By Clare Jerrom.
Cannabis smokers will not be arrested
Cannabis smokers will no longer be arrested as a result of the first relaxation of British drug laws in 30 years.
Home secretary David Blunkett made the announcement yesterday, but said the laws had to be credible, particularly to young people. Cannabis would be moved from a Class B to a Class C drug, putting it in the same category as anti-depressants and steroids.
Blunkett denied the move was a step towards decriminalisation, but it means that cannabis users are unlikely to be prosecuted if caught with small amounts of the drug.
The maximum sentence for possession will be cut from five to two years, and the term for dealing cannabis from 14 to five years.
Police will be able to stop and search people suspected of having the drug, but they will not be able to arrest a person found in possession of the drug.
The decision is intended to free police time to concentrate on drugs such as heroin and cocaine, which are at the heart of the government’s anti-drugs strategy.
Source:- The Times Wednesday 24 October page 1
Beatle’s attacker was kicked out of psychiatric unit
The man with schizophrenia who stabbed former Beatle George Harrison after breaking into his home, was ordered out of a psychiatric unit six weeks before the attack.
An independent report into the care of former heroin addict Michael Abram found that his illness had not been treated for a considerable amount of time before the attack, despite contacts with drug and mental health services over the years.
In November 1999, Abram was removed from the ward after he "was deemed not to be suffering from any mental illness".
The report, commissioned by St Helens and Knowsley health authority found that the circumstances surrounding his discharge were unacceptable and not in accord with the hospital’s policy.
In December 1999, Abram broke into Harrison’s mansion and stabbed him 10 times in the chest. He was cleared of attempted murder on the grounds of temporary insanity, and detained indefinitely in a secure mental unit.
The report found significant failings, which stemmed from failures in the care system. The health authority and hospitals trust yesterday apologised to Harrison and his wife and to Abram and his family. They accepted they had failed to assess, and manage his mental health problems.
Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 24 October page 14
Elderly carers’ health ‘at risk from overwork’
Older people caring for their husbands, wives or siblings are putting their health at risk by working up to 50 hours a week, with little financial backing, a report said today.
Of six million carers in Britain, almost two million are aged over 60. Many are forced to live on low incomes in less than adequate conditions, the study from Help the Aged said.
‘Caring in Later Life’ found that a third of all carers over 75 provided 50 hours of care a week. Three quarters of people who lived with the person they cared for received no regular visits from social services.
The charity’s policy officer Gail Elkington said: "Older people who need care are increasingly being looked after by other older people – their husbands, wives, brothers and sisters. The NHS is planning for 50,000 more people to stay in their own homes, instead of residential care."
"But this must not be at the price of the health and well being of their carers," she added.
Source:- Daily Telegraph Wednesday 24 October page 19
Guardian Society
Purging of the demons
For East End children, the care home in the Essex countryside could have been idyllic. But one former resident recalls an horrific regime of abuse.
Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 24 October page 5
Role models
Praise for mental health media images
Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 24 October page 4
Pay-as-you-go-health
Call for higher rate taxpayers to fund own treatment
Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 24 October page 4
Called to book
The public wants charities to be subject to performance measures, but the sector is not convinced of their worth.
Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 24 October page 6
Shame faced
Pressures to publicise the names of children who receive anti-social behaviour orders is growing.
Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 24 October page 10
Soul friend
Sophie Petit-Zeman on a crisis house for mental health patients that’s become a radical alternative to hospital care.
Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 24 October page 104 – 103
Locked up emotions
New scheme to help young parents cope with being in jail.
Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 24 October page 103
