An examination into the possibility of the UK being a predominantly cannabis producing nation and a methodology of cultivation techniques

Previously, the UK has been known to heavily import cannabis from producer countries, more recently vast quantities of cannabis farms are being discovered throughout the nation. This review aims to analyse the evidence supporting that the UK is now a predominantly cannabis producing nation through the use of seizure statistics and farm discovery data, also to explore cultivation techniques utilised by domestic growers. The UK is highly efficient at producing high quality sinsemilla cannabis, with the number of commercial farms being discovered more than doubling between 2007/08-2010/11. The quantity of cannabis plant seizures however, has since fallen from 2011/12-2014/15 which the multiple site model explains. Police budgets are believed to be impacting upon seizure statistics explaining the recent decline in cannabis plants and herbal cannabis seizures. With such large quantities of domestic cannabis being grown, it is surprising that cannabis is still imported. The majority of domestic cannabis growers within the UK accomplish this indoors; facilitated with artificial lighting, soil or hydroponics grow mediums and ventilation systems. Further research is needed to indicate whether the UK has the potential to become an exporter of cannabis

Incorporation of genuine prior information in cost-effectiveness analysis of clinical trial data

The Bayesian approach to statistics has been growing rapidly in popularity as an alternative to the frequentist approach in the appraisal of heathcare technologies in clinical trials. Bayesian methods have significant advantages over classical frequentist statistical methods and the presentation of evidence to decision makers. A fundamental feature of a Bayesian analysis is the use of prior information as well as the clinical trial data in the final analysis. However, the incorporation of prior information remains a controversial subject that provides a potential barrier to the acceptance of practical uses of Bayesian methods. The pur pose of this paper is to stimulate a debate on the use of prior information in evidence submitted to decision makers. We discuss the advantages of incorporating genuine prior information in cost-effectiveness analyses of clinical trial data and explore mechanisms to safeguard scientific rigor in the use of such prior information

Bigger, faster, stronger! An overview of anabolic androgenic steroids and their use and impact on the sport industry

The use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) in sport is no longer confined to the power disciplines and has become a wide-spread issue throughout the general population. AAS are synthetic versions of the male hormone testosterone and display both anabolic and androgenic properties. It is the anabolic properties that are responsible for the muscle binding characteristics and are the main attraction for users. The primary purpose of this review was to provide an overview of the use of AAS in the sports industry by outlining the history of AAS use, the role of AAS in the Olympic success of Soviet athletes and the German Democratic Republic. Furthermore, case studies of the high profile cases of Ben Johnson, Marion Jones and Lance Armstrong were also examined along with the consequences of their drug use. Also outlined are the reasons for AAS use, the variety of ways in which they are used and short and long-term adverse side effects associated with their use. This research has highlighted problems with previous AAS literature as there is a lack of research into the long-term side effects of AAS use

Chasing the dragon – an overview of heroin trafficking

There are many problems encountered during the attempt to tackle the heroin trade on a global level. Afghanistan is largely responsible for the production of heroin, providing a global distribution amount of 75%. The trafficking of heroin has continued using the traditional Balkan and Northern routes, however due to the increase in intelligence and border force controls, alternative routes are being established. This demonstrates a key issue being faced by law enforcement agencies. The development in strategies and techniques being used for undetected smuggling are growing, causing a lapse in the effectiveness of detection techniques currently being used. The failure in the success of tackling heroin production and trade towards Europe is being increasingly recognised, which has resulted in a shift in focus onto the organised crime groups involved in the heroin trade within mainland Europe and the United Kingdom. An estimated 5,300 organised crime groups are believed to be active within the United Kingdom with an annual cost of in the region of between £20-40 billion. The complexity and level of intelligence within organised crime has evolved rapidly, and this, along with the increasing levels of corruption within heroin trading countries, give reason for the continual loss of the war against heroin. Concluding that until corruption and the highest hierarchical levels within organised crime groups are overthrown, positive results against the heroin trade will remain unseen, demonstrating that these key areas require further attention by governmental agencies and policies if the war is to be won

Treading the fine white line: cocaine trafficking

The illicit drug’s trade is a highly profitable business that grasps the interest of millions of people and equally affects millions of others. Cocaine is a highly addictive drug that plagues many countries. It is trafficked through various routes using a variety of methods by traffickers who adapt to the efforts of the authorities. This paper reviews all aspects of the cocaine trade: from how a market came to exist for cocaine to the well-established lucrative market that it is today. A thorough understanding of all aspects of the cocaine market is essential in order to be able to assess the effectiveness of the current methods that are being employed to combat the illicit cocaine trade. To discuss, seeking to reach a conclusion as to whether cocaine trafficking can be completely eradicated when such a lucrative market for cocaine exists

