UK Leads On Drugs Deaths

I have periodically commented on here about the prevalence of drugs locally and the picture nationally and globally - see for example my posts from a year ago this month.

New figures show that the number of drug deaths in Britain is among highest in the world. Illegal substances killed 2,278 people in a year, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. It ranks Britain sixth in the world, with only the US, Ukraine, the Russian Federation, Iran and Mexico having more.

Most of these deaths were caused by opioids, such as heroin, followed by sedatives, cocaine, amphetamine-type stimulants and ecstasy. The report also warned that, while drug use across the world remained stable, ‘demand soared for substances not under international control’ – so called legal highs. It added: ‘These markets continue to evolve and every year new products are manufactured to supply an increasingly diversified demand for psychoactive substances.’

The figures are from the year 2008 and the UN says drug deaths are recorded differently in different countries. The British deaths are among a population of 61 million and compare to 1,638 deaths in Spain, which has a population of 46 million, 1,449 in Germany (population 81 million) and 484 in Italy (population 60 million). The US, home to 308 million people, had 38,396 drug related deaths. Britain, the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Spain and Germany account for 80 per cent of all drug related deaths in Europe, the report shows.

Crime prevention minister Baroness Angela Browning said in the year to March officials seized 1,951 kg of cocaine or crack, 473 kg of heroin, and 1,012 kg of other class A drugs. ‘This report demonstrates the need for a renewed focus in dealing with the global drugs market to properly protect our communities,’ she added. Michael Linnell, from the drug and alcohol charity Lifeline, said he had seen a ‘dramatic’ fall in the number of young people taking heroin. He added: ‘Most of the people who are heroin addicts are in middle age and have been taking the drug for many years which takes its toll on their health and kills them. ‘But by far the biggest problem we face is from alcohol, both from the number of deaths and the impact it has on society.’

http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/WDR2011/World_Drug_Report_2011_ebook.pdf

In April The Guardian reported that the Government's expert drug advisers were to publish their first significant review of the harms caused by cocaine use this week to counter the "increasingly common" idea that it is a relatively safe drug. The increasing popularity of cocaine use among young adults in recent years has put Britain at the top of the European "league table" for cocaine abuse – a position it has held for six out of the last seven years.

Cocaine is the second most popular drug in Britain, after cannabis, with its use increasing markedly in the past decade from 0.6% of 16 to 59 year olds reporting use to the British Crime Survey to 2.4% in 2009-10. This is equivalent to nearly 800,000 people reporting that they have used it within the last year. Among those aged 16 to 24, the increase in use has been even sharper from 1.3% to 5.5% in 2009-10 – or about 367,000 teenagers and young adults.

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) wanted to launch its review of cocaine last year but was delayed by requests for advice from the home secretary, Theresa May, on banning the new generation of designer drugs or "legal highs" such as spice and mephedrone. The drug council chairman, Professor Les Iversen, recently wrote to the May telling her: "The ACMD has previously indicated that it would initiate a review of cocaine and that this review would be focused on the nature of the trade, its prevalence in the UK and the harms of the drug – not classification issues. "As you are aware, the substantial work the ACMD has undertaken on the legal highs agenda has prevented it from having resource to initiate this review, however, the ACMD is now in a position to start this with immediate effect." Iversen, who took over from Prof David Nutt after he was sacked, said that he was firmly of the view that cocaine is, and should remain, a class A drug. He said that the council has never looked at cocaine as a single substance in its 40 year history and the review was needed to reinforce public health work to reduce its harmful effects. It would tackle "the need to disabuse the misapprehension that cocaine is a relatively safe drug".

The decision to prioritise the cocaine review means that a similar investigation into the use of Qat, requested by the home secretary in February, is likely to be delayed. Qat is a leafy green plant whose leaves are chewed and used as a stimulant principally among Britain's Somali community. The drug advisers are also finalising their official advice on the wider implications of the emergence of the "legal highs" phenomenon and make further recommendations for tackling suppliers and reducing market demand.

