DS Daily - 5th May 2010 |
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A new conversation about drugs
Government needs to address drugs not simply as a matter of public protection, crime reduction or public health, but as a multi-dimensional complex social problem affecting some of its most vulnerable citizens [RSA, UK]
Drugs, Addiction and Society
Free content from the special issue: Drugs, Addiction and Society [BioSocieties]
Anthrax - latest outbreak information
Confirmed cases 39, deaths 12 [Health Protection Scotland, UK]
Should addicts have children?
The Big Question [BBC, UK]
Consultation on labelling closes 9th May
The views of alcohol producers and other stakeholders for improving the labelling of alcoholic drinks is being sought [Department of Health, UK]
New research shows cheap alcohol is bought by all income groups
An analysis of household income and expenditure patterns undertaken by Professor Anne Ludbrook, Aberdeen University. PDF of the paper [Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems, UK]
Fury over the 48p pint: Supermarkets slash prices ahead of World Cup
Supermarkets have launched a 'kamikaze' price war ahead of the World Cup that is slashing the price of beer to less than 50p a pint [Daily Mail, UK]
Ireland top of cocaine league
Cocaine is more prevalent in Ireland than most other European countries, a new report shows [Herald, Ireland]
Standards and guidelines for practices
This page contains a listing of national drug treatment guidelines in Europe [EMCDDA]
Bill aims to tackle difficulty over head shop drug sales
Far-reaching legislation to ban the sale and distribution of mind-altering and hallucinatory drugs by head shops is to be introduced by the Government before the summer [Irish Times]
Drug smokers in Egypt suffer hashish shortage after crackdown
Millions of Egyptians - some of the world’s most enthusiastic consumers of hashish - are suffering withdrawal pangs after an unprecedented shortage of their favourite narcotic [Times, UK]
Canadian Guideline for Safe and Effective Use of Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain
Including - Managing Opioid Misuse and Addiction in CNCP Patients [Via- McMaster University, Canada]
New guidelines for prescribing opioids seek to curb abuse
Medical specialists in Canada have released a set of guidelines for physicians to use when prescribing opioid medications to address concerns that the drugs are being misused and abused by patients [Canada.com]
Washington, D.C., Approves Medical Use of Marijuana
The District of Columbia Council approved a measure on Tuesday that would allow people with certain chronic illnesses to obtain medical marijuana from a handful of dispensaries regulated by the city [New York Times, USA]
D.C. Council approves medical marijuana, posing challenges for doctors
The exact dosage and means of delivery -- as well as the sometimes perplexing process of obtaining a drug that remains illegal under federal law - will be left largely up to the patient [Washington Post, USA]
Drug Use in America
In monetary terms, the use of illicit drugs cost the United States billions of dollars in health care, lost productivity, and other costs [ONDCP]
Gambling, Alcohol, and Other Substance Use Among Youth in the United States
In this first survey of gambling among youth in the U.S., Drs. Barnes, Welte and colleagues compared the patterns and co-occurrence of gambling and substance use among youth ages 14-21 years [Research Institute on Addictions, USA]
Growing support for roadside drug testing
The ACT Legislative Assembly has given in principle support to a Liberals bill introducing roadside drug testing [ABC News, Australia]
Australia to become first country to introduce plain cigarette packaging
Cigarettes in Australia will soon have to be sold in plain packaging to prevent consumers - and particularly children - from being influenced by tobacco advertising [Cancer Research UK]
International Narcotics Control Board Elects Professor Hamid Ghodse of Iran as President
Professor Ghodse is an international drug control expert from Iran, Professor of Psychiatry and International Drug Policy at the University of London and the Director of the International Centre for Drug Policy at St. George's Medical School [UNIS]