DS Daily - 25th March 2010 |
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Experts call for urgent guidance on mephedrone
Experts from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's, have called for urgent educational and harm reduction guidance on mephedrone, in an Editorial published in the British Medical Journal [KCL, UK]
Health committee calls for mephedrone regulation
The Chairman of Northern Ireland's Health Committee has said the Department of Health must regulate the drug mephedrone as quickly as possible [BBC, UK]
Video: Rosanna O’Connor NTA Interview
Rosanna O’Conner of the NTA talks to Inexcess about the direction and future of the NTA [Inexcess TV, UK]
Report highlights 'drugs problem' at HMP Durham
Drug abuse continues to be a serious problem at one of the North East's prisons, inspectors have concluded [BBC, UK]
Official reports put cost of crime, drugs and alcohol in three regions at £1.5bn a year
The figures have been uncovered by the Conservatives in pilot projects commissioned by the Government but not published centrally [Telegraph, UK]
Ban on meow meow to be delayed by EU
Under the EU Technical Standards and Regulations Directive 98/34/EC, the Government has to give the EU at least three months' notification before it can change British legislation [Daily Mail, UK]
Increased duty on alcohol unlikely to reduce problem drinking
Will have no impact on the ability of major supermarkets to absorb increased duty rates and to continue to use alcohol as a loss leader [Alcohol Concern, UK]
Cider makers rocked to the core over duty hike in duty
Cider-makers have said that an increase in duty of 10pc above inflation could decimate their industry, destroy investment and hurt consumers [Telegraph, UK]
Medical Marijuana: Efficacy, Safety, and Potential for Misuse
How does the long-term side effect/adverse event profile and potential for misuse of marijuana compare with those of more common pain medications (ie, opioids)? [Medscape]
States Differ on Marijuana for PTSD
Differences were highlighted this week in the Colorado legislature, when a State House committee on Monday narrowly defeated a proposal that would have directed the Department of Public Health and Environment to consider whether marijuana should be used to help people with post-traumatic stress disorder [New York Times, USA]
The Long Game
The drug war—which some pundits call a quagmire—is not Mexico's Iraq [Newsweek. USA]
Calderon's dead-end war
Mexican President Felipe Calderon's militarized, politicized fight against Mexico's drug cartels has been ineffective [LA Times, USA]
A renewed police focus on heroin
A significant spike in the number of heroin overdoses in Western Australia last year has forced senior police to shift their focus from amphetamine based drugs such as speed and ecstasy to opiates [ABC News, Australia]
'Growing demand' drives call for bigger substance abuse centre
The Northern Territory Opposition says a bigger facility should be built in Alice Springs to care for young people who abuse dangerous substances [ABC News, Australia]
Mental health and addiction services facing crisis
Community organisations providing essential mental health and addiction services are facing an acute crisis due to planned Capital and Coast and Hutt Valley DHB cuts, says Platform chief executive Marion Blake [Scoop, New Zealand]