DS Daily - 22nd January 2010

Epic three year FOI battle to release suppressed Home Office drug stratgey evaluation reaches its denoument

What follows is a time line of the process that Danny had to go through in order for Transform to access factual and statistical research material of the kind that democratic governments ought to make available as a matter of course [TDPF, UK]

Drugs Value for Money Review July 2007 Report

"Drug Strategy working document - Not Government policy" [Home Office, UK]

Crime in England and Wales: Quarterly Update to September 2009

These recorded crime statistics are heavily influenced by policing priorities, and may reflect changes in the policing of drug crime more than real changes in its incidence. Police Force Area tables [Home Office, UK]

Police raids take £150k of drugs off Plymouth streets

£150,000 worth of drugs have been seized in 87 raids in the last year by neighbourhood police officers covering the central city patch [This is Plymouth, UK]

Know the Score about cocaine

The campaign, which is aimed at 16 to 22 year olds, will run in cinemas from Friday and online later this month [Scottish Government, UK]

Parents worrying over drink and drugs

Cheap booze and the easy availability of cannabis and cocaine are the main worries, say many mums and dads [Daily Express, UK]

Teenager dies 'after experimenting with legal drug meow meow'

The drug, which can be bought for as little as £4 a gram and comes in powder, tablet, crystal or liquid form, was first used on the club scene in 2007 and has nicknames including 'meow meow', 'drone' and 'bubble' [Daily Mail, UK]

Preventing alcohol related harm to health

Editorial [BMJ, UK]

Failure of self regulation of UK alcohol advertising

Analysis [BMJ, UK]

The Portman Group

Lobby Watch is a regular column that looks at people and organisations who have an influence on public health and on how health care is delivered [Lobby Watch, BMJ, UK]

BMJ criticises Carling and WKD for targeting underage drinkers

Journal says alcohol companies manipulated advertising's self-regulatory rules to lure young drinkers into brand loyalty [Guardian, UK]

Alcohol industry is 'targeting young people'

Market research data on 15- and 16-year-olds used to inform campaigns, says research paper [Guardian, UK]

Interview with John Varley, Barclays Bank, Part 2

John Varley talks about Barclays approach to dealing with employees with addiction problems, the effects of the global recession on individuals and the environment in which they work [Inexcess TV, UK]

More tested during Christmas drink-driving campaign

The Welsh police forces' campaign to cut drink-driving during the Christmas period saw more drivers tested than ever before, figures have shown [BBC, UK]

More than 7500 arrested during Christmas drink and drug driving campaign

Police arrested more than 7500 people in the month-long blitz on drunk drivers over the Christmas period, ACPO lead for Roads Policing Chief Constable Mick Giannasi revealed [The Association of Chief Police Officers, UK]

Alcohol a 'major contributing factor' in self harm

Alcohol was involved in nearly two thirds of self harm cases which were recorded as part of a pilot programme in the Western Health Trust area [BBC, UK]

'Coroner criticises supermarket cheap alcohol after fatal '£10' binge'

The Greater Norfolk coroner has condemned supermarkets pricing at the inquest into the death of Roger Prosser, 64, who was found to have a blood-alcohol level of 500 milligrams - more than six times the drink-drive limit when he collapsed and died [The Publican, UK]

CQC urges improved preventative mental health services

Regulator publishes results of mental-health patient ethnicity monitoring tool: ‘Count me in' census [Care Quality Commission, UK]

Sentencing: Offer addicted offenders jail or rehab

In this, its final week, Operation Phoenix is making six key recommendations for the Downtown Eastside based on our experience covering the neighbourhood's issues over the last year [The Province, Canada]

A Common Cut in Cocaine May Prove Deadly

Levamisole, a drug that was once used to treat colon cancer but is now reserved for veterinary use as a medication to get rid of worms, can cause agranulocytosis in humans [TIME, USA]

America's new touchy-feely "war on drugs"

More and more states have been turning to alternative approaches like drug courts, which target consumption among probationers using a combination of frequent tests, the threat of jail time and plenty of moral encouragement [Reuters]

Culture and Substance Abuse Impact of Culture Affects Approach to Treatment

This article begins with a brief overview of the historical background and context for the use and abuse of substances. A review of the effect of culture on the initiation, use, and abuse of substances follows. Finally, some guidelines on culturally informed assessment and treatment are provided [Psychiatric Times, USA]