DS Daily - 27th May 2010 |
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Facing the future, DrugScope annual conference 2010
Preliminary agenda [DrugScope, UK]
The use of scientific advice in government policy
Professor David Nutt Interviewed on the BBC's Hardtalk on the use of scientific advice in government policy [BBC, UK]
Disabled man walks free after drug conviction
A disabled former rock drummer walked free from court today after being convicted of growing cannabis which he took to treat a medical condition [Independent, UK]
Needle exchange for tan addicts
Vain scots are queueing up with heroin and crack addicts to get clean syringes to inject tanning drugs and muscle-building steroids [Daily Express, UK]
Drug use fuels world's fastest-growing HIV epidemic
Inadequate funding from donors for harm reduction, such as clean needle exchanges and methadone, allows HIV to carry on spreading among injecting drug users and their partners [Guardian, UK]
Statistics on Alcohol, England 2010
This statistical report presents a range of information on alcohol use and misuse which are drawn together from a variety of published sources and includes additional analysis undertaken by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care [NHS Information Centre, UK]
Alcohol Concern welcomes positive progress but warns against complacency
Alcohol Concern responds to NHS Statistics on Alcohol, England 2010 [Alcohol Concern, UK]
Rise in prescriptions for alcohol addiction
Record numbers of drinkers are being prescribed pills to help them beat alcohol addiction [London Evening Standard, UK]
English drinking less alcohol, official figures show
Fewer children are abusing booze but deaths are rising as north-south drinks divide opens in England [Guardian, UK]
UK alcohol consumption statistics: how much do people drink where you live?
The latest alcohol consumption statistics are out: and they show more prescriptions for alcoholism and lower consumption. Find out what's happening in your region [Guardian, UK]
Alcoholic bill soars
The NHS bill for treating alcoholics is soaring, figures show [Daily Express, UK]
Labour call for ban on buckfast in fight against drink abuse
Controversial tonic wine buckfast and other alcoholic drinks with high caffeine levels will be banned under labour plans to tackle scotland’s drinks culture [Daily Express, UK]
Drinkers could be asked to prove they're over 25 in ID crackdown
Drinkers who look under 25 years old would be required to produce proof-of-age ID in order to buy alcohol under plans to tackle Scotland's drink problem [The Scotsman, UK]
White House Drug Policy Director Honors National Drug Court Month
Citing the success of drug courts in helping people restore their lives through treatment and other social services, R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy, today paid tribute to the observance of May as National Drug Court Month [ONDCP, USA]
Marijuana Arrests Fueling Drug ‘Treatment’ Gravy Train
Marijuana prohibition continues to be a windfall for drug treatment providers. According to the most recent figures published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, nearly six out of ten (57 percent) persons referred to treatment for marijuana as their ‘primary substance of abuse,’ were referred there by the criminal justice system [AlterNet, USA]
New Way To Make Meth Is More Dangerous
It's called "Shake and Bake". It's a new way to cook and make methamphetamine. The drugs users have figured out a new and easy way to make meth, but it might be the most dangerous way to make it [11 Alive.com, USA]
Saudi company studies US addiction aid for Muslims
Al-Turaiki, the chief executive of the Riyadh-based Saudi Care for Rehabilitation and Health Care, is trying to change the negative image of addiction by creating a network of treatment facilities in the oil-rich kingdom [Associated Press]
How marijuana prohibition is threatening our national security
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) was a guest on MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann, discussing the move by the Obama Administration to send 1,200 National Guard troops to Arizona to help the Border Patrol secure the U.S-Mexico border and stop the violence [Examiner.com, USA]
Jamaica bleeds for our 'war on drugs'
The chaos in Kingston is symptomatic of the failure of US-led cocaine prohibition. This tragic violence must force a rethink [Guardian, UK]
Govt finally unveils plan for roadside drug testing
The ACT Government has unveiled draft legislation to introduce roadside drug testing [ABC News, Australia]
The UN Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights takes on IHRA recommendations in concluding observations
The Committee took up all of IHRA’s recommendations in its Concluding Observations on Mauritius, including decriminalisation of buprenorphine, lifting of age restrictions on opioid substitution therapy (OST), designing youth-focused harm reduction services, access to shelters for women, hepatitis C treatment, decriminalisation of carrying paraphernalia, PNEP and prison OST, involvement of people who use drugs and the right to benefit from scientific progress and its applications [IHRA]