Video: Neil McKeganey on optimism, legality and public health challenges

Footnotes

1) Newspaper Article: Drug legalisation is no solution - its a disaster waiting to happen [Guardian September 09]

"How would Britain look were we to follow the Latin American road to drug legalisation? The effectiveness of a government-regulated drug trade is already evident in the alcohol-fuelled violence that plagues so many of our cities, and in the increasing numbers of teenagers who define a good night out as one that ends in blind drunkenness."

2) Book: Controversies in Drugs Policy and Practice [Neil McKeganey]

Controversies in Drugs Policy and Practice
Palgrave Macmillan; 1 edition (9 Dec 2010)

3) Paper: Alcohol research and the alcoholic beverage industry [Thomas F Babor Addiction 2009]

Alcohol research and the alcoholic beverage industry: Issues, concerns and conflicts of interest

[Thomas F Babor Addiction 2009]

Volume 104, Issue 1, February 2009, Pages 34-47

Aims Using terms of justification such as 'corporate social responsibility' and 'partnerships with the public health community', the alcoholic beverage industry (mainly large producers, trade associations and 'social aspects' organizations) funds a variety of scientific activities that involve or overlap with the work of independent scientists. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the ethical, professional and scientific challenges that have emerged from industry involvement in alcohol science.

News and articles library

Charities unite in opposition to government drugs policy >>

24th April 12 - An alliance of influential charities has condemned a key government drugs strategy document, calling it an "ideological attack" on proven addiction treatments and "dangerously and deeply flawed". It warns that ministers will be putting lives at risk if proposed plans to push through "abstinence-based" approaches go ahead.

Leading Drug Charities Plan Merger >>

23rd March 12 - DrugScope and eATA, the two leading charities representing the UK drug and alcohol treatment
sector have announced plans to merge. Full details of the merger can be found at www.drugscope.org.uk/Resources/Drugscope/Documents/PDF/CharitiesMergeNewsReleaseMarch2012.pdf.

Live Blog & Daily Coverage of the 55th Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna >>

16th March 12 - Coverage of the 55th Commission on Narcotic Drugs is available to view online with daily updates covering the last five days of talks. The blog can be viewed in full at the following adress;

www.cndblog.org/2012/03/cnd-day-5-red-cross-side-event-urgent.html

'Safe ketamine' referred to drug expert >>

6th March 12 - The Home Office has referred methoxetamine (also known as mexxy or MXE), which is being sold as 'safe ketamine', to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) for its views on controlling it

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FEAD - Film Exchange on Alcohol & Drugs

Neil McKeganey on optimism, legality and public health challenges