DS Daily - 16th March 2011

Druglink magazine

March/April 2011 [DrugScope, UK]

Payment by results and drugs recovery

Marcus Roberts, Director of Policy and Membership at DrugScope writes... [Worksforfreedom, UK]

WDP response to the Ministry of Justice green paper Breaking the cycle

Westminster Drug Project (WDP) calls for a more radical approach to accommodation in drug and alcohol treatment as part of its response to the Ministry of Justice’s (MOJ) green paper [WDP, UK]

Intensive testing offers new hope for long-term recovery

New bulletin features three US programmes for offenders or doctors with substance use problems which appear to show that many seriously dependent individuals stop using if non-use is enforced through intensive monitoring and swift, certain but not necessarily severe consequences [Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK]

Responses to an update from David Oliver

[Home Office Blog]

Police warning after Pembrokeshire drug gang jailed

Officers said the sentences sent out a message to drug dealers [BBC, UK]

Responsibility Deal – 90 per cent of UK beer market signed up to pledges

Beer producers accounting for over 90 per cent of UK beer sales have today signed up to the commitments in the Government’s new ‘Responsibility Deal’, says the [British Beer & Pub Association]

Cancer Research UK urges government to 'strengthen' alcohol commitment

Cancer Research UK has signed up to the Responsibility Deal announced by health secretary Andrew Lansley today. But the charity has warned that more still needs to be done to promote healthy behaviour and reduce cancer risk [Cancer Research UK]

Parents to blame for children who drink

Don’t these fools realise their children are drunk? I suspect the answer to that is no because the parents are probably in a similar state or spaced out on other, unlawful substances - Ann Widdecombe [Daily Express, UK]

How hard-up Britons are turning to bottle

Money worries have led to 83 per cent of Britons suffering from regular stress – with nearly half of those turning to alcohol to combat the problem [Daily Express, UK]

Alcohol flat tax 'will raise £1bn' claims whisky body

Scottish whisky industry is calling for a £1 billion hike in the duty paid on beer and wine, saying it is time for ministers to tax all alcoholic drinks at the same rate as spirits [The Scotsman, UK]

Last orders: Twenty-five pubs 'close every week', report finds

Around 1,300 pubs closed across Britain last year, with the loss of 13,000 jobs, said the British Beer & Pub Association [Daily Mail, UK]

Asda pulls out after alcohol licence setback

Supermarket giant Asda has pulled out of plans for a branch in north Belfast after being refused a licence to sell alcohol [BBC, UK]

GPs need more training to provide high levels of care

GPs are also getting more involved in preventive care, tackling obesity, drug misuse and smoking, and providing appropriate interventions to encourage patients to adopt healthier lifestyles - Dr Clare Gerada, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners [Guardian, UK]