A Hebridean Curry

Pouring over holiday brochures for sunny and hot climes is a ritual enjoyed by many in this country, and sometimes more than once a year these days. A combination of lack of money and an inbuilt suspicion of packaged holidays has meant that this is not a ritual I have taken part in very often. Holidays are not something I've had a lot of.

However a recent two nights and one night excursion to the Isle of Skye and Glencoe respectively leads me to think that I must get away more. I have seen them before but I think I must see more of Scotland. I've been to Skye and Glencoe before many many years ago, but the scenery never fails to astonish and evoke awe. For sure you have to consider that rain is very likely but it only adds to the atmosphere. They are simply the most stunning of landscapes, on our very own doorstep.

At times you are looking at a scene that has been gazed at for thousands of years. A mountain that looks as if it harbours infinite secrets - the majestic, perfect shape of Buchaille Etive Mhor on the road to Glencoe. In Glencoe itself one cannot ignore the story of the Government sponsored assassination of the McDonald clan in 1692. The Glen is dark, heavy and foreboding and over 300 years later it feels as if the Glen's very pores still ooze the tragedy in a tone of lamentation.

The Clachaig Inn claims to have been in Glencoe for over 300 years therefore it may well have opened it's doors to the warring clansmen. Catering much to the walkers and climbers but very welcoming to the sight seeing tourists, one cannot imagine an Inn with more dramatic surroundings. This was a place with a warm atmosphere, a great selection of beers at non tourist prices and pub meals, which while slightly pricey were of really good quality. The Inn appears to work really hard at creating an identity. It provides a wealth of information about the local area from its website . It is linked to CAMRA (real-ale) and it has regular live music playing one of the bars.

Glencoe appeals to walkers, climbers and tourists alike. The Isle of Skye does so too but with a greater emphasis on the capital T of tourism. Perhaps its island remoteness makes this all the more necessary but the twists and turns of Skye's roads are adequately dotted with the cottages of the B&B trade. The towns of Skye (mainly Broadford and its "capital", Portree) are adeptly focussed on the tourist experience, with craft shops, art galleries, boat trips, accommodation and of course the all important pubs and restaurants. I say restaurants. Some of them were offering pub grub at restaurants prices, which in real money was basically about twice the price of an equivalent pub meal in Dundee. Of course Skye also has its fair share of highly regarded restaurants, not least the Three Chimneys and Lady Claire MacDonald's Kinloch Lodge.

A real find was "The Prince of India" in Portree. I could not believe that there was a curry house on Skye! Yet there it was offering an array curries well known to any curry fanatic. The Chicken Jalfrezi and a Balti Chicken Madras at our table were of a pretty good quality and they would have beaten many a Dundee curry house hands down. There's a lot to be said for eating Indian in the Inner Hebrides.

The Howff

The Howff Cemetery sits in the City Centre in a square surrounded by four streets. Two of the streets' buildings back onto the cemetery whilst the other two provide a view into the cemetery. The Howff is no Pere Lachaise. It is tiny in comparison and it cannot boast the likes of Jim Morrison or Edith Piaf amongst its residents. However the Howff holds its own as the only remaining inner city cemetery left in Dundee and is locally immortalised in history as the place where the 7 incorporated trades held their meetings in the middle ages.

These have long ceased. The 18th and 19th century gravestones stand in varying degrees of opulence and disrepair. Earlier gravestones have long since shed their identities. They stand in solitude alongside the delightful trees, bushes and flowers that are tended by our local parks department.

The Howff represents an oasis in the heart of the City. Sitting on one of the benches I am able to forget that I am in Dundee. You do not feel that you are in the City Centre. On a sunny day I could be anywhere - Edinburgh, York, Bath, Paris. It is the calm beauty that permeates and takes one away into another world.

2011 - The Planking Year

A bit of fun, but risks of planking craze should not be taken lying down. A surreal internet craze that led to the death of a man in Australia this month is sweeping across Dundee. Planking involves a person lying face down in front of, or on, an unusual object or public place and then uploading a picture of the scene to the internet.

