DS Daily - 16th May 2011

Taking Drugs Seriously

A Demos and UK Drug Policy Commission report on legal highs. Full report and background paper | UKDPC

DrugScope's response to the ‘Building recovery in communities’ consultation

We welcome the focus on recovery and social (re)integration…the framework [needs] to recognise the distinction between recovery resources that are directly controlled by local commissioners and treatment providers, and resources that may be largely outside their control (for example, the availability of suitable accommodation or training and employment opportunities | DrugScope, UK

Drug laws: 40 years on, only a complete change of approach will do

The Misuse of Drugs Act has failed utterly and there is no political consensus about the idea of trying anything new | Observer, UK

Drug laws and bans on legal highs 'do more harm than good'

UK Drug Policy Commission's report Taking Drugs Seriously says current laws 'not fit for purpose' | Guardian, UK

Misuse of drug act 'should be reviewed'

The UK Drug Policy Commission, says outlawing synthetic compounds one-by-one does not work - video | BBC, UK

Department Business Plans updated

The Coalition Government has today published updated business plans for each government department with full details of changes made to the plans since they were first published in November 2010 | Cabinet Office, UK

Ministry of Justice business plan

1.3 Work with the Department of Health to co-design and establish pilots to provide payments, based on outcomes, to providers to help individuals (including offenders) achieve sustained recovery from drug dependency | Ministry of Justice, UK

Response to Building Recovery in Communities Consultation 2011

The full PDF Form version of our response includes the background to the questions as supplied by the NTA | SMART Recovery, UK

Drugs worth £2m discovered during search of house

Police have seized more than £2 million worth of drugs during a search of a house in North Lanarkshire | The Scotsman, UK

Delivering alcohol screening and alcohol brief interventions within general dental practice

Rationale and overview of the evidence | British Dental Journal

Is unhealthy substance use associated with failure to receive cancer screening and flu vaccination?

Unhealthy substance use is a risk factor for not receiving all appropriate preventive health services | British Medical Journal

New website - Breaking Free Online

Breaking Free Online enables people to chart their own recovery either independently or as part of computer-assisted therapy delivered by treatment providers | Breaking Free Online

Landmark ruling sinks Lidl plans for drink extension

West Dunbartonshire Council has become the first administration in Scotland to actively inhibit pubs, clubs or off-sales within its borders on the grounds it is already at saturation point with premises selling alcohol | The Herald, Scotland, UK

‘Alcolock’ fitted to coaches

Drivers must blow into the “alcolock” before they can start the engine. Any trace of alcohol immobilises the vehicle and informs a control centre | Daily Express, UK

Poverty and Inequality in the UK: 2011

In this Commentary, we assess the changes to average incomes, inequality and poverty that have occurred since 1997, with a particular focus on the changes that have occurred in the latest year of data (2009-10) PDF | Institute for Fiscal studies, UK

A study of cocaine use in Northern Ireland 2009

The study identified two types of cocaine user, these are recreational or socially integrated users and those referred for drug treatment who as a group was socially marginalized users | Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, Belfast, UK

Heroin: the next generation

Addiction to the drug is changing. In Dublin, methadone programmes have created a generation of older users who may never get clean | Irish Times

First international multidisciplinary forum on new drugs, 11–12 May 2011, Lisbon

Concluding remarks | EMCDDA

Court decision could lead to safe-injection sites nationwide, judge says

The legal battle over Vancouver's controversial safe-injection site could lead to similar sites popping up around the country, a Supreme Court justice told a hearing into the future of the Insite facility | Canada.com

Insite’s next battle: supervised inhalation

Insite’s operators have twice applied for a federal health exemption to allow crack cocaine smokers to use the room – the request was rejected in 2006, ignored in 2009 | Globe and Mail, Canada

Quebec City business owners, addicts at odds over proposed injection site

A neighbourhood in Quebec City is divided over a proposed safe-injection site for drug users, as the Supreme Court of Canada hears an appeal by the federal government to shut down the pilot project in Vancouver | CTC, Canada

Nurses release paper on harm reduction and illegal drugs

The paper focuses on harm reduction strategies aimed at reducing health and social harms associated with illegal drug use. It presents current perspectives and evidence on harm reduction policy and practice, and identifies implications for nursing policy, practice, research and education | Canadian Nurses Association