DS Daily - 31st July 2012

Anthrax infection

As at 27 July 2012, a total of six cases of anthrax infection among heroin users have been reported in Germany, Denmark, France, and most recently, one case in Scotland. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) and NTA have produced materials for drug workers and heroin users on this:

NTA steps up engagement with residential rehab sector

The NTA is to step up its engagement with the residential rehab sector in order to challenge commissioners who inappropriately restrict access and help under-performing providers | NTA, UK

The role of residential rehab in an integrated drug treatment system

The analysis reported here identifies troubling discrepancies in performance between residential rehab providers | NTA, UK

Guidelines for the evaluation of drug prevention

A manual for programme planners and evaluators (second edition). Dowload | EMCDDA

77,000 drink and drugs addicts on disability benefits

More than 77,000 people are receiving benefits because their addiction to alcohol or drugs renders them unable to work, according to new figures from the Department for Work and Pensions | Telegraph, UK

What goes around…

In the long shadow of the Spending Review and the commitment to remove the deficit, reform of the social security and welfare system has been high profile and (in parts) popular for the government. Despite a planned reduction of £18 billion a year in the welfare budget, the Prime Minister recently called for ‘a real national debate’ to ask ‘some fundamental, searching questions’ about benefits for people of working age – e.g., potentially more cuts | Martin Barnes, DrugScope’s Chief Executive

Drugs are everywhere and 'glorified' say grieving parents

Parents criticise the glorification of drugs after teenage daughter died after taking ecstasy and her supplier is jailed for two years | Telegraph, UK

Tragedy of girl, 16, proves dangers of ecstasy, says judge

A judge yesterday condemned the “misguided culture” which claims ecstasy is “harmless” after hearing how a 16-year-old girl died after taking the drug at an end of exams get-together | Daily Express, UK

Glasgow health board reports 358% rise in legal high hospital cases

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde there were 43 admissions in 2011/2012 compared to 12 the previous year | BBC, UK

Legal high deaths warning

A specialist doctor believes it is only a matter of time before more people die from taking so-called legal highs, as a survey showed the number of young people needing emergency treatment after taking them has more than trebled in a year.
| The Herald, Scotland, UK

Police seek ban on bulk drug-cutting chemicals

Police are urging ministers to change the law to help crack down on drug barons caught with common chemicals used to bulk out illegal drugs | The Herald, Scotland, UK

Web seminars

Hepatitis Scotland is hosting a series of three daily interactive ‘webinar’ education events between 31 July and 2 August to mark World Hepatitis Day | Hepatitis Scotland, UK

Second Aggregate Report on Offender Management in Prisons:

Findings from a Series of Joint Inspections | HMI Probation and HMI Prisons

Time for some militant optimism about the big society?

Prevention of social problems should be the operating logic of this new vision | Guardian, UK

Crisis concerned Universal Credit will cause real hardship

We are particularly concerned about the impact on the most vulnerable claimants who most need stability, support to get back to work and who are the most likely to be in non-standard circumstances. Download response | Crisis, UK

Million jobless may face six months' unpaid work or have benefits stopped

Community action programme to tackle long-term unemployment could prove expensive failure, says thinktank | Guardian, UK

Deaths related to cocaine on rise in Northern Ireland, warns coroner

John Leckey made the comments at an inquest into the death of Oran Francis Rodgers - who drowned in the River Lagan on November 13 last year as he fled police following a night out | Belfast Telegraph, UK

Young FG seeks drug legalisation

The youth branch of the country’s biggest political party is seeking the legalisation of marijuana for medical purposes | Irish Examiner

Drug ring moved cocaine, Ecstasy across border

U.S. and Canadian authorities said Monday that a smuggling ring used the remote northern border to move more than 1,000 kilograms of cocaine into Canada and 1.3 million tablets of the designer drug Ecstasy into the United States over more than two years | SF Gate, USA