DS Daily - 7th January 2013 |
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Hot topics for January/February 2013
This latest set examines one of the most controversial treatments for opiate addiction - naltrexone implants. Also, individualising care, matching treatment to the patient, and safeguarding the children | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK
Alcohol message 'is confused'
We should limit our alcohol intake - but a little may be good for us. Michael Mosley investigates the confusion over what we should - or shouldn't be drinking | BBC, UK
Alcohol price plan 'raises drugs risk'
Raising rhe minimum price of alcohol could turn young people towards using dangerous drugs, a senior Tory has warned | Daily Express, UK
Unlocking potential - Evidence and Sentencing
Ben Goldacre’s Radio 4 programme on January 2nd rightly argued that the outcomes of public policy should be much more rigorously tested in advance of implementation and more thoroughly evaluated afterwards [Blog by Rob Allen]| ReformingPrisons.blogpsot, UK
Support improves hepatitis C treatment completion and response rates among drug users
Hepatitis C treatment completion and response rates among injecting drug users are similar to those seen in general patient populations, the findings of a meta-analysis published in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases show | Nam Aidsmap, UK
Begging the question: Will ban solve social ills?
Aberdeen's council’s bid to ban begging faces stiff opposition from charity workers and lawyers, write Dani Garavelli and Will Lyon | Scotsman, UK
E-cigarettes: no smoke without ire
Puritans and the powerful – and tobacco smokers – can't take the fact that electronic cigarettes are harmless and enjoyable | Guardian, UK
Gangs at war in bid to control cannabis business
Tens of thousands of marijuana plants have been seized across the region in the past year, with police warning of a worrying rise in violence... | Yorkshire Post, UK
'Smart' drugs debate in Bristol
A debate on the taking of "smart" drugs by students is to be held in Bristol | BBC, UK
Ginger Baker: 'I came off heroin something like 29 times'
Former Cream drummer Ginger Baker talks about his battle with heroin, how he was the original Rolling Stones drummer and being the subject of new documentary Beware of Mr Baker | Guardian, UK
Mexico bar shootings leave nine dead in Coahuila state
Heavily armed gunmen in northern Mexico have stormed two bars, killing at least nine people | BBC, UK
Have We Killed Half of our Soldiers with Cigarettes?
Two long-term studies yield grim stats, and women are no exception | Addiction Inbox, UK
Rising Death in the Streets of Athens: The Human Toll of the Greek Tragedy
This report was made in collaboration with photojournalist Dimitrios Bouras and is the result of extensive field work in the streets of Athens over the last two years | Huffington Post, UK
Customs stop record amount of head shop drug imports
Record quantities of former head shop drugs were stopped entering the country last year, with the seizure of several new substances | Irish Examiner, Ireland
2.5m tablets seized as more people buy online
Customs officers have seized more than 2.5 million tablets in the past two years as people flock to internet sites to buy cheap medicine | Irish Independent, Ireland
Women run day-to-day criminal business of leading drugs gangs
The last gangland victim of 2012 was assassinated because he crossed a gang headed by women, writes Jim Cusack | Irish Independent, Ireland
Detoxing heroin-addicted prisoners not an ‘appropriate’ treatment, says doctor
An inquest was told by a leading doctor in addiction services yesterday that prisoners who are put on forced detox are at greater risk of relapse, overdose and death | Irish Times, Ireland
Coroner highlights methadone link to heart failure after man's death
Dublin city coroner Dr Brian Farrell is to write to the Department of Health to highlight a link between methadone use and heart failure following an inquest into the death of a 30-year-old man | Irish Times, Ireland
Declan Lynch: Dry spells feed the addict's delusion of being in control
Alastair Campbell aside, abstinence for a recovering alcoholic needs to be permanent | Irish Independent, Ireland
Lessons for Ireland in changing US attitudes to marijuana?
Some states in the US have relaxed their marijuana laws, despite the federal government still refusing to co-operate or provide any support, reports John Riordan | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Have We Lost the War on Drugs?
After more than four decades of a failed experiment, the human cost has become too high. It is time to consider the decriminalization of drug use and the drug market | Wall Street Journal, USA
Mexico considers marijuana legalization after ballot wins in U.S.
Mexico, which has fought a long war against drug cartels that supply U.S. users, is rethinking its marijuana policy after Colorado and Washington approved legalization | Los Angeles Times, USA
Racism's Hidden History in the War on Drugs
The first anti-drug law in our country was a local law in San Francisco passed in 1875. It outlawed the smoking of opium and was directed at the Chinese because opium smoking was a peculiarly Chinese habit | Huffington Post, USA
Court rejects SF plan on chronic drinkers
San Francisco's four-month effort to get chronic drinkers into treatment by threatening them with jail for contempt when they repeatedly fail to appear in court has been brought to an abrupt end by a state appeals court | SFGate, USA
Idaho Inmates Sue Beer, Wine Companies: Convicts Claim Alcohol Led To Their Crimes
Five inmates at the Idaho State Correctional Institution are suing national beer and wine companies for $1 billion, claiming that alcohol was responsible for their crimes, the Associated Press reports | Huffington Post, USA
Australia Tobacco Tax: Price Of Cigarettes To Exceed $20 A Pack
If you think cigarettes are expensive in the United States, be glad you don't live in Australia, where the price of a pack of smokes is set to rise to above $20, according to The Australian | Huffington Post, USA
Former drunks make unstoppable runners
Exercise can provide an excellent escape from addiction. A sober marathoner offers 8 reasons why | The Fix, USA
Cocaine, amphetamine smuggling up, ANC tries to find out why
The Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) is probing reasons for the sudden spurt in demand for cocaine and amphetamines in Mumbai, after the drugs emerged as the most smuggled drugs in 2012 | Indian Express, India
Chinese - shoot but don't tweet
Drugs and guns can be bought over the internet in China but don't try and access your Facebook account | Sydney Morning Herald, Australia