A Facebook group called Planking Dundee had nearly 2700 followers this morning. Although many of the photographs are intended to be humorous — such as a squad of painters and decorators all planking over pasting tables — others pose on dangerous, difficult-to-reach locations.

The Planking Dundee page also contains photos of people planking on a pillar outside Dundee Sheriff Court, on car roofs, post boxes and even on top of wheelie bins. Others have opted to plank on landmarks such as the statue on Riverside Drive. However, some people have risked serious injury or even their lives by posing for photos on third-storey windowsills, on roofs and even on top of chimneys.

Safety campaigners issued warnings about the risks of the fad earlier this week after pictures appeared online of a Sunderland man planking on the Wear Bridge. This month Australian Acton Beale died after falling from a seventh-floor balcony in Brisbane after trying to plank on its railings. The accident even prompted Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard to call for a ban on planking. A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said nobody should risk their life for a fad.

"We would always have concerns if people are putting themselves in harm's way, especially for a craze," he said. "We would have to deal with any incident but if people are putting themselves at risk then we would be concerned about the potential increase in ambulance calls."

Extreme Weather Continues

Scotland continues to have its fair share of extreme weather. Following on from the worst winter snow for many a year we were transfixed as a tree in the Howff Cemetery threatened to topple. Elsewhere gale force winds of up to 100 mph left commuters stranded as power cables and trees blocked roads and overhead cables on the rail network were interrupted due to falling debris. The Tay and Forth Road Bridges were closed as were major tourist attractions including Edinburgh Zoo, Stirling Castle and the Falkrik Wheel.

The winds, which reached nearly 80mph, caused damage across the city. Several people watched in horror as trees were uprooted and crashed against their homes or on to vehicles. The Tay Road Bridge was closed while several other main routes around the city, including parts of the Kingsway, had to be closed temporarily due to fallen trees and branches. Police said they received dozens of calls within half an hour as the winds peaked shortly after 2pm.

Part of the roof of the Bay View Bar in Earn Crescent, Menzieshill, blew off after 5pm, striking a woman who was walking in the area. She was taken to Ninewells Hospital with neck and back injuries. Her condition was not known last night but when taken into the ambulance she was breathing and conscious.

The storm blew a piece of metal railing from a building on to a taxi in Meadowside, narrowly missing a pedestrian. The three-foot L-shaped corner section plunged on to the vehicle, causing significant damage.

Part of High Street in Dundee was cordoned off as a precaution as the wind blew sections of roofing from several buildings. Perth Road at Seafield Road was also closed last night after a chimney pot fell from the roof of a tenement building on to a bus shelter. Firefighters raced to the scene and removed other chimney pots that were loose and in danger of falling.

In Albany Terrace an 80-foot tree was uprooted completely, blocking the road and causing extensive damage to two cars parked on the opposite side of the road. Trevor White's Fiat Punto was badly damaged by the fallen tree and he said it was lucky nobody had been killed." I was working at home in the back of the house when I heard the crash. I originally thought something had fallen at the back but couldn't see anything then somebody came to the door to tell me that my car was damaged," he said. Another large tree blocked Constitution Road after being blown over there.

Elsewhere in Dundee, Graeme Paul had a lucky escape as he dodged out of the way of a falling 50ft tree with just seconds to spare. The Broughty Ferry Road resident had gone to warn his neighbours Helen and Mike Lukas that a tree near their house was in danger of toppling. However, as he was ringing the doorbell, the tree fell on to the house. Luckily, Mr Paul was able to scramble out of the way and escape injury. He said, "They've been quite lucky it hasn't damaged the house more. Last year a tree came down and blocked the road but these are the worst winds we've had since we moved here eight years ago." Although the tree fell against the side of the house, it does not appear to have caused any major damage. Mrs Lukas said, "Obviously some of the slates have come off and the rhones are damaged but all the windows are secure. We were both at home. It happened very quickly and it was quite a crash — I've never heard such a loud noise."

