DS Daily - 26th February 2010 |
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End of the line for the NTA?
Iain Duncan Smith of the Centre for Social Justice calls for the National Treatment Agency to be replaced. The Centre for Policy Studies also recommends it should be abolished [Addiction Today, UK]
Breakthrough to recovery
The full text of Iain Duncan Smith’s speech, and key recommendations in the CSJ programme – including the replacement of the NTA [Addiction Today, UK]
Excessive substance use in bipolar disorder - a descriptive study
The percentage of patients with BD that had tried illicit substances was significantly higher than in the normal population. BD patients with excessive substance use clearly had impaired functioning, but not a worse course of illness compared to patients without excessive substance use [BMC Psychiatry]
APPG on Complex Needs and Dual Diagnosis seeks cross-party support for Bradley Review Recommendations
The All Party Parliamentary Group on People with Complex Needs and Dual Diagnosis is seeking cross-party support for Lord Bradley’s recommendations for diverting people with mental health issues and/or a learning disability from the criminal justice system [Turning Point, UK]
Comparing coercive and non-coercive interventions
The incidence of imprisonment for under-18s in England and Wales is one of the highest in the world. James McGuire examines the evidence that shows resorting to incarceration and strict control has little or no benefit in reducing reconviction Full Report [Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, King's College London, UK]
New figures show leap in hair testing to identify alcohol misuse
The rise in the number of tests conducted can largely be attributed to increased demands for evidence of alcohol use in family law and child care cases [Concateno, UK]
UNODC censors its own website making the case for cannabis decriminlaisation
The page on the UN Office on Drugs and Crime site that we flagged up on the blog earlier this week, has now been censored to remove the section featuring a rare outbreak of pragmatism making the case for cannabis decriminalisation [TDPF, UK]
Plan to put tobacco in curriculum
Lessons about tobacco should be in a range of school subjects and take in more than the physical impact of smoking, say public health advisers [BBC, UK]
A New Policy on Tobacco Papers
While we continue to be interested in analyses of ways of reducing tobacco use, we will no longer be considering papers where support, in whole or in part, for the study or the researchers comes from a tobacco company [PLoS]
Head shop 'legal highs' face ban in crackdown
Action will be taken next month to ban a range of "legal highs" widely available for purchase over the counter in so-called head shopswill be taken next month to ban a range of "legal highs" widely available for purchase over the counter in so-called head shops [Independent, Ireland]
Behind Bars II: Substance Abuse and America's Prison Population
65 Percent of all U.S. Inmates Meet Medical Criteria for Substance Abuse Addiction, only 11 Percent Receive any Treatment - Full Report [CASA, USA]
New Study Reveals that Black Adults' Alcohol Use and Binge Drinking Levels are Below the National Average
This study provides important insight into the differences affecting various populations across our country [SAMHSA, USA]
Mexican Drug Kingpin Sentenced to 25 Years in Secret Hearing
One of the most brutal and feared drug kingpins in Mexican history was sentenced this week to 25 years in prison during a highly secretive hearing here that was closed to the public to protect the lives of everyone involved, according to a court transcript [New York Times, USA]
Former drug addict faces strict transplant criteria
A West Australian woman dying of liver failure will have to meet strict selection criteria to receive a so-called live liver transplant in New Zealand [ABC News, Australia]