DS Daily - 4th February 2010 |
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Are the Tories too tough on drugs?
The UK Drug Policy Commission (UKDPC) conference this week, A New Agenda for a New Government, was an opportunity for policy experts to explore how far Duncan Smith's orthodoxy on drugs – which aspires to cure, rather than manage, addiction – coincides with the accepted principles of harm reduction [Guardian, UK]
Third of cons leaving jail test positive for drug use
One in three inmates leaving Edinburgh's Saughton Prison after completing their sentence tests positive for illegal drugs, figures have revealed [Scotsman, UK]
War on smokers: the backlash
The government wants to halve the number of cigarette users, infuriating the tobacco industry and diehard smokers [Guardian, UK]
Tobacco regulation: saving lives vs personal freedom
The UK’s Department of Health (DoH) has announced an ambitious new strategy for reducing smoking in the population from 21% currently, to 10% by 2020 [TDPF, UK]
Deaths in custody: new website
The Independent Advisory Panel, part of the Ministerial Council on Deaths in Custody, has launched a new website [Ministry of Justice, UK]
Imprisoning charities
Yesterday morning I had a fascinating meeting with the Charity Commission about whether charities should manage prisons ... I strongly believe it is both immoral and impractical for charities to be involved in the management of prisons [Blog - Frances Crook, Director of the Howard League for Penal Reform, UK]
Britain's binge-gambling problem
The number of compulsive gamblers has exploded as feared, but money spent on treatment and awareness is still lacking [Guardian, UK]
Progress in drug data collection
Considerable improvements in the National Drug Treatment Reporting System’s (NDTRS) data collection processes and procedures mean that the Alcohol and Drug Research Unit (ADRU) of the Health Research Board (HRB) is now able to report on the information collected from treatment centres on a more regular basis, the HRB has stated [Irish Medical News]
National Drug Control Budget
FY 2011 Funding Highlights [White House, USA]
FY 2011 Drug Control Program Highlights
The President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 National Drug Control Budget requests $15.5 billion to reduce drug use and its consequences in the United States [White House, USA]
The Low Cost of Drinking
Does cheap liquor encourage excess? [Addiction Inbox, USA]
New alcohol and other drug guidelines
New guidelines on the management of co-occurring alcohol and other drug and mental health conditions in alcohol and other drug treatment settings [NDARC, Australia]
New treatment guidelines for alcohol and drug problems
Health professionals will be able to better treat people with alcohol abuse problems, as well as people with coexisting alcohol and other drug use and mental health conditions thanks to two sets of guidelines released today [DoH, Australia]
Jenny Macklin asks for backing on welfare
Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin has appealed for Coalition backing for her plan to manage the incomes of all welfare recipients so they do not squander their payments on alcohol, drugs or gambling [The Australian]