Heroin is now more widespread than cannabis inside prisons in England and Wales, according to the results of an official random drug testing programme.
Ministry of Justice data published yesterday shows that at two prisons - Erlestoke in Wiltshire and Featherstone in Wolverhampton - 16% of inmates tested positive for heroin. Across 101 prisons, 4.2% of inmates tested positive for heroin and 4% for cannabis.
The survey, carried out between February and April last year, was commissioned because of increasing concern about the growing misuse of a heroin substitute called Subutex - a prescription drug used in drug treatment programmes.
It confirmed claims that the use of Subutex - also known as buprenorphine - had spread "like wildfire" across the prison estate. Prisoners tested positive for Subutex use in 87 out of 139 jails - 50 of which had found no trace of the drug in previous drug testing programmes.
The Prison Service was also alarmed to find that in 11 prisons Subutex had overtaken heroin and cannabis as the most misused drug - many of them in the north-east, Yorkshire and Humberside areas. At Holme House prison on Teesside more than 20% of inmates tested positive for the drug. "The misuse of buprenorphine had grown to be a more significant problem," concluded the report, which was commissioned by the National Offender Management Service.
The justice minister, David Hanson, said yesterday the results justified the introduction of mandatory drug testing for the opiate substitute across all prisons from next month. "Prisoners will also be reminded of the drug treatment options available in prisons."
He said the random drug testing programme had shown that drug abuse inside jails in England and Wales had fallen from 24.4% of inmates testing positive in 1997 to 8.8% last year.
The decision to extend the programme of mandatory drug testing follows the announcement on Monday that David Blakey, former president of the Association of Chief Police Officers and chief constable of West Mercia, is to head an inquiry into the illicit supply of drugs into prisons.
The evidence of heroin abuse follows claims over the years that drug tests provide a perverse incentive for class A drug abuse because the active ingredients of cannabis remain in the bloodstream for much longer than opiates.
The Prison Service points out that on average 55% of inmates are problem drug users and some prisons report up to 80% of new inmates testing positive for class A drugs on reception. Governors argue that given this high level of abuse among new prisoners it is not surprising to see such a high demand for drugs in prison.
source: http://www.guardian.co.uk
Showing posts with label society. Show all posts
Showing posts with label society. Show all posts
Friday, March 14, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
The price is wrong for our drinking problem
It would be disingenuous to claim that increased taxation represents the "silver bullet" when it comes to Britain's problematic relationship with alcohol.
Indeed, research makes it clear that the drivers of consumption are complex. However, a genuinely effective harm reduction strategy requires both controls on the supply and the demand for alcohol.
For that reason, Alcohol Concern continues to argue for multi-faceted work that incorporates consistent, high quality information for consumers, greater corporate social responsibility on the part of the drinks industry, better treatment and support for chronic drinkers to bring their drinking down to more sustainable levels, and, inevitably, tighter controls on price.
The view that the price of alcohol influences how much a society drinks is one that is shared by virtually the entire international public health community. Alcohol now costs the British drinker less than half what it did in 1980.
At the same time, more than eight million people drink at harmful levels in the UK. We also know that chronic alcohol-related conditions like liver disease have multiplied by nearly 200 per cent in the last 10 years, and that there is now a clear trend towards people dying from alcohol-related causes at younger ages than before. The social and economic cost is also considerable – the Cabinet Office estimates it to be in the region of £20bn.
Developments like these have led us to argue that the Government needs to increase taxes on alcohol in today's Budget to the extent that there is a 10 per cent increase in prices across the board. Analytical work predicts that such a price rise would cut premature, alcohol-related deaths by up to 37 per cent in this country. This work is complemented by a range of other studies that have also found that increasing the price of alcohol can reduce road accidents and fatalities, workplace injuries, deaths from cirrhosis of the liver and various kinds of violent crime.
Cheap alcohol is particularly relevant for under age, and heavy drinkers. The fact that teenagers are now drinking twice as much as they did 20 years ago is very likely to be related to alcohol's growing affordability.
In November last year, Alcohol Concern collected price information from random supermarket branches throughout London. The aim was to discover how far a teenager's allowance could actually go for those who manage to buy alcohol, either in person, or through a proxy.
It found that with the average teenager's weekly pocket money, a person can afford to buy as much as three times the daily recommended limit in premium alcohol brands alone.
