DS Daily - 28th November 2011 |
 |
Ecstasy fears after Alexandra Palace clubbers die
Two clubbers have died and another is seriously ill in hospital, as police investigate whether they might have taken a rogue batch of ecstasy | BBC, UK
Substance misuse services in adult prisons in England
As part of the Government’s October 2010 spending review, responsibility for the funding of non-clinical substance misuse services in contracted adult prisons in England transfered to NHS primary care trusts. This letter published jointly by the Department and National Offender Management Service outlines the next steps required to intergrate substance misuse services in prisons | Department of Health, UK
Race variation in jail sentences, study suggests
Asian offenders were 41% more likely to be sent to prison for drugs offences than their white counterparts | Guardian, UK
Delivering a consensus on hepatitis C, substance misuse and health inequalities
Partnerships must continue to prioritise reducing blood-borne viruses and drug-related deaths as part of a recovery-oriented treatment system, NTA Chief Executive, Paul Hayes told a conference on substance misuse and hepatitis C last week | National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse, UK
Liver Special Edition
Network No 33 newsletter | SMMGP, UK
Crime in Dalston 'drops 34%' after drug crackdown
Crime in north-east London has dropped by a third since a gang of drug dealers was taken off the streets in July, police have claimed | BBC, UK
Anglesey drug deaths by methadone prompts coroner's warning
Prescribed methadone is a common cause of an ever increasing number of drug deaths on Anglesey, a coroner claims | BBC, UK
Link found between substance use and ADHD
Levels of smoking, alcohol and illicit drug use are significantly higher in young people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) suggesting people in this group may be attempting to self-medicate to manage symptoms of ADHD | Institute of Psychiatry, UK
Britain Steps Up its War on Legal Highs
Mindful of the effect that tragic headlines can have on public opinion, Britain's leaders believe tough tactics are the only way quell the legal-highs epidemic. Time will tell if this form of prohibition can be more successful than its predecessors | TIME, UK
Countess courts rich and famous to end drug war
The suffering caused by the Mexican drugs war is a driving force behind her Beckley Foundation, the body she set up to research drugs policy and which is behind her latest campaign, backed by celebrities and scientists | The Scotsman, UK
Breaking the Cycle 1
For a short film, Simon Antrobus, Addaction's Chief Executive, travelled to meet with the people and families that Addaction is helping | Addaction, UK
Support for families affected by alcohol use
The experiences and needs of families affected by alcohol use are in many ways similar to those of people dealing with the drug use of a loved one | Adfam, UK
Adfam Policy Briefing 14-25 November
Adfam's latest Policy Briefing is now available for free download, looking at all the developments in families, drugs and alcohol from the past fortnight. For third sector readers there is also a section on the latest news in funding, philanthropy and charity governance | Adfam, UK
Royal Liverpool University Hospital drink spike test offered
The Royal Liverpool University Hospital will offer the strips to patients attending emergency and sexual health departments | BBC, UK
Doctors' leaders declared all-out opposition to NHS shake-up
Doctors' leaders have declared all-out opposition to the Government's NHS shake-up amid claims they will give too much influence to the private sector | Telegraph, UK
White working-class views of neighbourhood, cohesion and change
Most stakeholders were critical of community cohesion, viewing it as a 'top-down', government-imposed model. They emphasised the sense of being a forgotten group disconnected from policy and politics - Summary - Full report | Joseph Rowntree Foundation, UK
Tobacco giant drops demand to see research on teenage smokers
The world's largest tobacco company has backed away from its demands to see thousands of confidential interviews with British teenagers gathered as part of a university research project into children's attitudes to smoking | Independent, UK
European Alcohol and Health Forum - Third Monitoring Progress Report
This report may be of interest to officials in the EU institutions who deal with alcohol and health policy; to Forum members; and to a wider audience of policy makers and researchers | EAHF
Garda to test drivers for drugs in new year
From early in the new year motorists suspected of driving while under the influence of drugs are to be asked to perform a range of roadside physical tests | Irish Times
ESA satellite to search for marijuana plantations
The European Space Agency ESA and the police are joining forces to spot marijuana plantations hidden in sweet corn fields in Limburg | Dutch News, Netherlands
Canada approves first low-risk alcohol drinking guidelines
Canada’s first national low-risk alcohol drinking guidelines have been given the green light by Health Canada, as well as all provincial and territorial ministers at a meeting in Halifax | The Star, Canada
In fighting heroin overdoses, a key ally is often overlooked
A promising state pilot program that gets a life-saving overdose-reversal drug called naloxone into the hands of friends and relatives of opioid addicts should be expanded to more communities | Boston Globe, USA
Medical marijuana jeopardizes liver transplant
A cancer patient is removed from the transplant list at Cedars-Sinai for using medical marijuana and for failing to show up for a drug test. He is hoping the hospital will reconsider | LA Times, USA
College administrators worry that use of prescription stimulants is increasing
The White House Office of Drug Control voiced concern about the increase in its latest strategy report, which promises to introduce policies in the next few years that will target college students and a range of substance abuse issues | Washington Post, USA
Rx drug program in Calif needs lifeline to survive
The program known as the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System has exposed so-called pill mills that also has led to dozens of convictions in prescription drug abuse cases | SF Gate, USA
Activists accuse Mexican president of war crimes in drug crackdown
International criminal court asked to investigate Felipe Caldéron over killing, torture and kidnap of civilians by army and police | Guardian, UK
Mexican government rejects war crimes allegations
Felipe Calderón is accused in letter to international criminal court of presiding over murder and torture in fight against drug gangs | Guardian, UK
International banks have aided Mexican drug gangs
Despite strict rules, some banks have failed to 'know their customer' or ask about the source of large amounts of cash, allowing billions in dirty money from Mexico to be laundered | LA Times, USA
People living with psychotic illness 2010
The report’s chapter on co-occurring substance use disorders is attached and can be downloaded here | Department of Health and Ageing, Australia
Afghan opium production to expand after troops exit
Afghanistan's former anti-drug czar has warned that opium poppy cultivation will dramatically increase as foreign combat troops head home, with farmers and insurgents taking advantage of a withdrawal set to be complete by the end of 2014 | Ariana, Afghanistan
Is Malasia ready to de-criminalise drugs?
Addiction experts say incarcerating drug addicts is not having the desired effect and countries embracing harm reduction approaches are seeing better results | Malasia Today
News