Mixing the medicine: the unintended consequence of amphetamine control on the Northern soul scene

Examining the influences leading to the introduction of amphetamine controls in Britain, this article focuses upon the consequences of the Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act 1964, and subsequent legislation. These laws had a major impact upon earlier Mod and later Northern Soul Scene subcultures in Britain, because both held amphetamine use as a central component of their recreational activities. The paper aims to provide greater understanding of the way criminalisation of amphetamines impacted on a user subculture that developed prior to criminalisation. While the 1964 Act effectively restricted supplies of amphetamines from the grey market, its failure to reduce demand created the market conditions for illicitly manufactured amphetamines. The changed legal setting also provided subcultural justification for the burglary of retail pharmacies which began soon after criminalisation. The response of the authorities to increased burglary of pharmacies had a particularly damaging impact on the amphetamine user culture of the post-mod Northern Soul Scene in the mid-1970s. The introduction of tighter storage regulations, stipulating the need to store Class B drugs in a secure metal cabinet with the opiates, led to a new cultural exchange between the amphetamine using chemist burglars and opiate user groups that involved the sale of the unwanted class A drugs, including exchanging opiates for amphetamine powder. The resulting spread of intravenous drug use on the Northern Scene, introduced a number of negative health impacts including the spread of hepatitis and drug related deaths

The Five Factor Model of personality and evaluation of drug consumption risk

The problem of evaluating an individual's risk of drug consumption and misuse is highly important. An online survey methodology was employed to collect data including Big Five personality traits (NEO-FFI-R), impulsivity (BIS-11), sensation seeking (ImpSS), and demographic information. The data set contained information on the consumption of 18 central nervous system psychoactive drugs. Correlation analysis demonstrated the existence of groups of drugs with strongly correlated consumption patterns. Three correlation pleiades were identified, named by the central drug in the pleiade: ecstasy, heroin, and benzodiazepines pleiades. An exhaustive search was performed to select the most effective subset of input features and data mining methods to classify users and non-users for each drug and pleiad. A number of classification methods were employed (decision tree, random forest, $k$-nearest neighbors, linear discriminant analysis, Gaussian mixture, probability density function estimation, logistic regression and na{\"i}ve Bayes) and the most effective classifier was selected for each drug. The quality of classification was surprisingly high with sensitivity and specificity (evaluated by leave-one-out cross-validation) being greater than 70\% for almost all classification tasks. The best results with sensitivity and specificity being greater than 75\% were achieved for cannabis, crack, ecstasy, legal highs, LSD, and volatile substance abuse (VSA).Comment: Significantly extended report with 67 pages, 27 tables, 21 figure

Current Concepts on Drug Abuse and Dependence

Drug addiction is a complex disease characterized by compulsive and uncontrollable desire to seek and consume the drug. In time, drug-related terminology has undergone many changes, arising from the deepening of the mechanisms of action, but also about the need for a greater precision in the definition. Drug dependence can be assigned not only to pharmacological effects of the drugs of abuse, but also to their interaction with each particular neurological and psychological constitution. The research on the neurobiological mechanisms of addiction processes allows both a better understanding of current pharmacotherapy and the development of new treatment strategies in drug abuse and dependence. In this review we intend to present the current concepts related to drug abuse and dependence

Prevalence of psychoactive substances in Dutch and Belgian traffic

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the prevalence of psychoactive substances in general traffic in The Netherlands and Belgium. Method: Randomly selected car drivers and drivers of small vans in six police regions in The Netherlands and five police regions in Belgium were included between January 2007 and August 2009. Blood and oral fluid samples were analyzed for 23 substances, including ethanol (alcohol), by means of ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry or gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis. Samples were weighted according to the distribution of traffic over eight 6-hour periods. Substance groups were categorized in five mutually exclusive classes: single alcohol use, single illicit drug use, single medicinal drugs use, multiple drug use (including drugs from two or more separate substance groups but excluding alcohol), and drug use (either single or multiple) in combination with alcohol. Results: In total, 7,771 drivers (4,822 in The Netherlands and 2,949 in Belgium) were included in the study. In Belgium, the prevalence of single alcohol (6.4%) and single medicinal drugs (3.0%) was much higher than in The Netherlands (2.2% and 0.6%, respectively), whereas the single illicit drugs were more common in Dutch traffic (2.2%) than in Belgian traffic (0.6%). Compared with the estimated prevalence of psychoactive substances in the general driving public in Europe, the prevalence in Belgium (10.7%) was greater than the European average (7.4%), and the prevalence in The Netherlands was below the European average (5.5%). Conclusions: The observed prevalence of psychoactive substances varies largely between The Netherlands and Belgium. Probable reasons for the differences are the higher level of alcohol enforcement in The Netherlands and nonresponse bias in the Belgian study (for illicit drugs in particular). Furthermore, cultural differences and variances in prescription policy could also be influential

Illicit drug use in the Flemish nightlife scene between 2003 and 2009

&lt;i&gt;Aims:&lt;/i&gt; Given the importance of party people as innovators and early adaptors in the diffusion of substance use, and given the lack of longitudinal scope in studies of the nightlife scene, we explored changes in illicit drug use among young people participating in the nightlife scene in Flanders. &lt;i&gt;Methods:&lt;/i&gt; A survey among party people selected at dance events, rock festivals and clubs was held in the summer of 2003 and repeated in 2005, 2007 and 2009. In total, 2,812 respondents filled in a questionnaire on the use of cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine, amphetamines, GHB and ketamine. &lt;i&gt;Results:&lt;/i&gt; The results of the multiple logistic regression analyses show that in the group of frequent pub visitors, the predicting probability of cannabis use increased over time, while the gap in drug use between dance music lovers and non-lovers of dance music narrowed. For cocaine use during the last year, an increase was found related to the housing situation (alone or with parents) of respondents. While the odds of using ecstasy decreased over the years, the odds of using GHB increased. &lt;i&gt;Conclusion:&lt;/i&gt; We can conclude that monitoring emerging trends, which can be quickly observed in the nightlife scene, provides meaningful information for anticipating possible trends.</jats:p

An index of fatal toxicity for new psychoactive substances

The final, definitive version of this paper has been published in Journal of Psychopharmacology, February 2018, published by SAGE Publishing, All rights reserved.An index of fatal toxicity for new psychoactive substances has been developed based solely on information provided on death certificates. An updated index of fatal toxicity (T f), as first described in 2010, was calculated based on the ratio of deaths to prevalence and seizures for the original five substances (amphetamine, cannabis, cocaine/crack, heroin and 3,4-methylenedioxymethylamphetamine) *. These correlated well with the 2010 index. Deaths were then examined for cases both where the substance was and was not found in association with other substances. This ratio (sole to all mentions; S/A) was then calculated for deaths in the period 1993 to 2016. This new measure of fatal toxicity, expressed by S/A, was well-correlated with the index L n (T f) of the original reference compounds. The calculation of S/A was then extended to a group of new psychoactive substances where insufficient prevalence or seizure data were available to directly determine a value of T f by interpolation of a graph of T f versus S/A. Benzodiazepine analogues had particularly low values of S/A and hence T f. By contrast, γ-hydroxybutyrate/γ-butyrolactone, α-methyltryptamine, synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists and benzofurans had a higher fatal toxicity.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Identifying and preventing health problems among young drug-misusing offenders

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the health problems and treatment needs of drug-misusing offenders and to draw out the implications of the findings for health education and prevention. Design/methodology/approach – This analysis is based on data collected as part of the New English and Welsh Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (NEW-ADAM) programme. The survey was based on interviews and urine sample collection with over 3,000 arrestees. Findings – The research found that young arrestees experienced a wide range of drug-related and general health problems. The implications of this are discussed in the context of programmes implemented as part of the government’s drug strategy. Originality/value – The NEW-ADAM surveys provide an original source of information on the drug and general health needs of young people at the first point of entry in the criminal justice system

Alcohol and other drug treatment and diversion from the Australian criminal justice system: 2012-13

