federal and state spending, 95.6 percent ($357.4 billion) went to shovel up the consequences and human wreckage of substance abuse and addiction; only 1.9 percent went to prevention and treatment, 0.4 percent to research, 1.4 percent to taxation and regulation, and 0.7 percent to interdiction [CASA, USA]
Study: Substance-abuse funding skimps on prevention
Most of the taxpayer money devoted to combating alcohol and drug abuse goes to cleaning up its consequences, while only about 2% of the funding is used for prevention, says a report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University [USA Today]
Governments’ Drug-Abuse Costs Hit $468 Billion, Study Says
Government spending related to smoking and the abuse of alcohol and illegal drugs reached $468 billion in 2005, accounting for more than one-tenth of combined federal, state and local expenditures for all purposes, according to a new study [New York Times, USA]
Medical profiteering: the economics of methadone dispensation
We recommend continuing the current pharmacy-based model. Any policy changes that limit or decrease access to methadone maintenance treatment should be discouraged. Recognition of the economic incentives of all parties involved is imperative in understanding the illicit drug use phenomenon and devising effective strategies to reduce the social burden it impose [CMAJ]
Estimated Blood Alcohol Concentrations for Child and Adolescent Drinking and Their Implications for Screening Instruments
The goal of this study was to determine the number of drinks at each age that led to a BAC of ≥80 mg/dL, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism criterion for binge drinking [Pediatrics, USA]
Pseudoephedrine sales declining
Pseudoephedrine sales are declining as pharmacists control access [Scoop, New Zealand]
Harm Reduction 2009 Takes Place in Bangkok
Overall, the conference highlighted how far harm reduction has progressed and where there are still huge challenges to be overcome. Videos [IHRA]