Weekly news - 29th January 2010 |
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Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England
Findings by region, 2006 to 2008. PDF Report [NHS Information Centre, UK]
Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2008-09: Drug Use
The publication presents statistics on adults' experiences of illict drug use in Scotland since the age of 16 [Scottish Government, UK]
Alcohol-related deaths in the United Kingdom 1991-2008
The number of alcohol-related deaths in the United Kingdom has consistently increased since the early 1990s, rising from the lowest figure of 4,023 (6.7 per 100,000) in 1992 to the highest of 9,031 (13.6 per 100,000) in 2008 [Office for National Statistics, UK]
New NHS Campaign Reveals Unseen Alcohol Damage
A new campaign backed by major health charities will warn drinkers of the unseen health damage caused by regularly drinking more than the NHS advises. [DoH, UK]
More than half of drinkers think only binge drinking harms their health
A new campaign backed by major health charities will warn drinkers of the unseen health damage caused by regularly drinking more than the NHS advises ... The campaign website launches on Monday 1 February [DoH, UK]
New powers to tackle teen drinking come into force
New powers to tackle underage drinking, including making it easier for police to confiscate alcohol, move on groups of teenagers causing trouble and stop retailers selling to underage children come into effect today [Home Office, UK]
What does the ISA vetting and barring scheme mean for the drug and alcohol sector?
Frequently Asked Questions guide produced by DrugScope and The London Drug and Alcohol Network after we posed questions from members to Adrian Harding, Operational Head of the ISA [DrugScope and The London Drug and Alcohol Network, UK]
Interview with Harry Shapiro
Speaking at length about the way the press stigmatises people who use drugs, the direction drug treatment and drug legislation is going and the need for balanced drug services [Injecting Advice, UK]
Ian Wardle Lifeline CEO on FEAD
Discussions and documents from Ian Wardle [Lifeline, UK]
Further Anthrax Cases Confirmed
Two further cases of anthrax, one of whom has died, have been confirmed in drug users in Scotland, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in this outbreak to seventeen [Health Protection Scotland, UK]
Anthrax and Heroin Users - What Workers Need to Know
This guide aims to provide staff working with heroin users in specialist and non-specialist settings with key information on: how heroin users can become infected - signs and symptoms of anthrax - what workers can do to help [Scottish Drugs Forum, UK]
Self detox
Because of the recent Anthrax outbreak in Scotland I've decided it is time to rewrite my self detox handout [Injecting Advice, UK]
4th national alcohol conference: presentations available
In November last year, the Home Office, Department of Health and Department of Children, Schools and Families in partnership with colleagues in the North West hosted the 4th National Alcohol Conference, “Safe Sensible Social: Supporting Delivery” in Liverpool [Alcohol Policy UK]
Beckley Briefing paper - What can we learn from Sweden’s drug policy experience?
This briefing paper will analyse Swedish drug control policy in its legal, clinical, political, social and cultural dimensions and consider the claims and policy-objectives it has been used to support. In the course of this analysis, it will explore the implications of Sweden’s model, if any, for other countries [International Drug Policy Consortium]
Budapest resigns from ECAD
The municipal government of Budapest admitted that it has been paying thousands of Euros every year since 1998 as a membership fee for a Stockholm-based prohibitionist organization, the European Cities Against Drugs (ECAD) [Drug Reporter, Hungary]
Drugs, Homelessness & Health: Homeless Youth Speak Out About Harm Reduction
The Shout Clinic Harm Reduction Report, 2010 [Wellesley Institute, Canada]
Severe Substance Dependence Treatment Bill 2009
The Bill is likely to be passed or rejected by parliamentarians in February of this year [Victorian Government, Australia]
Human Rights Safeguards Needed under Severe Substance Dependence Treatment Bill
The Severe Substance Dependence Treatment Bill 2009 (Vic), currently before Victorian Parliament, proposes to introduce short-term involuntary detention and treatment for persons with severe substance dependence in circumstances where it is necessary as a matter of urgency to save a person’s life or prevent serious damage to a person’s health [Human Rights, Australia]
Drug Use in New Zealand
Key results of the 2007/08 New Zealand Alcohol and Drug Use Survey - PDF [Ministry of Health, New Zealand]
Beckley Briefing paper - Drug use: Knowledge, Culture and Context
This briefing paper aims to stimulate discussion around the need for a qualitative corrective to complement the currently dominant quantitative approach. While leaving some areas of this emergent debate unexplored, we examine the major causes and effects of the relatively impoverished understanding of drug use, and go on to suggest ways in which the situation can begin to be addressed and alleviated [International Drug Policy Consortium]
Headl“Skin on the Cable”
The Illegal Arrest, Arbitrary Detention and Torture of People Who Use Drugs in Cambodia [Human Rights Watch]