DS Daily - 9th December 2011

More young people are beating drug and alcohol problems

More young people are overcoming their problems with drug and alcohol misuse than ever before, according to the latest statistics for England | NTA, UK

Statistics for young people in specialist drug and alcohol services in England 2010-11

This statistical release presents key results from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) on the number of young people attending specialist substance misuse services in England in 2010-11 | NDTMS, UK

Progress in addressing young people’s substance misuse threatened by funding cuts

DrugScope, the national membership organisation for the drug sector, remains concerned over mounting evidence of the scaling back of young people’s drug and alcohol treatment services and the reduction or end of drug education and prevention work in some schools | DrugScope, UK

£1 million drug treatment study launched

University of Manchester researchers have been awarded £1 million to investigate the effectiveness of the Department of Health’s ‘Payment by Results’ (PbR) schemes in the treatment of addiction | University of Manchester, UK

New telehealth project improves access to substance misuse services

Patients accessing specialist substance misuse services in the far North will now have improved access to services and support to specialist teams based in Inverness | NHS24, UK

Drugs Op Yields Further Results

Officers involved in a highly successful collaboration initiative have again been showing their teeth in a pre-Christmas counter-drugs operation | Police Oracle, UK

Scottish alcohol sales fall after multibuy ban

The amount of alcohol sold in Scottish shops and supermarkets has fallen since a ban on multi-buy deals was brought in this October, figures show | BBC, UK

Better Mental Health in a Bigger Society?

The report explores and identifies the overlaps between Big Society ideas and changes that many people with mental health difficulties have long argued for | Mental Health Providers Forum, UK

Government Digital Service

The Government Digital Service is a new team within Cabinet Office tasked with transforming government digital services | GDS, UK

Drug projects left in shock at slash in rehabilitation funding

Drug projects are furious at the cuts in the budget, particularly the slashing of funding for the rehabilitation of drug users | Irish Examiner

Citywide letter to Minister Shothall - reverse the cuts!

I am writing to you on behalf of Citywide to express our dismay at the proposed budget cuts and other changes to Community Employment announced in Budget 2012 | Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign, Ireland

HSE Warning: Severe reaction to ecstasy ingestion

Within the past week three persons have attended the Emergency Department in Clonmel, County Tipperary, exhibiting severe symptoms (jaw clenching, teeth grinding, severe stomach cramps, and hallucinations) after reporting using ecstasy | Drugs.ie, Ireland

Guernsey drug users report dangerous side effects

Drug users have been warned about the serious side effects of a drug being sold in Guernsey | BBC, UK

Cut-price alcohol

Rather than address health issues and curb sales the last government actually reduced excise duties and made alcohol cheaper. Apart from a general VAT rise, nothing was done this week to alter that situation | Irish Times

Treatment admissions for abuse of prescription pain relievers

New report Treatment Episode Data Set 1999-2009 shows treatment admissions for abuse of prescription pain relievers have risen 430 percent from 1999-2009 | SAMHSA, USA

House votes to ban so-called ‘bath salts,’ other synthetic drugs that mimic marijuana, cocaine

Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., said his legislation identifies chemical compounds that affect the brain in ways similar to THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. They would be added to the highly restrictive Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act | Washington Post, USA

Obama’s lies about the international cocaine trade

ONDCP’s reply to Narcoleaks’ analysis is highly insufficient and does not clarify the doubts that were raised | Narcoleaks

How Mexico's drug cartels profit from flow of guns across the border

Cartels using US residents to buy guns legally and smuggle them across the border as Mexico pleads with Congress to act | Guardian, UK

Brazil to spend $2bn tackling 'crack cocaine epidemic'

The Brazilian government has launched a multi-million dollar programme to tackle the spread of crack cocaine | BBC, UK

Health and community leaders call for action on alcohol and pregnancy health warnings

63 leading health and community professionals, including two former Australians of the year, have urged effective action to warn women about the effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, in an open letter to members of the Australian and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council | Foundation for Alcohol Research & Education, Australia