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1 UK: Drug Baron Flees From JailTue, 30 Dec 2003
Source:Sun, The (UK) Author:Pyatt, Jamie Area:United Kingdom Lines:56 Added:12/30/2003

A DRUG baron worth millions has fled from a cushy open prison where he was sent just SIX years into a 21-year sentence.

Prison bosses were under fire last night after it was revealed tattooed Roddy McLean, 59, may have escaped abroad.

He has a home in South Africa and is believed to have UKP4.5million salted away.

McLean went on the run from Leyhill, a minimum security Category D jail in Gloucestershire, after his transfer from Saughton prison in Edinburgh.

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2 UK: Editorial: Stir CrazyMon, 29 Dec 2003
Source:Sun, The (UK)          Area:United Kingdom Lines:32 Added:12/30/2003

WHAT is going on in our Prison Service?

Millionaire drugs baron Roddy McLean is a menace to society.

That is why he was sentenced by the Scottish courts to 21 years for a UKP10m drugs operation in which a brave Customs officer died.

So what happens? After serving just six years of his sentence he is transferred to an English open prison.

And now, surprise surprise, he has done a runner -- which has been kept quiet for two months.

The Sun trusts there will be a thorough inquiry.

HOW could a prisoner serving such a long sentence be treated so leniently? WHY has it apparently been covered up?

The whole thing stinks.

[end]

3 UK: Drug Use Fundamental To Social Life Of Most ClubbersTue, 30 Dec 2003
Source:Times, The (UK) Author:Ford, Richard Area:United Kingdom Lines:113 Added:12/30/2003

DRUG-TAKING is a fundamental part of the social life of almost half the young people currently using illegal substances, according to a Home Office report published yesterday.

The central role played by drugs in clubbing and partying is highlighted in a report revealing that drug users are experimenting with a wider range of substances than ever before.

A new drug fashion is emerging in youth culture, in which the synthetic substances ketamine and GHB are becoming increasingly popular. Large numbers of young people are also mixing drugs with alcohol and 60 per cent are drinking hazardous levels of beer and spirits, consuming the entire weekly recommended alcohol level in one night.

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4 UK: Rebecca Adored Her Big Brother - Now She Will Never See Him AgainTue, 30 Dec 2003
Source:Daily Record (UK) Author:Burns, Janice Area:United Kingdom Lines:204 Added:12/30/2003

Family's Grief As Scott, 20, Dies After Taking Ecstasy

THE brother of ecstasy death boy Scott McSephney told last night how he struggled to explain the tragedy to his 11-year-old sister.

Adam McSephney said: "I tried to tell Rebecca how her brother had died after taking drugs, but it's too much for a young girl to take in.

"She was completely baffled by the whole thing and couldn't understand.

"It was the worst thing I have had to do in my whole life.

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5 UK: Cannabis Law 'Sends Mixed Signals'Sat, 27 Dec 2003
Source:Belfast Telegraph (UK) Author:Gordon, David Area:United Kingdom Lines:49 Added:12/28/2003

THE Northern Ireland authorities are planning a new information drive on the dangers of cannabis, while relaxing the law on possession.

An Ulster MP has questioned the value of the awareness campaign and accused the Government of sending out mixed signals.

Next month will see cannabis being reclassified from a class B drug to class C across the UK.

The maximum jail sentence for possession of the drug will fall from five to two years.

And it is expected that most possession offences will result in a police warning and confiscation, rather than court proceedings.

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6 Denmark: Besieged Hippies Prepare To Make War - Not LoveSat, 27 Dec 2003
Source:Halifax Herald (CN NS) Author:Boyes, Roger Area:Denmark Lines:89 Added:12/27/2003

Copenhagen - Christiania, the last independent hippy colony in Europe, is to be closed on a legal technicality, a move that seems set to provoke street fighting in Copenhagen as drop-outs and drug dealers resist government bulldozers.

For more than 30 years the self-governing settlement in the centre of the Danish capital has acted as a magnet for those trying to escape the rat race.

The residents of Christiania set up their own city state in a sprawling 18th-century naval fortress once used as a barracks by the Nazi occupation forces.

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7 Russia: Animal Lovers Favor Drug LegalizationThu, 25 Dec 2003
Source:Moscow Times, The (Russia) Author:Ostrovsky, Simon Area:Russia Lines:127 Added:12/26/2003

Two men walk into a clinic to get their cat spayed.