Higher alcohol taxes would help to protect young people by curtailing their ability to source alcohol independently.
Raising alcohol taxes has the added advantage of helping to dismantle certain health inequalities. People from professional or "middle class" homes are far more likely to buy alcohol regularly, and to drink above the recommended levels, yet "alcohol-related harm" is borne largely by those from routine or manual backgrounds.
There is ample evidence to suggest that price increases t
hrough taxation would have an effect on consumption levels for those for whom alcohol takes up a large proportion of their income.
Driving down the amount that people from poorer backgrounds drink may therefore reduce the disproportionate health burden that heavy drinkers in those groups bear.
To achieve these aims, prices would need to rise uniformly across the drinks market. At the moment, supermarkets and other major off-licence chains have enough purchasing power to demand that drinks producers absorb any increases in duty rates so that they can continue selling alcohol at deep discounts.
To protect the integrity of alcohol taxes, we propose therefore that the Government needs additionally to introduce legislation to prevent both the on and off trade from selling below a fixed retail price.
source: Yorkshire Post
Indeed, research makes it clear that the drivers of consumption are complex. However, a genuinely effective harm reduction strategy requires both controls on the supply and the demand for alcohol.
For that reason, Alcohol Concern continues to argue for multi-faceted work that incorporates consistent, high quality information for consumers, greater corporate social responsibility on the part of the drinks industry, better treatment and support for chronic drinkers to bring their drinking down to more sustainable levels, and, inevitably, tighter controls on price.
The view that the price of alcohol influences how much a society drinks is one that is shared by virtually the entire international public health community. Alcohol now costs the British drinker less than half what it did in 1980.
At the same time, more than eight million people drink at harmful levels in the UK. We also know that chronic alcohol-related conditions like liver disease have multiplied by nearly 200 per cent in the last 10 years, and that there is now a clear trend towards people dying from alcohol-related causes at younger ages than before. The social and economic cost is also considerable – the Cabinet Office estimates it to be in the region of £20bn.
Developments like these have led us to argue that the Government needs to increase taxes on alcohol in today's Budget to the extent that there is a 10 per cent increase in prices across the board. Analytical work predicts that such a price rise would cut premature, alcohol-related deaths by up to 37 per cent in this country. This work is complemented by a range of other studies that have also found that increasing the price of alcohol can reduce road accidents and fatalities, workplace injuries, deaths from cirrhosis of the liver and various kinds of violent crime.
Cheap alcohol is particularly relevant for under age, and heavy drinkers. The fact that teenagers are now drinking twice as much as they did 20 years ago is very likely to be related to alcohol's growing affordability.
In November last year, Alcohol Concern collected price information from random supermarket branches throughout London. The aim was to discover how far a teenager's allowance could actually go for those who manage to buy alcohol, either in person, or through a proxy.
It found that with the average teenager's weekly pocket money, a person can afford to buy as much as three times the daily recommended limit in premium alcohol brands alone.
Higher alcohol taxes would help to protect young people by curtailing their ability to source alcohol independently.
Raising alcohol taxes has the added advantage of helping to dismantle certain health inequalities. People from professional or "middle class" homes are far more likely to buy alcohol regularly, and to drink above the recommended levels, yet "alcohol-related harm" is borne largely by those from routine or manual backgrounds.
There is ample evidence to suggest that price increases t
hrough taxation would have an effect on consumption levels for those for whom alcohol takes up a large proportion of their income.
Driving down the amount that people from poorer backgrounds drink may therefore reduce the disproportionate health burden that heavy drinkers in those groups bear.
To achieve these aims, prices would need to rise uniformly across the drinks market. At the moment, supermarkets and other major off-licence chains have enough purchasing power to demand that drinks producers absorb any increases in duty rates so that they can continue selling alcohol at deep discounts.
To protect the integrity of alcohol taxes, we propose therefore that the Government needs additionally to introduce legislation to prevent both the on and off trade from selling below a fixed retail price.
source: Yorkshire Post
Friday, February 22, 2008
Alcohol problem costs lives
People with alcohol problems are dying before they can get help because of a desperate shortage of services in Salisbury, say experts in the field.
Despite soaring levels of alcoholism, Wiltshire only has one in-patient bed with a six-month waiting list - and alcoholics needing a home detoxification programme face an eight-week wait before they are seen.
