DS Daily - 29th June 2009 |
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Drugs 'deck of cards' mocks inhaling politicians
Charity's controversial Nice People Take Drugs campaign enters second phase with website quoting 'hypocritical' politicians, from George Bush to Barack Obama, on their own drug use [Guardian, UK]
Evening Training Events
STRADA is pleased to announce the latest development in our Modular Programme delivery, Evening Training Events from 6pm to 8.30pm. The events are - Concise: Substance Misuse: The Facts. Also Essentials: Assessment Skills. To book your place, visit http://www.projectstrada.org and register online [STRADA, UK]
Safe. Sensible. Social. Selling Alcohol Responsibly - consultation for alcohol retailers
A series of ten events around England and Wales as part of the consultation on the code of practice for alcohol retailers [Home Office, UK]
Global burden of disease and injury and economic cost attributable to alcohol use and alcohol-use disorders
The net effect of alcohol consumption on health is detrimental, with an estimated 3·8% of all global deaths and 4·6% of global disability-adjusted life-years attributable to alcohol [Abstract - Lancet, UK]
Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of policies and programmes to reduce the harm caused by alcohol
This paper reviews the evidence for the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of policies and programmes to reduce the harm caused by alcohol [Abstract - Lancet, UK]
Reducing harm from alcohol: call to action
An effective national and international response will need not only governments, but also non-governmental organisations to support and hold government agencies to account [Abstract - Lancet, UK]
Frontal brain dysfunction in alcoholism with and without antisocial personality disorder
Clinicians treating patients with alcoholism may provide more effective treatment when considering that personality disorders such as ASPD contribute to frontal dysfunction resulting in impulsivity, disinhibition, compulsivity, negative affectivity, and emotional dysregulation. 18-page PDF [Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment]
Alcohol link to cancer diagnosis
More than 20,000 people annually are diagnosed with a cancer that could have been prevented if they had not drunk alcohol, said Professor Martin Wiseman, medical and scientific adviser for World Cancer Research Fund [The Scottish Herald]
Prevalence of problem alcohol use among patients attending primary care for methadone treatment
Problem alcohol use has a high prevalence among current or former heroin users attending primary care for methadone treatment and interventions that address this issue should be explored as a priority [BMC Family Practice, Ireland]
Boom blamed for rise in alcohol dependency
More young people and women are seeking treatment for alcohol dependency at a Dublin hospital following the economic boom, a psychiatrist has said [Irish Times]
Rise in alcohol deaths worldwide down to women drinkers
Canadian researchers have found that as many as 1 in 25 deaths worldwide can be attributed to alcohol and this rise since 2000 is mainly due to increases in the number of women drinking [News-Medical, Australia]
Thousands of Welsh women addicted to over-the-counter pills
A new report by a drugs charity found that over three times more women than men in Wales were being treated for addiction to flu remedies and sleeping pills [Wales Online, UK]
Epidemic of self-harm sweeps women's jails
Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "Women injure themselves repeatedly in prison because they are mostly in a terrible state: poor, scared and ill, hurting from painful separation from their children, and detoxing from drugs and drink." [Independent on Sunday, UK]
Seizures of Class A drugs double in police crackdown
The amount of heroin and cocaine recovered by police in Lothian has nearly doubled in a year, new figures revealed [Edinburgh Evening News, UK]
Smoking service for young people
Scotland's first smoking information service for young people - (W-West) run by young people - is launching in Glasgow [BBC, UK]
Two Judges Target Cocaine Penalties
Federal judges are beginning to equalize punishment for crack and powder cocaine crimes, resulting in shorter prison terms for crack dealers and putting pressure on Congress to address a wide disparity in how the legal system handles cocaine-related offenses [Washington Post, USA]
Boston's drug laws: 'Marijuana users aren't killing people'
Following the liberalisation of drug laws in the US state of Massachusetts, Ed Pilkington visits Boston and hears from those who have benefited [Guardian, UK]
highsnlows: a new cannabis and mental health website for young people
A new campaign and website about cannabis and mental health. It is a collaboration between the Australian Drug Foundation (ADF), Orygen Youth Health and the Department of Human Services (DHS) Victoria [highsnlows, Australia]
LIFE News
In this edition LIFE focuses on drugs and alcohol and suicide prevention [LIFE News, Australia]
National Education and Prevention Action Plan on Illicit Drugs in Sport
The Australian Government’s $20.1 million Illicit Drugs in Sport - National Education and Prevention Action Plan to help tackle illicit drug use in sport and in the broader community. PDFs [Department of Health, Australia]
Exposure of children and adolescents to alcohol advertising on Australian metropolitan free-to-air television
Overall, this study suggests that the current system of self-regulation protects children and underage youth inadequately from exposure to alcohol television advertising on metropolitan free-to-air television in Australia [Addiction Journal]
Smoking could cost you 15 years of life – The New Zealand Medical Association
NZMA Acting Chairman Dr Paul Ockelford says an international study on mortality from smoking estimates that worldwide, long-term smokers who die from a smoking-related illness, die an average of 15 years early [Scoop, New Zealand]
Asia's party drug ketamine carries incontinence risk
Revelers across Asia who snort the animal tranquilizer ketamine for a hallucinogenic high may face incontinence and other health problems as new dangers of this cheap party drug start showing up in long-term studies [Reuters]
U.S. Announces New Afghan Drug Policy
The United States has announced a new drug policy for opium-rich Afghanistan, saying it was phasing out funding for eradication programs while significantly increasing its funding for alternate crop and drug interdiction efforts [New York Times, USA]