DS Daily - 24th January 2013

Khat: A review of its potential harms to the individual and communities in the UK (2013)

In October 2010 the Minister Responsible for Drugs asked the ACMD to review khat by considering the available evidence and to advise the government as to the current situation in the UK: the harms caused to individuals and the societal harms in the affected UK's Somali, Yemeni and Ethiopian communities. Download report | ACMD, UK

Khat ban rejected by UK drug advisers

The UK government's official drugs advisory body has rejected calls to ban the herbal stimulant, khat | BBC, UK

Keep on chewing: Tom Peck chews the khat with British-Somalis, as the Government’s official drugs advisory body rejects calls to ban the herbal stimulant

ACMD says there is not enough evidence to say khat is linked to ill-health, social problems or terror groups | Independent, UK

People who take illegal drugs 'shouldn't be treated as criminals'

England's most senior doctor has questioned the government's policy of criminalising all people who take illegal drugs and said they should be treated primarily as if they have a "health problem" | Telegraph, UK

Crack drug warnings after two men die

Police have issued warnings after the death of two people thought to be linked to contaminated crack cocaine | BBC, UK

Female smoking death risk 'has soared'

Women smoking nowadays are far more likely to die as a result of their habit than they were in the 1960s, according to a new study | BBC, UK

'Ecstasy' deaths: Four more arrested

Four people have been arrested following the deaths of a man and a woman in Derbyshire, who may have taken Ecstasy shortly before they died | BBC, UK

New Lifeline guides to 'legal highs'

Written following extensive research and testing with users of legal highs, this 22 page, full colour illustrated guide to new psychoactive substances and legal highs is available to view online free or as a printed copy for 73p. A version written for people in mental health units is available here | Lifeline, UK

The Cost of Troubled Families

This report considers the financial case for local authorities and other local agencies to invest in effective services for troubled families, in order to make savings | Gov.uk, UK

Newsbeat's guide to... steroids

Dozens of police officers are being investigated over their use of anabolic steroids supplied by criminals, a report has found | BBC Newsbeat, UK

Davos 2013: Soros calls for new strategy on drugs

George Soros, the billionaire investor, has called for an end to the West's "war on drugs" | BBC, UK

Killer pills: Lethal batch of super-strength ecstasy blamed for deaths of FIVE young people

The pills – called PMA or Dr Death - are similar to ecstasy but much stronger and can cause a fatal rise in body temperature | Mirror, UK

My brother, Hans Rausing, entered a world of addiction where no one in the end could follow him

Through my brother's struggles, I saw the reality of drugs policy. Addicts need care, not prison | Guardian, UK

Psychiatrists 'feed addictions of wealthy addicts' by prescribing them drugs, says sister of Hans Rausing

Psychiatrists are helping to feed the addictions of wealthy drug users by prescribing them large amounts of methadone or morphine, the sister of Tetra-Pak billionaire Hans Rausing has said | Telegraph, UK

There's a galaxy of drugs being sold online, and there's no way to stop it

It’s getting far too easy to buy drugs. Even five years ago it was only message board-dwelling nerds who were buying online | Telegraph, UK

£8m of cocaine hidden in 'carrot juice' tins

One of the biggest ever seizures of liquid cocaine has been made after the drug was detected in juice tins at Gatwick Airport, the UK Border Agency said today | Independent, UK

Grandmother Lindsay Sandiford's cocaine sentence: Executing drug mules is inhumane. It’s also pointless

Drug mules are sentenced as if they were drug barons - it's not right, and it won't stop the drugs trade | Independent, UK

Domhnall MacAuley: Tranquiliser and analgesic dependence

'GPs warned to steer clear of tranquiliser trap,' Reading the headline—I expected the usual GP bashing. But, the headline misled and the story was based on a joint statement by the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Psychiatrists | BMJ blogs, UK

The silent pandemic: Tackling hepatitis C with policy innovation (PDF)

A report by the Economist Intelligence Unit warns that hepatitis C has become a “silent pandemic” which kills 350,000 people each year | Economist Intelligence Unit, UK

No youth health benefits after 'alcopops' tax hike in Australia

A higher tax rate on 'alcopops' was on the agenda in Britain until they fell out of favour. Australia did however increase tax by a huge 70%. Still this study found no impact on short-term alcohol-related harm among the young revellers of its Gold Coast resort area | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK