Author Archives: James

News of substance – drugs in the worldwide news

1. Courier Post Online (USA) Flying High: American Drug Policy. “Drug abuse has been on the rise in the United States since the late 1960s. Today, an estimated five million people in the country are living with a severe drug or alcohol addiction. When left untreated, drug and alcohol addiction costs the country approximately $276 billion in lost productivity, law enforcement, healthcare, justice, welfare, and other programs and services. Drug addiction can have a devastating impact on an individual and society because addicts have little concern for anything other than their next high. As a result, existing obligations in their life are often ignored. Addicts lose their employment, homes, families, health, and even their lives.”

2. TriCities.com – Prescription Drug Addiction Has Unlikely Victims. “Lia Johnson sat shackled in a vacant, windowless room in the bowels of the Abingdon regional jail one afternoon in March. The young mother was handcuffed and zipped into an orange jumpsuit. Between her and the cool, spring breeze outside were two armed guards, a long hallway and two sets of fortified doors.”

3. Medical News Today – Benefits In Chronic Pain Outweigh Risks For Painkiller Abuse. “As controversy swirls about proper clinical use of opioids and other potent pain medications, research reported at the American Pain Society annual meeting shows that, contrary to widespread beliefs, less than 3 percent of patients with no history of drug abuse who are prescribed opioids for chronic pain will show signs of possible drug abuse or dependence.”

4. WKYC.com – Study: Marijuana use in teens could worsen depression. “Teens looking to alleviate depression with marijuana and other drugs may be making their situation worse.
According to a study by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, marijuana use can not only make depression worse, but can also lead to more serious mental disorders, such as schizophrenia and anxiety.”

5. Red Orbit – When the Internet Becomes Too Much. “One of the year’s top tech trends is Internet addiction, according to J. Walter Thompson, the advertising agency powerhouse. What’s old is new again. “Internet addiction has been a concern since the dawn of the Web,” acknowledges Ann Mack, the agency’s “director of trend spotting.” It may not be a new trend, but it remains an important one. Mack points to online discussions, Internet gambling, online porn, and interactive role-playing games. But, just about everything about the Internet can snag you in one way or another.”

6. Science Centric – Homeless youth need more than treatment for substance abuse, study says. “A new study of homeless youth suggests that treating substance abuse and mental health problems may not be enough to help get teens off the streets. Instead, researchers found that creating more opportunities for work, education and medical care were the most important factors in reducing homelessness.”

Budget 2008 – binge drinking is it?

I’m a bit of a budget junkie – particularly when a new government is in power. So tonight I watched the whole shebang closely and was struck by one thing in particular: the prevention versus treatment status quo is certainly not under threat.

Just over 3 billion over five years for prevention versus the 10 billion health infrastructure fund (read: hospitals and MRI machines). That 10 billion is in addition to the current health budget which is totally dominated by non-prevention activities. The Rudd government is obsessed by binge drinking and alcopops but there’s not a lot else on offer. Or am I being too cynical?

The ANCD have released the breakdown of specific initiatives:

The 2008–09 Federal Budget revealed the following funding:

National Binge Drinking Strategy

$53.5 million over 4 years to reduce binge drinking and its associated harms around the nation – from existing funding.

‘Alcopops’ Legislative Change

An increase in the excise and excise‑equivalent customs duty rate applying to ‘other excisable beverages not exceeding 10 per cent by volume of alcohol’ from $39.36 per litre of alcohol content to the full strength spirits rate of $66.67 per litre of alcohol content on and from 27 April 2008.

Closing the Gap in Indigenous Health

$49.3 million over 4 years through COAG to improve access to drug and alcohol services – this doubles the previous 2006 COAG commitment – new funding

$14.5 million over 4 years in the Indigenous Tobacco Control Initiative to help tackle high rates of smoking in Indigenous communities – from existing funding

$9.8 million for 22 remote communities to receive support and assistance from a local Aboriginal family and community worker and/or a safe house and a mobile child-protection team based in Darwin will continue to support families in remote communities

$9.5 million for alcohol diversionary activities for young people between 12 and 18 years offering a range of safe and healthy alternatives to drinking and other substance abuse

Additional Funding for the National Tobacco Strategy

$15.0 million over 4 years to help reduce the health problems caused by smoking and to reduce smoking rates among young people – new funding

Illicit Drug Use National Education Strategy – targeting people using methamphetamines

A national education and marketing strategy to encourage ‘ice’ users to quit – from existing funding

Links Between Drug Use & Mental Illness Community Campaign

$9.7 million in savings expected

National Psychostimulants Initiative

$4.0 million in savings expected

RecLink Program

$2.3 million over 4 years to improve the lives and opportunities for Australians suffering from drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, social discrimination and homelessness – new funding.

Model Code of Conduct for National Sporting Organisations

$20.1 million over 4 years to implement a model framework and code of conduct for national sporting organisations to address the issue of illicit drug use by athletes – from existing funding.

National Advisory Council on Mental Health

To be established from existing funding

Mental Health Nurses Training Subsidy

$35.0 million over 4 years to increase the number and value of postgraduate mental health nurse and psychology scholarships – new funding.

Night  Patrols

A total of $17.7 million has been allocated for community night patrols over the 2008-2009 financial year. Night patrols to make remote Indigenous communities safer and more secure for families and children will continue as part of the Australian Government’s commitment to implementing the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER). The additional funding will enable the continued operation of night patrol services in the 73 communities covered by the NTER.

Australian Federal Police

The AFP will receive funding of $47.0 million to deploy additional sworn members to assist in capacity building and narcotic roles in Afghanistan.

The deployment of 66 additional Australian Federal Police as part of the NTER.

Australian Crime Commission

The Australian Crime Commission will receive a further $4.2 million to continue the work of the National Indigenous Violence and Child Abuse Intelligence Task Force

Customs

Australia’s port security and border protection capabilities will be strengthened by $16.0 million over the next four years to increase its container examination capacity at four key regional seaports. Funding will be provided to assist in the identification and interception of illegal and potentially dangerous goods.

I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts – if you had a 21 billion surplus, what would you spend it on?

Career Medical Officer – Sydney

“The Kirketon Road Centre (KRC) is a primary health care facility located in Kings Cross, which is involved in the prevention, treatment and care of HIV/AIDs and other transmissible infections among ‘at risk’ young people, sex workers and injecting drug users. It also operates a low threshold methadone access program (MAP) which targets street-based opioid dependent injecting drug users (IDUs) who have had difficulty accessing or being retained in other methadone treatment programs. This position is responsible for the provision of day-to-day, quality medical care for KRC clients within the framework of primary health care as well assessment and treatment of marginalised IDUs.

Career Medical Officer :up to 36 hours/ Week Permanent P/T

Essentials:

Medical Practitioner fully registered in NSW At least two years relevant postgraduate clinical experience Commitment to harm minimisation philosophies

Desirables

Postgraduate training and or experience in primary care, alcohol and other drugs, sexual health, HIV medicine, women’s health, adolescent health

Contact: Dr Craig Rodgers 02 93602766,

Full Details on

http://www7.health.nsw.gov.au/healthjobs/Default.cfm?ID=1234&ID_HJJobs=5 “

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 cokemebeli. “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”