What sounds like the opening line of a dubious joke is in fact the beginning of one of many criminal investigations that has left veterinarians and animal lovers up in arms.

According to the owner of a Moscow pet clinic, when the vet brought out a syringe to give the cat in question a shot, the men identified themselves as agents of a narcotics squad -- and raided the premises for a banned drug.

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8 UK: Police on Trail of Internet CannabisWed, 24 Dec 2003
Source:Evening Express (UK)          Area:United Kingdom Lines:39 Added:12/26/2003

Senior police officers have warned that drug dealers are selling cannabis over the internet to Scots - and at least one customer in the Grampian area could be facing prosecution.

The warning follows the arrests of three people in England on suspicion of selling cannabis online.

Grampian Police yesterday revealed they were aware of one instance this year of someone buying drugs from a foreign website. A report was being sent to the procurator fiscal.

Strathclyde Police are investigating two cases of Scots ordering cannabis from websites. The force's internet crime unit discovered the sites were based abroad and alerted Interpol.

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9 UK: Raising Stakes in War on TraffickersFri, 19 Dec 2003
Source:Bristol Evening Post (UK)          Area:United Kingdom Lines:49 Added:12/26/2003

Avon and Somerset police's financial investigation unit is making sure drug traffickers are being deprived of their ill-gotten gains. The unit has increased in size - thanks to extra money from last year's Council Tax precept - and is now able to devote more time to targeting people who launder the proceeds of crime.

During the past 12 months, officers have made more than 40 arrests for money laundering related to drug dealing and confiscated almost UKP600,000, compared with UKP100,000 last year.

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10 UK: Police Searches On RiseFri, 19 Dec 2003
Source:Bristol Evening Post (UK) Author:Sands, Phil Area:United Kingdom Lines:62 Added:12/26/2003

The use of controversial stop and search powers by police in Avon and Somerset is on the increase, new figures have revealed. But the increase in shake-downs by officers has not made a big impact on arrests and convictions - just one in seven stop and searches in the region leads to an arrest.

According to the Home Office, police used the measures on 18,690 separate occasions in 2002/2003. That compares with 15,520 in the previous year.

The 3,170 extra checks led to 202 more arrests.

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11 UK: Tories Urge Change in Drugs PlanTue, 23 Dec 2003
Source:Scotsman (UK)          Area:United Kingdom Lines:41 Added:12/26/2003

THE Conservatives called on the Scottish Executive to change its drugs strategy today as new figures revealed a dramatic rise in the use of the heroin substitute methadone.

A written parliamentary answer by Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm revealed the number of methadone prescriptions had gone up from 98,131 in 1994 to 360,326 in 2003.

At the same time, the cost of prescribing the drug has spiralled from nearly UKP600,000 to more than UKP4 million.

Tory deputy leader Annabel Goldie MSP said she was "shocked and alarmed" by the figures.

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12 UK: Top Cop Accepts PayoutTue, 23 Dec 2003
Source:South London Press (UK)          Area:United Kingdom Lines:53 Added:12/26/2003

FORMER Lambeth police chief Brian Paddick has won "substantial" damages from The Mail on Sunday.

Mr Paddick was moved from his position as Borough Commander in 2002 after allegations in the newspaper he had smoked cannabis and allowed the drug to be taken in his home.

He took action against the newspaper for breach of confidence but the matter was settled on Friday before the case came to court. Following the agreement, Mr Paddick spoke exclusively to the South London Press. Asked for his reaction to the outcome, he said: "Relieved, but one takes a view on risk before entering into such things.

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13 UK: Culture Chief Uses CannabisMon, 22 Dec 2003
Source:Liverpool Daily Post (UK) Author:Hookham, Mark Area:United Kingdom Lines:133 Added:12/26/2003

A LIVERPOOL culture chief last night admitted she smokes cannabis to help battle crippling arthritis.

Coun Berni Turner told the Daily Post she takes the drug to help ease the pain in her legs and hips.

The chair of two of Liverpool council's most influential select commit-tees believes the drug should be legalised for medical use and said disabled people are having to turn to drug dealers for pain relief.

Coun Turner, 40, who chairs the culture and tourism and the overview and scrutiny committees, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis four years ago.