Now, a non-profit making organisation, Step Aside, aims to raise £6,000 to open a therapy service in the city centre and help alcoholics before it is too late.
The project is being backed by GPs and nurses throughout Salisbury who feel frustrated at the time it takes for alcoholics to get the help they need.
"The situation is just getting worse and worse and services are at breaking point," said senior practice nurse at St Ann Street Surgery, Tracey Brignall-Roe.
"It used to be relatively rare someone came to me with an alcohol problem, now it seems to be every week.
advertisement
"But once people have taken the brave step to ask for help they need it straight away and, as a medical professional, you feel so helpless telling them there will be such a long wait.
"There are people falling through the net and dying as a result."
Last month, 30-year-old alcoholic Jack Croft died when he fell into the River Avon.
He started drinking at the age of 15 and his family, who are calling for more funding for services, were once told they would have to wait six months for Jack to receive help.
Step Aside was formed last year to offer counselling, support groups, detox programmes and advice with the help of a six-month grant.
When the money ran out, founder of the organisation, Thalia Shannon-Eyers, who used to work for Clouds House at East Knoyle and The Priory, and a team of volunteers pledged to carry on their work.
"We currently have about 40 people we help but with no money it is very hard to promote ourselves and keep going," said Thalia.
"But I believe everybody deserves a second chance in life and we don't want to shut the door on anyone."
Thalia's mission is to take over premises on Fisherton Street so they can help more people overcome their alcohol addiction.
"Alcoholism affects every profession, all ages, all religions and all walks of life," she said.
"And for every one person we help, there are many more suffering in silence because they feel ashamed and guilty."
The NHS, alongside a number of other charities and organisations, also runs projects to help alcoholics in Salisbury.
But as demand increases, there are calls for more to be done.
"We feel alcoholics have a right to care," said Tracey.
"They don't ask for a drink problem any more than anyone wants to get cancer or diabetes.
"This is an illness and I feel it's time we all worked together to stop more tragedies happening in Salisbury in the future."
___
source: This Is Wiltshire
Despite soaring levels of alcoholism, Wiltshire only has one in-patient bed with a six-month waiting list - and alcoholics needing a home detoxification programme face an eight-week wait before they are seen.
Now, a non-profit making organisation, Step Aside, aims to raise £6,000 to open a therapy service in the city centre and help alcoholics before it is too late.
The project is being backed by GPs and nurses throughout Salisbury who feel frustrated at the time it takes for alcoholics to get the help they need.
"The situation is just getting worse and worse and services are at breaking point," said senior practice nurse at St Ann Street Surgery, Tracey Brignall-Roe.
"It used to be relatively rare someone came to me with an alcohol problem, now it seems to be every week.
advertisement
"But once people have taken the brave step to ask for help they need it straight away and, as a medical professional, you feel so helpless telling them there will be such a long wait.
"There are people falling through the net and dying as a result."
Last month, 30-year-old alcoholic Jack Croft died when he fell into the River Avon.
He started drinking at the age of 15 and his family, who are calling for more funding for services, were once told they would have to wait six months for Jack to receive help.
Step Aside was formed last year to offer counselling, support groups, detox programmes and advice with the help of a six-month grant.
When the money ran out, founder of the organisation, Thalia Shannon-Eyers, who used to work for Clouds House at East Knoyle and The Priory, and a team of volunteers pledged to carry on their work.
"We currently have about 40 people we help but with no money it is very hard to promote ourselves and keep going," said Thalia.
"But I believe everybody deserves a second chance in life and we don't want to shut the door on anyone."
Thalia's mission is to take over premises on Fisherton Street so they can help more people overcome their alcohol addiction.
"Alcoholism affects every profession, all ages, all religions and all walks of life," she said.
"And for every one person we help, there are many more suffering in silence because they feel ashamed and guilty."
The NHS, alongside a number of other charities and organisations, also runs projects to help alcoholics in Salisbury.
But as demand increases, there are calls for more to be done.
"We feel alcoholics have a right to care," said Tracey.
"They don't ask for a drink problem any more than anyone wants to get cancer or diabetes.
"This is an illness and I feel it's time we all worked together to stop more tragedies happening in Salisbury in the future."
