Alcohol and other drug treatment spending in Australia amounted to $1.2 billion in 2012/2013 (NDARC)
Archives for August 2015
Bibliography: All Publications
Cannabis: the Irish situation
How many people use cannabis in Ireland? (NDC)
ACMD interim advice: diversion and illicit supply of medicines
Letter to the Home Office setting out the ACMD’s interim advice in relation to diversion and illicit supply of medicines (ACMD)
Data on clients seen at drug and alcohol treatment agencies
Quarterly data are published on StatWales. These include data on quarterly activity, case closures by reason for closure and the time between referral and start of treatment (Welsh Government)
National Drug Policy 2015 to 2020
The Policy aims to guide, influence and support decision-making by local services, communities and non-governmental organisations, and in doing so, improve collaboration and maximise the effectiveness of the system as a whole (Ministry of Health, New Zealand)
Naloxone legal changes (UK)
In summary, the amended Regulations are a good step forward, but in my opinion they simply don’t go far enough, and definitely do not meet some of the assurances that had been made previously. Ultimately, what we really need is a national programme – as they have in Scotland and Wales – to ensure that everyone at risk of opiate overdose has access to Naloxone (Injecting Advice)
Challenges & Opportunities
Key findings from VAADA’s Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD)Sector Recommissioning Survey (VAADA)
Drug-related hospital stays in Australia 1993-2013
This bulletin presents data on drug-related hospital separations in Australia from 1993-2013 for the following drug types: opioids, cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis (NDARC)
Researchers evaluate use of pharmacy-based naloxone education and distribution to fight opioid overdoses
In response to the growing opioid crisis, several states, including Massachusetts and Rhode Island, have granted pharmacists the authority to provide naloxone rescue kits without a prescription to at-risk patients (News Medical)
Drug-related Deaths in Scotland in 2014
NHS Board and Council statistics for certain drugs for 2014, on the ‘all drugs found present in the body’ basis (not the standard basis for figures for individual drugs) – (National Records of Scotland)
Helping young adult prisoners
Compared with older prisoners, young adults were less likely to report needing help with a drug problem (15% compared with 33%). Young adults were less likely than older prisoners to report having used a Class A drug in the four weeks before custody (31% compared with 45%). A smaller proportion of young adults than older prisoners linked their offending behaviour with drugs (25% compared with 46%) – (Russel Webster)
Australia’s National Alcohol and Drug Workforce Development Strategy
The Strategy addresses the needs of specialist AOD and generalist workers from health, welfare, education, law enforcement and related sectors, and embraces a systems approach (NCETA)
All these experts and agencies say: Don’t treat drug users as criminals. It’s time politicians listened
We should be able to argue for the decriminalisation of drugs on the basis of the evidence (which is overwhelming) that criminalisation doesn’t deter use, but does exacerbate a range of serious health and social harms (TDPF)
Home Office drug advisers try to clear up Theresa May’s mess
Psychoactive substances bill: Designed to take drug policy outside the realm of reason? (Politics.co)
Drug possession should be removed from police performance indicators
In this article, Michael Shiner provides an overview of drug reform in Britain and the reclassification of cannabis (LSE)
ACMD advice about Northern Ireland’s continued maintenance of the Addicts Index
The ACMD has published advice recommending a change to the Misuse of Drugs (Notification of and Supply to Addicts) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 1973 with regard to the Addicts Index
ACMD report on definitions for the Psychoactive Substances Bill
The ACMD has published its third piece of advice on the Psychoactive Substances Bill. This report makes recommendations for definitions under the bill
Illicit Drug Use and Harms, and Related Interventions and Policy in Canada
While recent federal governments introduced several law and policy measures reinforcing a repression approach to illicit drug use, lower-level jurisdictions (e.g., provincial/municipal levels) and non-governmental organizations increasingly promoted social- and health-oriented intervention frameworks and interventions, therefore creating an increasingly bifurcated–and even inherently contradictory–drug policy landscape and reality in Canada
Ice in Australia: an online survey of attitudes and experiences
In 2015, NCPIC conducted an online survey about experiences and perceptions of ice. This survey report includes responses from 11, 636 participants (NCPP)
Urban drug gangs target coastal communities
The NCA’s ‘County Lines’ report shows that around half the places affected are coastal towns with high levels of unemployment, mental health issues or crime (National Crime Agency and National Police Chiefs Council)