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14 UK: PUB LTE: Legalising Drugs Is A Safe OptionMon, 22 Dec 2003
Source:Bristol Evening Post (UK) Author:Smith, Gez Area:United Kingdom Lines:55 Added:12/26/2003

I can only imagine Steve Robertson was joking in his recent letter about using the criminal law to deal with drug addicts. Not only does his argument not stand up, he even completely contradicts himself in the space of a few sentences. How can he claim that having a drug addiction does not mean you can't know right from wrong, and then claim that government control of class A drug supply would lead to more drug addicts killing people "because they are so high on drugs they haven't a clue what they are doing"?

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15 UK: Police Confiscate UKP600,000 in Drug Money OveryearSat, 20 Dec 2003
Source:Bath Chronicle, The (UK)          Area:United Kingdom Lines:47 Added:12/26/2003

A Specialist police unit says it is tearing the heart out of drug trafficking in Avon and Somerset. The Avon and Somerset Constabulary's Financial Investigation Unit (FIU) has been expanded so that it is now able to devote more time to target those who launder the proceeds of crime.

During the past 12 months, it has made more than 40 arrests for money laundering relating to drug dealing, and confiscated almost UKP600,000, compared with UKP100,000 last year.

One detective and two police staff have joined the FIU to specifically work on Moneyspinner, the operation to tackle money laundering.

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16 UK: NHS Pays Gangster to Guard Drug UnitTue, 23 Dec 2003
Source:Daily Record (UK) Author:Ventura, Steven Area:United Kingdom Lines:56 Added:12/26/2003

Murderer's Firm Win Contract

DRUG-RUNNING gangsters are guarding a rehabilitation clinic for heroin addicts. M&M Security fronted by murderer Paul McGovern got the contract to protect the new NHS addictions unit.

Convicted killer McGovern, 30, is part of a Glasgow crime clan who have made millions through the drugs trade. M&M are believed to be one of a number of fronts for their illegal operations.

The firm landed the contract to guard the new NHS unit being built at Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow.

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17 UK: 'Bad Drug Batch' Warning After DeathsWed, 24 Dec 2003
Source:Wrexham Mail (UK)          Area:United Kingdom Lines:37 Added:12/26/2003

Police are warning drug users of a possible contaminated batch of heroin after two deaths in the past few days.

Both the dead were believed to be heroin users and lived only miles apart, Surrey Police said.

Surrey Police said it was highly likely the heroin came from the same source and was part of a "bad or contaminated" batch.

Mother-of-two Samantha Johnson collapsed and died in Stanwell, Staines, west London on Sunday December 21.

The 28-year-old had a son, six, and a 10-year-old girl.

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18 UK: Web: Three Arrested Over 'Drugs Website'Mon, 22 Dec 2003
Source:BBC News (UK Web)          Area:United Kingdom Lines:41 Added:12/23/2003

Police believe they have uncovered the first website in the UK allegedly designed to sell illegal drugs over the internet.

Two men and a woman were arrested and were being interviewed on Monday following claims they had run an internet site which is thought to have supplied cannabis through the post.

Detectives believe customers could order drugs through a password-protected website and were then posted their orders.

A 37-year old man and a 33-year old woman both from Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, and a 35-year old man from Brighton, Sussex, were arrested.

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19 Denmark: End Is Nigh for the Commune That Kept Hippie Dream AliveSun, 21 Dec 2003
Source:Observer, The (UK) Author:Burke, Jason Area:Denmark Lines:152 Added:12/21/2003

The laid-back life of the enclave of Christiania is under threat from a resurgent Danish Right, reports Jason Burke in Copenhagen

It's Christmas in Christiania. There are trees outside the meeting house, a Santa near the commune's archives and above the array of Moroccan, Afghan or Lebanese cannabis resin, are strings of fairy lights.

But the people of Christiania, a 30-year-old self-governing commune in central Copenhagen, are far from jolly. There is a sense of unease in the chill, damp air that drifts in off the Baltic and the North Sea. For the 1,000 strong 'alternative community' knows this Christmas may be its last.

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20 UK: Charity Ball Cop Back In The ForceFri, 19 Dec 2003
Source:Bristol Evening Post (UK)          Area:United Kingdom Lines:62 Added:12/19/2003

A Senior police officer made to resign after an inquiry into improper conduct at a charity ball has been allowed to rejoin the force after winning an appeal. Inspector Andy Roebuck will return to work with Avon and Somerset Police shortly, but only as a constable.

He was one of ten police officers and civilian staff from Broadbury Road police station to attend last year's bash thrown by Knowle West Against Drugs (Kwads), a group of volunteers fighting drug abuse.

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21 UK: Campaigners Call For Blitz On Drug HavenFri, 19 Dec 2003
Source:Hampstead And Highgate Express, The (UK) Author:Brightwell, Andrew Area:United Kingdom Lines:71 Added:12/19/2003

Campainers fighting to close a railway footbridge they blame for a crimewave reacted angrily to Camden Council's solution to make "landscaping improvements".

Residents and traders say the bridge over the north London line that joins the Elm Village and Maiden Lane estates in Camley Street, King's Cross, is a haven for drug dealers and a magnet for criminals.

They also say that criminals responsible for a wave of muggings, abuse, burglary and theft in the area use the bridge as an easy escape route from police.

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22 UK: 'I Am a Victim of State Terrorism'Wed, 17 Dec 2003
Source:Hull Daily Mail (UK) Author:Young, A Area:United Kingdom Lines:75 Added:12/18/2003

One of the city's best known pro-cannabis campaigners today claimed he is the victim of "state terrorism" after being arrested in a police swoop.

A dozen police officers in full riot gear raided market stallholder Carl Wagner's house in Victoria Square, off Ella Street, west Hull, on Monday.

Mr Wagner, 44, was handcuffed and held in Priory Road police station for 11 hours before being released on bail without being charged.

He was arrested on suspicion of possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

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23 UK: Great News For Addicts In BathWed, 17 Dec 2003
Source:Bath Chronicle, The (UK)          Area:United Kingdom Lines:141 Added:12/17/2003

Drug addicts and alcoholics in Bath will see the way they are treated change drastically next spring. Reporter Rachael Sugden met users receiving help in the city and their support team to find out what the future will hold

Around 900 people in Bath are trying to wean themselves off a drug or an alcohol addiction. Some are undergoing a physically and mentally gruelling detox programme.

Others are finally dealing with emotions they have locked away for decades, including memories of child abuse or violent partners.

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24 UK: Drugs Study Finds Children Aged 11 On Heroin And CrackTue, 16 Dec 2003
Source:Guardian, The (UK) Author:Carter, Helen Area:United Kingdom Lines:71 Added:12/17/2003

Children as young as 11 are experimenting with hard drugs such as crack cocaine and heroin, according to a new study.

There are at least 50 children under 16 being treated for addiction to drugs in clinics in Merseyside and Cheshire. In parts of the Wirral, where the average age of first users of heroin is 19.8 years, children form 10% of new clients at drug treatment clinics.

The Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University found that during the past three years 100 children in the region had been treated for addiction to drugs, according to the study.

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25 UK: Police Take Action To Tackle Drug Menace In CullomptonTue, 16 Dec 2003
Source:North Devon Journal (UK)          Area:United Kingdom Lines:66 Added:12/16/2003

Sgt Jacqui Chinn said: "It would be silly to think that a town of this size would be free of drugs, but our level of drugs is low compared to nationally. "In Cullompton they are rare, fortunately. I'm glad I live in Devon as opposed to an inner city area," she said.

"It's one of our objectives as a force that we put a lot of time and investment into targeting the sale of controlled drugs."

The death of Wayne Popple from a heroin overdose given to him in a flat in New Cut, right in the centre of town, can hardly have failed to shock the community.

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26 UK: Snowball' Drug Seized In BanbridgeMon, 15 Dec 2003
Source:Belfast Telegraph (UK) Author:Dykes, Paul Area:United Kingdom Lines:44 Added:12/16/2003

Police have seized a batch of the dangerous new recreational Ecstasy drug "snowball" in Banbridge.

The seizure follows a warning from drug awareness group Breakthru Project urging people not to use the drug because of its potentially fatal dosage.

It is three times more powerful than normal Ecstasy tablets but takes hours longer to "kick in", prompting fears that users would mistakenly think it was having no effect and take more.

Because it is a cocktail of drugs, including LSD, an overdose could be fatal, the group warned.

