DS Daily - 9th January 2013

Work and Pensions Committee: Work Programme Inquiry – DrugScope submission (December 2012)

The Work and Pension Committee is currently conducting an inquiry into how well the Work Programme is working for different user groups. DrugScope and Homeless Link submitted joint evidence drawing on surveys and consultation with our members | DrugScope, UK

Substance use: helping women with drug and alcohol problems

St Mungo's are now exploring the fourth of the nine Shattered Lives campaign themes, focussing on substance use and how it affects women who are homeless | St Mungo's, UK

Early Drunkenness – why government in the UK needs to take notice

New research with young people from across Europe and North America suggests that early drunkenness increases the risks for a group of adolescent problem behaviours at the age of 15 | MentorThinks, UK

EU draft Tobacco Products Directive: who to write to and what to say (a short guide)

On 19th December 2012, the EU produced a a proposal for new laws controlling tobacco and nicotine products like e-cigarettes | Clive Bates Blog, UK

Snus saga: An unfortunate illustration of the TPD proposal fiasco

With smoking prematurely killing almost a quarter million Europeans a year, cigarettes are the top cause of preventable death in the EU | Europolitics.info

Amy Winehouse inquest: Singer drank herself to death

Singer Amy Winehouse was killed by drinking too much alcohol, a second inquest has confirmed | BBC, UK

Saddleworth dogs suffer cannabis poisoning

Four dogs have suffered cannabis poisoning after their owners took them for walks near a Greater Manchester reservoir | BBC, UK

Bali drug trial: Julian Ponder could face lesser sentence

A British man on trial in Bali for drug offences has had one charge dropped | BBC, UK

Their cup runneth over

Britain’s drinking culture is deeply unhealthy. So is the politics of drink | Economist, UK

Don’t go soft on cannabis...it turned me into a thieving heroin addict

Glowing with health, Ocean Hanna smiles as she discusses her hopes for the future | Sun, UK

From army hero to drug smuggler: Mum pretended to take daughter to Disneyland but instead went on heroin run

The former soldier told customs officials she had been on a break to Disneyland Paris when in fact she was smuggling drugs | Mirror, UK

Drugs Are Fine In Moderation, Say UEA Students

Class A drugs are "safer than alcohol" and the risks and dangers involved in taking drugs are no more than "scaremongering", according to students | Huffington Post, UK

Troubled families improve after family intervention

Family interventions are at the heart of the UK government's ambition to 'turn round' the lives of troubled families across England. In respect of drink and drug problems, substantial remission was noted. View our analysis | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK

Scotrail hails booze ban on trains after no Christmas arrests linked to alcohol

British Transport police and Scotrail today thanked the public for their response to appeals to stay safe on the rail network | Daily Record, UK

Drug Death Matters (PDF)

Latest editon of the newsletter from Drug Misuse Information Scotland | ISD Scotland, Scotland

IDPC Briefing Paper - Drug policy in Indonesia

There are estimated to be more than 100,000 people who inject drugs in Indonesia, a third of whom are living with HIV | IDPC, UK

Alcohol treatment surges in south-east region

The number of people being treated for alcohol and cannabis abuse has surged in the south-east, figures show | Irish Examiner, Ireland

Crisis Changes Habits of Drug Addicts; Death Toll Rising in Greece

The dire economic situation is changing even the ‘drug game’ in Athens | Greek Reporter, Greece

Can Electronic Cigarettes Challenge Big Tobacco?

A curious television commercial aired across the U.S. last month that, until its final few seconds, was indistinguishable from an ad for cigarettes — even though such advertising has been banned from broadcast TV for four decades | Time, USA

Ketamine: Leading the Way Toward Fast-Acting Antidepressants

It’s an anesthetic popular with veterinarians, but the latest studies show ketamine also shows promise as a potential antidepressant | Time, USA

Ethnicity Influences Successful Completion of Rehab

A new study discovers that black and Hispanic individuals are less likely to complete an alcohol rehab program than whites | PsychCentral, USA

Judge in San Francisco lets biggest medical pot shop stay open

A federal magistrate judge on Monday ruled that a medical-marijuana dispensary that bills itself as the world's largest can continue to operate, at least for now, in Oakland and San Jose despite a bid by federal prosecutors to shut it down | YahooNews, USA