DS Daily - 23rd April 2013 |
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MDMA pills & powders - all that glistens is not gold - video
As MDMA crystal becomes the favoured and most common form of E, drugs meter minutes look into what's in pills and powders in 2012/13. We visit a toxicology lab and see the biggest pill, the littlest pill and the Olympic pills | YouTube, UK
If we could be sure that Brighton's 'safe rooms' would help addicts return to a well-ordered life, then they would be easier to support
I'm not sure what I feel about the proposal for Brighton to open a shooting-up gallery – sorry, a drug consumption zone, a "safe and hygienic" nurse-supervised space where addicts could inject themselves without fear of arrest | Telegraph, UK
Starting methadone in prison promotes continuing treatment on release
This US randomised trial in Rhode Island among formerly opiate dependent prisoners found that starting methadone treatment in prison radically improved treatment uptake on release and reduced heroin and cocaine use over the following six months, confirming results from Baltimore. Though they probably save lives, such ‘retox’ programmes remain controversial and rare | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK
Anger at two cannabis arrests after hundreds flout law
Drugs campaigners say police should have done more when hundreds of people smoked cannabis in central London on Saturday and only two were arrested | BBC, UK
Letter to MEPs on the EU Parliament ENVI Committee
In a letter to MEPs on the EU Parliament ENVI Committee, regarding the proposed regulation of electronic cigarettes in the draft Tobacco Products Directive, Professor Gerry Stimson makes the case for ‘twin-track’ regulation | Knowledge, Action, Change, UK
Paolo Pertica Award – 2013
The deadline for applications has been extended until Monday 13th May 2013. The award includes free registration, accommodation and travel costs for the recipient to attend the City health 2013 conference, in Glasgow | Knowledge, Action, Change, UK
Elevated prevalence of HIV and viral hepatitis in men injecting anabolic steroids
Addressing a topic that has received remarkably little research attention over the years, Dr Vivian Hope of Public Health England told the British HIV Association conference that injection of image- and performance-enhancing drugs is rising in England and Wales | NAM aidsmap, UK
Arthritis warning for women smokers
Light smoking can make women more than twice as likely to suffer from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as those who have never smoked a cigarette, according to new research | Age Concern, UK
Comment: Everything Lansley said about drugs is inaccurate
Last week it emerged that Brighton & Hove city council was considering introducing drug consumption rooms (DCRs) in the local area | Politics.co.uk, UK
Substance misuse and early intervention; a role for schools
Strengthening intervention and improving access to local services for pupils | Mentor Thinks blog, UK
'Legal high' teenagers released from hospital
Three 15-year-olds who were taken to hospital after taking so-called "legal high" drugs have been released | BBC, UK
Could your medicine give you a drink problem? The disturbing side-effects even the manufacturers don't know about
Several years ago, Anne-Marie Cook, a 40-year-old health care assistant from Surrey, was prescribed the antidepressant Seroxat after she’d become anxious and withdrawn following the death of her father | Mail Online, UK
Drug smuggler Lindsay Sandiford loses appeal for legal funds
A British grandmother convicted in Bali of drug smuggling has lost her appeal over a UK government refusal to fund her legal challenge against a death sentence | BBC, UK
Cocaine worth £17m seized at Tilbury docks
Border officials have seized cocaine estimated to have a street value of £17m at Tilbury docks in Essex | BBC, UK
Jobcentre staff accused by councils of failing to alert public to poverty loans
Local authorities say their crisis support schemes, many reliant on charity and suffering from cuts, are struggling to cope | Guardian, UK
Down these not-so-mean streets
Better policing is only one reason why, despite the persistent economic slump and high youth unemployment, crime continues to fall | Economist, UK
The Work and Pensions Committee is to begin an inquiry into Jobcentre Plus (JCP)
The inquiry will focus on the services JCP offers to benefit claimants, jobseekers and employers and its relationships with external providers and stakeholders such as local authorities, in the context of recent and ongoing welfare reforms, including the introduction of Universal Credit, and the resulting changes to JCP staff roles | Parliament.uk, UK
Benefit changes lead to surge in GP workload
GP leaders have warned that stricter benefit rules have led to a surge in workload, with patients asking practices to support appeals against funding cuts | GP Online, UK
Personal Independence Payments
Minister for disabled people confirms that audio recording of PIP assessments will not be made available, citing a lack of evidence that recording improves the quality of assessments. The Disability Benefits Consortium, of which DrugScope is a member, had previously urged DWP to allow their use following the positive reaction to their introduction in the Work Capability Assessment | Hansard, UK
Methadone treatment raises questions about profit motive, patient care
It's 5 a.m., and the streets are deserted. But at the Daytona Methadone Treatment Center, more than 100 people stand in line for their daily dose of methadone, a drug that helps quell cravings for heroin and oxycodone | Daytona Beach News Journal, USA
City Plan Sets 21 as Legal Age to Buy Tobacco
The age to legally buy cigarettes in New York City would rise to 21 from 18 under a proposal that officials unveiled on Monday, a measure that would give New York the strictest limits of any major American city | NY Times, USA
Transnational Organized Crime in East Asia and the Pacific (PDF)
East Asia and the Pacific have experienced rapid economic and social changes during the past few decades and faced the considerable regulation challenges these changes create for public authorities. This report takes a look at the manner in which criminal enterprises have developed alongside legitimate commerce in recent years | UNODC, USA
Marijuana pill may be better for relieving pain
A pill form of marijuana may work just as well to relieve pain as the smoked form, but with fewer side effects, new research suggests | NBC News, USA
Study of daily users shows marijuana pills trump smoked marijuana for pain relief
Taking a marijuana pill is more effective at relieving pain than smoking the drug, a new US study of daily marijuana smokers has shown, but the authors warn the findings may not translate to non-regular users | Conversation, Australia
Nine overdoses reported in a week due to bad batch of drug GHB flooding Melbourne party scene
Police fear a bad batch of the drug GHB has flooded the Melbourne party scene after nine overdoses were reported in less than a week | Herald Sun, Australia
Psychoactive Substances Bill
The Psychoactive Substances Bill ... clarifies the legal status of ‘legal highs’ and synthetic drugs in New Zealand. The bill is currently before the Health Select Committee and there is a shortened time for having your say on the bill, with all submissions due by 1 May | NZ Drug Foundation, New Zealand