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27 UK: Doors Set to Open at Edinburgh's First Cannabis CafeMon, 15 Dec 2003
Source:Scotsman (UK)          Area:United Kingdom Lines:48 Added:12/15/2003

The Capital's first cannabis cafe is set to open next month when the drug is downgraded from class B to class C.

The Purple Haze internet cafe in Leith will become a private club where people can bring small amounts of the narcotic to smoke.

It will be the first such establishment to open in Scotland and will test how the new laws are to be applied by police.

Cafe owner Paul Stewart believes turning the former greasy spoon into a private club in the evenings would allow him to operate within the law.

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28 UK: Drugs Yobs Target ElderlyMon, 15 Dec 2003
Source:Shropshire Star (UK)          Area:United Kingdom Lines:49 Added:12/15/2003

Yobs high on drugs are preying on pensioners on a Shropshire housing estate and are becoming more violent towards their victims to fuel their habit, it was claimed today.

Drug addicts have struck at an estate for the elderly in Ludlow three times in the last 18 months leaving behind a terrified community.

In the latest attack, Bert Evans, 82, was blindfolded by a thief who stole his Christmas savings of more than UKP600.

An 84-year-old grandmother was bundled into her home by two men who forced their way through her door.

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29 UK: Launch Of New Drug Driving InitiativeMon, 15 Dec 2003
Source:Hartlepool Mail (UK)          Area:United Kingdom Lines:49 Added:12/15/2003

A MAJOR crackdown on drug driving was launched today.

The regional campaign was kicked off in County Durham, aimed at raising the awareness of the dangers of driving whilst under the influence of drugs and the penalties motorists can face.

In Durham throughout last year, ten of the drivers in 38 fatal road traffic accidents were found to have drugs in their systems.

And, one in 17 drivers involved in all accidents across the region are found to have taken drugs.

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30 UK: Class A Nibbles Hit the High StreetSun, 14 Dec 2003
Source:Scotland On Sunday (UK) Author:Johnston, Ian Area:United Kingdom Lines:161 Added:12/14/2003

BANDS of hippies in search of a memorable high at a low cost once tramped the countryside in search of this illicit fungi.

The hallucinogenic effects of magic mushrooms were generally restricted to those determined enough to scour forests and secluded glades at the right time of the year.

But help is now at hand for those who find reality too dull and can't be bothered to leave the city in search of a solution.

Magic mushrooms, despite containing a Class A drug, have recently gone on sale in Scottish shops without - so far - attracting the attention of the police.

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31 UK: First Cannabis Cafe Set To Test New Law In ScotlandSun, 14 Dec 2003
Source:Scotland On Sunday (UK) Author:Johnston, Ian Area:United Kingdom Lines:73 Added:12/14/2003

Scotlands first cannabis cafe is to open for business next month when the drug is downgraded to class C.

The Purple Haze internet cafe, a former greasy spoon in Leith, will become a private members' club in the evenings, where people will be allowed to bring small amounts of their own supply to smoke.

The controversial move will present the first test of how the new law will be applied in Scotland.

Cannabis cafes have operated in England for up to seven months before the owners faced prosecution.

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32 UK: LTE: Driving ConcernsFri, 12 Dec 2003
Source:Essex Evening Gazette (UK) Author:Collier, Jane Area:United Kingdom Lines:29 Added:12/13/2003

I have read some of the articles on your "Don't Drink+Drive" campaign over the last month and have been dismayed at seeing no mention of drugs.

I believe that the consumption of any drugs like cannabis etc, in whatever form, has an effect on one's perception of angles, distance and speed, which will radically affect driving capabilities.

The use of these drugs is quite widespread these days, I understand, and I just wonder whether publicity about their effects should be added to that of drink.

Jane Collier

Fitzwalter Road, Colchester

[end]

33 Netherlands: Web: Drug Smugglers Tax Dutch JusticeSenderSat, 13 Dec 2003
Source:BBC News (UK Web) Author:Coughlan, Geraldine Area:Netherlands Lines:49 Added:12/13/2003

Smugglers arrested with less than three kilos of cocaine at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport will not be prosecuted under plans by the Dutch Government.

The policy is designed to ease pressure on the judicial system due to a rising number of arrests of drug couriers.

