DS Daily - 22nd November 2011

Heroin purity warning for users

Tayside Police said users risk taking heroin that could be of a far higher level of purity than they are used to | Press Association, UK

Battle against alcohol and drug misue set to go ahead

A specialist young people’s alcohol and drug service has been launched to tackle substance misuse in a Yorkshire city | Yorkshire Post, UK

Substance Misuse Detainees in Police Custody

Guidelines for Clinical Management - Report of a Medical Working Group | Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK

Substance Misuse and Hepatitis C Consensus summary

A conference will develop an action plan to implement the recommendations outlined in Tackling Hepatitis C, Substance Misuse And Health Inequalities: A Consensus For London | London Joint Working Group, UK

The state of residential treatment in England

Patients are arriving at rehab to quit their addictions far sicker, frailer and more physically damaged (than less than five years ago), according to a report commissioned by the | Addiction Recovery Foundation, UK

Rehabs - November 2011 snapshot

The overwhelming trend was patients waiting too long for referrals to rehab, during which their addictive disorders progressively worsened to levels necessitating the most expensive cost and care: hospital emergency admissions | Addiction Recovery Foundation, UK

We haven’t yet fought a true war on drugs

Chrstian Guy is the Director of Policy, at the Centre for Social Justice. The CSJ’s report Breakthrough Britain, which includes a volume on tackling addiction | Consevative Home, UK

Ipswich: Desperately high premature mortality rate of street drinkers

A tragic insight into the world of street drinkers today revealed the high premature mortality rate that has led to a dozen dying in just over two years | Evening Star, UK

Many young passengers 'fear for safety in cars'

Some 54% said they have been put at risk by young people speeding, while 24% had been in a car after the driver had taken drugs or alcohol, road safety charity Brake and QBE Insurance found | BBC, UK

UK Children's Commissioners' Midterm Report on the UNCRC

Resource pack for those working with children and young people | UK Children's Commissioners

Mental health emergency treatment inaccessible and ineffective, say patients

People with urgent mental health issues struggle to access the emergency treatment they need, according to a new independent inquiry Listening to experience released by | Mind, UK

Law's problem with alcohol is slowly being addressed – but is still hush-hush

All too often the image of a lawyer who enjoys a drink gets out of hand and the legal profession has an alarming rate of alcoholism | Guardian, UK

New strategy to deliver homes and strengthen the economy

An ambitious new strategy to tackle the housing shortage, boost the economy, create jobs and give people the opportunity to get on the housing ladder was announced on 21 November 2011 by the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister | Communities and Local Government, UK

Experiencing Adolescence in Contemporary Ireland: Drugs and Alcohol

More of the respondents reported that they took drugs than reported that they smoked cigarettes’ finds the first report which addresses the issues of drugs and alcohol | UNICEF Ireland

Experiencing Adolescence in Contemporary Ireland: Sexual Health and Behaviour

Report which examines adolescent perspectives on sexual health and behaviour | UNICEF Ireland

Teenage drug use ‘widespread’, survey reveals

Among the youngsters who took part in the UNICEF Ireland research, hash-takers are more likely to suffer from depression, engage in self-harm or feel suicidal | Irish Examiner

Increase in use of methamphetamine

Findings from the DUMA program - Fact sheet | Australian Institute of Criminology

The critical issues 2012 & beyond

Presentaion by Professor David Penington VAADA 2011 AGM | VAADA, Australia

Parliament Passes World First Plain Packaging of Tobacco Legislation

The Australian Parliament has passed the Australian Government’s world-leading tobacco plain packaging legislation, meaning all tobacco products sold in Australia will need to be in plain packaging from 1 December 2012 | Department of Health and Ageing, Australia