Shabana Yaqub (22), of Lammerton Terrace, saw her Peugeot crushed by another falling tree. "I was about to go to work when I saw the tree had fallen. I knew I had parked my car there and I hoped it would have missed but it hadn't. Luckily, it doesn't seem too badly damaged but the car across the road has been."

Sheila Morely, from Dawson Road, returned home to a nasty surprise. "I got home about 2pm and found a tree from the college and blown over and demolished the car port," she said. "It's resting on top of the garage roof but we don't how much damage has been done."

Menzieshill residents Francis Quinn (70) and Irene Gray (65) escaped serious injury after a 40ft tree plunged into their Dickson Avenue home. The couple's patio doors were smashed and a garden wall was knocked down. Mr Quinn, who is retired, said he initially thought the deafening crash was a loud boom of thunder. "I was just in the kitchen and my partner was sitting in the living room watching the television when the tree came crashing down," he said. "It has broken my patio windows, and the wall has been knocked down and all the stuff on the patio has been damaged. I heard the crash and I really thought it was thunder but then I heard my partner shouting and screaming."

The Met Office recorder at Glenogil in Angus saw wind speeds of 79mph and winds are expected to reach 40 to 50mph today. A spokesman for the Met Office said, "There were severe gales across the area, reaching speeds of up to 70mph and even more on the Tay Bridge. Winds will be fresh and strong on Tuesday but nothing like as bad."

Osama Bin Laden Jokes

Such is the speed with which we can communicate using today's technology, it is never long before major events circulate the globe and their accompanying jokes do likewise.

The death of Osama bin Laden was met by a predictably rapid barrage of online jokes. Within hours, and as details of the attack were still emerging, there was frenzied comment on Twitter, Facebook and other social media.

Versions of "Osama dead: Donald Trump demands the death certificate" were quickly tweeted, retweeted and posted. Sikipedia, meanwhile, was swiftly adding to "the world's best collection of sick jokes". Posts included "So, Osama Bin Laden is dead. Shall we have another bank holiday?"

On Twitter, Prodnose – aka the comedian Danny Baker – was getting in on the act. "Taliban say Bin Laden death a 'setback' but won't give up on dream of world domination until 'mathematically impossible'.

Dave Gorman added: "Now would be a good time to release bad news. If only everyone who had bad news to get out of the way hadn't released it on Friday."

And DanaArikane wrote: "They should have captured Bin Laden alive and made him continually go through airport security for the rest of his life."

Paul-Arthur on Quora wrote: "Bin Laden must have had his contact info in his PSN [PlayStation] account" (there were myriad variations on this theme involving iPhone apps and Facebook) and "RIP Osama bin Laden, World Hide and Go Seek Champion (2001-2011)".

On Yahoo one user offered: "What did al-Qaida learn from Osama bin Laden's death? Location, location, location." Alaskanyakdessert was on Youtube within an hour of the end of Obama's address saying: "At least he got to see the royal wedding before he went out." And: "This is good news for the other guys on the top 10 wanted list – finally they get to move up in the rankings."

The shelf-life of such Bin Laden "jokes" may be rather short. Soon after the initial burst of comment, Twitter users were expressing gag fatigue. By 10.13am amyplusbaby tweeted: "Oh I am so over hearing Osama jokes/hearing about him at all. Bore OFF."

Election Apathy in Lochee

Well I played my part in the democratic process last night working as a Presiding Officer at Dundee Housing Office Community Lounge in Dundee. It was a strange experience - three ballot papers - one for the Dundee West MSP, one for the regional list and one for the referendum on alternative voting which few people seemed to understand. A well intentioned effort to make things easier for voters by colour coding the ballot papers with the ballot boxes fell foul of the choice of colours - lilac, peach and grey, but in shades that were so light they were not that distinguishable in the light of the polling place. Give us neon colours next time!

But more importantly, with a voting list of 650 voters and a turnout of under 200, the active interest could be described as apathetic. No doubt those same people will be the first to complain when it suits them.