Recovery Plus: save time, save lives
News: stories symbolising trends to watch
White House merely
nicks drug control office
The White House administration was rumoured to
be eyeing a 95% cut to the Office of National Drug
Control Policy. But after pressure from Republican
and Democratic lawmakers, especially those in states
ravaged by the opioid epidemic, it is now proposing
$369million for the office in 2018, amounting to a 5%
cut. The White House proposal will give the office's
drug-free communities programme $92million; the
high-intensity drug trafficking programme will get
$246.5million ~ www.politico.com/story/2017/05/23/
trump-budget-drug-control-office-cuts-238720.
Also, to tackle the opioid crisis, Gary Mendell of
Shatterproof announced in April the formation of
the Substance Use Disorder Treatment Task Force
that will "ensure implementation of the most upto
date research findings, boosting the quality and
quantity of treatment which, ultimately, will lead to
more successful patient outcomes". Members of the
task force include political allies, potential business
partners, scientists and those who have been engaged
in opioid-related decision making ~ https://www.
shatterproof.org/substance-use-disorder-treatment-task-force.
Amid this, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse
and Alcoholism released its 2017-2021 strategic plan
for research which “builds on recent transformative
developments in basic research, prevention, diagnosis,
and treatment… as we seek to address the many
public health challenges caused by alcohol misuse”~
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/strategic-plan.
US drugs legalisation: updates
Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s policy on drugs has medical marijuana advocates worried. “We had thought
medical marijuana wasn’t really in play in terms of a crackdown,” George Soros’ Drug Policy Alliance said. Legalisers
are worried about their bluff being called and a distinction made between tested&approved ‘medical marijuana’
and recreational marijuana ~ https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/jeff-sessions-war-on-drugs-has-medicalmarijuana
advocates-worried/2017/05/12/0c0043ee-3738-11e7-b4ee-434b6d506b37_story.html.
US workers testing positive for illegal drugs hit 12-year high, with 1 in 25 testing positive. Detection of cocaine and
amphetamines went up significantly while marijuana positivity rose “dramatically” in the last three years, due in
part to legalisation ~ https://www.rt.com/usa/388589-drug-testing-workforce-study.
In brief: news across the world
GLOBAL DRUG SURVEY 2017: KEY FINDINGS gathered views of 115,523 people in
over 50 countries – but note that GDS recruits younger, more involved drug-using
populations, “to help spot emerging drugs trends before they enter into the general
population” ~ https://www.globaldrugsurvey.com/wp-content/themes/globaldrugsurvey/
results/GDS2017_key-findings-report_final.pdf.
FACES OF ADDICTION AND RECOVERY IN CANADA: The Canadian Centre on
Substance Use and Addiction presented the 1st Life in Recovery from Addiction in Canada
report in May, concluding that recovery is positive ~ www.ccsa.ca/Resource%20
Library/CCSA-Life-in-Recovery-from-Addiction-Report-at-a-Glance-2017-en.pdf.
EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR BINGE DRINKING IN ADOLESCENTS study by a
trio of German health institutions found that an intervention programme based
on school class groups has a preventive effect on subsequent drinking behaviour,
especially binge drinking, in adolescents who had previously consumed alcohol ~
https://www.aerzteblatt.de/int/archive/article?id=187987.
your library’s essential reference May/June 2017 11
