NRG-1 'legal high' drug is banned

Naphyrone commonly sold under the ‘brand name’ NRG-1 has been added to a growing list of substances under the drugs misuse act and is now a Class B controlled drug alongside Cannabis and Mephedrone.


Class B drugs carry a maximum sentence for possession of 5 years imprisonment and 14 years imprisonment for supply.


At Beyond The Blue we deliver a number of different courses, which include;


• Drug Awareness – designed specifically for each individual client to help them address the problems of controlled drug use and drug dealing in their workplace.
• The National Certificate for Licensees (Drug Awareness) – designed specifically for the licensed retail sector
• Conflict Management and Resolution training compliments personal development and helps employees deal proactively with Workplace Violence.
• Our Personal Safety for Lone Workers course teaches the core skills to help employees deal effectively with alcohol and drug related personal safety issues.


Please visit our website at http://www.btbl.co.uk/.


For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.


To view the original article please Click Here
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 12th July 2010

Boy, 17, dies at Rooney club do

It is a sad reflection on our society and the press that the headline and substance of this story is the presence of Wayne Rooney at the club rather than the tragic death of a young man.


If we look past the flippant headline it provides us with an example of the challenges faced by the licensed trade and the importance of doing everything in our power as alcohol retailers to ensure that we uphold the licensing objectives.


This is no reflection on the club in question, as we are unaware at this stage of all the pertinent fact in this case; but promoting objectives of ‘the protection of children from harm’ and ‘prevention of crime and disorder’ should feature heavily in this case.


Under licensing law children are considered to be persons under the age of 18 years. Providing there is no specific condition on the licence of this particular club, then they are permitted to allow 17 year olds onto their premises, but they should have adequate measures in place to protect them from harm.


At any time you allow anyone under the age of 18 entry to your premises, you must put additional measures into place and go that step further to make sure they do not come to harm; through alcohol consumption or any other means.


Then there is the issue of illegal drugs being on the premises, there is however no indication that the drugs were being dealt on the premises. As well as the Licensing Act 2003 (and the licensing objective of ‘the prevention of crime and disorder’), the 1971 Drugs Misuse Act clearly sets out the heavy penalties for allowing the use or dealing of controlled drugs on licensed premises.


Above all these regulations and laws there is the duty of care we have towards our customers. Licensed premises should be places of fun, frivolity and friendliness, everyone working within the sector needs to continue to work hard towards eliminating these tragic cases from our industry.


At Beyond The Blue we run a number of different courses, which include;


1. The Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) designed for front-line staff to help them meet their statutory requirements;
• The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence;
• The National Certificate for Designated Premises Supervisors (NCDPS) which provides relevant information for anyone assuming the position of DPS in licensed premises.
• Conflict Management and Resolution training compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.


Please visit our website at http://www.btbl.co.uk/.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.


To view the original article please Click Here
Source – Metro
Date – 27th April 2010

Mephedrone ban comes into force in UK

Mephedrone a.k.a. ‘meow meow’ or ‘plant food’ has been reclassified as a class B drug alongside cannabis and now, under the drugs misuse act 1971, carries a maximum sentence of 5 years imprisonment for possession and 14 years for the sale or supply.


The reclassification came into force on 16th April 2010.


A further blog entry will examine the merits of the ban in more detail soon.


At Beyond The Blue we run a number of different courses, which include;


• Drug Awareness – designed specifically for each individual client to help them address the problems of controlled drug use and drug dealing in their workplace.
• The National Certificate for Licenses (Drug Awareness) – designed specifically for the licensed retail sector
• The Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) designed for front-line staff to help them meet their statutory requirements;
• The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence;
• The National Certificate for Designated Premises Supervisors (NCDPS) which provides relevant information for anyone assuming the position of DPS in licensed premises.
• Conflict Management and Resolution training compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.


Please visit our website at http://www.btbl.co.uk/.
 
For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.


