As the ACMD’s successor to sacked advisor, Prof David Nutt, Prof Les Iversen and his team have conducted its first undertaking being the review on cocaine.  There has been a five-fold increase in users since 1996 and use among those in age bracket 16-59 has increased to 3% from 0.6% in the same period.  Iversen has told Home Secretary Alan Johnson that cocaine should remain in Class A due to its harmful effects.

Europe’s drug agency, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, reveals in its 2009 report that the majority of online retailers identified (115) in its annual study were based in the UK at 37%.  Following the UK are Germany (15%), Netherlands (14%) and Romania (7%).

Following the footsteps of its neighbour Jersey, Guernsey is looking to outlaw mephedrone ahead of the UK.  Unlike the classification as a Class C drug in Jersey, they are considering the classification of this drug as a Class A.

Scottish medical experts have reported a link between methadone taken during pregnancy and babies who develop eye defects such as blurred vision, nystagmus, squinting and short sightedness.  A study carried out by doctors at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, the first leading study of its kind, was to look into the long-term outcomes for these children.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) together with NHS London has confirmed a positive anthrax case in a heroin user in London and is currently in hospital for treatment.  Such organisations cannot stress enough the importance of taking precautionary measures when taking heroin and have advised to cease consumption if possible.