They are mostly from the Caribbean islands of the Netherlands Antilles.

Some MPs fear the new policy will make the Netherlands a target for criticism. But the government says it is the only way to deal with the growing problem.

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34 UK: Waiting Lists Cut For Drug AddictsSat, 13 Dec 2003
Source:Bath Chronicle, The (UK) Author:Sugden, Rachel Area:United Kingdom Lines:90 Added:12/13/2003

Drug addicts seeking help in Bath have seen waiting lists for treatment slashed by more than 75 per cent in the past 12 months. Last year the Chronicle revealed that heroin addicts and other drug users were facing waits of more than a year for treatment. Now the longest wait is under four months and many will be offered treatment within seven days.

The drop in waiting times is despite a huge increase in the number of people getting support to tackle their drug problems.

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35 UK: Britain To Ban Antidepressants For ChildrenTue, 09 Dec 2003
Source:New York Times (NY)          Area:United Kingdom Lines:41 Added:12/11/2003

The UK government is set to ban the prescription of antidepressant drugs for children because of evidence they can cause them to become suicidal, The Guardian newspaper reported on Wednesday.

A spokesman for the Department of Health declined to comment on the report but said the government's watchdog on drug safety -- the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) -- would be making a statement later on Wednesday.

The Guardian reported that after looking at details of clinical trials carried out by drug companies in the 1990s, the MHRA has told doctors not to prescribe all but one of the antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

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36 UK: Young Britons Rave Less About EcstasySat, 06 Dec 2003
Source:Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) Author:Travis, Alan Area:United Kingdom Lines:53 Added:12/10/2003

Ecstasy's popularity appears to have peaked and it may now be regarded as "yesterday's dance drug" by Britain's teenagers, official figures suggest.

Home Office ministers say ecstasy use has fallen for the first time and that wider class-A drug abuse among young people, including cocaine use, has stabilised after rising in the late 1990s.

However, illegal drug use in England and Wales remains among the highest in Europe.

The 21 per cent fall in ecstasy use in the last year among young people has been accompanied by a steady decline in the use of amphetamines.

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37 Italy: Wire: Cocaine And Ecstasy Cause DNA Mutation, Study SaysSun, 07 Dec 2003
Source:Reuters (Wire)          Area:Italy Lines:35 Added:12/09/2003

ROME (Reuters) - Cocaine and ecstasy not only cause addiction and raise the risk of cancer but also provoke genetic mutations, Italian scientists said Friday.

"Cocaine and ecstasy have proved to be more dangerous than we had imagined," said Giorgio Bronzetti, chief scientist at the National Center for Research's (CNR) biotechnology department.

"These drugs, on top of their toxicological effects, attack DNA provoking mutations and altering the hereditary material. This is very worrying for the effects it could have on future generations," he said.

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38 UK: Very British Approach To The Business Of CannabisMon, 08 Dec 2003
Source:Independent (UK) Author:Foley, Stephen Area:United Kingdom Lines:143 Added:12/08/2003

Business Profile: Geoffrey Guy believes his company is close to success in creating a legal drug from an illegal one

Geoffrey Guy has a conviction: possession of cannabis, with intent to supply. Not a criminal conviction, of course, since Dr Guy is an upstanding businessman and pillar of the community in Dorset. Just an evangelical belief that cannabis has an array of medical benefits and that his own painkiller, developed from the plant, will be available on the National Health within months.

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39 UK: Ecstasy Users Move To CocaineFri, 05 Dec 2003
Source:Daily Telegraph (UK) Author:Johnston, Philip Area:United Kingdom Lines:35 Added:12/06/2003

Fewer young people are using the "dance drug" ecstasy but they are switching increasingly to cocaine.

Figures yesterday showed there were 70,000 fewer ecstasy users last year within the 16 to 24 age group compared with the previous 12 months - a drop of about a fifth.

After cannabis, it is the most widely-used drug among the young and its prevalence has increased during the past 10 years.

Latest Home Office figures show that young people are switching to illegal "recreational" drugs, especially amylnitrate - known as poppers - and cocaine. There are growing numbers of cocaine users in affluent areas.

