News of substance - drugs in the worldwide news
1. Surrey Now (Canada) - No room for ideology at Insite. “The clock is ticking on the future of one of Canada’s most important and unique attempts to deal with drug addiction, and perhaps that’s a good thing. It may very well be good that the federal government is sending signals it will soon no longer support Vancouver’s supervised injection facility (Insite). Getting Ottawa out of the picture may actually create some certainty and stability for the controversial facility in Vancouver’s notorious Downtown Eastside.”
2. icWales (UK) - Jamie’s Addiction Story. “AT the height of his addiction to heroin, Jamie was spending over £400 a week to get the drug that his body craved. He was just 15, still at school, and shoplifting daily to finance both his habit, and that of his girlfriend Sarah (name changed to protect her identity). “I was doing about half a gram a day,” says Jamie, now 17.
“That was costing me £30 and then Sarah was using the same amount. Your whole life is about getting money to get your next bag.”
3. The Hindu (India) - UN joins OPEC partner to curb HIV among drug users. “The United Nations anti-narcotics agency has joined forces with the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) in a bid to rein in the spread of HIV among drug users.”
4. Etalaat (India) - Conflict blamed for drug addiction among women in JK. “The armed conflict in Kashmir has eaten into the very vitals of the society and it is one of the main reasons for drug addiction among women, according to a study. “With search operations, crackdowns, firing incidents and grenade blasts being a regular feature, the women folk were all the time worried about the safety and security of their dear ones. Taking to drugs in the form of cough syrups and other sedatives was the only option left for them to come out of the mental tension,” Dr Ghulam Nabi Wani, founder HNSS De-addiction Centre, Khanyar, who carried out the study told Etalaat on Wednesday.”
5. Wall Street Journal - New Version Of OxyContin Raises Concern. “A Food and Drug Administration panel expressed deep concerns about a purported abuse-resistant form of the painkiller OxyContin, saying there is a “striking” lack of data about the drug’s abuse-prevention qualities. “I’m fascinated with the poor scientific rigor” of the data presented by Purdue Pharma LP, maker of OxyContin, FDA panel member Jeffrey R. Kirsch said. “It’s almost insulting.”
6. Islamic Republic News (Iran) - Number of drug-related deaths up in Germany in 2007: report. “The number of drug-related deaths rose by 98 people or 7.6 percent to reach 1,394 last year, according to the annual report released Monday by the government’s anti-drug commissioner Sabine Baetzing.”
7. The Age - Barnes’ binge: cheap wine and 10 grams of coke. “JIMMY Barnes can’t believe he lived through a death-defying drug-and-booze binge, which, by rights, should have killed him. The rock icon has revealed the extent of his drug use, in which he consumed a daily cocktail of cocaine, ecstasy and vodka for four years.”
8. The New York Times - Reports Find Racial Gap in Drug Arrests. “More than two decades after President Ronald Reagan escalated the war on drugs, arrests for drug sales or, more often, drug possession are still rising. And despite public debate and limited efforts to reduce them, large disparities persist in the rate at which blacks and whites are arrested and imprisoned for drug offenses, even though the two races use illegal drugs at roughly equal rates.”
9. The Ottawa Citizen - An addict’s White knight. “Ottawa police chief Vern White demonstrated leadership this month by travelling to Toronto and personally making the case for proper drug treatment facilities in Ottawa. In the policing world, there are probably still a few old-timers who think substance abuse is mainly a law enforcement issue and that the principal problem facing drug addicts is a flawed moral character. Chief White, it appears, is not one of them. His efforts to bring residential drug treatment services to Ottawa suggests he understands that addicts might need help more than handcuffs.”
Social Worker - St George Hospital (NSW)
“South Eastern Sydney Illawarra Area Health Service
Applications are invited for the position of Social Worker (level 2) attached to a dynamic Hepatology dept at St George Hospital, Kogarah.
The Social worker is responsible for providing assessment, management and evaluation of developed strategies to people who present in crisis, live with complex psycho-social issues within a chronic disease model of care. The social worker will work both autonomously and within a multi disciplinary team.
Position Title
Social Worker Level 2
Employment Type
Temporary Part-time
Location
St. George Hospital
Essentials
1. Post graduate social worker experience
2. Demonstrated interpersonal skills
3. Demonstrated communication skills
4. Demonstrated ability to work within a multi disciplinary team and autonomously
5. Computer literacy demonstrated by experience with Microsoft Word, Excel and electronic mailing
6. Experience working with people who have complex psycho-social needs
7. Experience working with people in crisis
8. Experience working with people living with a chronic illness
9. Demonstrated capacity to act as patient advocate
10. Demonstrated experience with government agencies such as CentreLink
Desirables
1. Experience working with people living with hepatitis C virus
2. Experience working in Alcohol and other Drug setting
3. Experience establishing support groups
Duration
Position is 24 hours per week for 12 months duration, with view to extend.
