DS Daily - 27th September 2010 |
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Online response for the 2010 Drug Strategy
The closing date for responses is 30 September 2010 [Home Office, UK]
Drug addicts get more help to recover in the community
Local health and voluntary agency schemes across England aimed at supporting addicts to continue their recovery in their community are amongst those who will benefit from a share of £8m of new money. Full details of all the projects supported [NTA, UK]
Drink and Drugs News
This week's magazine features also their latest residential treatment directory [Drink and Drugs News, UK]
Going solo
Recovery-oriented treatment doesn’t have to be residential to be effective, says Nick Barton [Drink and Drugs News, UK]
In tune with recovery
Sarah Davies describes how Recovery Cymru is using activities like music and gardening to build recovery in South Wales [Drink and Drugs News, UK]
John Strang on the concept of supervised injecting heroin clinics and the birth of the RIOTT trial
John describes how from the mid 90's onwards he and others were keen to do a good quality trial of injectable maintenance. He goes on to talk about international developments, and the improving quality of the science. One of three new videos [FEAD, UK]
Glasgow study reveals addiction recovery factors
Researchers believe they have identified some of the critical factors that determine whether alcoholics and heroin users can recover [BBC, UK]
Drugs and offending: thinking the unthinkable
This talk was given to an interesting audience of judges, magistrates, mayors, police officers, prison officers, drug treatment workers and volunteers, at the invitation of HACRO [Alex Stevens, UK]
Bristol MP Calls For Drug Services To Be Protected
Kerry McCarthy has written to central government urging them not to cut funding for drug support services in the upcoming spending review [Jack, UK]
New e-learning package
The Birmingham Drug and Alcohol Action Team (BDAAT) have developed a new e-learning package to enable individuals to increase their knowledge and awareness of substance use and related issues [BDAAT, UK]
Drugs, alcohol, & parenting'
A new workbook for parents who use drugs and alcohol [Exchange Supplies, UK]
Liz Murray: 'My parents were desperate drug addicts. I'm a Harvard graduate'
Liz Murray's story of her journey from starving as a child in the Bronx to Ivy League success has become an American bestseller [Observer, UK]
Recovery Academy - Conference 2010 downloads
All conference materials are available for download [Recovery Academy]
Plain language in scientific studies
One of the biggest obstacles to understanding scientific papers is the language they are written in, on occasions the suspicion is that bad studies are deliberately obscured by the use of an elitist language masquerading as a formal intellectual style of presentation. Nowhere has this been more apparent than in the cannabis / mental health debate [UKCIA]
Scots film-maker’s advice to addicts: detox African-style
Glasgow-based David Graham Scott, a former heroin addict, hopes his film, the working title of which is The Mission, will spark debate on the efficacy of the controversial drug Ibogaine in the cessation of drug abuse in long-term users [The Herald, Scotland, UK]
Police chief challenges minimum drink price opponents
The chief constable of the country’s biggest police force has issued a challenge to those who voted down minimum alcohol pricing this week to come up with an alternative [The Herald, Scotland, UK]
Scheme will help people cut back on alcohol
A group of community pharmacists at Stirling and Falkirk are to help people cut their drinking to sensible levels. In a move to coincide with Alcohol Awareness Week in Scotland [The Press and Journal, UK]
Liverpool University study reveals stress hormone impact on alcohol recovery
Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found that high levels of a stress hormone in recovering alcoholics could increase the risk of relapse [Click Liverpool, UK]
Taxpayer should fund 'bribes' for obese and smokers
The NHS should pay fat people to lose weight and smokers to quit, and give children toys for eating their fruit and vegetables, according to a report commissioned by its rationing body [Telegraph, UK]
Annual Review 2009 Launched
The Merchants Quay Ireland Annual Review for 2009 was launched on Friday, 24th September, by Mr. John Lonergan, former Governor of Mountjoy prison [Merchants Quay, Ireland]
Former prison governor urges action on drug report
