DS Daily - 28th August 2012 |
 |
Cannabis more damaging to under-18s, study suggests
First convincing evidence that cannabis has a different effect on young brains than on those of adults | Guardian, UK
Four prisoners rushed to hospital after taking contaminated ketamine
One of the four who needed hospital treatment was kept in for two days after being found unconscious in his cell | The Mirror, UK
Effectiveness Bank Hot Topics for September and October
This latest set offering context-setting introductions plus one-click searches document important new developments in brief alcohol interventions, the pricing of drink, and prescribing opiates to opiate addicts, under threat from recovery-oriented policies. An upturn in methadone-related deaths in Scotland has fuelled that debate and a new record total has raised concern over overdose deaths in general | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK
The day Britain lost the war on drugs
The liberals who left us a devastating legacy | Daily Mail, UK
Pontifications on Poison
It must be a problem for someone like Peter Hitchens who started his career by being able to present his version of events as the only truth to come to terms with the full extent of the electronic age. It took me only a few minutes to locate and download the ‘Index of Cabinet Conclusions’ for that period and see that Mr Hitchens’ representation of what occurred is deeply skewed by his prejudice on this matter | The Poison Garden
Are they raving mad?
A reformed hellraiser and a maverick professor are suggesting that an unfashionable Class A drug has a value beyond the dancefloor. But is it a genuine medical experiment or just a fresh chance to create headlines? | London Evening Standard, UK
IV use of Mephedrone
Mephedrone is one of the wide range of new and emerging drugs, some legal, some not that people are experimenting with, using recreationally or in some cases developing a dependency on. One of the questions and fears that has been around has been which of these, if any, will people inject and what will be the consequences and risks if they do | Injecting Advice, UK
Unethical and dangerous.. Methadone users risk brain damage and heart problems
Addiction expert blasts GPs for hiding the side effects of the heroin substitute | Daily Record, UK
‘Painkillers saved my life, then they almost killed me’
British women are turning to prescription drugs in their millions, with the number of opioid analgesics doled out leaping by 500 per cent in 20 years. Here, journalist Cathryn Kemp, right, who was diagnosed with pancreatitis and ME in 2004 and prescribed powerful pills to cope with the pain, describes how her life unravelled as addiction tightened its grip | Daily Mail, UK
Fears of addicts relapsing as drug clinic is forced to move
An acclaimed drug and alcohol addiction clinic has been given just months to relocate, amid fears its sudden departure could lead recovering addicts to relapse | Edinburgh Evening News, UK
Club drug information evening for parents
The evening will run from 5-7.30pm and include a focus session where Adfam will listen to your experiences and concerns and use this learning to improve future support and information | Adfam, UK
Working with families helps prevent adolescent drinking
Authoritative review finds that offering families of school-age children help to curb or prevent their drinking usually works - but typically effects are modest and may apply only to a minority of compliant and keen families | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK
Even light drinking increases cancer risk
New study indicates that it's not just heavy drinkers who need to worry about the health implications of alcohol | Independent, UK
Alcohol drinking and risk of renal cell carcinoma: results of a meta-analysis
Our meta-analysis supports the hypothesis of a negative effect of moderate alcohol consumption on the risk of renal cell cancer | Annals of Oncology
More does not always mean better in preventing youth drinking
Implementing alcohol use prevention tactics in a coordinated manner on several fronts at once - school, family and the broader community - ought to maximise impacts compared more limited programmes, but this authoritative review found no convincing evidence that this was the case | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK
Strength in numbers
Lisa Reed looks at the why, how and who of rough sleeping statistics, and introduces a new toolkit for local authorities working with communities to submit the most accurate annual snapshots | Homeless Link, UK
Community detox scheme goes national
Following a successful pilot, a new community detox programme for benzodiazepines and methadone is being rolled out nationally | Irish Medical Times
Country overviews
A structured synopsis of the trends and characteristics of national drug problems. They consist of a summary of the national drug situation, key statistics at a glance and a barometer showing the drug use prevalence position of each country | EMCDDA
The Latest Alcohol Facts
The Alcohol Facts section of Alcohol Action Ireland’s website has been updated to include all the latest research and reports | Alcohol Action Ireland
Blue Cross Zurich aiming for National Ban on Alcohol Sport Sponsorship
