DS Daily - 21st March 2013 |
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Nothing in budget to tackle alcohol misuse
Government called on to tackle cheap, strong booze following budget and make a firm commitment to introduce a minimum unit price | Alcohol Concern, UK
Budget 2013: Beer down 1p as planned 3p duty rise axed
A planned 3p rise in beer duty has been scrapped and replaced by a 1p cut in the price of a pint | BBC, UK
Cut in beer duty is welcome tonic for Britain's suffering pubs
The public house is more than just a retail business: it plays an important role at the heart of many local communities | Independent, UK
Is cheaper beer a sign of muddled thinking?
"A penny off a pint," George Osborne proudly proclaimed as he delivered his Budget | BBC, UK
Russell Brand @ The Recovery Festival 2013 (full speech)
Russell presents his personal views on addiction, abstinence-based recovery and the value of ex-addicts as acceptable, productive and responsible members of their communities, workplaces and society as a whole | Bad Kamra, UK
Nurse-led hepatitis education cost-effective way to curb drinking in methadone patients
At Californian methadone clinics, group education sessions led by a nurse focused on the risks of aggravating hepatitis infection led to the same substantial reductions in drinking as motivational interviewing by highly trained counsellors, offering a cost-effective means to reduce alcohol-related risks | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK
British and Dutch Teens See More Alcohol Ads than Adults Do
We’ve looked before at some of the research linking alcohol advertising and young people’s drinking. And now I’ve been reading this study (PDF) for the European Commission which has found that British and Dutch teenagers are more likely to see alcohol adverts than adults | MentorThinks, UK
Scratch and sniff cannabis cards to be distributed but do you know what it smells like?
Whatever you call it, there's been a 15 per cent increase in cannabis husbandry (that's farming to you and me) since 2011 | Independent, UK
Doctor in sports drugs case may disclose the names of his clients
An unknown number of cyclists, athletes and footballers face having their doping histories revealed after the doctor at the heart of a major drugs-in-sport network, Operación Puerto, suggested he may finally name names | Guardian, UK
Paul Gascoigne: boredom drove me back to drink
Former England international Paul Gascoigne has blamed boredom for his latest struggle to beat alcohol addiction and said he would not rule out a return to drinking | Guardian, UK
E-Cigarettes Spark Interest Among Millennials
When it comes to kicking the cigarette habit, the United States certainly has come a long way, baby, to borrow the old Virginia Slims tagline. Per government statistics, 19% of adults smoked cigarettes in 2010, down from 42% in 1965 | Forbes, USA
Welfare’s War on Drugs
Why laws mandating drug tests for welfare recipients are doomed to fail | In These Times, USA
The Next Marijuana Legalization Fight? Copenhagen vs. the Rest of Denmark
The city of Copenhagen wants to legalize cannabis and, if possible, get supplies of the drug from the United States | Atlantic Cities, USA
Police dogs in Washington to just say no to pot detection
As highly trained as they might be, no drug-sniffing dog can yet distinguish between pot meant for personal use and pot intended to be sold — and so police dogs in Washington state will no longer be trained to detect marijuana | MSN News, USA
In Maryland, marijuana possession gets a more fitting penalty
Maryland's Senate’s vote to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana would not, as some critics warn, make it okay to use the drug. Such use would still be illegal, but it would be a civil offense, punishable by fines rather than imprisonment | Washington Post, USA
Huge marijuana bust at your house makes headlines!
When it comes to bragging rights, there's only one thing cooler than getting your farm raided by police who discover and seize your vast acreage of marijuana plants and arrest you | MSN News, USA
General: Budget Cuts Will Hamper Drug Seizures
Pentagon budget cuts will dramatically slash U.S. efforts to seize illegal drug shipments at sea, the top U.S. commander in South America told senators Tuesday, saying that the number of ships at his disposal for counter-drug operations will drop from about six to possibly zero | Time, USA
Brazil Should Learn From the United States' Drug War Mistakes
The Brazilian Congress is debating a controversial bill, authored by Rep. Osmar Terra (PMDB-RS), which among other setbacks proposes increasing the minimum penalty required from 5 to 8 years for drug-related crimes | Huffington Post, USA
Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia 2010-11: state and territory findings
About 700 agencies provide treatment for alcohol and other drug issues in Australia, and three-quarters of these agencies are in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Most of the closed episodes were for clients receiving treatment for their own drug use, and alcohol was the most common principal drug of concern | AIHW, Australia
Scrap ecstasy charges, says ex-minister
Ecstasy users should not be charged by police, former federal health minister Neal Blewett says | Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
Needles for prison drug addicts: Blewett
The political architect of Medicare wants a needle-exchange program in prisons, more supervised injecting rooms and heroin approved for treating severely dependent users | Age, Australia