Recently in drugs Category

A poll of social workers has found a vast majority of them would like to see substance misuse added to the social work degree.

In a survey of 900 practitioners and students, the General Social Care Council found that 89% wanted initial training to cover drug and alcohol misuse. Only 11% said it should continue to be just offered within post-qualifying courses.

Hilary Burgess, a senior academic from Southampton University, agreed that all initial qualifying programmes should include this, but coverage should be weighed against other important issues such as abuse, parenting and mental health.

The survey follows a special report on drug abuse and social care by Community Care earlier this year, in which many campaigners called for compulsory training in substance misuse for social workers.

The British Association of Social Workers is calling for better pre- and post-qualifying training on how to deal with drug and alcohol problems among service users.

Last year, a Home Office-funded study found more than half of newly-qualified social workers felt inadequately prepared to work with people with drug and alcohol problems. Since then, little has changed.

The news that scientists in the US have developed a pill that can soothe childhood aches and pains was greeted with predictable scepticism by doctors this side of the pond.

by Adam McCulloch

On last night's Question Time (BBC1) Michael Heseltine, in answer to a question on the government's cannabis u-turn, put the surprising view that any successful drugs strategy should “start at the top”. He singled out the “Chelsea party set” as particularly culpable when it comes to drugs use and suggested a far stricter policy on substance misuse at the country's public schools.

by Adam McCulloch

The deaths of Mark Speight and Natasha Collins, both talented BBC children’s presenters, has brought a ferocious condemnation of cocaine, cannabis and ecstasy “partying” culture from Libby Purves and elicited one or two interesting comments too.

by Mithran Samuel

Press reports today suggest that the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs will recommend to ministers that cannabis should remain a Class C drug. Ironically this comes just two days after Gordon Brown strongly indicated in his monthly press conference that he backed reclassifying it into the more serious Class B category. Given Brown asked the council to review the classification of cannabis - which Labour downgraded to Class C in 2004 - this poses an acute dilemma for him: whether to play politics or listen to expert advice.

By Mike McNabb

“Off with his head” was a rallying call of reproach used first by Shakespeare but made colloquial by Lewis Carroll’s Queen of Hearts in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Today’s government has a similar rallying call: “Off with their benefits!”