Were we wrong to go continental on booze?
Britain's attempt to embrace a European-style approach to drinking may have brought it new dangers. In recent years, Britain has sought to shed its image as the home of the lager lout by adopting a more relaxed, European approach to alcohol, but could it be that our continental cousins have led us astray? > Read more.
29 September 2008
Cannabis co-ordinator spearheads the drive to cut cannabis cultivation.
Detecting and disrupting organised criminals who supply cannabis are the aims of the new Cannabis Co-ordinator, former Chief Superintendent Mark Matthews, the Home Office and Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) announced today. > Read more.
Detecting and disrupting organised criminals who supply cannabis are the aims of the new Cannabis Co-ordinator, former Chief Superintendent Mark Matthews, the Home Office and Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) announced today. > Read more.
21 September 2008
Drugs misuse is on the increase.
ALCOHOL and drug abuse is destroying more and more lives in Swansea, a leading expert has warned. An increasing number of families were being caught up, said Swansea Drugs Project director Ifor Glyn, and the threat was greater than ever. Mr Glyn said efforts to tackle the problem must be stepped up. He was speaking at the project's annual general meeting on Thursday. > Read more.
ALCOHOL and drug abuse is destroying more and more lives in Swansea, a leading expert has warned. An increasing number of families were being caught up, said Swansea Drugs Project director Ifor Glyn, and the threat was greater than ever. Mr Glyn said efforts to tackle the problem must be stepped up. He was speaking at the project's annual general meeting on Thursday. > Read more.
17 September 2008
Addiction to opiate-based painkillers: the facts.
White-collar employees working long hours and prone to tension headaches are those most likely to become addicted to painkillers.
Medicines containing opiates can include cough/cold treatments, painkillers, analgesic tablets and capsules, and some diarrhoea medication, according to the Over-Count Drugs Information and Advice Agency. > Read more
White-collar employees working long hours and prone to tension headaches are those most likely to become addicted to painkillers.
Medicines containing opiates can include cough/cold treatments, painkillers, analgesic tablets and capsules, and some diarrhoea medication, according to the Over-Count Drugs Information and Advice Agency. > Read more
Confessions of an opiate-eater.
Step into any chemist and you'll find a huge array of powerful painkillers – all available without a prescription. Legal they may be, but they're far from harmless. This is the story of one man's battle with a crippling secret addiction to over-the-counter drugs that nearly cost him his health – and his medical career. > Read more
Step into any chemist and you'll find a huge array of powerful painkillers – all available without a prescription. Legal they may be, but they're far from harmless. This is the story of one man's battle with a crippling secret addiction to over-the-counter drugs that nearly cost him his health – and his medical career. > Read more
Revealed: the nine types of heavy drinker.
The Department of Health will today identify the nine personality types of heavy drinkers at risk of liver damage and other alcohol-related illnesses that are costing the NHS in England about £2.7bn a year. > Read more.
The Department of Health will today identify the nine personality types of heavy drinkers at risk of liver damage and other alcohol-related illnesses that are costing the NHS in England about £2.7bn a year. > Read more.
13 September 2008
Cannabis linked to earlier psychosis onset.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Researchers from Spain have found a strong and independent link between cannabis use and the onset of psychosis at a younger age. The association, they say, cannot be explained by chance, and is not related to gender or the use of other drugs. It is, however, related to the amount of cannabis used. "The clinical importance of this finding is potentially high," Dr. Ana Gonzalez-Pinto from Santiago Apostol Hospital in Vitoria, and colleagues write in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, given that cannabis use is extremely prevalent among young people." The researchers also report that "estimates of the attributable risk suggest that the use of cannabis accounts for about 10 percent of cases of psychosis." > Read more
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Researchers from Spain have found a strong and independent link between cannabis use and the onset of psychosis at a younger age. The association, they say, cannot be explained by chance, and is not related to gender or the use of other drugs. It is, however, related to the amount of cannabis used. "The clinical importance of this finding is potentially high," Dr. Ana Gonzalez-Pinto from Santiago Apostol Hospital in Vitoria, and colleagues write in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, given that cannabis use is extremely prevalent among young people." The researchers also report that "estimates of the attributable risk suggest that the use of cannabis accounts for about 10 percent of cases of psychosis." > Read more
New Study: Pot Linked to Earlier Psychosis Onset.
As we've reported before, millions of American teens report feeling hopeless and losing interest in everyday activities for weeks at a time. And many of those teens are making a bad situation worse by turning to marijuana and other illicit drugs. > Read more
As we've reported before, millions of American teens report feeling hopeless and losing interest in everyday activities for weeks at a time. And many of those teens are making a bad situation worse by turning to marijuana and other illicit drugs. > Read more
Bristol faces alcohol timebomb, say experts.
Bristol is sitting on an alcohol timebomb which will destroy lives and break up families.
