NHS opens specialist clubbing drugs clinic in treatment

To help baffled GP's who lack the knowledge to help their patients the NHS in London has opened a new clinic specialising in the treatment of the former legal high clubbing drugs like mephedrone, GHB and Ketamine which are believed to become ever more popular at the expensive of traditional recreational drugs like Cocaine and Heroin which traditional centres have been used to treating.

"Bowden-Jones said those who take club drugs tend to be younger, employed and sometimes affluent. They are often in relationships and don't necessarily identify themselves as addicts.".

Apparently there have been over 70 referrals to the new "Legal Highs" Centre before it had even opened its doors.

In our opinion spending money on treatment certainly makes much more sense than spending vast amounts catching people and locking them up. A good progress move.

Global "experts" disagree on whether recreational drugs use is up or down

It seems the UN and the Global Commission on Drug policy disagree on whether drug use is up or down and therefore whether the global war on drugs should end. Perhaps they could save all the money being spent on useless reports and do something more useful instead with the cash? Drug addiction help for the minority of drug users who need it perhaps... the story is below

Celebrity campaign backing drug legalisation was based on 'flawed' figures, says UN

It won the support of celebrities and dignitaries with its call for drugs to be decriminalised.
But a highly influential report from the Global Commission on Drug Policy used incorrect figures, it was revealed yesterday. The group, headed by major names including former UN chief Kofi Annan and Sir Richard Branson, published a study claiming that drug use around the world has soared over the past decade.

Its call for an end to the war on drugs was taken up by celebrities including Dame Judi Dench, Julie Christie and Sting. Last weekend, Liberal Democrat leaders also cited it as their conference demanded measures to make drug possession legal in Britain.

However, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said yesterday that the claims were based on ‘flawed methodology’ and were ‘not correct’. Far from increasing at a rapid rate, worldwide use of heroin and cocaine has remained stable and cannabis use is likely to have dropped, it argued.

The Global Commission said that between 1998 and 2008, worldwide use of heroin and other opiates went up by a third, cocaine use by more than a quarter, and cannabis use by 8.5 per cent.
The Commission is a self-appointed body whose members include Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, former presidents of Colombia and Mexico, and several once highly-placed U.S. politicians such as former Secretary of State George Shultz.
Its report, published in June, said the war on drugs should be abandoned and illegal drugs should be decriminalised and regulated.

But errors behind it were exposed by researcher Kathy Gyngell of the centre-right Centre for Policy Studies think-tank. Mrs Gyngell asked UNODC to analyse the figures the Commission provided.

It found that the Commission’s figures – unsourced in its report – had been based on a misreading of statistics published by the UN agency.
Mrs Gyngell said: ‘Our worst fears as to the provenance and reliability of the Global Commission’s figures have been confirmed. The Commission’s figures are not just overblown, they are contrived and misleading.’

Drug treatment policy doomed to failure in the UK

Its reported on the BBC today that the way we treat drug addicts is doomed to failure. We apparently spend an amazing £3.6 billion on handing out methadone and giving benefits to drug users instead of spending the money on rehabilitation. Its clear as drug use and imprisonment of drug users continues the policy is not working.

"The state is subsidising people to be any number of years on methadone, which has turned out not to be a cheap option and will only subsidise the tiniest proportion - 2% - to go into a rehabilitation unit that would actually free them from dependency and allow them to live their life."

Apparently there is a new policy coming that will give bribes to organisation who get people back to work but I don't see how this will work. Will these people be fit to work? Its clear focusing effort away from all drugs including recreational use of say ecstacy and onto rehabiliation of people using heroin would massively benefit the country. Let alone free up huge amount of Police time and resources.

Doherty locked up for drug use and death of friend. Whats the point?

Pete Doherty has been locked up after footage taken by a friend who died of taking drugs was found of him also using crack. Does it makes sense to lock up an addict? As far as I can tell he hurts no one but himself and prison does not seem to cure him. He surely can't be held responsible for the death of his friend, an adult, who presumable was free to decide for herself whether or not to take the drug that killed her...

If the reason for locking someone up was to try to break their habit then that will clearly fail as anyone who watched the recent documentary series following female prisoners in Scotland will know. They seemed to have almost free access to heroin on the inside as they do on the outside. In the mean time the nations tax payers pay to fill our prisons at considerable cost and rapists and murders get released early so that we can accommodate then. Shameful

Apparently all you need to get high now is your mobile phone??

A new Application has been released for smart phones claiming that it is the new drug for the rave scene.

A British hypnotherapist has claimed to have created an App that causes you to experience a high due to Hypnosis.

“Get "High" without drugs - hypnosis session App helps former drug users,” the marketing blurb for Hypno High™ declared, “No more drugs needed - just the memory of a "high" is enough to revive it.”

I am Sceptical about this one what do you guys think? love to hear your comments

War on drugs failed say heads of MI5, BBC, CPS....you can say that again

According to a new piece in the Telegraph The "war on drugs" has failed and should be abandoned in favour of evidence-based policies that treat addiction as a health problem, according to prominent public figures including former heads of MI5 and the Crown Prosecution Service..... (click the title to read the full story)

Look at the devastation that is caused to whole families by sending so many to prison. Crime is increased. Billions are spent, and now entire countries are destroyed by it (Mexico, Columbian etc). When are we going to wake up and take a more progressive view? Drugs have many downsides as does alcohol but a crime? Surely it should be a personal choice... take away the profit for the criminals and use it to raise taxes and cut prison populations. Okay you may need to build more rehab clinics but my bet is it will work out much cheaper and you will have a happier population around the world...