Weekly news - 17th December 2010

Getting Serious about Stigma: the problem with stigmatising drug users

This report provides an overview of the findings of a wide ranging research project looking at the extent and nature of stigma towards current and ex-drug users and their families. Overview and Summary Background material ... Attitudes and Representations in British Press [UKDPC]

Fight against drugs to benefit from £125 million

The government has today committed £125 million in the fight against drugs over the next financial year to help users kick their habit for good and lead drug free lives [Home Office, UK]

Drug strategy consultation December 2010

Summary of the consultation responses [Home Office, UK]

Drug Misuse Statistics Scotland 2010

An annual compendium presenting the latest available information from a range of national data sources relevant to drug misuse [DMIS, UK]

Drug treatment waiting times

Figures published today show that 10,325 people entered specialist drug treatment in 2009/10 [Scottish Government, UK]

Mental Health (Psychiatric) Hospital Activity Statistics

Alcohol/drug related problems were responsible for 26% of all discharge diagnoses in men [ISD, Scotland, UK]

DWP research report no. 718

DWP research report no. 718 and working paper no. 94 Alcohol misusers’ experiences of employment and the benefit system and Population estimates of problem alcohol users who access DWP benefits [Department for Work and Pensions, UK]

Modernising Commissioning Green Paper

The Modernising Commissioning Green Paper asks for views on how the Government can create a level playing field for charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises that want to bid for public service contracts [Cabinet Office, UK]

Professors Nick Heather, John Davies, Robin Davidson in discussion

Ten videos [FEAD, UK]

Alcohol and Drug Deaths

Alcohol and drug deaths [Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency]

Tackling health inequalities together – Good Practice Guides

The guides: Reducing young people’s drinking; Obesity and Reducing smoking in pregnancy will identify practices that have been shown to reduce health inequalities [Public Health Agency, UK]

A Guide to Evaluating Prevention Programs

Targeted prevention measures around alcohol provide information, raise knowledge and awareness, and aim to help change behavior in an effort to reduce potential harms around drinking [International Center for Alcohol Policies]

Risk of death during and after opiate substitution treatment in primary care

Prospective observational study in UK General Practice Research Database [Irish Needle Exchange Forum]

Increase in numbers seeking treatment for, or dying from, sedative misuse in Ireland

A new report from the Health Research Board shows there has been an increase in the number of cases presenting for treatment, and people dying, as a result of misuse of sedatives (benzodiazepines), such as diazepam, in recent years [HRB, Ireland]

Problem benzodiazapine use in Ireland: treatment (2003 to 2008) and deaths (1998 to 2007)

The paper describes treated problem benzodiazepine use as recorded by the National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS) for the years 2003–2008, and poisoning deaths where a benzodiazepine was implicated as recorded by the National Drug-Related Deaths Index (NDRDI) for the years 1998–2007 [Health Research Board, Ireland]

Appendix: Problem benzodiazapine use in Ireland: treatment (2003 to 2008) and deaths (1998 to 2007)

This appendix contains additional tables and figures with supplementary data from the NDTRS [Health Research Board, Ireland]

The price of getting high, stoned and drunk in BC

A comparison of minimum prices for alcohol and other psychoactive substances [Centre for Addictions Research, Canada]

Teen marijuana use increases, especially among eighth-graders

Fueled by increases in marijuana use, the rate of eighth-graders saying they have used an illicit drug in the past year jumped to 16 percent, up from last year's 14.5 percent, with daily marijuana use up in all grades surveyed, according to the 2010 Monitoring the Future Survey [NIDA, USA]