Contact Name For Position Enquiries
Suzanne Polis on (02) 9113 2407 or Suzanne.Polis@sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au”
News of substance - drugs in the worldwide news
1. KGMB9.com (USA) - Drug Addiction: A Click Away? “Morphine, vicodin, oxycontin… It used to be the only way to buy these powerful drugs was at a pharmacy, with a valid prescription from a doctor.
Today more people are ordering narcotics on the Internet. Many online pharmaceutical sites are legal, meaning they require a signed prescription from a physician and proof of a legitimate medical problem.”
2. Ireland Online - Downey blames movie for addiction. “Former troubled actor Robert Downey Jr blames his role in 1980s cult film ‘Less Than Zero’ for fuelling his drug addiction.
The 43-year-old insists he only took drugs recreationally before he was cast as a cocaine addict in the 1987 film based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis.”
3. MovieWeb - Paramount to Develop Two Drug Memoirs as One. “Paramount is venturing into the world of drug addiction in a very unique way. According to Variety, the studio has acquired the memoirs Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Sheff and Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines, by his son, Nick Sheff. Brad Pitt’s Plan B production company will also develop the project.”
4. The New Nation (Bangladesh) - ‘Drug addiction a silent killer’. “The two World Wars did not claim so many lives, as did drug addiction, the Adviser for Ministry of Primary and Mass Education and Culture, Women and Children Affairs Rasheda K Chowdhury said. She was speaking as Chief Guest a discussion meeting on “Misuse of Drugs and Addiction to It” at Viqarunnessa Noon School and College auditorium yesterday in the city.”
5. Today’s Zaman (Turkey) - Drug addiction in spotlight, threat more serious than imagined. “Though drug addiction is considered a relatively minor problem in Turkey, figures indicate that heroin and cocaine addictions are on the rise, with experts cautioning the dangerous trend may continue. “Studies and statistical data indicate Turkey is one of many countries that have suffered from problems related to drugs and drug addiction. Indeed, this problem is greater and more serious than one might imagine,” said Green Crescent Fight against Alcohol and Cigarette Abuse Chairman Mustafa Necati Özfatura.”
6. Globe and Mail (Canada) - Picking at the scab of meth addiction. “As Cranked opens, Stan, a young hip-hop MC, is comparing the slow, lumbering zombies of old movies to the speedier ones of today’s horror flicks. To him, the modern running undead seem more realistic: “When you crave flesh … When it is the sole thing in the universe that you can focus on and you want it as bad as your next breath of air? Oh yeah, you will run.”
7. The Independent (UK) - Sex addiction: The facts from the fruity fiction. “Ah, sex. Our compulsion to reproduce, or to go through the motions of doing so, has a habit of getting people into trouble, especially if they are wealthy or powerful. The readiness with which men – it is usually men – with money or influence will turn aside from their business affairs to engage in extra-curricular dalliances is all too familiar. What we didn’t know, until recently, is that it may qualify as a medical disorder.”
8. The Canadian Press - Health crisis brewing in Vancouver before safe injection site opened: lawyer. ” A lawyer for a group that wants the federal government to keep a safe-injection site open in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside says a public health crisis was brewing in the area for more than a decade before the facility opened. Monique Pongracic-Speier told B.C. Supreme Court on Tuesday that injection drug use had become an epidemic in Canada’s poorest postal code and the site now provides an important health service.”
ATCA asks for more Ice treatment
I received the below press release yesterday - I’d love to see any sane individual argue with ATCA’s points on the lack of treatment facilities.
“ICE USERS NOT GETTING THE TREATMENT THEY NEED
The Australasian Therapeutic Communities Association (ATCA) today called for more treatment options for methamphetamine or ICE users. This follows the release of the position paper on methamphetamines, developed by the Australian Medical Association (AMA).
Ms Janice Jones, Executive Officer of the ATCA, said today that the ATCA supports the position paper on methamphetamines released by the AMA and is calling for a review of how the health system deals with this very difficult drug problem.
Therapeutic Communities (TCs) in Australia & New Zealand have been successfully treating amphetamine dependence for over 30 years, and recognise the need to respond differently and strategically to the problems faced by ICE users seeking help. The increase in aggressive behaviours amongst ICE users, often leading to psychosis, can create chaos and disruption for treatment providers.
