DS Daily - 5th February 2013

Employment and welfare reform - why bother?

DrugScope’s policy team is busy working on a wide range of issues that are impacting on the drug and alcohol sector, including public health, Police and Crime Commissioners and payment by results | DrugScope blog, Drugscope

Ecstasy 'green apples' drug: Warning after Gwynedd death

Police have warned drug users after a form of ecstasy known as "green apples" left one north Wales teenager dead and another seriously ill | BBC, UK

British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford caught smuggling cocaine in Bali 'could be executed within weeks'

Indonesia has signalled its intention to resume state executions | Independent, UK

Wasting billions on drug law enforcement

Whilst accurate figures are hard to come by, global spending on drug law enforcement certainly exceeds $100 billion each year. Download the new briefing here (PDF) | Count the Costs, UK

Living in the grip of alcohol

Concerns are growing for former England footballer Paul Gascoigne who has been struggling with an addiction to alcohol | BBC, UK

Actually Dr Jessen, January abstinence is a real tonic

Forget what Dr Christian Jessen says about January abstinence. It's small steps – and small glasses - that make the difference... | Big Issue, UK

How to keep drunk drivers off the road

The Alcolock is a £675 device that can be fitted to a vehicle's ignition system. To start the car, you must pass a breath test. If you are over the legal limit, the car won't start | Guardian, UK

When it comes to addiction Russell Brand is a true recovery champion

He may deliver this as a stream of consciousness that challenges the comfortable thoughts we hold of ourselves but Russell Brand certainly advocates for those who find themselves on the margins of society | Simon Antrobus Blog, Addaction, UK

Freedom song

Breaking Free Online won the ‘best use of social media in healthcare’ category of the EHI Awards 2012 in association with BT. Claire Read finds out what led to its success | E-Health Insider, UK

Work programme 2013

This is the first of the three annual work programmes required to implement the activities and commitments set out in the EMCDDA’s new strategy for the 2013–15 period. Download programme here (PDF) | EMCDDA, Portugal

EMCDDA–Europol Joint Report on a new psychoactive substance: 5-(2-aminopropyl)indole

At the end of September 2012, the EMCDDA and Europol examined the available information on a new psychoactive substance 5-(2-aminopropyl)indole (commonly known by the abbreviation ‘5-IT’), through a joint assessment. Download the report (PDF) | EMCDDA & Europol, Portugal

NIH study finds missed opportunities for underage alcohol screening

Physicians often fail to ask high school-aged patients about alcohol use and to advise young people to reduce or stop drinking, according to a study led by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health | NIH, USA

APNewsBreak: Effort building to change US pot laws

An effort is building in Congress to change U.S. marijuana laws, including moves to legalize the industrial production of hemp and establish a federal pot tax | USNews, USA

Effective Addiction Treatment

Countless people addicted to drugs, alcohol or both have managed to get clean and stay clean with the help of organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous | Well Blog, NY Times, USA

Brain Shape Linked to Cocaine Addiction

Why are some people able to use cocaine without becoming addicted? A new study suggests the answer may lie in the shape of their brains | NY Times, USA

Research and Markets: Electronic Cigarettes: This Emerging Market Could Be the Savior of the Tobacco Industry

The electronic cigarette (e-cig) market has been slowly developing and is starting to gain some traction in some regional markets, with the UK expected to top 1 million users in 2012, while by comparison the UK's population is estimated to hold around 12 million tobacco smokers | Herald Online, USA