That is the stark warning from health professionals who claim that there are 10,000 alcoholics and a further 50,000 men and women who either binge drink or consume more than their recommended daily amount. > Read more
Bristol is sitting on an alcohol timebomb which will destroy lives and break up families.
That is the stark warning from health professionals who claim that there are 10,000 alcoholics and a further 50,000 men and women who either binge drink or consume more than their recommended daily amount. > Read more
Britain set to be flooded with cocaine, warns George W Bush's drugs tsar.
Britain is likely to be flooded by cocaine from South America as demand for the drug declines in the US, George W Bush's drugs tsar has warned. > Read more
Britain is likely to be flooded by cocaine from South America as demand for the drug declines in the US, George W Bush's drugs tsar has warned. > Read more
8 September 2008
Legal chemicals sold to fuel heroin profits.
Organised criminal gangs are developing a lucrative trade in importing mass quantities of legal chemicals and selling them on to drug dealers to be used as cutting agents for heroin and cocaine. The so-called 'smash' or 'bash' industry is now generating such large profits that some criminal gangs have stopped selling illegal drugs to focus on buying and selling legal chemicals, according to Drugscope, the charity that monitors the price of drugs on Britain's streets.> Read more
Organised criminal gangs are developing a lucrative trade in importing mass quantities of legal chemicals and selling them on to drug dealers to be used as cutting agents for heroin and cocaine. The so-called 'smash' or 'bash' industry is now generating such large profits that some criminal gangs have stopped selling illegal drugs to focus on buying and selling legal chemicals, according to Drugscope, the charity that monitors the price of drugs on Britain's streets.> Read more
Rise in Scots suffering alcohol-related brain damage.
INCREASING numbers of Scots are literally drinking themselves senseless, according to new figures released yesterday. A total of 540 Scots were discharged from hospitals with alcohol-related brain damage in 2006-7 – a rise of 16 per cent on the last figure, taken in 2003-4, of 463. > Read more
INCREASING numbers of Scots are literally drinking themselves senseless, according to new figures released yesterday. A total of 540 Scots were discharged from hospitals with alcohol-related brain damage in 2006-7 – a rise of 16 per cent on the last figure, taken in 2003-4, of 463. > Read more
5 September 2008
Action against steroid abuse and GHB type drugs
People who take drugs to enhance their physical appearance, including those who aspire to take part in the 2012 London Olympics, are being warned against using anabolic steroids as the government has announced its intention to add a further 24 anabolic steroids and two growth promoters to the list of those already classed as Class C drugs. > Read more
People who take drugs to enhance their physical appearance, including those who aspire to take part in the 2012 London Olympics, are being warned against using anabolic steroids as the government has announced its intention to add a further 24 anabolic steroids and two growth promoters to the list of those already classed as Class C drugs. > Read more
Statistics on Drug Misuse: England, 2008 (full report).
This annual statistical report presents information on drug misuse among both adults and children. It includes a focus on young adults. The topics covered include:
This annual statistical report presents information on drug misuse among both adults and children. It includes a focus on young adults. The topics covered include:
- prevalence of drug misuse, including the types of drugs used
- trends in drug misuse over recent years
- patterns of drug misuse among different groups of the population
- health outcomes related to drug misuse including hospital admissions, drug treatment and deaths related to drug misuse
Cannabis and alcohol selectively, temporally tied to manic and depressive episodes.
MedWire News: Manic or hypomanic episodes in patients with bipolar I disorder are associated with use of cannabis in the same or previous quarter, while depressive episodes show similar associations with alcohol abuse, report researchers. > Read more
MedWire News: Manic or hypomanic episodes in patients with bipolar I disorder are associated with use of cannabis in the same or previous quarter, while depressive episodes show similar associations with alcohol abuse, report researchers. > Read more
2007 National Survey on Drug Use & Health: National Results
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies (2008). Results from the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings (NSDUH Series H-34, DHHS Publication No. SMA 08-4343). Rockville, MD. > Read more.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies (2008). Results from the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings (NSDUH Series H-34, DHHS Publication No. SMA 08-4343). Rockville, MD. > Read more.
No quick fix
They bring grief, violence and addiction to their communities - so why should we help them? Because many of them want out. Steven Morris on a new deal for drug dealers.
He has lots of cash, the lifestyle that goes with it and a sense of power. But Jeff, a drug dealer from Bristol, does not have what he craves: security, happiness and the option of just going to the pub without worrying about getting waylaid by the police, or an armed rival. > Read more
They bring grief, violence and addiction to their communities - so why should we help them? Because many of them want out. Steven Morris on a new deal for drug dealers.
He has lots of cash, the lifestyle that goes with it and a sense of power. But Jeff, a drug dealer from Bristol, does not have what he craves: security, happiness and the option of just going to the pub without worrying about getting waylaid by the police, or an armed rival. > Read more
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)