Ms Jones said today, “We need strategic planning and targeted responses to avoid any reactions that may result in scarce funds being inadvertently misdirected”.
The ATCA also supports the recommendations made by the AMA in calling for all emergency departments to have a specialist drugs liaison officer to engage and support methamphetamine and other drug users.
However, Ms Jones added, “These workers also need to be trained in the range of mental health conditions that ICE users can present with. They also need to be aware of what services are out there that are experienced in treating the complex needs of these people.
Therapeutic communities deal very well with clients with complex and problematic behaviours which often result from polydrug use, including ICE.
“Working with clients with a comorbidity of mental health and substance use disorders is now the expectation, rather than the exception. At least 70% of clients undertaking treatment for drug addiction also suffer from mental health issues. Likewise, a similar number of clients with a presenting mental health problem will have a co-occurring substance use disorder. This is our area of expertise but we need an increase in beds and qualified staff to cope with this disturbing trend”, Ms Jones said. ”
‘Alcopop’ tax rise: a clever move?
The Rudd government has raised taxes on pre-mixed alcoholic drinks, bringing them into line with spirits.
There’s no doubt the government will be arguing it’s an important step in lowering binge drinking rates, but I’d be doubtful whether that level of taxation will in fact have much impact - in fact, it’ll be interesting to see whether the change just leads to a transfer of use from pre-mix to more traditional spirits consumption. It’d also be nice to see the extra proceeds being used to improve prevention initiatives with the demographic that consumes them.
Government has a lot of catching up to do in regard to communicating with younger age groups of alcohol. YouTube is likely to be used more and more but that is really only tokenism. A concerted social media campaign is needed but I won’t be holding my breath for that one.
Free Psychostimulants Training Course for Health Professionals in Northern Territory
From Turning Point:
“A series of one-day training courses on Psychostimulants have been funded by the Commonwealth. These free courses are available to a broad range of health and welfare workers . The aim of the project is to assist health professionals such as medical practitioners, nurses, mental health workers and alcohol and drug workers to manage and treat users of psychostimulants (speed, base, ice, MDMA, cocaine). A series of one-day courses are being delivered nationally. These will be coordinated by Turning Point but delivered by specialist staff from individual states and territories.
Two courses have recently been organised in the Northern Territory. A course overview is provided below. Details of course locations, delivery schedules and the registration process are available at www.turningpoint.org.au - use the link to from GO to WHOA.
Please feel free to contact Kieran Connolly on kieranc@turningpoint.org.au for further information.
Module 1 Introduction
By the end of this module participants will be able to identify:
· what psychostimulants are
· concerns about psychostimulant use
· why people take psychostimulants
· how psychostimulants affect people
· how psychostimulants are taken
- frameworks for responding to psychostimulant use
Module 2 Pharmacology
By the end of this module participants will be able to identify:
· what psychostimulants are
· influences on drug effects
· common psychostimulant effects
- common features of withdrawal
Module 3 Epidemiology and risks
By the end of this module participants will be able to identify:
· the history of psychostimulant use
· current prevalence of use
- risks associated with psychostimulant use
Module 4 Responding to psychostimulant use
By the end of this module, participants will be able to identify:
· effective ways to raise the issue of psychostimulant use
· behavioural indicators of psychostimulant use
· physical indicators of psychostimulant use
· emergency response situations
· appropriate strategies for the management of intoxication
· mental health issues
· strategies to manage agitated behaviour
· strategies to reduce harm at various harm points
- appropriate treatment strategies”
News of substance - drugs in the worldwide news
1. Stuff.co.nz - Drugs ruined my relationships, Downey says. “Robert Downey Jr admits his drug addiction ruined his relationship with Sarah Jessica Parker. The actor started dating the Sex and the City star in 1984 after meeting on the set of movie Firstborn but split in 1991 because of Downey’s self-centred, wild lifestyle.”
2. The Times (South Africa) - The big problem - drugs and alcohol. “I started needing alcohol in the morning to function. Generally, people don’t have a clear concept of what the treatment for drug addiction is … they come either with no expectations or with various expectations,” said Dan Wolf, psychologist and managing director of The Gap and First Step, two drug rehabilitation centres in Johannesburg.
“People stumble into the culture of recovery as an opportunity to address the chaos in their lives.”
3. The Daily Star (Lebanon) - Doctors, lawyers join forces to fight drug addiction. “In an attempt to change the treatment and perception of people who are addicted to drugs in Lebanon, the Lebanese Addiction Center “Skoun” and the Tripoli Bar Association on Tuesday launched a project for the “Greater Respect for Drug Addicts’ Rights.” The initiative aims to promote dialogue and cooperation among judges, police, investigators, and medical workers when dealing with drug addicts.”
