DrugData Update

DS Daily – a new current awareness service from DrugScope

jazzieb — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:00:43 +0000

DS Daily, which currently has over 4,500 subscribers, is a new service from DrugScope which operates every weekday. Subscribe for free to get a daily email update of news in the drugs field, including links to new reports that have been published. You can also subscribe to a weekly email which will provide you with a summary of the week’s news/reports.

Find out more here http://www.dsdaily.org.uk/

DS Daily is brought to you in association with Drink and Drugs News

Drug use in Ireland and Northern Ireland 2006/2007 Drug Prevalence Survey: polydrug use results

jazzieb — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:30:56 +0000

http://www.nacd.ie/publications/NACDPolydrugUseBulletin5.pdf (PDF)

National Association of Public Health Observatories – Indications of public health in the English Regions 10: Drug use

jazzieb — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:24:01 +0000

http://www.nwph.net/nwpho/publications/Drugs_indications.pdf (PDF)

Commissioned by Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer for England, the report provides a comprehensive picture of regional and national patterns of drug use prevalence and treatment, as well as trends in crime and hospital admissions related to drug use. The report is based on the collection and cross-analysis of a range of existing data from sources including the Home Office’s British Crime Survey, the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System, the Offending Crime and Justice Survey and NHS statistics on hospital episodes and drug-related deaths. Some of the key patterns identified in the report are:

• overall, the number of people reporting using any drug in the last year and last month has decreased year-on-year between 2002/03 and 2007/08;

• five out of nine regions reported an increase in the number of young people (age 10 to 25) reporting having ever used cocaine between 2003 and 2006;

• the expansion in drug treatment has led to a 130% increase in the number of people in contact with treatment between 1998/99 and 2006/07;

• the majority of those in contact with treatment services in England in 2006/07, were primary opiate users (62.2%);

• the number of females (55,272) in contact with drug treatment is less than half of males (139,729);

Home Office – Measuring the harm from illegal drugs: a summary of the Drug Harm Index 2006

jazzieb — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:00:11 +0000

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/horr13.pdf

The Drug Harm Index (DHI) was developed as the overarching measure for the PSA target to reduce the harm caused by illegal drugs. It combines robust national indicators of the harms generated by illegal drugs into a single-figure time-series index. The harms include drug-related crime, community perceptions of drug problems, drug nuisance, and the various health consequences that arise from drug abuse. This latest update adds data for 2006 and incorporates revised figures for earlier years. It shows that the DHI has fallen from 80.5 in 2005 to 68.8 in 2006. This is a drop of 11.7 points or 14.5 per cent. This compares to a decrease of 5.7 per cent between 2004 and 2005. The index has now fallen year-on-year since 2001.

The fall in the DHI between 2005 and 2006 is largely due to reductions in drug-related crime and a decrease in drug deaths.

New from the NTA: Residential drug treatment services: a summary of good practice

jazzieb — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 07:19:25 +0000

http://www.nta.nhs.uk/publications/documents/nta_tier_4_summary_0609.pdf - summary

http://www.nta.nhs.uk/publications/documents/nta_tier_4_full_0609.pdf - full report

This report describes the good practice identified among the best-performing rehabilitation and detoxification centres in a recent joint review with the Healthcare Commission. The report highlights how innovative models of residential treatment are emerging in some parts of the country, including supported housing linked to structured treatment, and services tailored to local recovery communities.

May reports

jazzieb — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:12:44 +0000

New items from the Home Office

Home Office – The 2008 Drug strategy – one year on
http://www.drugscope.org.uk/Resources/Drugscope/Documents/PDF/virtuallibrary/drugstrategy2008oneyearon.pdf

Home Office – Drug seizures in England and Wales
Main report – http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb0809.pdf
Summary tables – http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb0809summ.xls
Supplementary tables – http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb0809supp.xls
Area tables – http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb0809area.xls

Home Office – 2009 DIP success stories: case studies from the Drugs Intervention Programme
http://drugs.homeoffice.gov.uk/publication-search/dip/dip-success-stories-2009?view=Binary

