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Does
the type of care system for addiction fit the problem? |
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In my latest DDN Background
Briefing, I continue looking at the nature of addiction
and the care system we have developed to help people overcome
substance use problems [the prof speaks out] |
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Costs
of Alcohol Use and Misuse in Scotland |
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Presents costs of alcohol use and misuse based
on a "Cost of Illness" approach [Scottish Government,
UK] |
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Government
set to defy its own experts and upgrade cannabis again |
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The home secretary, Jacqui Smith, will today
stress the dangers of more potent strains of cannabis as she
is expected to defy medical opinion by announcing that the drug
will be upgraded from class C to class B [Guardian, UK] |
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Clouds
of confusion |
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It is hard to think of a more wrong-headed
response from Gordon Brown to his plummeting popularity than
the expected approval today for the re-classification of cannabis
[Independent, UK] |
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Reefer
madness: Do the drug laws work? |
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Gordon Brown is expected today to announce
tougher laws against cannabis possession, even though medical
experts and the police believe he is wrong [Independent, UK] |
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Announcement
today |
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And children? How are we going to stop children
using cannabis ? [Cannabis Harm Minimisation, UK] |
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Row
looming over cannabis grading |
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A row is looming over cannabis grading - with
official government advisors set to say it should remain class
C, but ministers set to reject their advice [BBC, UK] |
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Cannabis
smokers will be let off twice before facing prosecution |
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Despite Gordon Brown's personal promise to
toughen the law, they will instead be let off with a warning
followed by an on-the-spot fine. On the third offence, they will
face prosecution and a possible jail term [Daily Mail, UK] |
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U.K.
Marijuana Panic Continues |
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The national hysteria over "skunk" marijuana
shows no signs of abating in Great Britain, as Prime Minister
Gordon Brown is poised to overrule his advisors and reclassify
cannabis as a more dangerous drug. Lost in the debate is any
semblance of reasonable discussion about scientific research
on marijuana [Addiction Inbox, USA] |
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Brown
Wednesday |
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Wednesday 7th May would seem to be the day
prohibition campaigners have been working toward so hard for
the past four years or so. This, of course is because tomorrow,
which is when the 7th may is at time of writing, is when Mr Brown
will announce that he is to ignore the advice of the expert committee
and will reclassify cannabis to class B anyway [UKCIA, UK] |
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'The
Government's questions relating to InSite's impact have effectively
been answered' |
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While the UK is once again consumed by the
drug policy endarkenment, deciding whether to symbolically increase
prison sentences for cannabis smokers from 2-5 years, to our
shame the debate on more important issues like supervised injecting
rooms has fallen off the agenda [TDPF, UK] |
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Crossing
the great divide |
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Getting former drug users into employment is
an obvious goal, but the gulf between the old lifestyle and getting
a paid job can seem vast. DDN visits a peer mentoring programme
in Brighton to hear about vital steps into the world of work
[Drink and Drugs News, UK] |
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Art
for health's sake |
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Art is becoming increasingly recognised as
an important therapeutic tool. David Gilliver hears about a project
in West Suffolk that has dramatically outgrown its modest start
[Drink and Drugs News, UK] |
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Hard
to reach, or easy to ignore? |
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The 13th national conference on managing drug
users in primary care shone a spotlight on clients that have
slipped out of sight. DDN reports [Drink and Drugs News, UK] |
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Vehicle
for change |
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Using clinical governance can not only improve
drug misuse treatment - it can drive an exciting opportunity
to change services' culture, says Dr Susi Harris [Drink and Drugs
News, UK] |
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Post-its
from practice |
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Dr Chris Ford considers morphine sulphate,
with the goal of patient-defined recovery [Drink and Drugs News,
UK] |
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My
great escape |
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Bri realises a change of scene is his only
chance. Will he adapt to the south coast? [Drink and Drugs News,
UK] |
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Letters |
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Responses to recent DDN features [Drink and
Drugs News, UK] |
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Health
fears over drug services |
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More must be done by treatment services to
stop drugs users contracting infections, a health watchdog says
[BBC, UK] |
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Issues
Paper: Young People’s Substance Misuse Services |
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Positioning our services in the children’s
agenda Martin Moran, Senior Manager [Lifeline Project, UK] |
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Scandal
of £100M Drug Trade in Jails |
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Drugs worth more than £100million are
being traded in prisons every year [Daily Express, UK] |
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drugs.ie
Mobile Internet Site Winner |
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drugs.ie Mobile Internet
Site Winner of Mobile Technology Project of the Year at Irish
ICT Excellence Awards [drugs.ie, Ireland] |
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Buprenorphine
for Opioid-Dependent Patients in Office Practice |
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This article addresses the clinical presentation
of a patient with opioid dependence and describes the relatively
new practice of office-based treatment with buprenorphine–naloxone
[Annals of Internal Medicine, USA] |
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Doseage
induction with methadone in the OTP |
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There have been increasing reports of methadone-associated
mortality in the United States over the course of the past five
years. It is understood that the majority of these deaths are
the result of physicians prescribing such medication to treat
chronic pain in their private medical practices and/or the illicit
trafficking of methadone hydrochloride products outside of the
OTP setting [AATOD, USA] |
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Study
Finds Alcohol-To-Outlet Density And Violence Are Clearly Linked
Over Time |
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An Australian study examined this relationship
over time … finding that increasing the density of all
kinds of alcohol outlets in a suburb leads to increasing rates
of violence in that suburb [Medical News Today, UK] |
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