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Between the sheets Today's drug and alcohol news

Between the sheets Today's drug and alcohol news Between the sheets Today’s drug and alcohol news Drug deaths fall Drugs cheaper than ever Recent Home Office figures show yet another drop in illicit drug prices. Since again … 1999 prices for all drugs, including cannabis, heroin and cocaine all fell – some The latest national statistics show the by as much as two thirds. number of drug-related deaths has fall- Herbal cannabis is now on average £72 an ounce, compared to £89 an ounce en for the third year. in 1999. Ecstasy, that cost £11 in 1999, can now be bought for £4 on average – According to the Office for National with reports that in some areas, such as Newcastle, a pill can cost as low as £1. Statistics (ONS) the number of deaths Heroin and crack both fell two, by roughly 10%. related to drug misuse in England and Cheapest place to buy drugs is the South of England, with Brighton top (or bot- Wales fell from 1,565 in 2002 to 1,388 tom in terms of price) of the table.There a gram of cocaine can be bought for as in 2003.The decrease was confined to little as £40, almost half the price it was for the UK as a whole in the early 1990s. males, although numbers of deaths were still much higher for males than Drug price trends for UK, 1999 to 2004 females. Herbal Cannabis Cocaine Crack Heroin Ecstasy The number of deaths from heroin Cannabis Resin (£ per or morphine abuse fell again from 790 (£ per ounce) (£ per ounce) (£ per gram) 0.2g rock) (£ per gram) (£ per dose) in 2002 to 59, the lowest figure since 1999 89 100 63 20 65 11 1997.The number of deaths involving 2000 82 85 65 23 70 9 methadone also fell from 216 in 2002 2001 80 77 60 21 63 7 to 175 deaths, the lowest figure since 2002 83 81 56 20 61 6 1993.The number of deaths involving 2003 72 66 55 19 62 5 antidepressants increased from 392 in 2004 72 61 51 18 55 4 2002 to 424, in contrast to decreases in each year since 1996. Sniffer-dogs success ‘not substantiated’ ... While alcohol Less than 2% of pupils took part in evaluations of the Buckinghamshire school sniffer-dogs pilot recently branded ‘a proven success’, Druglink deaths continue magazine has revealed. to rise The study, involving six schools in Buckinghamshire, said the dogs were a While drug deaths fall, the number of ‘hit’ with pupils and parents, with ‘82% of children’ saying it was a good idea people dying from alcohol use contin- for dogs to visit the school. ues to rise. Figures from the ONS show However, Druglink highlights that less than 2% of the 5,500 pupils deaths related to alcohol use rose to involved returned questionnaires evaluating the pilot and almost half of 6,580 in 2003 in England and Wales – these expressed concerns about being sniffed by dogs, the most common up from 5,970 in 2001. being ‘fear of dogs’. Drugs organisa- There are large regional variations, tions also voiced concerns about the with the North West and the North evaluation of the experiment. ‘The East coming top, at almost double the real measure of success is not English average (15.1 compared with whether young people like having 7.7 deaths per 100,000 population), the dogs [in school] but how effec- while the East of England, the South tive the dogs are at deterring drug West and the South East had the low- use,’ said Andrew Brown, Co-ordina- est, although London, the West tor of the Drug Education Forum. Midlands and Wales all had high levels Harry Shapiro, Editor of Druglink of alcohol-related deaths.The highest commented: ‘The majority of school- death area was Blackpool. aged children do not use drugs, and In 2003 males accounted for almost recent surveys have even shown a two thirds of the total number of drop in drug use amongst this age deaths.The male death rate, at 15.8 group.Yet we are seeing the intro- deaths per 100,000 population, was duction of increasingly extreme twice the rate for females (7.6 deaths and intrusive procedures in per 100,000 population). schools such as sniffer dogs and The ONS report can be found at random drug testing without any www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.as real evaluations or evidence of the p?vlnk=13614&More=n BACKGROUND efficacy of such policies.’ 04 Drugs and Alcohol Today • Volume 5 Issue 1 • May 2005 © Pavilion http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Drugs and Alcohol Today Emerald Publishing