New items from the NTA

NTA – Harm reduction resources
Keep walking DVD and magazine http://www.nta.nhs.uk/publications/documents/hrdvd4.pdf
Safer injecting DVD and booklet
http://www.nta.nhs.uk/publications/documents/hrdvd5.pdf
Set of 7 HRW posters
http://www.nta.nhs.uk/publications/documents/hrpostersx.pdf
NTA – Needle and syringe programme implementation tools
http://www.nta.nhs.uk/news_events/newsarticle.aspx?NewsarticleID=151
NTA – Helping problem drug users into work
http://www.nta.nhs.uk/areas/employment/docs/Helping_problem_drugs_users_into_work_JCP_0409.pdf
NTA – The story of drug treatment: effective treatment changes lives
http://www.drugscope.org.uk/Resources/Drugscope/documents/PDF/virtuallibrary/storyofdrugtreatment.pdf.pdf
NTA – Planning, commissioning and delivering the training and employment pathway for problem drug users: Devolping practice for drugs partnerships, Jobcentre Plus and drug treatment providers
This is an updated version of the document published in January
http://www.drugscope.org.uk/Resources/Drugscope/documents/PDF/virtuallibrary/NTAJobcentreplusAprilupdate.pdf

Reports

Centre for Policy Studies – The Phoney war on drugs
http://www.cps.org.uk/cps_catalog/the%20phoney%20war%20on%20drugs.pdf

Department of Children, Schools and Families – Independent review of the proposal to make Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education statutory
http://www.drugscope.org.uk/Resources/Drugscope/Documents/PDF/virtuallibrary/MacdonaldPSHEReview.pdf

EMCDDA – Drug use: an overview of general population surveys in Europe
http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/attachements.cfm/att_78300_EN_EMCDDA-TP-gps.pdf

EMCDDA – Internet-based drug treatment interventions
http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/attachements.cfm/att_78709_EN_EMCDDA-Insight10.pdf

EMCDDA – Presentations from the recent conference Identifying Europe’s information needs for effective drug policy
http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/events/2009/conference#presentations

International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA) – Drug, harm reduction and the UN convention on the rights of the child: common themes and universal rights
http://www.ihra.net/Assets/1633/1/2009-04_ConventionOnTheRightsOfTheChild_HarmReduction2009.pdf

Open Society Institute – Human rights documentation and advocacy: A guide for organisations of people who use drugs
http://www.soros.org/initiatives/health/focus/ihrd/articles_publications/publications/hrdoc_20090218/hrdoc_20090218.pdf

Scottish Government – Findings of a process evaluation and cost effectiveness analysis of the three Mandatory Drug Testing of Arrestees pilot schemes in Scotland
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/05/12155538/19

Sentencing Advisory Panel – Sentencing for drug offences consultation paper
http://www.sentencing-guidelines.gov.uk/docs/drug_offences.pdf
Responses should be received by 15 July 2009

Substance Misuse Management for General Practitioners (SMMGP) Newsletter 26
http://www.smmgp.org.uk/download/newsletters/network026.pdf

SMMGP Clinical update April 2009
http://www.smmgp.org.uk/download/smmgpupdates/2009/clin_2009_04.pdf

Practice case studies – 2009

jazzieb — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:29:20 +0000

The aim of this document, researched by DrugScope, is to share practice through 13 case studies of local projects focusing on social reintegration, community engagement, integrated offender management and family-based intervention/assistance for drug-misusing parents and their children

http://drugs.homeoffice.gov.uk/publication-search/drug-strategy/practice-case-studies?view=Binary

Two new government consultation papers

jazzieb — Tue, 26 May 2009 11:02:31 +0000

Proposed control of gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BD)
The government has decided that the control of Gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BD) is necessary to prevent their misuse.

The purpose of this consultation paper is to draw attention to, and invite comments on, the options to control both GBL and 1,4-BD under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 or otherwise. In particular, the consultation provides industry and commerce the opportunity to set out to the government the potential impacts of the different approaches and to inform the approach that government takes forward.

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/cons-2009-gbl/gbl-consultation-and-ia?view=Binary (PDF)

You can email your response to Drugconsultation2009@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Or write to:

Drug Legislation Section
Drug Strategy Unit
4th Floor, Peel
Home Office
2 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DF

This consultation closes on 13 August 2009.

