Daily news - 2nd October 2014

State of the Sector 2014

This series of surveys, conducted by DrugScope on behalf of the Recovery Partnership, aims to take a snapshot of the current conditions for and adaptation of the drug and alcohol treatment sector in England. Your input will be invaluable in helping to build an accurate picture of the ‘state of the sector’, enabling us to provide an informed voice to influence future policy implementation and development | DrugScope, UK

UK news

Alcohol, drugs and tobacco joint strategic needs assessment support pack

As part of their public health remit, local authorities are responsible for commissioning tobacco control, alcohol and drug interventions and services. This joint strategic needs assessment (JSNA) support pack – updated annually and in its third year – will help local areas to develop JSNAs and local joint health and wellbeing strategies which effectively address public health issues relating to alcohol, drug and, for the first time in 2014, tobacco use | PHE, UK

News story: Minister praises Manchester crackdown on alcohol-related harm

Norman Baker discusses success of Local Alcohol Action Area scheme and pilot to tackle student binge drinking | Home Office and The Rt Hon Norman Baker MP, UK

Health warning over alcohol 'pre-loading' - video

A leading accident and emergency doctor, Clifford Mann, has warned of a "dangerous epidemic" of young people ending up in hospital, after getting drunk on cheap drinks before going out | BBC, UK
Also: Pre-loading: Why do you do it? - video | BBC Newsbeat, UK

Statistics on Alcohol - England, 2014; Additional Tables

This statistical report acts as a reference point for health issues relating to alcohol use and misuse, providing information obtained from a number of sources in a user-friendly format. It covers topics such as drinking habits and behaviours among adults (aged 16 and over) and school children (aged 11 to 15); drinking-related ill health and mortality; affordability of alcohol; alcohol-related admissions to hospital; and alcohol-related costs | HSCIC, UK

Thousands of under-18s caught drink-driving, records show

Records released by 43 UK police forces in response to a Freedom of Information request show 6,558 people aged under 18 were caught driving under the influence of alcohol between 2008 and 2013 | BBC, UK

Potential benefits of minimum unit pricing for alcohol versus a ban on below cost selling in England 2014: modelling study

To evaluate the potential impact of two alcohol control policies under consideration in England: banning below cost selling of alcohol and minimum unit pricing | BMJ, UK

'Hundreds of lives lost' over failure to bring in minimum alcohol pricing, says study

Targeting below-cost drinks is 50 times less effective, say researchers | Independent, UK

Minimum alcohol pricing would 'save 100s of lives' - Behind the Headlines

“‘Hundreds of lives lost' over failure to bring in minimum alcohol pricing,” The Independent reports | NHS Choices, UK

The Sheffield alcohol policy model

This methodology paper sets out a mathematical description of the Sheffield Alcohol Policy Model version 2.0, a model to evaluate public health strategies for alcohol harm reduction in the UK | Health Economics, UK

Turning Point launches Smoking Cessation Pilots

Today, health and social care organisation, Turning Point, is launching smoking cessation pilots in six of their substance misuse services with the support of Public Health England (PHE) | Turning Point, UK

Dover man Ernestas Sidlauskas who smuggled class C drug khat through Folkestone terminal thought to be the first man jailed for the offence

A Dover man has been jailed in what is believed to be one of the UK's first prosecutions for trafficking khat | Kent Online, UK

Bristol sees surge in treatment for heroin use

Bristol has seen a surge in treatment for heroin use – six months after a new rehabilitation system was introduced by the council | Bristol Post, UK

Cries of ‘ignorance and prejudice’ as drug abuse centre plan is rejected

Plans to open a substance abuse clinic have been rejected – but there are fears the decision could cost the council dear in the future | Crawley Observer, UK

Stephen Fry: Drug use different to sexual abuse cases

Actor and broadcaster Stephen Fry has said there is a "huge moral difference" between historical drug use and cases of sexual abuse. He was responding to suggestions he should be arrested after admitting in his latest memoirs to taking cocaine in places such as Buckingham Palace | BBC, UK

New Drug Frontiers - Stacey Dooley investigates - iPlayer

Stacey Dooley investigates the new frontlines of the global war on drugs | BBC iPlayer, UK

International news

Can 3D printed device change stigma of marijuana? - video

An Israeli start-up may have invented the device that will change people's perception of cannabis to "a medicine, not a substance" | Telegraph, UK

Cannabis to be Made Legal as Jamaica Finally Its Weed 'Prohibition'

In what may come as a surprise to those whose knowledge of Jamaica is gleaned from Bob Marley albums and TV shows about Rastas, smoking cannabis is a criminal offence in the Caribbean country | IB Times, UK

Mexico arrests drug lord Hector Beltran Leyva

The Mexican authorities say they have captured the head of a drug crime syndicate, Hector Beltran Leyva | BBC, UK

Characteristics of hospital-treated intentional drug overdose in Ireland and Northern Ireland (PDF)

This study compared the profile of intentional drug overdoses (IDOs) presenting to emergency departments in Ireland and in the Western Trust Area of Northern Ireland between 2007 and 2012. Specifically the study aimed to compare characteristics of the patients involved, to explore the factors associated with repeated IDO and to report the prescription rates of common drug types in the population | NSRF, Ireland

What causes people to become homeless in Ireland?

How well do we understand the reasons? | Journal, Ireland

Ireland ‘attractive location’ for cannabis factories

The island of Ireland is "clearly seen an as attractive location" for organised crime to operate cannabis factories, according to a cross-border policing report | Irish Examiner, Ireland

City starts beer for alcoholics project

A city in western Germany will start a controversial project on Wednesday to employ alcohol and drug addicts to clean the streets in return for beer, tobacco, food and small amounts of cash | Local, Germany

Tobacco should be harder to buy, Quit Victoria study finds

Almost three quarters of Victorians believe it should be harder to buy tobacco, a study says | Sydney Morning Herald, Australia

Blogs, comment and opinion

Benefit cards proposal raises questions and concerns while offering few answers

At the Conservative Party Conference this week, Iain Duncan Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pledged to introduce pre-paid benefit ‘smart cards’ for social security claimants affected by ‘drug or alcohol addiction, even problem debt, or more’. The immediate activity will focus on extending and evaluating a relatively small-scale scheme currently operating in North Tyneside | DrugScope Blog, UK

Minimum unit pricing for alcohol

Rarely has a public health policy attracted as much national attention as minimum unit pricing for alcohol, the harm reduction strategy at the centre of an intense and unresolved debate in the United Kingdom | BMJ, UK

Mind the credibility gap: 5 insights to give ‘binge drinking’ public health interventions more punch

In this guest post, John Isitt, Director of Insight of Resonant Media, reports on some of the key lessons learned from local work to reach at-risk drinkers beyond IBA. Many similarities were evident with recent Drinkaware research on ‘Drunken Nights Out’ – but what are the implications for local level action? | Alcohol IBA Blog, UK