4. Etalaat (India) - `Broken social ties, media hoax lead to drug addiction’. “Dwindling social ties, decrease in community based activities and lack of proper knowledge is pushing valley youth into drug addiction, says a de-addiction expert, Dr Majid.
Dr Majid who has an experience of several years in de-addiction said: ” During these years of dealing with drug and chemical addicts, I have found that peer group pressure and foolish curiosity are main causes of youth falling into the drug trap.”
5. The Times of India - Drug abuse lands cops in deadly mess. “Rampant drug abuse and unsafe sex is pricking hard the Punjab Police, jeopardizing the lives of as many as 178 police personnel in the district of Tarn Taran alone. What has only compounded their case is the indifferent attitude of government, which is yet to wake up to the ticking bomb within its ranks.”
6. Goal.com (Switzerland) - Pele: Drug-Cheat Maradona Should Have Medals Stripped. “A favourite debate among football fans has always been who was greater out of Pele and Maradona. This topic has had extra spice due to the fact that the pair do not get on, and indeed have been at loggerheads for many years. Both have attacked each other in the press in the past, with Pele often criticising Maradona on moral grounds, while the Argentine has hit out at the Brazilian for being part of FIFA’s “political” family.”
7. IPP Media (Tanzania) - Drug abuse: Parents should closely follow up children`s movements. “Last week I was at a bus stop waiting for a commuter bus to take me to work when I noticed a 23-year-old youth behaving rather strangely. He was walking forward and back as if he was in a parade. He was untidy and carried all features of a mental case. I didn`t notice his problem until he went to a nearby garbage heap, picked a piece of an orange refuse and started eating it.”
8. The Retriever Weekly (USA) - The latest marijuana propaganda campaign. “Flipping through the channels, a man in a pith helmet and a white mustache flashes onto the screen, asking you to join him in his hunt for the “mature stoner.” It is yet another anti-drug commercial in the government-sponsored ad campaign “Above the Influence.” Filled with propaganda and falsified information, the series of four commercials chronicles the adventures of “Dr. Puck” and his assistant, Baldric. They watch “stoners” in their natural habitat: relaxing, going to school, and even driving. This series of ads perpetuates many of the myths associated with marijuana use.”
9. Minneapolis Star Tribune (USA) - ocaine in Spain: Party perennial and rehab regular. “Around dawn on a Sunday, packs of young people are huddled at stoplights or ambling down Paseo del Prado. Despite the hour, the day isn’t just beginning for them. Like thousands of young Spaniards, they are ending a long night of hard-core partying that probably included the unbridled snorting of cocaine.”
Mental Health/Drug & Alcohol Professional (Victoria)
“Exciting Opportunity for a Mental Health/Drug & Alcohol Professional
Part-time opportunity (4 days per week)
Generous salary packaging (up to $30k grossed up value)
Supportive team environment
Would you like the opportunity to provide clinical leadership and response towards the changing direction of drug & alcohol services towards dual diagnosis?
Would you like to work for a community based agency which is a registered training organisation (RTO) and can provide exciting and diverse professional development opportunities?
Moreland Hall is a leading alcohol and other drugs (AOD) agency with over 35 years experience in the not-for-profit sector of Victoria. Our organisation is currently seeking to increase our capacity to provide appropriate and best-practice based services to AOD clients who have concurrent mental health issues. With this, we require a highly skilled and experienced mental health/AOD professional to join the education and training team.
We are a passionate and supportive organisation open to embracing change and offering an innovative team environment. You’ll have the opportunity to take a lead role in mentoring and training our workforce, providing you with an ability to gain valuable experience in project management and diversify your skill base.
Applicants MUST address the following selection criteria to be considered:
Relevant undergraduate degree
Significant postgraduate experience and/or postgraduate degree level qualification in mental health
Knowledge and understanding of best-practice in mental health and AOD treatment approaches
Relevant experience in working with clients with co-existing disorders
Strong communication, organisation and interpersonal skills
Current Victorian drivers licence
Qualifications or experience in developing and implementing training in the AOD or mental health sector would be advantageous
Enquiries should be directed to the Manager, Human Resources – Nessá Pastoors on 03 9384 8801 or send in a CV with covering letter addressing the selection criteria to jobs@morelandhall.org
Applications close 5pm Friday 2nd May 2008″
Mental Health Education and Research Team Winter Conference (Victoria)
Beechworth is a superb little place for a conference so if you’re after a work-related excuse to get near the snowfields, here’s your chance
News of substance - drugs in the worldwide news
1. Sydney Morning Herald - Nurofen script-only plan. “Popular painkillers containing codeine could be reclassified prescription-only to stop abuse of the powerful over-the-counter drugs.
