Weekly news - 16th July 2010

Temporary ban on legal highs needed

Theresa May has said that the government wants to introduce legislation that will allow so-called legal highs to be banned temporarily giving scientists time to consider evidence [Home Office, UK]

'Legal high' Naphyrone banned

Naphyrone – often advertised as 'NRG1' – and its related compounds are to be banned and made Class B drugs, minister for crime prevention James Brokenshire announced today [Home Office, UK]

Tension at heart of drug classification

The Home Office has fought for three years to keep details of its review of the drug classification system secret. Now the campaigners who forced its publication think they know why: the document, they say, exposes the illogicality that undermines government drugs policy [Mark Easton, BBC]

Draft Structural Reform Plan

Develop a comprehensive approach to drug misuse ... Develop options for alcohol taxation and pricing to ensure it tackles binge drinking [Home Office, UK]

Tackling problem drug use

Thirtieth Report - see page 88 [Home Office, UK]

Green Paper on Criminal Justice and Addiction

This paper presents an achievable vision that places full recovery at the heart of the drug and alcohol treatment system, and rehabilitation at the heart of the criminal justice system [Centre for Social Justice, UK]

Think-tank publishes Green Paper on on Criminal Justice and Addiction

A summary of some of the key points [DrugScope, UK]

Women in prison

Thematic report by [HM Inspectorate of Prisons, UK]

Equity and excellence: liberating the NHS - Downloads

The NHS White Paper, Equity and excellence: liberating the NHS, sets out the Government's long-term vision for the future of the NHS [Department of Health, UK]

Crime in England and Wales 2009/10

Findings from the British Crime Survey and police recorded crime. Links to tables [Home Office, UK]

An alternative to the war on drugs

Stephen Rolles argues that we need to end the criminalisation of drugs and instead set up regulatory models that will control drug markets and reduce the health and social harms caused by current policy [BMJ, UK]

Articles on harm reduction

Strict laws on the criminalisation of drug use and drug users are fuelling the spread of HIV and other serious harms associated with the criminal market and should be reviewed, say expertsf in this series o articles, published to coincide with the 18th International AIDS Conference in Vienna, which runs from 18 to 23 July 2010 [BMJ, UK]

HIV Shoots Up - Video

Epidemiologist Elizabeth Pisani and other leading commentators describe which countries are leading the way in tackling HIV infection among injecting drug users [BMJ, UK]

New UNAIDS OUTLOOK report 2010 launched

Ahead of the XVIII International AIDS Conference to be held in Vienna from 18 – 23 July, UNAIDS has launched its OUTLOOK Report 2010 in Geneva [UNAIDS]

Impact of Alcohol in Greater Manchester Quarter Three (2010)

This report identifies available alcohol intelligence across Greater Manchester [Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University, UK]

National reports 2009

Commissioned each year by the EMCCDA and produced by the national focal points of the Reitox network, the National reports draw an overall picture of the drug phenomenon at national level in each EU Member state [EMCDDA]

The Mental Health and Well-Being of Ontario Students : 1991 - 2009

The longest ongoing school survey of adolescents in Canada [CAMH, Canada]

Legislative and Policy Barriers to Needle & Syringe Programs

The Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL) has developed this position paper with a view to providing a national overview of the legislative and policy barriers which currently restrict access to Needle & Syringe Programs (NSPs) and new injecting equipment for PWIDs [Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League]