DS Daily - 12th July 2010 |
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Anthrax deaths expose addicts' plight
After 13 deaths from infected heroin, drug counsellors slam 'demonisation' that stops users getting better treatment [Observer, UK]
Anthrax cases in drug users in Scotland
Confirmed Cases 47 - Deaths 13 [Health Protection Scotland, UK]
Meta-analysis of drug-related deaths soon after release from prison
In conclusion, further research is needed urgently on mortality after release from prison, as well as interventions to reduce the risk of drug-related death during the transition from prison to the community [Addiction Journal]
Call for closer monitoring of drug addicts' children
Children born to drug addicts must be better monitored to ensure their care, ministers have been told.The Liberal Democrats said that without centrally-held information, the full picture of babies in drug-addicted households cannot be known [STV, Scotland]
On liberty ... and drug laws
Restrictions on the freedom to take drugs have developed in a political context that is decoupled from the evidence base [Guardian, UK]
Abolish NTA to cut drug addiction
"Methadone prescriptions for heroin addicts would be cut and the National Treatment Agency that runs the programme scrapped under plans from the Tories favourite think-tank," reports Rosemary Bennett, social affairs correspondent of The Times newspaper [Addiction Today, UK]
Abstinence: from rhetoric to reality
The National Treatment Agency (NTA) published documents last week relating to their board meeting of the 6th July. Reading the three-page business plan for 2010/11 we discover that time-limiting methadone prescribing could very well become a reality in the next twelve months [theartoflifeitself]
Drugs figures paint incorrect picture of misuse
Government drug policy is too centred on heroin abuse, fails to take account of the realities of current usage trends and needs to focus on individual user behaviour if it is to reflect the true picture and formulate meaningful responses, a leading academic at National University of Ireland Maynooth urged [Addiction Today, UK]
Banning naphyrone will get us nowhere
There is a worrying sense of deja vu about the ACMD's recommendation to ban the legal high naphyrone [David Nutt, Guardian, UK]
David Cameron could be man to de-criminalise cannabis
Prof David Nutt insisted he was optimistic there would be changes in the British narcotic laws [The Mirror, UK]
The government wants you opinions – and the Home Office finally coughs up its secrets
You can see the fully released document on the DEA site here [UKCIA]
Alcohol and drugs 'spotter' police on Newquay trains
Police in Cornish resort Newquay are putting undercover spotters on trains to catch people bringing drugs and alcohol into the town [BBC, UK]
Alcohol dependence and harmful alcohol use: guideline consultation
A clinical practice guideline on Alcohol dependence and harmful alcohol use is being developed for use in the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Registered stakeholders for this guideline are invited to comment on the provisional recommendations via this website [NICE, UK]
Is Wales turning to drink during crisis?
Alcohol support services in Wales say they are struggling to cope financially with the number of people turning to drink during the economic crisis [Wales Online, UK]
Doctors warn of rise in substance abuse
Up to 40 per cent of those presenting with psychiatric disorders are also abusing substances [Independent, Ireland]
Synthetic Marijuana Spurs State Bans
The American Association of Poison Control Centers reports that so far this year there have been 567 K2-related calls, up from 13 in 2009 [New York Times, USA]
New York lights fire under city's smokers
New York's smokers are puffing nervously in the face of new measures that leave them wondering how to afford their habit -- and even where to light up [The Age, Australia]
Push for ban on alcohol advertising
The WA Cancer Council has joined a federal push for a blanket ban on alcohol advertising at all sporting venues [ABC News, Australia]
Ban energy drinks: health leaders urge caffeine rethink
Health leaders have suggested caffeine-infused energy drinks may need to be banned because too little is known about their effects. They also say they could be fuelling drunken night violence in Melbourne [The Age, Australia]
Doctors' group favours medical use of cannabis
Doctors want to be able to prescribe cannabis-based drugs to patients, and addiction specialists say decriminalisation would put greater focus on the health issues associated with smoking marijuana [Stuff.co, New Zealand]
Secretary-General Appoints Yuri Fedotov of Russian Federation Executive Director of OUODC
He succeeds Antonio Maria Costa in that position and as Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna [UNODC]
Alternatives to the War on Drugs
Dr. Evan Wood is director of the Urban Health Research Initiative, research scientist at the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and associate professor at the Department of Medicine of the University of British Columbia. Am Johal interviewed him in Vancouver [Worldpress]