UK Drugs policy in disarray

News today of three further UK government advisors resigning in the wake of the sacking of Professor David Nutt. The advisors, Dr John Marsden, Dr Ian Ragan and Dr Simon Campbell, all quit the UK's Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs today after seeking reassurance from Alan Johnson that their independence would not be compromised, further to the dismissing of Professor Nutt earlier in the month for 'crossing a line' into politics.

The whole affair leaves the integrity of the government and their overall drugs policy somewhat in tatters. As we commented in Pocket Issue: Drink & Drugs (Amanda Eleftheriades), repeated u-turns by the government over the last decade have contributed to some muddied thinking and policy making. Which way now for Gordon Brown's executive?

Time to panic?...Pandemics

With the recent outbreak of Swine fever / Mexican flu our title Pocket Issue, Pandemics is getting a lot of interest. Recently reviewed in The Evening Standard (London) as "the book to read when you get home", commenting that "It's packed with useful stats about flu and other nasties past and present." - Katie Law, The Evening Standard.

You can read or listen to the title and get the facts about everything from cytokine storms to virus management policies and who does and doesn't get the drugs when they are needed. And we are also planning a revised audio edition in English and in Spanish with our Mexican audio partners Librofonix...watch this space!

A snooper's charter?

In the news this week, what civil liberties groups are calling the 'snoopers's charter'. A proposal by the UK government to monitor and even store our contact information from social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Whilst much of this information is in the public domain, some is 'regulated' by our own right to share or not share personal information with those we don't know. And given several government department's recent track record, 'losing' sensitive personal data, most UK citizens have every right to feel worried about the Home Office 'safeguarding' our private information in a central database.

Derived from an EU directive (again) opinion will be split between those who believe such monitoring is needed to 'protect' us from crime gangs intent on fraud and would be terror attacks, and those who beleive the cost to our civil liberties is too high. And any discussion should also reference the recent a backgrop of the findings of the parliamentary committee on police heavy handedness. Police were accused of using new 'anti-terrorism' powers to intimidate, film and even 'assault' both peaceful protesters and journalists. Looking ahead to the forthcoming G20 summit, you can get a good overview of your rights and both sides of the arguement by reading or listening to Pocket Issue, Big brother: who is watching you? by Joseph O'Neil.

Got a cold? Get a pocket tissue

It's icy cold, we're fat from too many mince pies, the kids have just gone back to school and we've dispatched the last of the Christmas wrapping paper to the recycling box. Picking up a paper for the first time in a couple of weeks as life gets back to normal, we notice that headlines are full of dire warnings of imminent 'flu epidemics or even pandemics.

Before we panic, let's take a look at some hard facts. Lots of us may be coughing and colding, but that's different to the 'flu.

So when is a cough and a cold not a cold? When it's the 'flu. Flu symptoms are fever, aches, chills, tiredness, all of which can come on suddenly, and can pose a serious threat, mostly to those more at risk such as the elderly, the young and those with an impaired immune system. Coughs and colds, however, are usually just that - a cough and a cold, with the cough often worse at night, lasting a few days.

Is there anything we can do to protect ourselves from the 'flu (and coughs and colds, come to that? None of us want to be snivelling into our Lemsip if we can avoid it). The answer is, yes, plenty, and the good news in these financially stretched times is it really won't cost you much more than a pocket tissue or a bar of soap. First of all, sneeze into a tissue. Colds and 'flus are airborne diseases and if you sneeze into the air, you can infect up to 150 people - that's the power of a single sneeze. Similarly, cover your mouth when you cough. Once you have mastered these simple practices, pass them onto your children, and to anyone who seems not to know about them. Finally, wash your hands. Alot. As Pocket Issue: Pandemics makes plain, this cuts your risk of succumbing to a number of infections dramatically.

Finally, some perspective: Flu pandemic prediction is an uncertain science at best - governments around the world have been stockpiling vaccines every year for decades to protect against possible outbreaks, only for most of us to make it through to Springtime unscathed when the pandemic fails to materialise. Chances are, 2009 will be no different in terms of the 'flu. An Aids pandemic, on the other hand, has been rampaging across Africa for years, while Zimbabwe, as if its citizens didn't have enough on their plate, are now in the grip of a cholera epidemic. We may moan about the UK and the NHS, but...

Tippling the balance

The government is cutting down on the promotion of cheap alcohol, in a bid to curb irresponsible drinking. Promotions like 'all you can drink for £10' and 'women drink free' are to go in the Queens Speech, although supermarkets will still be allowed to sell alcohol at cheap prices as a 'loss leader'.

With the festive season just revving up, such an announcement is timely. Because excessive drinking doesn't just affect the person doing it. Alcohol is well known as a destroyer of family lives, and as Pocket Issue Drink and Drugs reveals, some 1.4m children are in the care of a parent with a drink problem.

Christmas is traditionally a time when people with alcohol problems may drink even more than usual. So, what to do if a member of your family or a friend is drunk before the turkey is out of the oven?

The first thing is to admit to yourself that they really have a problem. Denial by the drinker - pretending the problem doesn't exist, is just a one off, or is just the result of the person pointing the finger being 'a bit square' - is a key feature in any addiction. Next, get informed. There is a raft of help out there, both for the drinker - Alcoholics Anonymous, the helpline Drink Line, 0800 917 8282 - and for friends and family, including teenagers - Al Anon. Pocket Issue's Drink and Drugs: What Can you Do section will give you much more information on the support that exists. Finally, don't forget the kids. Don't let them get in a car, or leave them alone, with someone who has drunk to excess. Christmas is primarily for children. Make their safety and enjoyment a priority.