___
source: This Is Wiltshire
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Minorities less likely to get narcotics for pain
CHICAGO (AP) — Emergency-room doctors are prescribing strong narcotics more often to patients who complain of pain, but minorities are less likely to get them than whites, a study finds.
Even for the severe pain of kidney stones, minorities were prescribed narcotics such as oxycodone and morphine less frequently than whites.
The analysis of more than 150,000 emergency-room visits over 13 years found differences in prescribing by race in both urban and rural hospitals, in all U.S. regions and for every type of pain.
"The gaps between whites and nonwhites have not appeared to close at all," said study co-author Dr. Mark Pletcher of the University of California at San Francisco.
The study appears in today"s Journal of the American Medical Association. Prescribing narcotics for pain in emergency rooms rose during the study, from 23 percent of those complaining of pain in 1993 to 37 percent in 2005.
The increase coincided with changing attitudes among doctors who now regard pain management as a key to healing. Doctors in accredited hospitals must ask patients about pain, just as they monitor vital signs such as temperature and pulse.
Even with the increase, the racial gap endured. Linda Simoni-Wastila of the University of Maryland at Baltimore's School of Pharmacy said the race-gap finding may reveal some doctors' suspicions that minority patients could be drug abusers lying about pain to get narcotics.
The irony, she said, is that blacks are the least likely group to abuse prescription drugs. Hispanics are becoming as likely as whites to abuse prescription opioids and stimulants, according to her research. She was not involved in the current study.
In the study, opioid narcotics were prescribed in 31 percent of the pain-related visits involving whites, 28 percent for Asians, 24 percent for Hispanics and 23 percent for blacks.
Minorities were slightly more likely than whites to get aspirin, ibuprofen and similar drugs for pain.
The study's authors said doctors may be less likely to see signs of painkiller abuse in white patients, or they may be undertreating pain in minority patients.
Patient behavior may play a role, Dr. Pletcher said. Minority patients "may be less likely to keep complaining about their pain or feel they deserve good pain control," he said.
Stricter protocols for prescribing narcotics may help close the gap.
A New York hospital recently studied its emergency patients and found no racial disparity in narcotics prescribed for broken bones. Montefiore Medical Center aggressively treats pain and is developing protocols for painkillers that dictate initial dosages and times to check with patients to determine whether they need more pain medicine, said Dr. David Esses, emergency department associate director at Montefiore.
Such standards may eliminate racial disparities, Dr. Esses said.
source: The Washington Times
Even for the severe pain of kidney stones, minorities were prescribed narcotics such as oxycodone and morphine less frequently than whites.
The analysis of more than 150,000 emergency-room visits over 13 years found differences in prescribing by race in both urban and rural hospitals, in all U.S. regions and for every type of pain.
"The gaps between whites and nonwhites have not appeared to close at all," said study co-author Dr. Mark Pletcher of the University of California at San Francisco.
The study appears in today"s Journal of the American Medical Association. Prescribing narcotics for pain in emergency rooms rose during the study, from 23 percent of those complaining of pain in 1993 to 37 percent in 2005.
The increase coincided with changing attitudes among doctors who now regard pain management as a key to healing. Doctors in accredited hospitals must ask patients about pain, just as they monitor vital signs such as temperature and pulse.
Even with the increase, the racial gap endured. Linda Simoni-Wastila of the University of Maryland at Baltimore's School of Pharmacy said the race-gap finding may reveal some doctors' suspicions that minority patients could be drug abusers lying about pain to get narcotics.
The irony, she said, is that blacks are the least likely group to abuse prescription drugs. Hispanics are becoming as likely as whites to abuse prescription opioids and stimulants, according to her research. She was not involved in the current study.
In the study, opioid narcotics were prescribed in 31 percent of the pain-related visits involving whites, 28 percent for Asians, 24 percent for Hispanics and 23 percent for blacks.
Minorities were slightly more likely than whites to get aspirin, ibuprofen and similar drugs for pain.
The study's authors said doctors may be less likely to see signs of painkiller abuse in white patients, or they may be undertreating pain in minority patients.
Patient behavior may play a role, Dr. Pletcher said. Minority patients "may be less likely to keep complaining about their pain or feel they deserve good pain control," he said.
Stricter protocols for prescribing narcotics may help close the gap.