Between the sheets Today's drug and alcohol news

Drugs and Alcohol Today , Volume 5 (1): 1 – May 1, 2005
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Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © Emerald Group Publishing Limited
ISSN
1745-9265
DOI
10.1108/17459265200500002
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Abstract

Between the sheets Today’s drug and alcohol news Drug deaths fall Drugs cheaper than ever Recent Home Office figures show yet another drop in illicit drug prices. Since again … 1999 prices for all drugs, including cannabis, heroin and cocaine all fell – some The latest national statistics show the by as much as two thirds. number of drug-related deaths has fall- Herbal cannabis is now on average £72 an ounce, compared to £89 an ounce en for the third year. in 1999. Ecstasy, that cost £11 in 1999, can now be bought for £4 on average – According to the Office for National with reports that in some areas, such as Newcastle, a pill can cost as low as £1. Statistics (ONS) the number of deaths Heroin and crack both fell two, by roughly 10%. related to drug misuse in England and Cheapest place to buy drugs is the South of England, with Brighton top (or bot- Wales fell from 1,565 in 2002 to 1,388 tom in terms of price) of the table.There a gram of cocaine can be bought for as in 2003.The decrease was confined to little as £40, almost half the price it was for the UK as a whole in the early 1990s. males, although numbers of deaths were still much higher for males than Drug price trends for UK, 1999 to 2004 females. Herbal Cannabis Cocaine Crack Heroin Ecstasy The number of deaths from heroin Cannabis Resin (£ per or morphine abuse fell again from 790 (£ per ounce) (£ per ounce) (£ per gram) 0.2g rock) (£ per gram) (£ per dose) in 2002 to 59, the lowest figure since 1999 89 100 63 20 65 11 1997.The number of deaths involving 2000 82 85 65 23 70 9 methadone also fell from 216 in 2002 2001 80 77 60 21 63 7 to 175 deaths, the lowest figure since 2002 83 81 56 20 61 6 1993.The number of deaths involving 2003 72 66 55 19 62 5 antidepressants increased from 392 in 2004 72 61 51 18 55 4 2002 to 424, in contrast to decreases in each year since 1996. Sniffer-dogs success ‘not substantiated’ ... While alcohol Less than 2% of pupils took part in evaluations of the Buckinghamshire school sniffer-dogs pilot recently branded ‘a proven success’, Druglink deaths continue magazine has revealed. to rise The study, involving six schools in Buckinghamshire, said the dogs were a While drug deaths fall, the number of ‘hit’ with pupils and parents, with ‘82% of children’ saying it was a good idea people dying from alcohol use contin- for dogs to visit the school. ues to rise. Figures from the ONS show However, Druglink highlights that less than 2% of the 5,500 pupils deaths related to alcohol use rose to involved returned questionnaires evaluating the pilot and almost half of 6,580 in 2003 in England and Wales – these expressed concerns about being sniffed by dogs, the most common up from 5,970 in 2001. being ‘fear of dogs’. Drugs organisa- There are large regional variations, tions also voiced concerns about the with the North West and the North evaluation of the experiment. ‘The East coming top, at almost double the real measure of success is not English average (15.1 compared with whether young people like having 7.7 deaths per 100,000 population), the dogs [in school] but how effec- while the East of England, the South tive the dogs are at deterring drug West and the South East had the low- use,’ said Andrew Brown, Co-ordina- est, although London, the West tor of the Drug Education Forum. Midlands and Wales all had high levels Harry Shapiro, Editor of Druglink of alcohol-related deaths.The highest commented: ‘The majority of school- death area was Blackpool. aged children do not use drugs, and In 2003 males accounted for almost recent surveys have even shown a two thirds of the total number of drop in drug use amongst this age deaths.The male death rate, at 15.8 group.Yet we are seeing the intro- deaths per 100,000 population, was duction of increasingly extreme twice the rate for females (7.6 deaths and intrusive procedures in per 100,000 population). schools such as sniffer dogs and The ONS report can be found at random drug testing without any www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.as real evaluations or evidence of the p?vlnk=13614&More=n BACKGROUND efficacy of such policies.’ 04 Drugs and Alcohol Today • Volume 5 Issue 1 • May 2005 © Pavilion

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Drugs and Alcohol Today – Emerald Publishing

Published: May 1, 2005

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