To view the original article please Click Here
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 16th April 2010

Don’t ban ‘meow meow’

The relative harm of drugs is an argument which got Professor Nutt into trouble and I am not about to wage a scientific argument with him on this particular subject; however I will argue the point on the principle of government scientists dictating policy and on the proposal that some drugs should effectively sold under licence.


It is the constant comparisons with controlled drugs and alcohol which I find difficult to stomach. We know alcohol is a drug and a dangerous one at that, but you don’t solve a problem by undermining one danger because a greater one exists.


To use his famous equestrian reference it would be like saying we should ban horse riding but allow pony trekking…


The classification system is there to deal with controlled drugs at this time alcohol and tobacco fall outside of this classification. If there is an argument to include these then make that argument, do not confuse it with an argument surrounding the harm from Methedrone.


The solution to the drug problem (if there could ever be one) lies in more than scientific data and opinion and it is here where I take issue with Professor Nutt. I would never question his integrity, his qualification or experience, however the issue with drugs is a political one. I should clarify that when I say it is a political problem it is not a problem to play politics with…


If the argument goes that the harm from alcohol is so great that it should be controlled, how could decriminalising other harmful drugs (even if they are less harmful than alcohol) help the situation in the UK, surely it can only make things worse?


One thing I wholeheartedly agree with is the formation of a new category of drugs; the Class X drugs if you like. It is a classification into which new drugs which appear on the market can quickly and easily be put, in order to avoid the uncontrolled legal ‘dealing’ of drugs.


What always surprises me is the difference between the vigorous, lengthy and expensive development and testing which pharmaceutical drugs undergo before they are allowed to be sold, which is in complete contrast to the back-street labs producing chemical compounds which are ‘developed’ by amateur chemists to fulfil this grey market for ‘legal’ drugs. It strikes me these go through less testing then even our foodstuffs which are subject to tough hygiene regulation.


The law in this grey area is very haphazard and a Class X would place some controls on the ‘legal’ drug trade and allow government scientists to test them properly; avoiding the current backward methodology of ‘see the harm they cause’ and then test and classify. This antiquated methodology provides no protection to young people attracted to these cheap and readily available drugs.


Professor Nutt’s drug chart is a reflection of his expert opinion in this area and with his experience he cannot be ignored. But the consequences of drug use are more than medical and scientific; the social, criminal and psychological consequences of drug use and drug dealing will always be a choice for politicians. Scientific grading alone is never going to be the only concern, the harm from drugs comes in too many forms.


At Beyond The Blue we deliver a number of different courses, which include;


• Drug Awareness – designed specifically for each individual client to help them address the problems of controlled drug use and drug dealing in their workplace.
• The National Certificate for Licensees (Drug Awareness) – designed specifically for the licensed retail sector
• Conflict Management and Resolution training compliments personal development and helps employees deal proactively with Workplace Violence.
• Our Personal Safety for Lone Workers course teaches the core skills to help employees deal effectively with alcohol and drug related personal safety issues.


Please visit our website at http://www.btbl.co.uk/ .


For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.


To view the original article please Click Here
Source – Evening Standard
Date – 23rd March 2010

Dear Heroin

This article does not fit our usual approach to the topic of controlled drugs. However sometimes it is worth sharing articles if only to re-emphasise the terrible effect of these drugs. They go some way to highlighting how out of control true addicts really are and explains (it does not excuse) their behaviour and why they take some of the drastic actions they do.


This is a terribly sad and very powerful story and one I feel is worth sharing.


Hannah Meredith wrote this note just three weeks before she died from a heroin overdose. It is her parents who released the letter in the hope that it may deter other potential users.


The Drug Awareness training we run is not drug counselling or targeted at drug users. We aim to help businesses and organisations deal with problems related to controlled drugs and help young people become more aware of the effects of these illegal drugs.


