A report published yesterday by the National Centre for Social Research, the British Social Attitudes 26th Report has found that public concern about the effects of cannabis has grown over the last decade, and a majority think cannabis should remain illegal.

Source article on National Centre for Social Research [pdf 53kb]

Fife police have announced that a 49-year-old woman from Dunfermline has died after taking the substance mephedrone, commonly known as "bubbles".

Source article on The Courier

The Scottish Drugs Forum has produced a new briefing document, "Anthrax and Heroin Users: What workers need to know" [pdf 53KB], to help people working with heroin users identify early signs of anthrax and help users seek potentially life-saving medical help.

Source article on Scottish Drugs Forum

Media articles related to the report, 2008-09 Scottish Crime and Justice Survey: Drug Use released yesterday by the Scottish Goverment.

Source article on BBC News, STV News

Article which refers to studies on the chemical composition of cannabis and how this may be linked to the effects of the drug on mental health.

Source article on New Scientist

A survey looking at experience of drug use across Scotland has shown a decrease in the number of people taking illicit drugs.

Source article on The Scottish Government

A further case of anthrax has been confirmed in a drug user in the Ayrshire and Arran area. The total number of confirmed cases across Scotland now stands at 17.

Source article on Health Protection Scotland, The Scotsman, HeraldScotland

The latest Know the Score awareness campaign highlighting the dangers of taking cocaine launched today. The focus of the hard-hitting ad, which highlights the health risks such as paranoia and chest pains as wells as increased chance of heart attack or stroke, is 'you don't know what you're getting with cocaine'.

Source article on The Scottish Government

Feature on recent cases of anthrax amongst heroin users in Scotland.

Source article on HeraldScotland

Latest information on the number of anthrax cases in drug users in Scotland.

Source article on Health Protection Scotland, NHS NSS, BBC News

A survey has suggested that a new legal high drug, mephedrone, is becoming more widely used on the British club scene.

Source article on BBC Newsbeat, see also Press and Journal

UK experts have said that the image of cocaine as a 'safe party drug' is a myth that must be dispelled, as a new study released from the British Heart Foundation has shown that the drug is linked to 3 per cent of sudden deaths.

Source article on BBC News, British Heart Foundation, European Heart Journal

A therapist described by a judge as a "significant player" in Scotland's drugs industry has been jailed for 12 years at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Source article on BBC News

Cocaine seizures in the Lothian region are expected to achieve record levels following campaigns by police against organised crime gangs in the area.

Source article on Evening News

Three men, all from East London, have been jailed for their involvement in a £33 million drugs deal, thought to be the UK's largest ever heroin seizure.

Source article on BBC News

The number of heroin users to die from anthrax in Scotland has now reached six, involving the death of a man in the NHS Forth Valley area, marking a further geographical spread of the infection in Scotland.

Source article on BBC News

Health experts believe contaminated heroin - thought to be responsible for cases of anthrax in Glasgow - may be circulating elsewhere in Scotland.

Source article on BBC News, TimesOnline, Health Protection Scotland

A survey of more than 15,000 UK families has revealed that parents in Scotland are more commonly drug users than those in the rest of Britain.

Source article on TimesOnline