Britain needs a change in strategy in the fight against drugs, Gordon Brown has said, following a meeting with police officers in Birmingham.

Source article on BBC News

A Vietnamese man who admitted cultivating a major cannabis farm in a Glasgow house has been jailed for four and a half years.

Source article on BBC News

Comment from a selection of media sources on the release of the Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey (SALSUS), National Report 2006, undertaken by BMRB Social Research, commissioned by ISD Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Executive.

Source articles on BBC News , The Scotsman

Drugs squad officers from Tayside Police have recovered 9kg of amphetamine worth about £90,000 from Dundee city centre.

Source article on BBC News

Scottish scientists based at Aberdeen University's Institute of Medical Science together with an international team of neuroscientists have published a study in the journal 'Science', whose findings indicate that smoking cannabis during pregnancy could affect the unborn child.

Source articles on The Herald, and The Scotsman

People with drug problems in Tayside no longer have to wait for treatment following a major reorganisation of services. However, with better access comes an expectation that clients will literally sign up to become drug-free and make changes to their lives that will lead to a reintegration into society.

Source article on The Courier

Tom Wood, Chairman of the Action on Alcohol and Drugs team in Edinburgh talks about the future issues and challenges in tackling substance misuse.

Source article on Evening News

Recognising, celebrating and rewarding the unsung heroes who change lives every day. Deadline for nominations is 17 August 2007.

Source article on Home Office

A drug which reduces the desire for marijuana and blocks its effect on the brain has been successfully tested in rats. Scientists say the findings may translate into better therapies for cannabis misuse in humans.

Source article on New Scientist

Equipment seized during police raids on illegal cannabis farms is to be sent to Africa, where it will be used to help grow vegetables instead.

Source article on BBC News

The Home Office announced its Harm Reduction Action Plan (England and Wales) yesterday to provide more effective treatment to drug misusers. Around £2 million is to be spent to help reduce the number of people dying from drug overdoses or contracting blood-borne viruses through injecting themselves with dirty needles.

Source article on Home Office

A recent survey of clubbers in Edinburgh by the Crew 2000 advice centre found one in ten had used the Class A substance, crystal meth, or had a friend who tried it.

Source article on Evening News

Some recovering drug misusers in the city of Edinburgh are being prevented from returning to the care of their GP due to caps on patient numbers. Action on Alcohol and Drugs in Edinburgh has warned the problem could cause the waiting lists to grow and leave clients 'stuck' in the system.

Source article on Evening News

Media comment on the release of the annual report for 2006/07 of the UK's agency on crime, SOCA(Serious Organised Crime Agency), set up in April 2006.

Source articles on BBC News, The Independent ,The Herald

Dumfries and Galloway police seize cannabis worth £150,000 from a car on the M74 motorway.

Source article on BBC News

Scientists are developing a revolutionary test to to identify people who may be at risk of developing cannabis-induced schizoprenia. This comes amid increasing concern over the risks associated with cannabis use. Although experts are divided, there is growing evidence that parts of the population are at risk of developing mental illness from cannabis use.

Source article on The Independent [link broken 10/08/07]

The growing use of a dental anaesthetic by criminals to bulk-out cocaine deals has prompted talks between police and the government over a clampdown on its trade.

Source article on The Scotsman

Latin American drug gangs have switched tack - under pressure from international law enforcement - and are shipping their cocaine via West Africa instead of directly into Europe with routes between African and Scottish airports being high on their target list.

Source article on Scotland on Sunday

Scottish police forces have launched a new strategy to deal with growing cocaine use, urging middle-class recreational users to "boycott" the drug.

Source article on The Scotsman

A pioneer of Scotland's methadone programme has warned that more resources need to be invested in alternative services which help addicts come off drugs. Dr Laurence Gruer, a leading public health expert who was responsible for setting up the methadone programme in Glasgow more than a decade ago,said there has been a "lack of balance" in the approach taken to solving drug problems.

Source article on Sunday Herald

Feature on the police campaign to smash the drugs gang in Inch, a south Edinburgh housing estate.

Source article on Evening News

Scotland's largest drug charity is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a fund-raising concert. Addaction, which has five centres in Glasgow, will hold the event at Oran Mor with slots from the Sensational Alex Harvey Band and Primevals.

Source article Evening Times

Discussion on the problems that abuse of crystal meth causes in other parts of the world and on the signs that levels of abuse of this drug may be rising in parts of the UK.

Source article on The Times

A new scheme being tested in the courts in England aims to break the endless cycle of drugs and crime which many drugs misusers become caught up in.

Source article on BBC News

Medical schools throughout the UK are calling for substance misuse training to become part of every trainee doctor’s course in response to the number of drink and drug-related hospital cases.

Source article on Drugscope

A report into the health and social risks from use of the stimulant drug BZP(benzylpiperazine) will be published by EU agencies in mid-June. BZP is reported by users to provoke similar effects to those of amphetamine. A recent study also showed that when combined with TFMPP, it may mimic some of the effects of ecstasy.

Source article on Scottish Drugs Forum, see also related article on BBC News

It is thought that as many as twenty organised crime gangs are currently selling crack cocaine in Aberdeen. Grampian Police has seized nearly £1million of crack cocaine over the last eight months - helped by a secret army of taxi drivers, hoteliers, guesthouse owners and public transport operators.

Source article on this is north scotland