MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'drugs policy'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:39:47 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4631650&cid=t_172604_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation.com%2Fmedical-marijuana%2F American Society of Addiction MedicinePublic Policy Statement on Medical MarijuanaBackgroundIn the last twenty years, both the scientific community and the public have become interested in the therapeutic potential of cannabis and cannabinoids. Scientific interest has been based in large part on the discovery and elucidation of the endocannabinoid receptor system. Popular interest has focused on state initiatives and other legislation decriminalizing the use of smoked cannabis for personal medical use.  Because of this legislation, herbal cannabis in various forms is now being distributed by dispensaries to large numbers of individuals with a wide variety of medical conditions. This cannabis is not, in most cases, standardized or quality-controlled; the dosage forms (smoked, vaporized, ba... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4631650 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 04:20:22 +0100 4631650 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4605884&cid=t_172604_109_f&fid=38954&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffrontierpsychiatrist.co.uk%2Freview-of-high-society-at-the-wellcome-collection-guest-post%2F Unfortunately this exhibition has now closed, but this review by Dr Lisa Conlan is still well worth reading.  It was originally featured in the London Division March 2011 newsletter.  Photo credit: Wellcome Collection ‘Every society is a high society’ is the tagline of this topical and playful exhibition. ‘High Society’ challenges the status quo that we live in an era of unprecedented levels of drug addiction, that it is a very modern disease. With billions spent yearly on the ‘war against drugs’ and UN estimates putting the yearly turnover of the illicit drugs trade at $320 billion (£200bn), it’s easy to see where this idea comes from. In fact, as this exhibition sets out to demonstrate, addiction is nothing new and psychoactive ex... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4605884 Thu, 17 Mar 2011 21:09:08 +0100 4605884 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3522829&cid=t_172604_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation%2FwAgT%2F%7E3%2F1wDPZcis6gc%2F November 30, 2009 Nurses, doctors, dentists and other health professionals in California who are in treatment for alcohol and other drug problems will now be subject to stricter oversight and could be immediately removed from practice should they relapse, the Los Angeles Times reported. Health workers will now be required to take more than 100 drug tests during their first year in treatment. One positive drug test result will be enough to have a health professional be temporarily suspended from practice. All restrictions to licenses will be posted online for public access. The new standards were created by the state legislature last year to address the way recovery programs for doctors were being handled. The Medical Board of California ended its diversion program in 2008 after several a... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3522829 Mon, 26 Apr 2010 06:20:03 +0100 3522829 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3504974&cid=t_172604_109_f&fid=38954&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffrontierpsychiatrist.co.uk%2Fletter-to-forth-ie-losing-our-minds-on-drugs%2F Here’s a letter I’ve just sent to Forth.ie: Dear Sir, I read with interested your article ‘Losing our minds on drugs’ which discussed the recent furore surrounding the now controlled recreational substance mephedrone.  Your article correctly identified that much of the reporting concerning mephedrone’s harms was inaccurate and that subsequent government policy owed more to moral panic than level-headed analysis.  The rest of the piece bemoans that drug use is not the ‘relatively straightforward issue of civil liberty’ that it should rightfully be and criticizes doctors who would wish for medical expertise to override politics. Whilst it may be attractive philosophically to consider that drug use is a ‘private behaviour’ and ‘no business of the state’, I woul... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3504974 Sun, 25 Apr 2010 21:34:02 +0100 3504974 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3436304&cid=t_172604_109_f&fid=38954&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffrontierpsychiatrist.co.uk%2Fmephedrone%2F Last week the British Government made clear its intention to ban the currently legal stimulant 2-methylamino-1-p-tolylpropan-1-one also known as mephedrone. For anyone who lives in a cave, mephedone is a chemical that has stimulant properties when ingested and has recently become very popular on the club scene as a ‘legal high’.  It’s from the cathinone class of compounds.  This class also includes the active ingredient in khat, a plant whose leaves are chewed with great enthusiasm in Yemen.  It’s not difficult to see why mephedrone has purportedly become so popular (no figures actually exist).  It’s been legal up until now so has been extremely easy to acquire without consorting with grubby drug dealers.  Further it’s cheap and the quality of supply is reasonably reliable... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3436304 Sun, 04 Apr 2010 14:57:29 +0100 3436304 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3416064&cid=t_172604_106_f&fid=36682&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSutureForALiving%2F%7E3%2FUkvCid2QcUE%2Fbathing-source-of-water-pollution-from.html I have written two posts in the past on proper disposal of unused medications.  I have always been mindful of the medicines as a source of environmental water pollution. This past week the American Chemical Society reminded (head-slapped me) that topical medications are a source of environmental water pollution from their active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).    Yes, the simple act of bathing washes hormones, antibiotics, and other pharmaceuticals down the drain into the water supply. Ilene Ruhoy, M.D., Ph.D. and colleague  Christian Daughton, Ph.D. looked at potential alternative routes for the entry into the environment by way of bathing, showering, and laundering.  These routes may be important for certain APIs found in medications that are applied top... Suture for a Living blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3416064 Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:01:00 +0100 3416064 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3374201&cid=t_172604_109_f&fid=38954&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffrontierpsychiatrist.co.uk%2Fsmart-drugs%2F In a debate that’s only going to get more interesting, there were recently calls for universities to consider dope testing to detect the use of ‘smart drugs’ amongst their students.  These drugs, also known as nootropics (an inelegant name; from the Greek roots noo-, mind and -tropo, turn, change) or cognitive enhancers are becoming increasingly widely used.   If the high estimates of use are to be believed then the debate about and reporting of their use has been remarkably restrained, especially when compared to the perpetual state of conflict over cannabis classification and the coverage given to mephedrone. Cognition enhancement by pharmaceutical means is not actually a new phenomenon; caffeine is in fact a cognitive enhancer with which we are all already well acquainted.   ... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3374201 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:00:48 +0100 3374201 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3120614&cid=t_172604_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation.com%2Fstricter-sobriety-standards-for-california-health-professionals%2F November 30, 2009 Nurses, doctors, dentists and other health professionals in California who are in treatment for alcohol and other drug problems will now be subject to stricter oversight and could be immediately removed from practice should they relapse, the Los Angeles Times reported. Health workers will now be required to take more than 100 drug tests during their first year in treatment. One positive drug test result will be enough to have a health professional be temporarily suspended from practice. All restrictions to licenses will be posted online for public access. The new standards were created by the state legislature last year to address the way recovery programs for doctors were being handled. The Medical Board of California ended its diversion program in 2008 after several a... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3120614 Fri, 25 Dec 2009 09:18:11 +0100 3120614 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1391318&cid=t_172604_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fpost-rape-intervention-prevents-drug-abuse%2F In a first therapists in Carolina have taken a proactive role in preventing substance abuse in sexual assault and rape victims. Firstly they recognised that sexual assault and rape routinely produce extreme distress and negative psychological reactions in victims. Further, past research suggests that victims are at increased risk of developing substance use or abuse post-rape. The post-rape forensic medical exam may itself worsen traumatic distress because it includes cues that may serve as reminders of the assault, thereby heightening post-assault negative conditions. To address these problems, a two-part video intervention was developed to take advantage of the existing sexual assault forensic exam infrastructure, and to specifically; (a) minimize anxiety/discomfort during forensic exami... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1391318 Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:42:23 +0100 1391318