Nationally, there were 24,069 clients who had been diverted into alcohol and other drug treatment, comprising 24% of all clients, according to this report. Introduction Throughout Australia, there are programs that divert people who have been apprehended or sentenced for a minor drugs offence from the criminal justice system. Many of these diversions result in people receiving drug treatment services. This report briefly outlines the nature of drug diversion programs in Australia before examining the treatment episodes provided to clients who have been referred to treatment agencies as part of a drug diversion program. It also contrasts those clients with other clients receiving drug treatment. Information on drug treatment services provided in this bulletin is based on data from the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services National Minimum Data Set (AODTS NMDS). Alcohol and other drug (AOD) use is recognised as a major social problem in Australia. Due to the severity and scope of impacts, there are stringent legislative, regulatory and policy frameworks related to drugs and drug use. While some drugs can be used legally, such as alcohol and tobacco, many are illicit. The term ‘illicit drug’ can encompass a number of broad concepts including: • illegal drugs—a drug that is prohibited from manufacture, sale or possession in Australia (for example, cannabis, cocaine, heroin and ecstasy) • misuse, non-medical or extra-medical use of pharmaceuticals—drugs that are available from a pharmacy, over-the-counter or by prescription, which may be subject to misuse (for example, opioid-based pain relief medications, opioid substitution therapies, benzodiazepines, over-the-counter codeine, and steroids) • other psychoactive substances—legal or illegal, potentially used in a harmful way (for example, kava or inhalants [such as petrol, paint or glue], but not including tobacco or alcohol) (MCDS 2011). In the 10 years to 2012–13, annual illicit drug offences increased by around 25% nationally, to just over 100,000. Use of alcohol and other drugs is a substantial contributor to drug-related crime, for example, burglary, assault and public disorder. In a 2009 survey of police detainees, for example, 29% of charges were reported as being attributable to alcohol and 23% to illicit drugs. Drug-related offenders are subject to a range of penalties within the Australian criminal justice system, ranging from cautions and fines to custodial sentences. While differences exist between states and territories for illicit drug offences, personal or consumer-based offences are generally distinguished from trafficking or producer-based offences. In 2012–13, 82% of illicit drug arrests applied to consumers (83,062 arrests) and 18% to providers (17,120 arrests). &nbsp

Drug & alcohol use among LGBTS in the city of Leeds

Project A Representatives from seven drug and alcohol organisations in Leeds were interviewed about the services they provide and how accessible they believe those services to be to be for lesbian, gay,bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities in the City of Leeds. Key findings: ● Only one of the groups had ever held an LGBT specific support group ● Only one of the groups were aware that they had LGB or, by implication, transgender clients, the rest were unsure as they do not ask such information of their clients ● Two of the groups had attended training sessions on LGBT specific issues ● None of the groups had any specific policies in place for treating/supporting LGBT clients ● Two of the groups had equality statements in their leaflets making LGBTs aware that they would be welcome ● Three of the support groups distributed their leaflets at LGBT support groups and venues Project B 101 participants completed a short questionnaire which asked about their use of alcohol and other substance, whether they had ever accessed any of the services in Leeds and had unprotected sex as a result of drug use. The main findings were as follows: ● 4% of the sample had no know history of substance use, including alcohol ● 21% of the sample reported using a Class ‘A’ substance, the most commonly cited was Ecstasy ● 4% of participants had attended a drug or alcohol support group in Leeds ● Of the 97 who had not accessed any of Leeds’ drug or alcohol services, 64 argued that they did not believe their alcohol/drug use to be a problem ● Of the 64, 20 scored highly on a standardised measure of drug and alcohol addiction risk ● 49% reported having had unsafe sex in the past year while under the influence of alcohol and/or other substances Recommendations The following recommendations are made: ● To increase awareness among drug and alcohol services of the specific needs of LGBTs ● To make drug and alcohol support services more accessible for LGBTs ● To increase awareness among LGBT communities of the existence and location of alcohol and drug services ● To increase awareness of the dangers associated with drug and alcohol us