DS Daily - 25th May 2012

Substance Misuse, October-December 2011

The latest quarterly statistics on Substance Misuse in Wales produced by the Welsh Government were released on 24 May 2012 according to the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority. Download | Welsh Government, UK

An estimate of youth crime in England and Wales

Police recorded crime committed by young people in 2009/10. Drug offences have relatively high detection rates | Home Office, UK

Blenheim CDP responds to reports that people with drug and alcohol problems face benefit cuts and concerns raised by Drugscope

We share the serious concern at reports that Ministers believe that stopping benefits is an appropriate or effective way of engaging people with drug or alcohol treatment and supporting their recovery. We are concerned about an approach targeting people’s health problems and linking treatment for these to benefit payments | Blenheim CDP, UK

Iain Duncan Smith's plan for 'suspected' alcoholics won't work

The proposal to dock benefits from alcoholics who decline help is impractical and misunderstands the nature of addiction | Guardian, UK

Training to help save East Lancashire drug users

A pilot project is being trialled to help train families of drug users to administer potentially life-saving medication. A national report has shown that East Lancashire has the second worst record for drug-related deaths in England, which has prompted action from the Lancashire Drug and Alcohol Action Team | Lancashire Telegraph, UK

Video - A-Z good practice in homeless hostels

This short film gives examples of good practice when providing hostel accommodation for homeless drug users. The examples are based on the findings of a research study undertaken by Dr Stevenson and Prof Neale at Oxford Brookes University which asked homeless drug users about their experiences of hostel living | You Tube

Scottish Drugs Researcher Receives Top Award from the “World Federation Against Drugs”

Dr Neil McKeganey was presented with the Nils Bejerot Award for his contribution to research and policy in tackling the problem of illegal drugs. The previous holder of this award was Dr Antonio Maria Costa, Head of the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime | Centre for Drug Misuse Research

Alcohol minimum pricing bill passed

Cut-price alcohol will become a thing of the past after Parliament today passed the Alcohol Minimum Pricing Bill | Scottish Government, UK

Crucial British alcohol screening and brief intervention studies

New URL for ... For the future of UK alcohol screening and brief intervention, studies do not get more important than the SIPS trials highlighted in this new bulletin from the Effectiveness Bank. Do just the minimum, is the message austerity-hit commissioners might take from the studies, but that would be to over-read their implications | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK

Hidden impact of new alcohol pricing law

Industry experts said brands not directly affected by the proposed price of 50p per unit would increase in cost as manufacturers adjust their prices to reflect the changed market | The Herald, Scotland, UK

Early warning system — national profiles

This publication presents 30 profiles of the national early warning systems on new psychoactive substances in operation in Europe in 2011 | EMCDDA

Statistics on Women's Smoking Status at Time of Delivery: England, Quarter 4, 2011/12

This report presents the latest results and trends from the women's smoking status at time of delivery (SATOD) data collection in England. It includes new figures for the fourth quarter of 2011/12 and for 2011/12 as a whole, along with revisions to previous quarters. Download | NHS Information Centre, UK

One in eight women giving birth in England are smokers

However, the number of women who smoke at the time of delivery has fallen over the past five years | NHS Information Centre, UK

CDC Invites Public Comment on Draft Recommendations for One-Time Hepatitis C Testing for Baby Boomers

You can review and comment on these important proposed recommendations which will be available for public comment through June 8 | AIDS.gov, USA

Drug use among police detainees

A comparative analysis of DUMA and the US Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring program, Download | Australian Institute of Criminology

The trouble with cannabis

Depending on who you talk to, cannabis is either the scourge of our youth - threatening to turn us all into mentally ill layabouts - or a peaceful, benign herb that not only will not hurt its users, but could actually treat many illnesses | Sydney Morning Herald, Australia

Take it from an ex-addict, outlawing drugs does not work

For five anguished, exhausting and educative years in the 1990s I, like thousands of other ordinary Australians, was addicted to heroin. And I can honestly say that during that time the thought that heroin was illegal was very far from the top of my mind | The Age, Australia