New research that reveals heroin use has reached record levels and is increasing most significantly in the regions should be seen as “a flashing warning light” if Ireland is to avoid “sleep walking” into a deeper hard drugs crisis, the former Mountjoy governor John Lonergan has said [Irish Times]
Little hope of tackling the drugs scourge in very heart of capital
Despite decades of treatment and prevention programmes, problem only getting worse [Independent, Ireland]
France mulls opening 'shooting galleries' for drug addicts
French officials across the political spectrum have expressed support for "shooting galleries", where addicts could use drugs under medical supervision. Such centres exist in several other European countries [France 24]
INCB President addresses 17th ECAD Conference on Gozo Island, Malta
The President's address covered the achievements and challenges of international drug control and best practice in demand reduction [INCB]
Vienna Declaration - in 5 new languages
The Vienna Declaration is now available in five more languages thanks to the European Drug Policy Initiative [Drug Reporter, Hungary]
Russia, NATO should step up ties to tackle Afghan drug threat - Lavrov
Moscow is ready to consider different forms of cooperation with NATO, including cooperation under the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), so to tackle the Afghan drug threat, Russian Foreign Minister [RIA Novosti, Russia]
Early warning and response system (Sentry)
The color-coded points on the map represent reported incidents sorted by substance category as defined in the legend [NDIC, USA]
Calif measure shows state's conflicted link to pot
It's the land of hippies, Humboldt County and Cheech and Chong. But in the state more closely associated with marijuana than any other, the ballot measure to legalize pot has exposed California's conflicted relationship with the drug [Observer, UK]
Twitter feeds and blogs tell hidden story of Mexico's drug wars
A small army of bloggers and tweeters is filling the gaps left by traditional media in Mexico that are increasingly limiting their coverage of the country's drug wars because of pressure from the cartels [Guardian, UK]
Media reporting on illicit drugs in Australia
Trends and impacts on youth attitudes to illicit drug use [DPMP, Australia]
News media turns young people off illicit drugs
Media reports on illicit drugs “reduce acceptability and increase perception of risk” among young people, study finds [DPMP, Australia]
Cannabis laws unlikely to reduce use: researcher
The new legislation repeals previous laws which allowed people to grow two plants and it reduces the legal possession limit from 30 grams to 10 grams. It also bans the sale of smoking implements [ABC News, Australia]
State approves heroin injecting room: NSW
Part of the reason for Australia's success is the fact, since 1985, the country's drug strategy has been based on the principle of harm minimisation, experts say [The Australian]
High with a lot of help from your friends
The most common person Australians buy illicit drugs from is not a drug dealer but a friend or good acquaintance. And the most common place drugs are bought is not a street or a club, but a lounge room [SMH, Australia]
Alcopops tax worked: gov't
The federal government insists its alcopops tax has worked, despite a recent survey suggesting the measure has done nothing to curb teenage consumption [SMH, Australia]
Integrated Service Delivery for Young People: a Literature Review
The purpose of this literature review is to examine youth hubs or centres and consider supportive policy frameworks for them. United Kingdom, United States and Australia [Brotherhood of St Laurence, Australia]
Cannabis Users Deserve Harm Reduction
A proposed law will deny smokers of cannabis and other herbs safe, legal access to harm reduction equipment such as pipes, gauzes and vapourisers [Scoop, New Zealand]
Dedicated to Ivan Shekker
Vanya was 51. He had used drugs for 20 years of his life. The last 10 years he lived in sobriety. From 2002 he worked as a senior social worker, then as manager of an IDU harm reduction project in Kyiv, reaching around 10,000 injecting drug users each year. Ivan managed about 20 social workers going out to syringe exchange sites in Kyiv every day [International HIV/AIDS Alliance]
Young People Most at Risk of HIV
A Meeting Report and Discussion Paper from the Interagency Youth Working Group, U.S. Agency for International Development, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS [UNAIDS]