The Zurich branch of the Blue Cross, an international NGO focusing on preventing and reducing alcohol problems, last week launched a campaign to ban alcohol marketing at sports stadia and sports events. This goals is perused primarily to protect young people | EUCAM
HSBC suspected of drug cartel links
US prosecutors investigating the movement of money by global banks suspect HSBC of laundering money for Mexican drug cartels and transferring money through its US subsidiary for sanctioned nations, including Iran, Sudan and North Korea | Irish Times
Philly's syringe-exchange program faces a dangerous shortfall
In the three-hour span during which the exchange was open for business, they would see about 120 clients and exchange thousands of clean syringes for used ones. But the program is beginning to buckle | Philadelphia City Paper, USA
New drug, Vivitrol, helped woman finally kick her addiction
Vivitrol is the newest weapon in the war against the growing problem of opiate addiction, approved for that purpose by the Food and Drug Administration in 2010 after being OK'd for alcohol dependence in 2006 | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, USA
Imaging study sheds new light on alcohol-related birth defects
The new imaging study in a mouse model for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders could enhance the diagnoses of birth defects caused by alcohol exposure in the womb and it illustrates how the precise timing of that exposure could determine specific kinds of defects | University of North Carolina School of Medicine, USA
US court blocks graphic cigarette warnings
The US government cannot force tobacco firms to put large graphic health warnings on cigarette packages, an appeals court in Washington has ruled | BBC, UK
Homeless Find Support On Social Media Networks, Facebook, Twitter
A new study finds social media like Twitter and Facebook tear down economic and geographic barriers to help homeless people connect to their families and support networks | Huffington Post, USA
Supply, Demand and Harm Reduction in Australian Prisons
The operation of Australia’s prisons need far greater levels of accountability and transparency, as well as a much stronger commitment to providing effective programs and treatment for people with drug and alcohol problems issues if we are to see any real reductions in reoffending rates. Download | Australian National Council on Drugs
Guards, govt in exchange talks
The ACT government says prison guards may not have the power to veto plans for a needle exchange in Canberra's jail | Canberra Times, Australia
Naltrexone focus of detox deaths inquest
An inquiry has been launched into the deaths of three patients treated at a Sydney addiction clinic offering experimental detoxification treatments | Australian Doctor
NDARC to build on 25 years of success in drug and alcohol research
The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) will mark its 25th birthday with a celebration of its ground breaking achievements in reducing drug and alcohol harms in Australia | NDARC
Putting together the pieces: Responding to trauma and substance use
Putting together the pieces is a FREE evidenced based resource that provides workers with practical skills and knowledge to assist a client to work with their trauma issues within an alcohol and other drug context | Re Gen, Australia
Alcohol plan pitched to NSW Premier
Australia’s leading alcohol research and education body has presented NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell with a comprehensive 10 point plan to reduce alcohol related harms in NSW. Download | Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, Australia
Plan to halt liquor violence urges 1am lockouts
Late trading venues would pay ''risk-based'' licence fees to help cover the cost of combating alcohol-related violence under a plan being pitched to the state government by an Australian alcohol research body | The Age, Australia
Social distribution of health risks and health outcomes
Preliminary analysis of the National Health Survey 2007-08 | AIHW, Australia
Persons in improvised dwellings, tents and sleepers out
The purpose of this report is to provide background information for the evaluation of Street to Home programs being undertaken in Australian capital cities | Australian Policy Online
Huff, Puff and Blow...
The New Zealand based MildGreen Initiative, a drug policy think tank (est 1998) reiterates yet again that "These tragedies surrounding inhalants and 'anything they can get there hands on' are a product of poor drug policy." | Scoop, New Zealand
New research shows alcohol causes most harm to innocent victims
Stark new research has laid bare alcohol's toll on innocent victims, with liquor playing a major part in large numbers of murders, fires, car crashes, random assaults and violence in the home | New Zealand Herald
In Indonesia, Big Tobacco hasn't got a worry
While the cigarette industry is beginning to lose its grip in developed nations - the federal government's victory on plain packaging legislation was hailed as an international breakthrough - health experts warn of a humanitarian disaster looming in poorer countries, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region | The Age, Australia
Drug World
Paul Cook