DS Daily - 1st October 2012

Decline in number of drug users

Martin Barnes from the charity Drugscope called the numbers "very profound" and says they have largely been happening "under the policy radar". He thinks it's due to a "combination of social and cultural change" | Today programme, Radio 4, BBC, UK

Latest edition of Druglink bi-monthly magazine

In our free article this month, Jeremy Sare discusses how drugs like LSD and ecstasy have a history as aids in psychotherapy and how research into the potential clinical applications of a range of psychedelics is ongoing. Subscribe here | DrugScope, UK

'It's evil'

A Swansea nurse who has worked in Accident and Emergency departments across the UK has given a stark picture of his experience of meow meow | This is South Wales, UK

Channel 4 drugs programme criticised by Government's chief adviser

Channel 4 has been accused of using scientific research as a “flimsy” excuse to “glamorise” the use of ecstasy, by the Government’s leading drugs adviser | Telegraph, UK

Forget drugs. We'd rather be on the internet

Young people are more interested in social media than cannabis, drug charity suggests | Independent, UK

Users' voices

A collection of narratives from substance users in Europe about their attempts to control or reduce their consumption is released by the EMCDDA

From our pilots – Oxfordshire

The view from Lifeline, the provider of the Oxfordshire Recovery Service | Department of Health, UK

Rehab for drug addict mums - and kids

The number of pregnant women recorded as using drugs in Scotland doubled over the five years from 2005, according to the latest statistics. Fiona Walker was given exclusive access to a new rehab for mothers trying to beat their addiction | BBC, UK

Common treatment quality yardstick poor reflection of patient progress

This first major multi-modality test of a treatment quality indicator widely used in the USA found it was only very weakly related to patient improvement seven months after starting treatment, confirmation that simple measures like attendance and retention struggle to capture what really helps patients get better | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK

US payment-by-results scheme fails to improve engagement with treatment

A scheme in the US state of Maine linking funding for outpatient treatment to waiting times and retention had negligible impacts on service delivery. Were the incentives too weak, or were services already doing as well as they could - and what are the implications for UK payment-by-results schemes? | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK

UK government to back Scottish minimum alcohol pricing in courts

The UK government will support the Scottish Government when its minimum alcohol pricing legislation is challenged in the courts, according to the Advocate General for Scotland | The Scotsman, UK

MAAEZ: making alcoholics anonymous easier [Public Health Institute, 2002]

MAAEZ is a six session group format 12-Step Facilitation Programme. This is a manual to support the group facilitator to deliver an effective group intervention | Skills Consortium, UK

Counselor’s family education manual

Matrix intensive outpatient treatment for people with stimulant use disorders [SAMHSA, 2006] | Skills Consortium, UK

Prison mental health team stretched by 'serious' increase in demand

Prisons watchdog warns of "serious and sharply increasing" problem of prisoners presenting with mental health and personality disorders | Community Care, UK

Consultation on proposed changes to the governance arrangements for controlled drugs

The Department of Health is consulting on proposed changes to the governance arrangements for controlled drugs in England and Scotland, including the role and functions of Controlled Drugs Accountable Officers | Department of Health, UK

Patients get new right to treatment within 12 weeks

It means those who need planned inpatient or day case treatment will be covered by a treatment time guarantee | BBC, UK

Fraud in contracted employment programmes

Where the Government chooses to use private companies to deliver public services it is essential that proper arrangements are in place to prevent and detect fraud and malpractice | Parliament, UK

Evidence and evaluation in policy making

This report summarises the outputs from a series of seminars held at the Institute for Government between February and May 2012, organised in collaboration with the Alliance for Useful Evidence and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research. Download | Institute for Government, UK

Plan to ban cigarette display in shops faces Supreme Court challenge

A new legal challenge to the Scottish Government’s drive to ban the open display of cigarettes in shops will be heard by the UK’s highest court in November | The Scotsman, UK

Opinion: Treatment critical to averting teen addiction crisis

Former B.C. Solicitor General Kash Heed says treatment is critical to averting a teen addiction crisis | Vancouver Sun, Canada

Valium’s Contribution to Our New Normal

With the pharmaceutical giant Roche announcing that it will soon close the Nutley, N.J., plant where Valium and its predecessor, Librium, were developed, it’s a good time to remember how revolutionary these “minor tranquilizers” were half a century ago | New York Times, USA