Daily news - 10th April 2015 |
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UK news
Drug minister bans five legal highs from midnight
Lynne Featherstone accepts advisory council’s recommendation of 12-month ban on substances including most widely used alternative to cocaine | Guardian, UK
Legal highs causing 'violent and bizarre' behaviour are banned
Series of drugs which mimic cocaine, including one marketed as 'Gogaine', are made illegal by the Home Office | Telegraph, UK
Latest additions to the Effectiveness Bank
Selection starts with studies of a core brief intervention approach to help restrain student drinking, moving to a core concept in recovery from addiction, and finally, two controversial extensions of harm reduction - prescribing methadone in prisons, and for years prescribing heroin addicts the drug to which they have become addicted | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK
Drugs on campus: from psychedelia to responsible research
Ross Aikins considers the evolution of substance use and how universities shape the debate | THES, UK
Government policy: Looking back at the last 5 years for pubs
A lot has happened to the pub industry during the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition Government. Phil Mellows looks at the impact of these events and what’s likely to come | Publican's Morning Advertiser, UK
When are you most likely to be the victim of alcohol-related crime?
Discover the most intense periods of alcohol-fuelled offending according to hour-by-hour data compiled by the Office for National Statistics | Telegraph, UK
Tamworth drugs death arrest
A woman has been arrested in connection with a suspected drugs death in Staffordshire | BBC, UK
National Multiple Needs Summit
Join a growing, vibrant group of people taking action for society’s most vulnerable. Join this network on 22 April 2015 as it gathers in London. Tickets £50 | MEAM, UK
SMMGP Training Courses
Free access to e-learning modules on Nalxone and the community management of alcohol use disorders | SMMGP, UK
Groundbreaking veterans’ partnership launched
Right Turn, Addaction’s veteran-tailored programme, launched its evaluation and extension plan with Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) last week after being awarded £177,949 by Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) | Addaction, UK
Students and teachers: have your say on PSHE!
Youth Insight is working with the PSHE Association to research what makes a quality PSHE lesson | Mentor, UK
Recovery Cafés - survey
Recovery Cafés are an emerging trend in helping people in recovery from substance misuse to re-integrate into society. The first part of my project involves identifying existing Recovery Cafés in the UK. This very short audit is open to anyone who has been to or knows of a Recovery Café within the United Kingdom | Melody Potgieter, student at King's College, UK
International news
Chile harvests first marijuana plants in project to help ease the pain of cancer sufferers
The oil extracted from the plants will be given to 200 selected cancer sufferers | Independent, UK
Marijuana can kill cancer cells, says US government-funded research
Research could indicate that US government starting to recognize medical benefits of pot | Independent, UK
Inside Cracolandia: Brazil's 24/7 crack heartland where anyone can get high
The open-air bazaars are found in Rio de Janeiro slums where crack cocaine users can buy rocks of the drug and smoke it in plain sight, day or night | Independent, UK
Video Report of the UN Drug Debate
This March, our video advocacy team attended the 58th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the largest drug policy gathering in the world, to find out how governments and NGOs feel about the prospects of drug policy reform. We produced a series of short thematic videos, to give you an overview of the current state of political debate on the burning issues of international drug control | Drug Reporter, Hungary
Marijuana Taxes Won’t Save State Budgets
In February 2014, Gov. John Hickenlooper’s office projected Colorado would take in $118 million in taxes on recreational marijuana in its first full year after legalization. With seven months of revenue data in, his office has cut that projection and believes it will collect just $69 million through the end of the fiscal year in June, a miss of 42 percent | NY Times, USA
U.S. Legalization of Marijuana Has Hit Mexican Cartels’ Cross-Border Trade
The cartels are still smuggling harder drugs but advocates point out the success of legalization in cutting illegal trade | TIME, USA
This is your brain on whisky
Inspiration came to engineering professor Mike Noseworthy while listening to the radio. The medical imaging expert heard a story about possible new penalties for those caught driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .04, or 40 milligrams of alcohol in 100 milliliters of blood | Medical Xpress, USA
Chile harvests first medical marijuana crop
Workers in Chile began harvesting the country's first medical marijuana crop Tuesday, breaking new ground in cancer treatment in a nation where cannabis is outlawed as a hard drug | Medical Xpress, USA
Plan to increase TV alcohol ads slammed by health bodies
Health bodies have slammed plans by commercial television to change advertising rules to allow more alcohol ads in prime time and sporting events, and to make it harder for people to complain about ads they believe breach national codes | Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
Cannabis can help slow cancer growth - research
Israeli scientists have found that cannabis can help slow the growth of some cancerous tumours, according to the preliminary results of new research | New Zealand Herald, New Zealand
Blogs, comment and opinion
Scottish Scientist Against Legalising Cannabis
There is new pressure to legalise not only cannabis but also ecstasy in Scotland. Scientist Neil McKeganey argues that legalising cannabis will worsen the Scottish drug problem | Castle Craig Blog, UK
15 Shocking Alcohol Statistics for Alcohol Awareness Month
April is alcohol awareness month. This year's theme is "For the Health of It: Early Education on Alcoholism and Addiction." It actually shocked me when I read that Alcohol Awareness Month has been in effect since 1987 | Huffington Post Blog, USA
Early pub closing times work for Kings Cross – they will for Queensland too
The newly elected Queensland government has said it will push ahead with its plan to introduce lockouts and 3am closing times for pubs and clubs. Despite objections from vested interests, there’s now plenty of evidence to show this is a good idea for patrons and businesses alike | Conversation, Australia