Basic HTML Version
NEW RELEASE
Release has launched its new website,
featuring a dedicated harm reduction
section as well as enhanced policy and
legal advice pages. ‘We’re really excited
about the new website, which we
believe is one of most comprehensive
and informative sites in respect of drug
information, harm reduction and legal
issues faced by people who use drugs
and their families,’ said executive
director Niamh Eastwood. ‘The format is
attractive and accessible and we hope
people will sign up to the newsletter to
keep up to date with Release’s work
and developments in the field.’
See
news focus, page 6.
RE:COVER YOUR TALENT
Phoenix Future’s Re:Cover music project
wants to hear from people who have
been affected by drug or alcohol
addiction – whether their own or
someone else’s – and have ‘a passion
for making music’. Those selected to
take part will get an expenses-paid day
in a studio with an industry mentor to
record songs offering an insight into
addiction, with the final versions posted
online for a public vote. Winners will
receive a prize package worth £1,500.
Details at www.phoenix-futures.org.uk
MAKING CONNECTIONS
A report on homelessness and
substance use has been launched by
the London Drug and Alcohol Network
(LDAN) and DrugScope. Statistics
suggest that only a quarter of rough
sleepers in central London do not have
support needs relating to drugs,
alcohol, mental health or a combination
of the three, says
Making connections to
build recovery
.
Available at
www.drugscope.org.uk
CARE CASH
Voluntary sector funding to help
‘improve people’s health and wellbeing’
has been announced by care and
support minister Norman Lamb. The
Innovation, Excellence and Strategic
Development (IESD) fund will be
awarded to organisations that can
demonstrate a commitment to
personalisation and choice of care,
compassion and improving public
health.
Details at
www.gov.uk/government/publications/volun
tary-sector-funding-available-for-health-and-
care-projects
NEWS IN BRIEF
The US administration has indicated a softening of its stance
on drug sentencing, with proposals to abolish mandatory
minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders. The
country has long been the subject of criticism for its drug
policies, with around a quarter of the 2m people in its jails
estimated to have been convicted of a drug offence.
US attorney general Eric Holder announced plans to
abolish the use of mandatory sentencing in certain drugs
cases in a speech to the American Bar Association. The
Obama administration previously indicated an intention to
divert non-violent drug offenders away from the prison
system in its
2012 national drug control strategy
(
DDN
,
May 2012, page 5), while earlier this year an open letter to
the US government signed by more than 175 civil rights
leaders, celebrities and business figures called for more
alternatives to incarceration for non-violent drug offences
(
DDN
, April, page 5). Holder said in a radio interview before
the announcement that ‘unintended consequences’ of the
war on drugs had included ‘a decimation of certain
communities, in particular communities of colour.’
Executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, Ethan
Nadelmann, called the announcement ‘incredibly
significant – the first time a US attorney general has
spoken so forcefully or offered such a detailed proposal for
sentencing reform, and particularly notable that he
framed the issue in moral terms.’
September 2013 |
drinkanddrugsnews
| 5
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
News |
Round-up
US signals softer stance on drug
sentencing for non-violent offenders
Scotland recorded its second-highest number of drug
deaths in 2012, although the number of deaths in under-
25s was down by a fifth, according to new figures from
the Scottish Government.
Overall drug-related deaths stood at 581, three fewer
than 2011’s record number (
DDN
, September 2012, page
4). More than 60 per cent of deaths were in people over
the age of 35, while the number among people under 25
fell by 20 per cent to 46.
Methadone was implicated in 38 fewer deaths than
2011 – at 237 – including 12 deaths where methadone
was the only drug present and 68 where it was the only
drug implicated apart from alcohol. There were also 47
deaths where new psychoactive substances were present –
the first time they have been included in the report –
including five where they were the only drug present.
‘The Scottish Government is dealing with a legacy of
drug misuse which stretches back decades and, as in
previous years, the statistics published today show that
many of these deaths are older drug users who have
become increasingly unwell throughout the years,’ said
community safety minister Roseanna Cunningham.
The high level of deaths among older opiate users re-
emphasised the need for services to be ‘more targeted
towards the needs of this group of people, who are likely
to have a range of complex needs’, said Scottish Drugs
Forum director David Liddell. ‘The Scottish Government’s
programme to distribute naloxone – an emergency
antidote for opiate overdoses – is one of the measures to
help cut the drug deaths toll in Scotland but more needs
to be done to ensure greater distribution and take up
across Scotland. Our view is that at least 40 per cent of the
estimated 59,600 people with very serious drugs problems
in Scotland need to be provided with naloxone in order to
make a substantial impact on the deaths.’
The number of deaths in 2011 involving methadone led
to much debate in the Scottish media and a call for a
parliamentary enquiry. However, the report of the
government-commissioned Independent Expert Group
Review of Opioid Replacement Therapies in Scotland has
concluded that the use of opioid replacement therapies –
particularly methadone – should continue as part of a
range of treatment options. ‘Opioid replacement is an
essential treatment with a strong evidence base,’ says the
document. ‘Its use remains a central component of the
treatment for opiate dependency and should be retained
in Scottish services.’ The report also recommends that local
information systems be improved to identify people’s
progress towards recovery and more consideration be
given to addressing the link between health inequalities
and problem substance use.
‘Opioid replacement therapies, including methadone
have had a beneficial effect in preventing the spread of
viruses among drug users,’ said Scotland’s chief medical
officer, Dr Harry Burns. ‘However, they often simply switch
one form of drug use for another, albeit a safer one. That’s
why we need to find more ways of helping people access a
range of treatments and support, tailored to their needs
and their aspirations for sustained recovery.’
Meanwhile, a report from NHS Health Scotland has
found that while alcohol sales in Scotland fell by 3 per cent
between 2011 and 2012, Scots still drink around a fifth
more than the English or Welsh. Nearly 90 per cent of the
difference in ‘per adult sales’ was the result of higher off-
trade sales, particularly spirits, says
MESAS alcohol sales up-
date 2013
. ‘Cheap vodka’ was ‘fuelling much higher levels of
harm, which results in 100 alcohol-related hospital admiss-
ions a day and costs Scotland £3.6bn each year – £900 for
every adult’, said public health minister Michael Matheson.
Drug-related deaths in Scotland at www.gro-
scotland.gov.uk
Delivering recovery-opioid replacement therapies in
Scotland – independent expert review at
www.scotland.gov.uk
MESAS alcohol sales update 2013 at
www.healthscotland.com
Scots record second-highest
number of drug deaths