Proposed control of 1-benzylpiperazine (BZP) and a group of substituted piperazines, as well as an additional 24 anabolic steroids and 2 non-steroidal agents
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/cons-2009-bzp/bzp-anabolic-steroids?view=Binary (PDF)

This consultation seeks your views on the government’s proposals for a number of substances to be controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and its associated subordinate legislation.

You can email your response to Drugconsultation2009@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Or write to:

Drug Legislation Section
Drug Strategy Unit
4th Floor, Peel
Home Office
2 Marsham Street
LONDON SW1P 4DF

This consultation closes on 13 August 2009.

This month’s reports

jazzieb — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:01:38 +0000

Drugs

Anabolic steroids – Jim McVeigh & Michael Evans-Brown
http://www.smmgp.org.uk/download/others/other055.pdf

Home Office – Tackling Drug Changing Lives Week 2009 handbook
This handbook provides a wealth of information and advice around the Tackling Drugs Changing Lives campaign week. Chapters include: How to get involved, key messages, support available in local area, ideas, working with media, evaluation
http://drugs.homeoffice.gov.uk/publication-search/communications-campaigns/tacklingdrugsweekhandbook?view=Binary

Guidance

Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) – Tackling commercial cannabis cultivation and head shops
http://www.acpo.police.uk/asp/policies/Data/cannabis%20cultivation%20and%20shops%20practice%20advice.pdf

Department of Health – A guide to the management of dual diagnosis for prisons
http://www.drugscope.org.uk/Documents/PDF/virtuallibrary/DualDiagnosisPrisons.pdf

Home Office – Meeting family needs – at arrest and after release (DIP Factsheet)
http://drugs.homeoffice.gov.uk/publication-search/dip/dip-meeting-family-needs?view=Binary

NTA – Routes to recovery part 3: BTEI: a fresh perspective on delivering ‘talking therapies’
http://www.drugscope.org.uk/Documents/PDF/virtuallibrary/ITEPPART3.pdf

NTA – Routes to recovery part 4: The BTEI care planning manual: mapping achievable goals
http://www.drugscope.org.uk/Documents/PDF/virtuallibrary/ITEPPART4.pdf

NTA – Routes to recovery part 5: The BTEI exiting treatment manual: mapping achievable goals
http://www.drugscope.org.uk/Documents/PDF/virtuallibrary/ITEPPART5.pdf

NTA – Routes to recovery part 6: The BTEI building motivation manual: enhancing a style of working
http://www.drugscope.org.uk/Documents/PDF/virtuallibrary/ITEPPART6.pdf

United Nations Office of Drug and Crime (UNODC) – Guide to implementing family skills training programmes for drug abuse prevention
http://www.drugscope.org.uk/Documents/PDF/virtuallibrary/UNODCfamilyintervention.pdf

Reports

Audit Scotland – Drug and alcohol services in Scotland
http://www.drugscope.org.uk/Documents/PDF/virtuallibrary/AGSDrugsAlcoholServices.pdf

Drug Education Forum Chair’s report
http://www.drugeducationforum.com/uploads/Chairs%20report%2009.pdf

Forum for Preventing Deaths in Custody Annual Report
http://www.preventingcustodydeaths.org.uk/fpdic_annual_report.pdf

Global Drug Policy Forum – International Drug Policy: Animated Report 2009
http://www.soros.org/Staging/initiatives/drugpolicy/multimedia/drugreport_20090303

Global Drug Policy Forum – International Drug Policy Factsheet
http://www.soros.org/Staging/initiatives/drugpolicy/articles_publications/publications/factsheet_20090303/factsheet_20090312.pdf

International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) – Briefing paper: Why is the outcome of the United Nations drug policy review so weak and inconclusive?
http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/IDPC_Weak_UN_DrugPolReview_EN_0409.pdf

Transform – A comparison on the cost-effectivenes of prohibition and regulation of drugs
http://www.tdpf.org.uk/TransformCBApaper.pdf

The Bradley Report: Lord Bradley’s review of people with mental health problems or learning disabilities in the criminal justice system

jazzieb — Fri, 01 May 2009 08:06:49 +0000

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_098694