DS Daily - 29th March 2010 |
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Resignation 'threatens drug ban'
The resignation of Dr Polly Taylor from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has sparked speculation that the ban on mephedrone could be delayed [BBC, UK]
Drug adviser Dr Polly Taylor's full resignation letter
Saying she did not trust the government's use of its advice [BBC, UK]
'Meow meow' review may be hampered after drug adviser quits in scientific objectivity row
Dr Polly Taylor is the sixth expert to resign from the committee since the controversial sacking of the chairman, Professor David Nutt, last October [Guardian, UK]
Happy families?
Despite family support being a central part of the current drug strategy, it has for years been poorly funded and sporadic - Editorial [Drink and Drugs News, UK]
DDN virtual magazine
Features in PDF: "Ecology of soul" - "High hopes" - "Harm reduction comes of age" - "Get with the times" - "Letters and comment" [Drink and Drugs News, UK]
£60,000 cost of keeping an addict on drugs
Professor Neil McKeganey, director of the Centre for Drug Misuse Research at the University of Glasgow, has criticised Scottish Government policy and said the nation is "paying a massive price" for its drugs problem [The Scotsman, UK]
Shocking heroin film inspires a drug crackdown
A documentary depicting the shocking lives of Swansea's heroin addicts has prompted a police crackdown on drug users [South Wales Evening Post]
How middle-class kids have switched on to miaow miaow
‘It’s not like we are druggies ruining our lives. I’m going to university when I leave school, so taking mephedrone is a laugh’ [The Herald, Scotland, UK]
Scottish Government offers help for increased methadone demand
The Scottish Government has written to all local health boards to “reassure them that should they see a significant increase in demand for drug treatment services as a result… the Scottish Government will work with them to ensure they are able to respond appropriately" [Chemist+Druggist, UK]
The secret cannabis kings next door
This is not, at heart, a drugs story. It’s a money story. More and more young professional Britons are turning to cannabis cultivation as a profit-making venture [Times, UK]
Should addiction services offer therapy for co-morbid depression and anxiety?
Most patients at drug and alcohol services suffer depression and/or anxiety, far too many and usually not severely enough to engage mental health teams. Should services offer special mental health therapies, or is substance-focused treatment sufficient? [Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK]
Drugs law enforcement causes violence and doesn’t stop supplies, so let’s have more of it
A sure sign of a failing policy of repression is the constant need to make it ever more repressive; to widen its scope and to make it less dependent on evidence [UKCIA]
Adoption of practice guidelines and assessment tools in substance abuse treatment
This study provides managers, clinicians and policy-makers with a framework for understanding factors related to the adoption of new technologies in substance abuse treatment - provisional PDF [Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy]
Former Sun editor David Yelland: 'I was drunk every night for nearly 24 years but I was saved by the love of my son'
Now calmer and wiser, his touching debut novel aims to help others struggling with the burden of addiction [Daily Mail, UK]
Is this proof smoking lowers your IQ?
Study suggests those on 20 a day are less intelligent [Daily Mail, UK]
Poisons Centre calls surge over legal highs
National Poisons Information Centre has experienced a surge in calls from emergency departments relating to legal highs on sale in head shops [Irish Examiner]
Is Ireland falling out of love with alcohol?
A report this week claimed that alcohol consumption in Ireland is falling fast. But while many would consider these figures good news, will the drinks industry use them to pressurise the Government into relaxing restrictions – and us into drinking more? [Irish Times]
A compromise on crack sentencing
A Senate bill on sentencing for drug offenses isn't perfect, but it's probably the best we can get this year [LA Times, USA]
How the war on drugs was lost
The war on drugs has been a cornerstone of America’s criminal justice system ever since President Richard Nixon coined the phrase four decades ago [The Herald, Scotland, UK]
WH Drug Czar: U.S. Shares the Blame
White House Drug Czar Chief Gil Kerlikowske said on Saturday that the U.S. has a responsibility to bear when it comes to the ongoing drug war in Mexico [FOX NEWS, USA]
Five myths about Mexico's drug war
In Mexico last week, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton lamented the "cycle of violence and crime that has impacted communities on both sides of the border" and pledged continued U.S. engagement [Washington Post, USA]
Cannabis health woes for older users
A tenfold increase in hospital treatment for cannabis poisoning or dependence among people in their 30s and 40s suggests the habit has run out of control for a hard core of long-term users [The Age, Australia]
Alcohol Advertising Position Paper
[Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association , Australia]
Alcohol Taxation Position Paper
[Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association , Australia]
Background Paper – Alcohol Taxation
[Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association , Australia]
Afghan Poppies, American Dilemma
Letters [New York Times, USA]
A well grounded Global Strategy to Reduce Harmful Use of Alcohol
The World Health Assembly, at its meeting in May, will have before it a Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol [Alcohol, Drugs and Development, Norway]