DS Daily - 2nd July 2012

New practice standards for young people’s substance misuse treatment published

The Royal College of Psychiatrists (Press release) has published new practice standards for the care of young people with substance misuse problems. The standards were developed with the support of DrugScope, whose Director of Policy and Membership, Dr Marcus Roberts, sat on the Expert Advisory Panel for the development of the standards, and has contributed to the final publication | DrugScope, UK

Million workers have Class A drugs in their system, study finds

Workplace drug tests over the past five years found the number of workers testing positive rose by 50% between 2007 and 2011 | Guardian, UK

Diazepam boom threatens more drug deaths, say experts

Amateur laboratories producing class C drug in response to rising demand from a young generation unaware of its dangers | Observer, UK

A mutuality of purpose, or mutually exclusive?

In this, the first in a series of articles which we hope will encourage debate around treatment and recovery, SMMGP's Steve Brinksman takes a look at the role of mutual aid in recovery and asks how primary care professionals can break down the barriers that exist | NTA, UK

Recipe for rehabilitation

Can Cook, a Liverpool social enterprise is aiming to shake up the rehabilitation of ex-offenders and people with substance problems | Drink and Drugs News, UK

Post-its from practice

For more than six years, Dr Chris Ford has shared her experiences in the surgery with DDN readers. This month she bids us goodbye | Drink and Drugs News, UK

Drink and Drugs News - contents

All the features in the magazine | Drink and Drugs News, UK

Hypothesising an alternative: Applying the scientific process to drug policy

It is now time to begin to introduce a more rational evidence-based approach to drug policy to minimise harms. We must consider all drugs, including alcohol, as part of the problem to be tackled. I hope that the Select Committee will recommend a more progressive approach than the current one of interdiction and punishment which has, and will continue to fail | David Nutt's Blog, UK

David Nutt reveals the truth about drugs

Professor David Nutt discusses his book Drugs - Without the Hot Air, and argues that society's prohibition of psychedelic substances is preventing groundbreaking science. Science Weekly podcast | Guardian, UK

Drugs & Alcohol Today exhibition

Welcome to the Drugs & Alcohol Today exhibition co-hosted with the 16th Annual Sussex DAAT conference. Seminar programme | Drugs & Alcohol Today, UK

Blenheim CDP strike gold for volunteer awards

For the second time the organisation has received the Lady Goodman Award ‘in recognition of excellence in the field of volunteering', as well as scooping a Mayor of London gold accolade | Blenheim CDP, UK

From our pilots – Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire has completely remodelled alcohol and drug treatment services by working with existing providers | Department of Health, UK

Report on future delivery of the social fund in London

This report forms part of CPAG’s new programme of work on child poverty within London, where four in ten children fall below the poverty line | Child Poverty Action Group, UK

Event: Debating the new politics of disadvantage on 11 July

An event to reflect on the forces that are shaping the current political debate in this area as well as to debate how we can build a stronger and more stable political agenda for the most disadvantaged | IPPR, UK

More women rough sleeping in London

The latest figures about the number of people contacted sleeping rough in the capital last year show a startling 43% increase. As Kim Harper, our Policy, Public Affairs and Research Manager writes, the figures show too that more women slept rough in London last year | St Mungo’s, UK

UK's teenage girls are biggest binge drinkers in Europe

More than half of 15-year-olds drink to excess at least once a month | Daily Mail, UK

MPs took gifts from tobacco company Japan Tobacco International

Six MPs calling for the Government to drop plans for plain cigarette packaging received hospitality worth thousands of pounds from a leading tobacco company | Independent, UK

Smoking ban's impact five years on

It is five years since England became the last part of the UK to introduce legislation banning smoking in workplaces and enclosed public spaces | BBC, UK

The smoking ban shows the best way to deal with addiction

It's key to understand that some addicts have a deep emotional connection to smoking | Independent, UK

People ignorant of cancers caused by smoking

When asked to select cancers linked to smoking, more than 80 per cent of people did not know there was a link between smoking and eight different cancers | Cancer Research UK

Desmond O’Neill: Aiming to lose

The failure of Irish society to directly confront one of its greatest scourges, that of alcohol dependency | BMJ

‘Dramatic shift’ to herbal cannabis

A major report, the first of its type, said Ireland was an "entry point" for the importation of cannabis resin into the British and European markets | Irish Examiner

Drivers in France must carry a breathalyser from today

New motoring laws have come into force in France making it compulsory for drivers to carry breathalyser kits in their vehicles | Telegraph, UK

Canada contributes over US$ 1.3 million to UNODC synthetic drugs programme

The Government of Canada has stepped up its support for the UNODC Global Synthetics Monitoring: Analyses, Reporting and Trends (SMART) programme with a latest contribution of $854,531 to bring the total to over US$1.3 million for the period 2011- 2013 | UNODC

Substance Abuse Program for Young Offenders in British Columbia

Government of Canada Announces Funding for Development of A Substance Abuse Program for Young Offenders in British Columbia | Marketwire, Canada

Victorian drug statistics handbook

Patterns of drug use & related harm in Victoria |
textual image stating. Download | Department of Health, Victoria, Australia

Schools to be surveyed on drug education

A Victorian program is being held up as an example of how to do drug education in schools | ABC News, Australia

Aboriginal women, alcohol and the road to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

In many communities, alcohol use is a familiar and embedded practice that spans generations as well as individual lifetimes, from before birth to death. Its consequences are difficult to escape, whether a given person actually drinks or not | Medical Journal of Australia

Victoria: the boozy state

A damning Auditor-General report into the failure of successive governments to combat Victoria's binge drinking has reopened calls for tougher policies and a less ''knee-jerk'' response from authorities | The Age, Australia

Australia's problem with alcohol must be faced

Policies to tackle booze have clearly failed so far | Sydney Morning Herald, Australia

Intervention laws linger as NT gets rules on alcohol

Elements of the federal intervention in the Northern Territory will continue for another 10 years, after Labor and the Coalition combined to pass the laws before Parliament rose for the long winter break | Sydney Morning Herald, Australia

Welfare Drug Tests Part 1

Anna Bracewell-Worrall spoke to Ross Bell of the NZ Drug Foundation about National's plans to drug test some beneficiaries | bFM, New Zealand

Welfare Drug Tests Part 2

Anna Bracewell-Worrall talks to Labour MP Jacinda Ardern about National's plans to drug tests some beneficiaries | bFM, New Zealand

Raise alcohol buying age: poll

More than half of those polled supported a purchasing age of 20 for all types of licensed premises and a further 25 per cent supported raising the age for liquor stores and supermarkets but keeping it at 18 for bars and restaurants | New Zealand Herald