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40 Italy: Web: Italy Marches Bravely into 20TH CenturyFri, 05 Dec 2003
Source:Drug War Chronicle (US Web) Author:Smith, Phillip S. Area:Italy Lines:124 Added:12/06/2003

Government Proposal Would Recriminalize Drug Possession, Including Marijuana

Ten years ago this April, Italians voted to decriminalize simple drug possession. Now the rightist government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi wants to undo that, and then some. A proposal floated by Deputy Prime Minister Giancarlo Fini, leader of Italy's former neo-fascist party, and approved by Berlusconi and his cabinet in mid-November, would make possession of even the smallest amount of drugs an offense, and possession of more than the "daily minimum dose" of even marijuana could lead to a six-year prison sentence.

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41 UK: Editorial: Message In The BottleSat, 06 Dec 2003
Source:Guardian, The (UK)          Area:United Kingdom Lines:64 Added:12/06/2003

There was some good news this week on the use of illicit drugs.

Indeed, a 20% fall in the use of ecstasy among young people and no serious increase in other class A drugs, prompted an enthusiastic response from Caroline Flint, the Home Office drugs minister.

She described the latest statistics from the British Crime Survey as proof that "young people are getting the message that drugs are harmful and some drugs can, and do, kill. It's encouraging to see signs that our work is having an effect." There are plenty of positive trends she can point to: the regular increases in use of drugs in the late 1990s has flattened out; the use of more serious (class A) drugs - LSD, cocaine, crack, ecstasy, heroin, magic mushrooms - among young people has remained stable since 1996. There has also been a steep drop in the use of amphetamines and no sign that government moves to relax the laws on cannabis have led to an increase in their use, as some predicted.

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42 UK: Web: Cannabis 'Rapidly Damages Lungs'Fri, 05 Dec 2003
Source:BBC News (UK Web)          Area:United Kingdom Lines:47 Added:12/06/2003

Even short term use of cannabis can damage the lungs of young people, say researchers.

A team from Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, conducted tests on smokers, non-smokers and cannabis users.

Non-smokers had the healthiest lungs. But cannabis users showed more signs of damage than those who stuck to cigarettes.

A British Thoracic Society meeting heard less than six years cannabis use was enough to cause significant damage.

Dr Sarah Nuttall, a research fellow from the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, said: "The consensus among many young people who use cannabis seems to be that they will not suffer any long-term effects as long as they stop smoking it early enough.

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43 UK: Wire: Study: Smoking Cannabis Causes Damage To LungsFri, 05 Dec 2003
Source:Reuters (Wire) Author:Reaney, Patricia Area:United Kingdom Lines:54 Added:12/05/2003

LONDON (Reuters) - Smoking cannabis is not the harmless recreational activity it may seem because it can cause lung damage, researchers said Friday.

Regularly smoking three or four joints a week, even for less than six years, can impair lung function and rob the body of antioxidants that protect cells against damage that can lead to heart disease and cancer.

"Smoking cannabis on a regular basis actually depletes your lung of protective antioxidant substances...and this may have chronic long-term implications for young individuals," said Dr Sarah Nuttall of the University of Birmingham in central England.

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44 UK: Mick Jagger's Royal Gong Riles KeithFri, 05 Dec 2003
Source:Herald Sun (Australia)          Area:United Kingdom Lines:60 Added:12/05/2003

WHEN Mick Jagger at last collects his knighthood at Buckingham Palace this month, it's a fair bet that his lifelong sidekick Keith Richards won't be there offering congratulations.

Richards has launched a stinging attack on his fellow Rolling Stone for accepting the honour.

"I don't want to step out on stage with someone wearing a ----ing coronet and sporting the old ermine," declared the 59-year-old guitarist.

"I told Mick, 'It's a ----ing paltry honour.'

"I thought it was ludicrous to take one of those gongs from the establishment, when they did their best to throw us in jail."

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45 UK: Tight Security and Changing Fashion Squeeze Out DrugsFri, 05 Dec 2003
Source:Guardian, The (UK) Author:Carter, Helen Area:United Kingdom Lines:70 Added:12/05/2003

In the city which spawned the Hacienda, a temple to clubbing and ecstasy, there is widespread evidence that drug use is tailing off.

Manchester was at the centre of the late 1980s ecstasy and house music boom. The two were synonymous with each other but now, 15 years on, the music scene is moving on.

John Collins, of the British Entertainment and Dance Association, said there were a number of reasons for the 20% drop in ecstasy use: "The clubs have clearly become more savvy in terms of security and reducing the opportunities to deal drugs on their premises."

