DS Daily - 16th February 2010 |
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Drinks industry must do better on labelling
The drinks industry is failing to adhere to a voluntary agreement with Government on alcohol labels and just 15 percent of drinks give consumers enough information about units and health harms, according to an independent report published today [DoH, UK]
Consultation on options for improving information on the labels of alcoholic drinks
The Government is launching a UK wide consultation 15 February 2010) to consider how best to improve unit and health information for consumers on alcohol labels, whether through a renewed and strengthened voluntary agreement or a mandatory requirement through legislation under the Food Safety Act [DoH, UK]
Consultation on alcohol labelling
The Scottish Government, along with the other devolved administrations and Department for Health, has today launched a consultation on alcohol labelling [Scottish Government, UK]
Britain’s brewers demonstrate the continuing benefits of a voluntary approach to labelling
Britain’s brewers have made considerable progress in voluntarily labelling their cans and bottles with information on units and responsible drinking [British Beer & Pub Association, UK]
Diageo to comply with labelling guidelines by December 2012
Diageo announced today it will complete the re-labelling of all its drinks brands by December 2012 to comply with current government guidelines [The Publican, UK]
Alcohol health labelling should be made law
Alison Rogers, Chief Executive of the British Liver Trust, says: “The time for consultation is over. The alcohol industry has shown that it is not capable of acting collectively for the good of public health and the code should be mandatory and strictly enforced [British Liver Trust, UK]
Children 'copy parents' drinking'
Parents underestimate the influence their own drinking habits have on their children's attitude to alcohol, government research suggests [BBC, UK]
UK pricing
Political dialogues continue [Alcohol Policy UK]
All this talk of 'units' of alcohol is just Puritan propaganda
Alcohol is the subject of biased propaganda every bit of much as democracy is in places like China. Comment from Tim Collard, a retired British diplomat [Telegraph, UK]
Alcohol liaison nurses for A&E?
All Welsh A&E units should have an alcohol liaison nurse to tackle the problem of repeat drink-related hospital admissions, the Liberal Democrats have said [WalesOnline, UK]
Northern Ireland alcohol and cancer link highlighted
An alcohol awareness campaign has been launched to encourage women to drink less in an attempt to lower their risk of breast cancer [BBC, UK]
Broaden access to 12-step groups by de-emphasising philosophy, emphasising social support
Treatment services do not have to ask patients to adopt the belief system on which 12-step groups are founded in order to encourage patients to tap in to the social support offered by these groups and improve their chances of sustained abstinence [Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK]
Hooked 32: Weird and unusual highs
It's a constant amazement the wide and varied ways we humans have of getting high [Injecting Advice, UK]
Another contemptuous Home Office rejection of a request for better evidence in UK drug policy
We sent a copy [of a report] to the Secretary of State in July 2009 with the letter below. Our tardiness was to put to shame however, by the time it took the Home Secretary to respond - we received his response today, 15th Feb 2010 - eight months later [TDPF, UK]
Avalanche: Scotland's Cocaine Epidemic
[BBC iPlayer, UK]
Tackling alcohol and drug misuse a priority - McGimpsey
Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey today reaffirmed his commitment to tackling and preventing alcohol and drug misuse, and suicide and self-harm [Northern Ireland Executive]
Drop in calls to report drug dealing
The number of calls made to the "Dial to stop drug dealing" confidential phoneline has fallen, despite the project being extended [Irish Examiner]
Certain Syringes More Likely To Spread Hepatitis C Virus Among Drug Users
A Yale School of Medicine study reveals that the high prevalence of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) among injection drug users may be partly due to the resilience of the virus in certain types of syringes [Health News Digest, USA]
Do Higher Opioid Doses Increase Overdose Risks?
Understanding Evidence-Based Pain Management [Pain-Topics, USA]
Followup: Safety of Long-Term Opioid Therapy
Evidence is growing in support of long-term opioid therapy for providing less pain, better function, and improved quality of life in select patients [Pain-Topics, USA]
Is 'Financial Tough Love' the Right Approach for Drug Addicts?
A Look at Why Some Families Financially Cut Off Drug-Addicted Loved Ones [abc News, USA]
Mexican bishops criticize drug war strategy
Mexico's Roman Catholic bishops criticized the government's drug war strategy in a report released Monday, saying the military presence on the streets and a corrupt judicial system raise human rights concerns [Associated Press]
Patience and peril: filming Colombia's drugs trade
Matthew Bristow tells of long waits, dangerous journeys and ruthless characters encountered chronicling cocaine industry [Guardian, UK]
Alcohol a problem: army leader
The second in command of Australia's armed forces has admitted the army has an alcohol problem and demanded officers address the heavy-drinking culture [SMH, Australia]
Pakistan’s HIV Response in Danger
As IHRA reported in its Global State of Harm Reduction, adult HIV prevalence among injecting drug users had been 10.8 percent in 2005. That number grew to an alarming 21 percent in 2008, according to UNAID [IHRA]
NGO warns that lack of needle exchange could lead to a health crisis in Cambodia
Some intravenous drug users have resorted to the dangerous practice of sharing needles since its licence to distribute clean needles ended at the beginning of the year, sparking fears that HIV transmission rates among drug users could soar if the situation is left unchecked [IHRA]
Cocaine traded for arms - UN
Cocaine shipped to West Africa by Latin American drug cartels is now being traded for arms, the UN's drug czar said on Monday [IoL, South Africa]