DS Daily - 23rd January 2013 |
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Two held after deaths of Jordan Chambers and Gareth Ashton
Two people have been arrested after the deaths of two men who took potentially contaminated ecstasy tablets in Greater Manchester | BBC, UK
Police warning over 'contaminated' ecstasy batch - video
Police are warning that a contaminated batch of ecstasy tablets could be circulating after two people died in the Manchester area | BBC, UK
Skills Consortium regional roadshows: Leeds, Birmingham, Bristol
Free places are still available for the Skills Consortium roadshows in Leeds (1st February), Birmingham (6th February) and Bristol (19th February). The events – which run from 2.00pm to 4.30pm – are an opportunity to learn more about the Skills Consortium, its work and future plans | Skills Consortium, UK
Bali drugs: Death sentence for Briton Lindsay Sandiford - video
A British grandmother has been sentenced to death by firing squad in Indonesia for drug trafficking | BBC, UK
Doctors back campaign to help young smokers quit
Doctors leaders have backed an advice and support service aimed at helping children as young as 11 quit smoking. Launched by ASH Wales, The Filter aims to reduce the number of 11 to 15-year-olds in Wales who start smoking each year | BMA, UK
Exclusive: Ethical dilemma warning over alcohol intake assessments
Assessing alcohol intake has led to conflict between doctors and patients, producing ethical dilemmas relating to confidentiality, according to UK-wide medical defence organisation MDDUS | GPOnline, UK
Drink secrets of the middle-class
Two Yorkshire women are helping other middle-aged, middle-class women who, like them, have struggled to beat alcohol problems. Sheena Hastings reports| Yorkshire Post, UK
Alcohol-fuelled sleep 'less satisfying'
A tipple before bedtime may get you off to sleep faster but it can disrupt your night's slumber, say researchers who have reviewed the evidence | BBC, UK
Police corruption: Criminals 'give officers steroids'
Dozens of police officers are being investigated over their use of anabolic steroids supplied by criminals in gyms, an anti-corruption report has revealed | BBC, UK
Crazy for party drugs - iPlayer
Film which gets under the skin of the current party drugs of mephedrone, ketamine and GHB by following three young people in Leeds from the dancefloor to the morning after | BBC iPlayer, UK
Independence under threat: the voluntary sector in 2013
The Panel on the Independence of the Voluntary Sector has been established by the Baring Foundation because of continued concerns about that independence. The Panel’s second assessment can be downloaded here (PDF) | Independence Panel, UK
Charities afraid to challenge public policy amid retribution fears
Government must uphold voluntary sector independence or risk silencing most vulnerable members of society, warns inquiry | Guardian, UK
Charities' silence on government policy is tantamount to collusion
Charities that surrender campaigning voices to safeguard government contracts leave us chasing the shadows of disaster | Guardian, UK
Helping the most troubled families in Britain
In response to the 2011 riots, the prime minister pledged to turn around the lives of troubled families in Britain. The expensive programme would, he said, put "rocket boosters" under existing interventions. Winifred Robinson has had exclusive access to the scheme | BBC, UK
Khat: a legal high, but should it be banned?
Khat, a stimulant drug, is chewed by around 90,000 people in the east African and Yemeni communities in the UK. But now the Home Office is considering banning the substance. Jamal Osman finds out why | Somalilandpress, UK
Councillors back rural drink-drive ‘permits’
A local authority has backed a call for “gardaí permits” to be issued to allow rural dwellers have a drink or two above the legal limits | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Healy-Rae's rural drink-drive permits dragging country back to dark ages, say road safety chiefs
Kerry County Council’s backing for permits allowing people to drink and drive has been slammed for dragging the country back to the dark ages | Irish Independent, Ireland
WHO, UNODC, UNAIDS Technical Guide for countries to set targets for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care for injecting drug users - 2012 Revision
This is a revision of the 2009 Technical Guide (PDF), which provides technical guidance to countries on monitoring efforts to prevent and treat HIV infection among people who inject drugs (PWID) | IDPC, USA
Why Europe’s Healthiest Economy Has Its Worst Drug Problem
Estonia has the highest number of per capita drug fatalities anywhere in Europe. The reason is fentanyl | Time, USA
Critique 101: A review of the association of alcohol consumption with the risk of developing hypertension
Heavy alcohol intake increases the risk of hypertension, but the relationship between light to moderate alcohol consumption and incident hypertension remains controversial | Boston University, School of Medicine, USA
Strict pot controls needed, state says
Rick Garza of the Washington Liquor Control Board says he expects the federal government will try to take action if Washington doesn’t impose strict controls over the growth and sale of marijuana | Seattle Times, USA
Marijuana still a drug with no accepted medical use, court says
Appellate judges defer to federal health experts and side with the DEA | LA Times, USA
Vancouver homeless shelters reduce drug use, panhandling, city says
wo winter shelters operating in the downtown core since early December are behind a dramatic reduction in cases of street homelessness, trespassing, panhandling and open drug use, says the executive director of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association | Vancouver Sun, Canada
Wood & Antweiler: Canada should follow America’s lead in liberalizing marijuana laws
As of November, any Canadian caught with as few as six cannabis plants faces a mandatory six-month minimum prison term. Ironically, the new rules came into effect at the same time that Washington state and Colorado voted to tax and regulate the recreational use of marijuana by adults | National Post, Canada
Carers’ experience of providing care and support to family members with co-occurring severe mental health and substance use issues (‘dual diagnosis’) and their engagement in mental health service delivery
This topical report builds on qualitative interviews with carers from three Melbourne mental health services and follow-up discussion groups with mental health service staff | DualDiagnosis.org.au, Australia
Don't drink alcohol? You're un-Australian say Gen Y
New data from alcohol abstinence advocates Febfast has revealed that more men than women associate having a drink with being inherently Australian | News.co.au, Australia
Chris Rattue: An addiction that shows no mercy
Alcoholism can affect anyone at any age- leaders, professionals, actors and even sports stars | NZ Herald, New Zealand