[continues 413 words]

46 UK: Just PoppycockThu, 04 Dec 2003
Source:Guardian, The (UK) Author:Hilton, Isabel Area:United Kingdom Lines:102 Added:12/05/2003

In Afghanistan And Colombia, America's Allies In The War On Terror Should Be Its Enemies In The War On Drugs

In early November 2001, as the war in Afghanistan was getting under way, the United Nations held a press conference in Islamabad to announce the latest scores in the global drug eradication effort. Those journalists who bothered to attend were surprised to learn that the previous year the Taliban had all but eradicated the opium poppy from the areas it controlled. At the time, it was the crimes of the Taliban regime - from its treatment of women and its love for Osama bin Laden to its promotion of heroin addiction among western youth - that were of interest. To discover that the Taliban had eradicated the opium poppy did not fit the picture of unhallowed evil that the moment demanded. The story made little impact. Even if it was true - as it undoubtedly was - there was a feeling that the Taliban did not really mean it: they probably had their fingers crossed. Praise was politically impossible.

[continues 730 words]

47 UK: Dance Drug Ecstasy Falls Out Of Favour As Young Clubbers Find New HighsFri, 05 Dec 2003
Source:Guardian, The (UK) Author:Travis, Alan Area:United Kingdom Lines:106 Added:12/05/2003

The popularity of ecstasy appears to have peaked and it may now be regarded as "yesterday's dance drug" by Britain's teenagers, according to new official figures. Home Office ministers claimed yesterday that ecstasy use has fallen for the first time and that wider class A drug abuse among young people, including cocaine use, has stabilised after rising in the late 1990s.

Illegal drug use in England and Wales remains among the highest in Europe with around 4 million people - 12% of the population aged between 16 and 59 - - having used some kind of illicit substance in the last year. About 1 million people are believed to regularly use a class A drug.

[continues 705 words]

48 UK: Ecstasy Use Falls By 20% In A Year As Raves VanishFri, 05 Dec 2003
Source:Independent (UK) Author:Bennetto, Jason Area:United Kingdom Lines:87 Added:12/05/2003

Young people's love affair with ecstasy appears to be on the wane, after new figures disclosed yesterday that the number of people taking the pill has slumped by a fifth in the past year.

The demise of all-night raves, the growing popularity of cocaine and the suspicion that E is no longer fashionable have all been given as explanations for the dramatic decline in the popularity of the "dance drug". But despite 72,000 fewer 16- to 24-year-olds taking ecstasy, the overall abuse of class A drugs in England and Wales remains at a record high. More than one million 16- to 59-year-olds are thought to have taken such drugs in the past 12 months, up by 21,000 on the previous year.

[continues 654 words]

49 UK: Festive Crackdown As Drug-Driving SoarsWed, 03 Dec 2003
Source:Herald, The (UK) Author:Adams, Lucy Area:United Kingdom Lines:79 Added:12/03/2003

DRIVING under the influence of drugs has increased 10-fold in Scotland because of an "explosion" in recreational use, according to new research.

At least 300 people a year are now reported for driving after taking drugs such as cannabis and heroin, compared with around 30 in 1985.

Ministers plan to crack down on the offence over the festive period. A new advertising campaign about the dangers of drink and drug driving will be launched next week.

Hundreds of traffic officers across the country have been trained how to use US-style impairment tests to assess drivers who act suspiciously, but do not smell of alcohol.

[continues 409 words]

50 UK: Approval Is Key for Cannabis DrugmakerFri, 28 Nov 2003
Source:Financial Times (UK)          Area:United Kingdom Lines:40 Added:12/02/2003

Cannabis has been a controlled substance in the UK since 1971, despite anecdotal evidence of its benefits for those suffering from conditions such as multiple sclerosis. One in 700 people in the UK suffer from MS and the market potential for a drug treating the disease's symptoms seems obvious.

However, on Monday, Cannacord Capital initiated coverage of GW Pharmaceuticals, whose Sativex treatment is the cannabinoid-based MS drug closest to market, with a "sell" recommendation. A spate of selling duly resulted, which yesterday sent the stock down 2.6 per cent to 189 1/2p, its lowest level since April.

[continues 151 words]


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