Mental health a policing challenge for the United Kingdom and the Netherlands

Mental health is becoming a serious problem. Statistically, one in four people in the United Kingdom experience a mental illness annually. Countries throughout Europe and indeed the World are also experiencing crisis relating to mentally ill patients. The United Kingdom and the Netherlands are two such countries. It has been noted by police forces within the Netherlands that many people experiencing a mental health problem will commit petty crime in which the police have to deal with. Within the Netherlands, an epidemiological study reveals the truths behind what the police have to deal with along with how they deal with the mentally ill. This is then used to compare to how the United Kingdom’s Police Forces deal with the mentally ill so that police in the Netherlands can deal with the crisis more efficiently and rapidly

A comparison of United States and United Kingdom EQ-5D health states valuations using a nonparametric Bayesian method

Few studies have compared preference values of health states obtained in different countries. This paper applies a nonparametric model to estimate and compare EQ-5D health state valuation data obtained from two countries using Bayesian methods. The data set is the US and UK EQ-5D valuation studies where a sample of 42 states defined by the EQ-5D was valued by representative samples of the general population from each country using the time trade-off technique. We estimate a function applicable across both countries which explicitly accounts for the differences between them, and is estimated using the data from both countries. The paper discusses the implications of these results for future applications of the EQ-5D and further work in this field.preference-based health measure; nonparametric methods; time trade-off; EQ-5D

Connected Hopf algebras and iterated Ore extensions

We investigate when a skew polynomial extension T = R[x; {\sigma}, {\delta}] of a Hopf algebra R admits a Hopf algebra structure, substantially generalising a theorem of Panov. When this construction is applied iteratively in characteristic 0 one obtains a large family of connected noetherian Hopf algebras of finite Gelfand-Kirillov dimension, including for example all enveloping algebras of finite dimensional solvable Lie algebras and all coordinate rings of unipotent groups. The properties of these Hopf algebras are investigated

Cocaine trafficking and the social impact of cocaine on UK society

Cocaine trafficking is a significant problem that affects countries all over the world and this needs to be researched in order to understand the huge impact that it has. The cocaine trade is a multi-billion pound industry that is governed by gangs organising the crime on an international scale and all efforts to eliminate the business have been unsuccessful up to the present time. The production of coca is based in South America; the majority coming from Colombia, Bolivia and Peru. These countries are the main cocaine producers where it is manufactured on a large scale and then distributed across the borders to the Caribbean, Australia and Europe. The methods of trafficking are varied and the cocaine is shipped, transferred by aircraft, transported by land routes and smuggled by drug mules. The controls in place are discussed and it becomes clear that they are often corrupt and the laws and efforts of prevention have not decreased the power of the cocaine trade. This sparked the question of whether it was worth spending millions of pounds to eliminate coca production and reduce trafficking and the explanations in this research conclude that there still has to be efforts in order to control the trade otherwise it would be even worse without the risk of any punishments and consequences. This study uses limited qualitative interviews with three drug users who described their experiences of using cocaine. This research was to help understand the social impact of cocaine on UK society. For all three interviewees, their lives have been changed by the drug abuse and they had taken both powder cocaine and crack cocaine. They described how they had committed crimes in order to fund their drug habit and showed emotion when talking about how their family relationships had been affected. It is concluded that the cocaine trade is proving extremely difficult to eradicate because the supply and demand are so great, the network of the business is strong and it is on such a large scale where people are risking their lives because the income is worth it to them. It is also concluded that there is not enough research to draw conclusions about the effect of cocaine trafficking on the United Kingdom and therefore a UK wide study would be exceptionally valuable

A review of fingerprint recovery within an arson crime scene

Fingerprints have been used in criminal investigations in the United Kingdom since 1902. Many advances in research and technology have improved current opportunities for fingerprint recovery at crime scenes. Possibly due to the lack of training and research, the recoverability of fingerprints in a fire scene are undervalued and misunderstood. There is a widespread misconception that fire will destroy all fingerprint evidence. Evaluation of current literature available has shown that fingerprints can indeed be recovered with excellent results. Fire scenes, in particular deliberate or arson, can be examined with reference to the elevated temperature conditions at each stage and the understanding of the soot removal techniques is paramount to the investigation process. Further research is required to make advancement in fire scene fingerprint recovery