DS Daily - 30th April 2012

ACPO published UK national problem profile commercial cultivation of cannabis

A national problem profile published today by the Association of Chief Police Officers shows the commercial cultivation of cannabis continues to pose a significant risk to the UK with increasing numbers of farms being detected by police | Association of Chief Police Officers, UK

Essex Police issue warning over contaminated cocaine

Police have issued a warning to drug users after two people were taken to hospital with suspected drug poisoning from a dangerous batch of cocaine | BBC, UK

Too soon to get rid of the therapists

Computers can extend their reach but not replace therapists was one message of this Dutch study, the first randomised trial to evaluate internet-based therapy for problem drinking via text-chat conversations with a real therapist | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK

Rehabilitating Drug Policy

What can we do better to reduce offending by drug addicts? | CIVITAS, UK

Cannabis club campaigns to legalise drug

The creator of the controversial Welsh Cannabis Club says the country needs to legalise the drug to stop funding an underworld of organised crime | Wales Online, UK

South Wales Valleys no easy target for drugs, say police

Police behind a year-long operation that has seen a drugs gang jailed for a total of 29 years say it sends a clear message to other would-be criminals | BBC, UK

South Wales valleys drugs gang played 'for high stakes'

Police behind a year-long operation that has seen a drugs gang jailed for a total of 29 years say it sends a clear message to other would-be criminals | BBC, UK

He-Man peril

New legal high alert after killer drug ban | The Sun, UK

Cannabis farms: 21 found each day, police chiefs say

Officers confiscated marijuana in the UK with a street value of £100 million, according to an Association of Chief Police Officers report | BBC, UK

Teenage drink and drug abuse linked to brain 'wiring'

Teenagers who binge drink and take drugs may have differently wired brains - meaning they could be screened for their risk of substance abuse | Telegraph, UK

Ann fails to grasp drink culture

Over the course of the hour Ann Widdecombe never really found out why people (specifically young women) chase inebriation in this way | Daily Express, UK

Quality Indicators for Hepatitis C

The quality indicators focus on prevention, testing and assessment, treatment and support, and service organisation related to hepatitis C infection - Download | Healthcare Improvement Scotland

RAPt Annual Review

This year we celebrate the 21st Anniversary of RAPt. The Annual Review charts our development from a small but determined group of passionate individuals to an established professional organisation delivering a wide range of accredited programmes | RAPt, UK

Doctors back denial of treatment for smokers and the obese

Survey finds 54% of doctors think the NHS should have the right to withhold non-emergency treatment | Observer, UK

Thousands of patients 'silently addicted to painkillers'

Rory O'Donnell, newly elected president of the Irish Pharmacy Union, told its annual meeting in Galway that one-in -three adults could be suffering long-term pain and there was an increasing need to monitor not just over-the-counter but prescription painkillers | Independent, Ireland

Netherlands judge backs cafe cannabis ban

A judge in the Netherlands has upheld a new law to ban foreign tourists from entering cannabis cafes | BBC, UK

The drug war spreads instability

The war on drugs doesn’t just cause human misery. It contributes to the political instability of many parts of the world, including Mexico, Central America and now West Africa | Globe and Mail, Canada

Cigarette warning labels help ex-smokers resist

Warning labels on cigarette packs help former smokers to avoid lighting up again, Canadian and international researchers say | CBC News, Canada

Tobacco company fights tougher labelling rules

Says bigger warnings infringe on freedom of expression | Vancouver Sun, Canada

Hooked: Why bad habits are hard to break

In the battle against addiction, "just say no" is magical thinking, says Dr. Nora Volkow. She's the head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and after spending decades studying the brains of addicts, Dr. Volkow has determined that drug addiction is a chronic disease that physically changes the brain | CBS, USA

Government Considers Overdose Antidote, Naloxone, to Fight Prescription Drug Misuse

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has for the first time advocated considering the distribution of the naloxone, an overdose antidote, as a way to curb the rising toll of overdose deaths in America | TIME, USA

Hospital seeing more babies born exposed to prescription drugs

Heart-wrenching cries echo through the halls of the neonatal intensive care unit at East Tennessee Children's Hospital. Nearly half of the newborn babies in the hospital's NICU are suffering from prescription drug withdrawal | CNN, USA

The Drug Czar's False Statement About Marijuana and Hemp Should Be a Bigger Scandal

A response from Obama's Drug Czar, Gil Kerlikowske, explaining why we can't let American farmers grow industrial hemp. It's written in rather plain language, but nonetheless betrays either appalling ignorance or rank dishonesty on the part of our nation's top drug policy official | Huffington Post, USA