DS Daily - 4th January 2011 |
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Charity chief says cuts could destroy David Cameron's 'big society'
In an open letter to Cameron, the co-founder of the Community Links charity warns that vital local voluntary organisations will be wiped out [Guardian, UK]
Charities call for new bonus tax
Sir Stephen Bubb, chief executive of Acevo, which represents 2,000 charity leaders in Britain, said such a levy could help prevent thousands of charities closing or cutting services [BBC, UK]
Supervising methadone consumption cut UK methadone death rate
Introduced in Scotland and England in the mid-late 1990s to prevent overdose, did supervised consumption of methadone really make methadone maintenance safer? After accounting for increased prescribing, this analysis says, yes, it did curb methadone-related deaths [Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK]
Number of heroin and cocaine prosecutions soars
The number of people being prosecuted for possession of heroin or cocaine has risen by more than 50 per cent in a year [The Scotsman, UK]
100 babies put on child protection list before they're born
Children across the Lothians who are on the council registers are deemed to be at "significant risk" of harm once born, including the possibility of being exposed to drug abuse, sexual abuse, physical harm or emotional conflict [Edinburgh Evening News, UK]
Drugs bust takes place every five hours in Scotland's jails
A poll commissioned by YouGov on behalf of the Scottish Conservative Party, which has consistently called for mandatory drug testing, showed that 91 per cent of Scots questioned supported its call [The Scotsman, UK]
Prisoner project aims to cut offending
Prolific offenders at Leeds Prison are getting help finding a home, tackling drug addictions and rebuilding relationships with their families on release, in a project run by probation officers [Ministry of Justice, UK]
Shock increase in diazepam addiction across Lothians
Almost 700 people contacted support services to report they were misusing the sedative - a rate of nearly two a day [The Scotsman, UK]
Drugs In School - No Hiding Place
One of Scotland's top private schools is investigating how to subject its pupils to random drug tests [Police Oracle, UK]
Children as young as two suffering from drug overdoses
The extent of Wales’ substance abuse problem can be revealed today following a Wales on Sunday investigation [Wales Online, UK]
Criminals with drinking problems 'should be given more help', experts say
Alcohol misuse is a bigger cause of crime and ill health than drug abuse, but intervention schemes are under-resourced and health and justice services should pool their resources in the future, the Centre for Mental Health study said [Daily Mail, UK]
Drug Related Deaths and Deaths due to Drugs Misuse Registered in Northern Ireland, 1999-2009
This report looks at the most recent official death registration data available on drug related mortality [Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency]
Alcohol Related Deaths Registered in Northern Ireland, 1999-2009
This report looks at the most recent official death registration data available on alcohol related mortality [Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency]
Alcohol and Drug Deaths 2009 Press Release
The Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) today published two papers on drug and alcohol related deaths. The key findings are outlined below [Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency]
The drugs don't work ... especially the legal ones
Two papers released this month by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) show that, measured by mortality, alcohol is the drug causing most damage in the north, followed by a range of widely-used prescription drugs [Belfast Telegraph, UK]
Call to 'tag' bottles of alcohol in Scotland
Scottish Labour have called on local licensing boards to enforce the "tagging" of bottles of alcohol to help reduce under-age drinking [BBC, UK]
'Why you pay for other people's drinking'
Professor Anne Ludbrook argues in this week's Scrubbing Up that it is unfair that we all pay for the price for the damage caused by alcohol [BBC, UK]
Call to ban self-service tills for buying alcohol
The use of self-service supermarket tills for buying alcohol should be banned, according to an MSP [BBC, UK]
Nicotine patches to be offered to England smokers
The government is offering free nicotine patches to smokers in England planning to quit in the new year [BBC, UK]
Facebook generation suffer information withdrawal syndrome
Turning off mobile phones, avoiding the internet and tuning out of the television and radio can leave people suffering from symptoms similar to those seen in drug addicts trying to go cold turkey, researchers have found [Telegraph, UK]
Grouping up to defeat addiction
A new approach to addiction recovery in Ireland is spreading [Irish Times]
Roadside drug tests for drivers in weeks
Under the tough new law, a driver who refuses to submit to the roadside test can be fined €5,000 and jailed for six months [Independent, Ireland]
Calls for minimum price for alcohol sales
The Vintners Federation of Ireland has called for a minimum price to be set on alcohol sales [RTE, Ireland]
Cannabis clubs plug a gap in Spanish drugs laws
Member-only clubs spring up as smokers exploit law allowing consumption of cannabis in private [Guardian, UK]
Highlights of the 2009 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) Findings on Drug-Related Emergency Department Visits
In 2009, there were nearly 4.6 million drug-related emergency department (ED) visits of which about one half (49.8 percent, or 2.3 million) were attributed to adverse reactions to pharmaceuticals and almost one half (45.1 percent, or 2.1 million) were attributed to drug misuse or abuse [SAMHSA, USA]
Widening the Door of Entry to Recovery for Young People
A set of PowerPoint slides summarizing “The Young People’s Networking Dialogue on Recovery.” event and its recommendations [ATTC, USA]
Substance Use and Delinquent Behavior Among Serious Adolescent Offenders
The Pathways to Desistance study followed more than 1,300 serious juvenile offenders for 7 years after their conviction. In this bulletin, the authors present some key findings on the link between adolescent substance use and serious offending [Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, USA]
War on drugs is a war on us
Nice People Take Drugs. That's the name of a campaign launched by Release, a nonprofit service and advocacy organization in the United Kingdom [Santa Cruz Sentinel, USA]
Drug Policy During the Obama Administration: An Assessment
Watch the full length video of the analysis by Ethan Nadelmann, presented at the 8th National Harm Reduction Conference in Austin, USA [Drug Reporter, Hungary]
Panama row reveals US drug agency's power
Diplomatic cables published by the website WikiLeaks have plunged the United States into a diplomatic row with Panama over the secret intelligence-gathering work of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in the Central American country [Independent, UK]
Doctors cry for help for methadone scheme
Fear of attack by violent patients has caused a shortage of doctors willing to prescribe methadone to drug addicts in Victoria, according to practitioners calling on the government for more support for methadone programs [The Age, Australia]
Number of drug addicts on benefits trebles
The Ministry of Social Development can't explain the spike and the Minister admits the addicts can't be forced to seek help for their addictions to get them off welfare [TVNZ, New Zealand]
Web-based alcohol screening and brief intervention for Maori and non-Maori
The New Zealand e-SBINZ trials [BMC Health]
Maldives: empowering communities to address drug use
UNODC has partnered with local non-governmental organizations, the Narcotics Control Council, the Department of Drug Prevention and Rehabilitation Services and the Ministry of Health and Family in the Maldives to carry out a project entitled "Strengthening the National Response to Combat Drug Abuse in the Maldives" [UNODC]
New drug law under fire
Critics have also questioned the role of the United Nations drug agency involved with the drafting of the law, claiming it has not made sufficient efforts to ensure the law adheres to the agency’s own minimum standards for drug treatment [Phnom Penh Post, Cambodia]