DS Daily - 17th September 2010

2010 Street Drug Trends Survey

The ban on mephedrone, the recession and Britain’s rising alcohol problems have all left their imprints on the UK drug market over the last year, according to Druglink Street Drug Trends 2010 [DrugScope, UK]

Should drugs policy be based on facts or opinion?

When the issue came up during the course of a Parliamentary debate on "legal highs" last week, there was an interesting insight into how the previous Labour administration viewed matters - Mark Easton [BBC, UK]

Impact of supervision of methadone consumption on deaths related to methadone overdose (1993-2008)

Impact of supervision of methadone consumption on deaths related to methadone overdose (1993-2008): analyses using OD4 index in England and Scotland [BMJ, UK]

Support to incapacity benefits claimants through Pathways to Work

First Report of Session 2010–11 [House of Commons, UK]

Healthy nudges ‐ when the public wants change and politicians don’t know it

A policy action report from the [Faculty of Public Health, UK]

Raise home drinking age limit, says Tesco boss

The head of Britain's biggest supermarket chain has called for a change in the law to stop children turning into binge drinkers [Telegraph, UK]

Derby shops 'selling alcohol for 15p per unit'

Trading standards officers in Derby have found some shops selling alcohol for as little as 15p per unit [BBC, UK]

Caffeinated alcohol ban considered

The Scottish Government will "carefully consider" Labour calls to ban caffeinated alcoholic drinks such as Buckfast, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said [The Herald, Scotland, UK]

Alcohol Marketing and Young People

Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, delivers the opening address at Alcohol Action Ireland’s Have We Bottled It? Alcohol Marketing and Young People conference [Alcohol Action, Ireland]

Victoria seeks backing for mandatory needle exchange

A resolution to urge the B.C. government to provide base harm-reduction services, such as needle exchange and other safe-substance use equipment, in every municipality across the province, despite any local political pressure against the initiative [BC Local News, Canada]

SAMHSA's Latest National Survey on Drug Use & Health

SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use & Health is the primary source of information on the prevalence, patterns, and consequences of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use and abuse in the general U.S. civilian non institutionalized population, age 12 and older. PDF [SAMHSA, USA]

New Data Show Millions of Americans with Alcohol and Drug Addiction Could Benefit from Health Care Reform

New government data released today demonstrate the continued, urgent need for more Americans to have access to drug and alcohol addiction treatment, according to an analysis by the Closing the Addiction Treatment Gap (CATG) initiative [Open Society Foundations, USA]

Defining the addiction treatment gap

An estimated 23.5 million Americans are currently addicted to alcohol and/ or other drugs and need treatment and other supportive services. Unfortunately, only one in 10 of them (2.6 million) receives the treatment they need. The result: a treatment gap of more than 20 million Americans [Open Society Foundations, USA]

Drug Czar Confronted At Press Conference (VIDEO)

Daniel Pacheco, a Colombian student from Georgetown University and a member of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, asked Kerlikowske to respond to Mexican leaders' assertions that the United States should consider legalizing drugs -- particularly marijuana -- in order to deprive drug cartels of the majority of their revenue [Huffington Post, USA]