At Beyond The Blue we run a number of different courses, which include;


• Drug Awareness – designed specifically for each individual client to help them address the problems of controlled drug use and drug dealing in their workplace.
• The National Certificate for Licenses (Drug Awareness) – designed specifically for the licensed retail sector
• The Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) designed for front-line staff to help them meet their statutory requirements;
• The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence;
• The National Certificate for Designated Premises Supervisors (NCDPS) which provides relevant information for anyone assuming the position of DPS in licensed premises.
• Conflict Management and Resolution training compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.


Please visit our website at http://www.btbl.co.uk/.


For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.


To view the original article please Click Here
Source – Metro
Date – 25th February 2010

Cocaine abuse doubles in 4 years

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Title – Cocaine abuse doubles in 4 yearsSource – Independent
Date – 9th October 2009

I have often commented on the number of cocaine users in the UK, the addictive nature of cocaine and the fact that cocaine use has become ‘accepted’ in certain parts of our society.

This article is of interest for two reasons, firstly it highlights the concept that cocaine is (or more accurately ‘has’) taken over from heroin as the drug of choice for those parts of society which ‘glamorise’ the use of drugs like this as an acceptable even desired aspect of ‘a active social life’. The description of cocaine as London’s middle-class dirty secret’ by a former addict and the very fact that the number of addicts seeking help has doubled is a good sign that a few people are seeing cocaine for what it is an addictive illegal drug; we should however note that 2000 out of 1 million users is still a very small percentage of users seeking help with their addiction and sadly a very small number of addicts realising that their desire to include cocaine use as part of their ‘social life’ is an addiction.

The second part of this article which I liked as it dispels another myth is Paul Hayes’s (National Treatment Agency – Chief Executive) comment that in ‘…early-20s night-clubbing, pub-going, cocaine use is becoming more normal among that population. It’s become an adjunct to alcohol or cannabis use.’ This is a statement which should worry those charged with enforcement of drug policy and treatment of drug users. When drug use becomes part of every-day activities, it becomes socially acceptable and almost decriminalised in the minds of users. By being glamorised in the eyes of users, the rhetoric of the dealers is believed rather than information provided by health-care workers, scientist and doctors who really understand the chemistry, social and medical consequences of drug use.

The other group of people who should be worried about this association between ‘normal’ social activities and cocaine use, is the business owners in whose premises drug use inevitably takes place. The consequences to them personally, to their business and premises licence where drugs are used can be severe; where there are drug users there are inevitably drug dealers.

At

Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector including The National Certificate for Licensees Drug Awareness (NCLDA). For other sectors our bespoke Drug Awareness (DA) courses, which examine illegal drugs, their effects and the drug litter synonymous with their use, are specifically designed to reflect the nature of our clients working environment. Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course complements these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and drug related behaviour.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.

Legal ‘party drug’ GBL has destroyed my life

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Title – Legal ‘party drug’ GBL has destroyed my life
Source – Metro
Date – 25th September 2009

If there was any doubt about the effects of GBL use or the addictive nature of this drug, then this story should dispel those myths.

We recently commented on the plans to make GBL an illegal class C drug. See our recent feature:

·

‘Legal highs’ set to be banned

I’m just posting this story to reinforce the comments made in that blog entry and to reemphasise the reasons why this dangerous drug needs to be added to the list of controlled substances. The arguments about which class it should fall into are for me secondary (no disrespect is meant to those who have suffered at the hands of the dealers exploiting the current ‘legal’ nature of the drug), the important thing is to get it classified so that the ‘legal’ avenues of sale are closed and it can at least be seen to be what it is; a dangerous illegal drug.
At Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector including The National Certificate for Licensees Drug Awareness (NCLDA). For other sectors our bespoke Drug Awareness (DA) courses, which examine illegal drugs, their effects and the drug litter synonymous with their use, are specifically designed to reflect the nature of our clients working environment. Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course complements these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and drug related behaviour.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.

Cocaine deaths jump by a fifth

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Title – Cocaine deaths jump by a fifth
Source – Metro
Date – 27th August 2009

This should be a wake-up call for all those people who kid themselves that Cocaine is not dangerous or that they can control the addictive nature of this drug.

