Posted by fredjoiners on June 7, 2008
Recovery Focused Approach to Tackling Drug Use in Scotland
Scotland’s first national drugs strategy The Road to Recovery: A New Approach to Tackling Scotland’s Drug Problem was launched on May 29, 2008. The Government believes that preventing drug use is more effective than treating established drug problems and that treatment services in Scotland should be based on the principle of recovery.
The key priorities are:
- better prevention of drug problems, with improved life chances for children and young people
- more people recovering from problem drug use
- communities that are safer and stronger places to live and work
- ensuring that children affected by parental substance use are safer
- improving the effectiveness of delivery at a national and local level
The Government’s vision for how drug treatment services in Scotland should be delivered is based on the principle that recovery should be the explicit aim of all services providing treatment and rehabilitation for people with problem drug use.
‘Recovery’ is the principle that people suffering from problem drug use should receive support which does more than just reduce the immediate risks and harms of addiction. Individuals become active participants in their own care, moving forward in the hope and belief that they will get better.
What do we mean by recovery?
We mean a process through which an individual is enabled to move on from their problem drug use, towards a drug-free life as an active and contributing member of society. Recovery is most effective when service users’ needs and aspirations are placed at the centre of their care and treatment. There is no right or wrong way to recover.
The Road to Recovery sets out the Government’s vision of recovery as an achievable goal for people with problem drug use and the actions it intends to carry out to promote a shared understanding of how to promote and support recovery. These include establishing and supporting a ‘recovery network’, building the capacity of services which can help services users choose the treatment that is right for them, and ensuring that the principles of recovery are reflected in the reform of delivery arrangements and in training and workforce development programmes.
Posted in Comorbidity, Doctors, Drugs, Dual Diagnosis, Harm Reduction, Health, Marijuana, Recovery, Research reports, Training, addiction, alcohol, treatment | Tagged: Scotland | No Comments »
Posted by fredjoiners on April 26, 2008
Pot Plus Alcohol Kills Young Rats Brain Cells
A mix of THC, the main mood changing drug in marijuana / cannabis, and mildly intoxicating doses of alcohol caused widespread nerve cell death in the brains of young rats, a German study finds.
Rats were used as they have similar biology to humans. Thus, this finding may also occur in people who drink and use marijuana.
Researchers in Berlin, administered THC, a synthetic form of THC, alcohol, an anticonvulsant, and a sedative to rats between one and 14 days old.
A previous study by the same team found that ethanol and drugs such as sedatives, anesthetics and anticonvulsants caused extensive nerve cell death in the brains of young rodents. The new study was conducted to determine if THC caused similar harm.
The researchers found that THC and synthetic THC did not cause nerve cell death when administered alone. But, did cause cell death when given with mildly intoxicating amounts of alcohol. The combined effect increased according to the dose of THC and was strongest when the rats were seven days old.
More studies are needed to examine how THC boosts alcohol’s harmful effects on the developing brain, the researchers said.
- The German group noted that marijuana is among the most commonly used illicit drugs by women during their childbearing years. There’s growing concern that use of marijuana, either alone or in combination with other drugs, during pregnancy may harm fetal brain development.
The study was published in the journal Annals of Neurology, from a news release, April 2008
See also;
Posted in Brain, Cannabis, Drugs, Marijuana, Research reports, alcohol, women | No Comments »
Posted by fredjoiners on April 11, 2008
Lead Poisoning Due to Adulterated Marijuana
The 10 April 2008 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine describes that during a period of 3 to 4 months in Leipzig, Germany (population 650,000), 29 patients were admitted to hospital with lead poisoning, and it emerged that they were all regular users of marijuana.
A further 95 people were found to have elevated lead levels on testing offered following detection of this problem.
Analysis of home supplies of marijuana detected high lead levels, and lead particles were visible in one sample. The patients had consumed only 2 to 9 joints per week.
Symptoms included;
- Nausea,
- Vomiting,
- Weight Loss,
- Fatigue
- A blue line along the gums (Burton’s Line)
- Polyneuropathy (Many nerves malfunctioning at once)
- Headache
- Insomnia
- Altered Hemoglobin levels, and
- Elevated blood levels of lead
The authors of the letter hypothesise that lead particles were added to increase the weight of the samples sold by weight. Lead in the samples examined constituted 10% of the weight, translating into a profit of US$1,500 per kilogram of ‘marijuana’.
Lead particles smoked in a joint, which has a core temperature of 1200 degrees C, are effectively absorbed in the respiratory tract.
This just shows what some people will do to make a profit!
See also;
Posted in Cannabis, Drugs, Marijuana | Tagged: Germany, Lead, lead poisoning, New England, symptoms | No Comments »
