DS Daily - 20th July 2010

Response to BBC investigation into 'legal highs'

Crime prevention minister James Brokenshire said the internet has presented a 'new challenge' in the fight against drugs, but that work is already underway to tackle the problem [Home Office, UK]

Treatment policy will boost street drugs

It's a great pity and a social disaster in the making if the National Treatment Agency really has been bullied into proposing "strict limits on how long drug addicts are allowed to stay on heroin substitute methadone" - Letters [Guardian, UK]

Letter to The Guardian

For those who haven't seen it, there was a piece in Today's Guardian about the issue of time limits on treatment. I've sent them the following letter on behalf of The Alliance in response [The Alliance Forum, UK]

Meetings with Paul Hayes

In summary, while the picture might not be as bleak as it appeared last week, there are still some significant causes for concern [The Alliance Forum, UK]

British town's attempt to prevent HIV spread

A programme in Britain (Walsall) is already making a significant difference to HIV rates by introducing a needle exhange programme [Al Jazeera on YouTube]

Trends in drug use revealed in new YouthNet report

Personal accounts from over 600 young people about their recreational drug use and its effects have been published today in a report by leading online charity [YouthNet, UK]

Heroin Addiction & Recovery

An Inspiration - Dave McCollom [Inexcess TV, UK]

EU Kinship Carers Project

Key Findings Report sets out some key findings from the project to date and makes recommendations for action. Other downloads here [Mentor UK]

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley in live Q&A

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley will be joining us for a live online Q&A on Thursday 22 July to answer your questions on the Government’s proposals to reform health services in Britain [Number 10, UK]

Single Screening Question May Identify Drug Use in Primary Care

A single screening question may identify drug use in primary care, according to the results of a study reported in the July 12 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine [INEF, Ireland]

Steep rise in number of cocaine drug deaths

One-in-10 of the drug-related deaths registered in Ireland over 10 years were due to cocaine, according to a new report [INEF, Ireland]

Tranquillisers and alcohol blamed for majority of drug deaths

Updated information from the National Drug-Related Deaths Index (NDRDI) show there have been a total of 3,465 deaths from drugs between 1998 and 2007 [Irish Examiner]

Alcohol-induced abuse of children is rife, says bishop

Figures for alcohol abuse “would imply that many children are being physically, emotionally and sexually abused across this country on a daily basis – and especially at weekends,” the Auxiliary Bishop of Down and Connor, Donal McKeown, has said [Irish Times]

Adolescent Drug Use and the Deterrent Effect of School-Imposed Penalties

An instrumental-variables approach to retrieving an estimate of the causal response of marijuana use to sanctions and thereby demonstrate the efficacy of school-imposed penalties as a deterrent to adolescent drug use [Institute for the Study of Labor, Germany]