That the official figures put the number of deaths attributed to cocaine at 235, is sure to underestimate the number of deaths where cocaine use was a contributory factor.

This death toll also provides us with a stark reminder of the destructive nature of cocaine, both on long term health and social degradation.

Addiction in all it’s form and to all the various addictive substances has a profoundly destructive effect on communities, businesses and organisations, one which is perpetuated by misconceptions spread by dealers and users alike.

Drug Awareness provides guidance for those who work in environments where drug use is a contributory factor to lower productivity or

Conflict in the Workplace or where drug use and drug dealing threatens the business / organisation itself.

At Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector including The National Certificate for Licensees Drug Awareness (NCLDA). For other sectors our bespoke Drug Awareness (DA) courses, which examine illegal drugs, their effects and the drug litter synonymous with their use, are specifically designed to reflect the nature of our clients working environment. Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course complements these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and drug related behaviour.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.

‘Legal highs’ set to be banned

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Title – ‘Legal highs’ set to be banned
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 25th August 2009

This is a story we first commented on in May:

·

Move to outlaw two 'party' drugs

It seems that after some deliberation the government is set to make the move to classify ‘BZP’, ‘GLB’ and ‘Spice’, with the suggestion currently being that they will become Class C drugs and therefore carry penalties of up to 2 years imprisonment for possession and 14 years for supply.

This strategy allows the government and authorities to immediately close the ‘legal’ supply of these drugs through the internet and ‘specialist’ outlets. In reality this ‘easy’ supply route will close relatively quickly as those people who tend to supply these products are generally the type that like to stay just on the right side of the law; hence why the products were developed in the first place. They will no doubt direct their efforts at creating replacement (slightly tweaked) product that takes them back onto the right side of the law and go back into production.

It is this continuous stream that governments need to keep on top of, rather than waiting for tragedy to occur before they act. The drug scene evolves all the time, it evolves to find cheaper routes to market, to provide drugs which suit the consumer and to set consumer trends. The supply of ‘Spice’ for example has already largely disappeared from the shops where it used to be freely purchased as the ‘suppliers’ have withdrawn in anticipation of the new spotlight being shined in their direction and high profile police raids; but note I use the word ‘withdrawn’ rather than ‘disappeared’, they will return with something new before long.

It is not just government and authorities who need to be aware of these new drug trends, businesses and organisations need to be aware of the effect these drugs have on their clients and service users and then knock-on effect they have on employees; both directly and indirectly through the often erratic behaviour of users.

Educating users tends not to be overly effective by government bodies who in the UK seem largely unable to be seen as anything but patronising; rather than as educators or providing proactive advice. In other parts of Europe positive education schemes have had some effect and the slightly ignorant view that any of these substances are entirely ‘safe’ has to a degree been dispelled.

BZP marketed as ‘Herbal Ecstasy’ by ‘dealers’ certainly sounds more appealing than the truth that it was trialled as a worming treatment for cows, but abandoned as it was unsafe for cattle, causing fits in some animals…

GBL marketed as ‘Liquid Ecstasy’ is a legal ‘substitute’ for GHB the drug of choice for some drug assisted rape perpetrators; it is derived from an industrial solvent used to strip paint and graffiti from walls and causes serious heart problems and seizures…

The key for those trying to understand and educate others is to rebrand these substances for what they really are, rather than allowing the ‘dealers’ free reign to name their products and use the loophole that they are legal to suggest they are safe.

They are legal because the government machine works considerably more slowly than the ‘dealers research & development’ teams.

At Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector including The National Certificate for Licensees Drug Awareness (NCLDA). For other sectors our bespoke Drug Awareness (DA) courses, which examine illegal drugs, their effects and the drug litter synonymous with their use, are specifically designed to reflect the nature of our clients working environment. Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course complements these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and drug related behaviour.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.