A government committee has flagged the possibility of classifying the codeine combination medicines such as Nurofen Plus, a schedule 8, a restricted category for drugs at high risk of being abused.”
2. The News International (Pakistan) - 628,000 drug abusers in Pakistan, says report. “here are more or less 628,000 opioid users (heroin, morphine, opium, codine, pentazocine, buprenorphine etc) in the country, National Drug Abuse Assessment 2006/07 report revealed. The report is prepared by the United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Narcotics Control and Anti Narcotics Force (ANF). Drug Abuse has become global phenomena, affecting the very fabric of the socio-economic structure of the families and country.”
3. The Student Operated Press (USA) - When Drug Abuse Starts at Home — Painkiller Addiction. “After several years of battling back pain and undergoing regular surgeries, John Simons became addicted to painkillers. After a two-week stay in the hospital where he was prescribed the powerful painkiller OxyContin, Simons continued to use the drug against his doctors’ orders, secretly obtaining a steady supply.”
4. etala’at (India) - KU campus safe haven for drug addicts, says survey. “Given the vastness and hugeness of its campus, University of Kashmir has turned to be a safe haven for the drug addicts and more so for the female drug addicts, according to a survey carried out by HNSS, De-addiction and Rehabilitation Centre, Khanyar here.
Talking to etala’at, Dr Ghulam Nabi Wani, founder HNSS said that the girls receiving their education at the university hide themselves behind the bushes and shrubs and take drugs being supplied to them.”
5. Kyiv Post (Ukraine) - Cheap drug addiction rising. “Addiction to a cheap, widely available prescription pain killer is on the rise, and the government has no plan to stop it, experts said. Teenagers and young adults are the primary users of a prescription drug called Tramadol, an opiate analgesic considered to be 10 percent as potent as morphine, and is used to treat mild to severe pain. Ukraine produces 90 million packages of Tramadol annually, said Vitaliy Kravchenko, a former officer at the State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), with 20 five centigram capsules per package costing a few US dollars.”
6. Fox News (USA) - ‘Faces of Meth’ Uses Portraits of Addiction to Warn Against Drug Use. “With just a click of a mouse, the image of a healthy, shiny face transforms into a skeletal portrait — a toothless grin surrounded by scabbed skin and a gray complexion. This is FacesofMeth.us, a Web site that shows the brutal effects of what methamphetamine does to people. Its goal is simple: Use real life images to educate kids about the dangers of methamphetamine.”
7. Science Daily - Methamphetamine Addiction Mechanism Discovered, Explains Why Cravings Last So Long. “Repeatedly stimulating the mouse brain with methamphetamine depresses important areas of the brain, and those changes can only be undone by re-introducing the drug, according to research at the University of Washington and other institutions. The study, which appears in the April 10 issue of the journal Neuron, provides one of the most in-depth views of the mechanisms of methamphetamine addiction, and suggests that withdrawal from the drug may not undo the changes the stimulant can cause in the brain.”
8. AllAfrica.com - Tanzania: Slowly, a More Enlightened Approach to Drug Addiction. “If the first step to overcoming drug addiction is admitting you have a problem, then Tanzania may be on the road to recovery. Medical officials in this East African country say the government has in the past been reluctant to accept substance dependence as a serious health problem, seeing it rather as a matter of law and order.”
9. The Washington Post - Afghans Battle Drug Addiction. “The first days were so painful that Mina Gul could barely sit upright. Thin and lanky with wide brown eyes, she rubbed the back of her neck ceaselessly with fingers stained reddish black by an opium pipe. She couldn’t shake the nausea. The light was almost blinding in the clean, white-walled medical clinic, where she lay crumpled in bed for days.”
10. Science Daily - Doctor’s Offices Can Help Stem Abuse Of Oxycontin, Other Narcotic Painkillers. “Every day, thousands of doctors around the United States walk a tightrope stretched between their duty to help patients in pain — and the risk of abetting illegal and life-destroying drug addiction and dependence, and losing their medical license for doing so. They walk this tightrope every time a patient asks for a prescription for a powerful opioid narcotic painkiller, such as Oxycontin or Vicodin. These drugs have eased the pain of millions, but have also become lucrative street drugs that are used by millions of people not for pain control, but to get high.”
10.