DS Daily - 1st November 2012

Substance Misuse, 2011-12

The latest statistics for Substance Misuse in Wales produced by the Welsh Government Department for Health, Social Services and Children. Downloads | Welsh Government, UK

"Legal highs" mexxy and black mamba banned by government

Two substances which are said to give users dangerous "legal highs" are to be made illegal class B drugs - with users facing up to five years in jail | BBC, UK

Pregnancy, childcare and the family: key issues for europe’s response to drugs

Drugs and the family: ‘room for improvement’ in responding to problems. Download | EMCDDA

Police bust crime network blamed for flooding Scotland's streets with 200kg of heroin in seven months

Police from Merseyside and Strathclyde teamed up in an operation codenamed Blenheim to nail the drug gang - by arresting seven men aged 23 to 58 in a series of raids launched in Glasgow | Daily Record, UK

Challenging stigma: new Adfam report

This new report looks at drug and alcohol-related stigma through the eyes of the family – not just parents, but partners, children and siblings too | Adfam, UK

Scottish Drugs Forum annual report

If recovery is to become a reality for more people, then all the links in the chain must be sound | SDF, UK

Politics, welfare reform and recession could impact on drugs recovery

A warning that political party politics, welfare reform and the wide-ranging effects of recession could impact on the national effort to maximise drugs recovery in Scotland has been sounded by the Chair of Scottish Drugs Forum | Scottish Drugs Forum, UK

£3.8m 'spent on addict drug items'

NHS boards spent £3.8 million on drug paraphernalia for addicts in the past two years, according to figures obtained by the Conservatives | ic Scotland, UK

Taxpayers take £4m hit on drug kits for addicts

As well as spoons for “cooking up” heroin, the 22 million items used by drug takers included filters for smoking and so-called “one hit kits”. The kits contain all the equipment needed by addicts and even include a disposal bin for needles | Daily Express, UK

The Role of Schools in Supporting Families Affected by Imprisonment

Schools provide a major opportunity to support children of incarcerated parents and to help meet their needs | Families Outside, UK

Drug Treatment in Prison: Orientation

In the first phase of RDAP, prisoners start preparing to re-enter society. It doesn't always go perfectly | The Fix, UK

Amended guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003

This is the new version of the section 182 guidance issued on 31 October 2012. It contains the explanatory memorandum | Home Office, UK

New powers to spread the cost of drink fuelled crime

The measures will give local authorities the opportunity to ensure those selling alcohol help pay towards the costs of cleaning up and policing the effects of excessive drinking in towns and cities across the country, as well as restrict the sale of alcohol in the early hours | Home Office, UK

Alcohol guidance among latest batch of NICE public health briefings

To help councils with this task, NICE has been developing a range of local government public health briefings | NICE, UK

Local government public health briefings - Alcohol

This briefing summarises NICE's recommendations for local authorities and their partner organisations on how to reduce the harm caused by alcohol | NICE, UK

Change4Life launches smartphone drinks tracker app

A new smartphone app and enhanced online drinks checker are now available to help people see the impact alcohol can have on their health, waist and wallet | Department of Health, UK

Alcohol patch criticised for offering 'a licence to booze'

Alcohol charities have criticised a hangover ‘prevention patch’ which encourages drinkers to ‘take it up a level’ – without the side effects | Metro, UK

Pub closures rise due to beer tax, campaigners warn

Eighteen pubs are closing in Britain every week as the rising cost of beer drives landlords out of business, the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has warned | Telegraph, UK

Public Health Dialogue: A healthy collaboration

Next April local authorities take charge of public health, but what partnerships will need to be established? | Guardian, UK

Social Justice

Government’s strategy for Social Justice is about giving individuals and families facing multiple disadvantages the support and tools they need to turn their lives around. Download | Department for Work and Pensions, UK

How can charities ensure against political bias?

The rules on maintaining political independence are not clear, but bias could undermine public trust in charities | Guardian, UK

Smokers miss work more often, cost UK billions

Smokers miss an average of two or three more days of work each year than non-smokers, according to a new analysis of 29 past studies | Reuters

Big cuts to addiction services ‘will cause havoc’

The Psychiatric Nurses’ Association made the claim after senior management in HSE Dublin Mid-Leinster cut agency worker numbers in half in a bid to curb the service’s runaway budge | Irish Examiner

The Netherlands: 'Weed pass' plan is axed

The new government has scrapped plans for a national "weed pass" that would have been available only to residents, and would have effectively banned tourists from Amsterdam's marijuana cafés | Independent, UK

Social Responsibility Levy on Drinks Industry

Youth Council to press Noonan for Social Responsibility Levy on Drinks Industry in meeting today | National Youth Council of Ireland

Drug offers new pain management therapy for diabetics

Nabilone is a synthetic cannabinoid, which mimics some of the chemical compounds of cannabis, or marijuana. It is approved for use by Health Canada and the FDA | University of Calgary, Hotchkiss Brain Institute

Supreme Court is asked to be skeptical of drug-sniffing dogs

The justices must decide whether man’s best friend is an honest broker as blind to prejudice as Lady Justice, or as prone as the rest of us to a bad day at the office or the manipulation of our partners | Washington Post, USA

Sniffing Dogs and the Fourth Amendment

Protection under the Fourth Amendment from the police using a dog to smell for drugs outside the door of a house without a warrant | New York Times, USA

Bikie gang 'hooking rural youth on ice'

Police in a rural Victorian town say an outlaw motorcycle gang is recruiting young people to distribute the drug ice through the nightclub scene | ABC News, Australia

Drinking cultures and social occasions

This report looks at the harms associated with alcohol consumption in the context of major sporting events were explored in terms of general patterns, gender patterns and age patterns. Download | Australian Policy Online

NSW alcohol inquiry: current law fails to protect youth

A leading national public health organisation has called on the New South Wales Government to strengthen secondary supply laws to better protect young people from alcohol harms. Download | FARE, Australia

South-East Asia Opium Survey 2012 - Lao PDR, Myanmar

Myanmar opium poppy cultivation jumped 17 per cent in 2012 to 51,000 hectares (up from 43,000 ha in 2011) in spite of Government figures showing that 23,717 ha of opium poppy has been eradicated - more than three times the 7,058 ha it eradicated in 2011 | UNODC