DS Daily - 2nd November 2011

Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill

A Bill to make provision about the price at which alcohol may be sold from licensed premises; and for connected purposes | Scottish Parliament, UK

Minimum Pricing Bill

It is time for Scotland's Parliament to join forces with those across Scotland who are serious about tackling our battle with alcohol misuse, Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said today as the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) Bill was published | Scottish Government, UK

Scottish ministers face legal battle over minimum pricing of alcohol

Drinks industry likely to launch court action opposing bill that aims to cut dangerous levels of alcohol abuse among adults | Guardian, UK

‘Euro laws would put SNP’s booze fight on a knife edge’

The SNP’s flagship proposal to impose a minimum price for alcohol could be left on a “knife edge” if an expected legal challenge to the policy comes before Europe’s highest court, a leading expert on Scots law has warned | The Scotsman, UK

New attack on plans for minimum alcohol pricing

Trade bodies representing the whisky industry and convenience stores rounded yesterday on Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon’s latest bid to introduce minimum alcohol pricing | The Herald, Scotland, UK

Labour leadership candidates set to alter policy on alcohol pricing

Tom Harris and Ken Macintosh have both suggested to Scotland Tonight that they would be open to the idea of a minimum price for alcohol | STV, UK

Minimum alcohol pricing: Analysis

A minimum price for alcohol based on strength is a radical health policy which is likely to attract attention from around the world | BBC, UK

The four steps to alcohol misuse

This report also shows that super-low prices are just one of the industry’s ‘tricks of the trade’ to get people to buy ever more alcohol | Alcohol Focus Scotland

What's your poison?

A special report on alcohol in the media 3MB doanload | NHS Choices, UK

Breast cancer link to small amount of alcohol

A study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggested that between three and six small glasses of wine a week was linked to a 15% increase in risk | BBC, UK

Universal Credit timetable published

The timetable for the introduction of the new Universal Credit has been published by the government | BBC, UK

Hike in number of rough sleepers with mental health problems

Increasing numbers of people with mental health problems are sleeping rough due to cuts to mental health services, homelessness outreach workers have warned | Community Care, UK

New five-year vision for NHS published (Wales)

A new five year vision for the NHS, based around community services and placing prevention, quality and transparency at the heart of healthcare has been published by Health Minister, Lesley Griffiths | Welsh Government, UK

Ending gang violence

The report looks into the scale of the problem of gang and youth violence, analyses its causes, and identifies what can be done by government and other agencies to stop the violence and to turn around the lives of those involved. Summary - Full report | Home Office, UK

All children really want this Christmas is their parents to quit smoking

New research lifts lid on kids’ anti smoking attitudes | Department of Health, UK

Cannabis, COMT and psychotic experiences

Cannabis increases risk of psychosis irrespective of underlying COMT genotypes. These findings argue against the widely held belief that the relative risk of developing psychosis following use of cannabis is dependent upon variation within COMT | British Journal of Psychiatry

Impact of cannabis use on thalamic volume in people at familial high risk of schizophrenia

These are the first longitudinal data to demonstrate an association between thalamic volume loss and exposure to cannabis in currently unaffected people at familial high risk of developing schizophrenia | British Journal of Psychiatry

Cabinet sanctions banning of 10 additional 'legal highs'

Minister for Health James Reilly yesterday asked Government colleagues to agree to make an order bringing additional substances sold in “head shops” under the control of the Act | Irish Times

Epidemic: responding to America’s prescription drug abuse crisis

This Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Plan expands upon the Administration’s National Drug Control Strategy and includes action in four major areas to reduce prescription drug abuse: education, monitoring, proper disposal, and enforcement | White House, USA