A New York hospital recently studied its emergency patients and found no racial disparity in narcotics prescribed for broken bones. Montefiore Medical Center aggressively treats pain and is developing protocols for painkillers that dictate initial dosages and times to check with patients to determine whether they need more pain medicine, said Dr. David Esses, emergency department associate director at Montefiore.
Such standards may eliminate racial disparities, Dr. Esses said.
source: The Washington Times
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Doctors say government needs to implement tougher alcohol laws
Leading doctors feel that measures to curb alcohol drinking through education have failed and that the government must adopt tougher laws to curb binge drinking in the country. Suggested measures include banning alcohol, increasing its price and barring its widespread distribution.
Dr Ian Gilmore, President of the Royal College of Physicians and Dr Nick Sheron, a liver specialist at Southampton University Hospital said that alcohol had become a major public health concern and attempts to change public behavior by encouraging quitting were not working.
"How many more lives will be damaged by alcohol in the UK before our governments decide to tackle the problem with measures that are likely to work?" the doctors asked in the Christmas edition of the British Medical Journal.
They added that the deaths linked to alcohol use were in fact more than those caused by a combination of breast cancer, cervical cancer and MRSA. In 2003 alcohol was lined to over 22,000 deaths and 150,000 hospital admissions.
"Between 780,000 and 1.3 million children are affected by their parents' use of alcohol - 30 to 60 per cent of child protection cases and 23 per cent of calls to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children about child abuse or child neglect involved drunken adults," they argued.
The doctors also said that the UK government would be benefitted by following the actions of erstwhile Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev, whose alcohol policies saved an estimated 1.2 million lives.
source: Earth Times
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Empty chair a reminder of addiction's toll
David Chalmers' parents, officials and Albany Drug Court graduates share bittersweet ceremony
ALBANY -- Graduates of Albany Drug Court remembered a "ray of sunshine," David Julian Chalmers.
He was 24 when he took his own life on Nov. 26, less than two weeks before graduation. His parents accepted their son's diploma posthumously at Friday's ceremony.
"David Chalmers has given all of us a life lesson here," said Albany County Judge Stephen Herrick, who asked for a moment of silence in his memory.Chalmers, of Loudonville, was an honors student who attended prep schools and colleges while cultivating a wide circle of friends. But he began abusing alcohol and drugs when he was 12 and later was diagnosed with psychological problems. He relapsed during previous attempts at sobriety before completing residential rehab and other requirements of drug court.
"Every one of you has to deal with your demons every day," Herrick said. "Do not become overwhelmed, and please remember, we're here to help you."
Dr. Paul Chalmers thanked Herrick and his drug court staff for treating his son and the others "with respect and dignity and love," and he congratulated the 22 graduates who accepted a diploma from the judge.
"You've all earned this day," he said, with his wife, Susan, and daughter, Anne, at his side. "We pray you continue to make the right decisions."
In an overflowing courtroom, the hourlong program was marked by laughter and tears and the occasional wail of a cranky toddler. Even the judge frequently dabbed a handkerchief at misty eyes.
One by one, 22 graduates shared grim tales of addiction and the toll it had exacted on families. Each expressed elation, albeit tentatively, over their momentary success.
Herrick noted that only 11 had reached graduation without an infraction, and that relapse and recidivism are not uncommon.
It was Herrick's largest class of graduates and its most diverse. They were black, white and Hispanic, women and men, ranging in age from 21 to 55, with addictions that included alcohol, crack, heroin and prescription drugs.
Among the group, 20 are employed, one is retired and one is a full-time college student.
There was one substance-free infant born to a graduate.
Herrick gave the best-dressed prize to Bruce Maddox, who wore a tuxedo. "Drug court is a miracle worker," Maddox said.
Linda Brace had the standing-room-only audience reaching for tissues when she described relapses, and losses of family members and property to addiction.
She expressed condolences to the Chalmers family and called David "a ray of sunshine."
Herrick urged the graduates to bask in their moment of hopefulness, but to beware of dark clouds ahead.
He urged them to establish "sober support networks" and to continue to work with an Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor to resist the temptation to drink and use drugs again.
A block away, on North Pearl Street, the bars were beginning to fill with early happy hour patrons, lured by drink specials.
source: Albany Times Union
By PAUL GRONDAHL, Staff writer. Grondahl can be reached at 454-5623 or by e-mail at pgrondahl@timesunion.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