Cocaine use is on the increase

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Title – Cocaine use is on the increaseSource – The London Paper
Date – 24th July 2009

That cocaine use is on the increase amongst young people is not the news story; after all this is relatively well recognised by anyone working with young people.

However these new figures are interesting when taken in conjunction with the recent figures demonstrating that regular cocaine use had surpassed 1 million in the UK. The 1 million figure demonstrated the seriousness of the problem overall; these figures highlight the concentration of cocaine use in young people. This means that people working in environments which are frequented by young people or working directly with young people, have even more reason to be aware of the effects of cocaine use.

The increased use of Ketamine has been something we have long been warning of, primarily because of the cost of ‘special K’ generally being cheaper than cocaine.

Ketamine originally (and still) used as a horse tranquiliser by vets gained notoriety as a drug used in drink spiking to facilitate the act of drug assisted rape (aka ‘date rape’). It has over the last few years been widely used as a drug of choice, especially for younger people where the ‘price point’ is all important.

At

Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector including The National Certificate for Licensees Drug Awareness (NCLDA). For other sectors our bespoke Drug Awareness (DA) courses, which examine illegal drugs, their effects and the drug litter synonymous with their use, are specifically designed to reflect the nature of our clients working environment. Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course complements these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and drug related behaviour.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.

UN shows scale of cocaine use / Million users make Briton ‘Coke Capital’

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Title – UN shows scale of cocaine use / Million users make Briton ‘Coke Capital’Source – www.bbc.co.uk / Metro
Date – 24th & 25th June 2009

It never fails to surprise me when I run courses in the

Licensed Retail Sector or in Conflict Management and ask the question ‘who thinks they have a drug problem in their premises / business’; my surprise is that not everyone put their hand up…

Now I know it’s a loaded question, because there is certainly a difference between having a ‘drug problem’ and having ‘problem drug users’ within your premises or business activity.

The point is that most businesses should be considering the impact which illegal drugs will be having on their business activities, because illegal drugs permeate almost every facet of our communities.

With a million cocaine users alone in the UK and a population of somewhere over 57 million people even a crude calculation suggests that 1 in every 50 people use cocaine. Transfer these figures into those demographics where drug use is heavier and we can see that within sectors such as the licensed retail and hospitality sector a premises of any size is going to have many users.

In the hot spots such as London, 1 in every 100 will be a ‘problem drug user’ who bring additional challenges to business operators.

Drug use generates problems for businesses along with the well documented health issues for individuals. Drug use attracts drug dealers and leads to crime and disorder which can have a very negative effect on your business. It leads to potentially serious first aid issues in drug users for which businesses have to make provisions; it leads to violence and violent behaviour both by users and those ‘protecting their drug trade’, this especially dangerous for vulnerable employees such as lone workers in roles as diverse as health workers and community housing officers. If unchecked can also lead to police intervention, legal action and prosecution of business owners who fail to tackle drug use and drug dealing on their premises.

The effect of illegal drug use and dealing is felt by every person in the country, the lucky few may not notice it directly, but their taxes will fund the fight against the drug traffickers. Employees on the front line require training to allow them to deal with problems which arise and to put into place proactive prevention strategies.

At Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector including The National Certificate for Licensees Drug Awareness (NCLDA). For other sectors our bespoke Drug Awareness (DA) courses, which examine illegal drugs, their effects and the drug litter synonymous with their use, are specifically designed to reflect the nature of our clients working environment. Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course complements these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and drug related behaviour.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.

Move to outlaw two ‘Party’ drugs

To view the original article Click Here

Title – Move to outlaw two ‘Party’ drugsSource – www.bbc.co.uk
Date 21st May 2009

The illegal drug scene is one which changes constantly; it is difficult enough for the police and authorities to keep up with let alone employers and employees who may never or only sporadically have come into contact with drug use.

The scope of substance abuse stretches further than ever; from the bizarre to the truly horrific. The problem is that generally the ‘new trends’ tend to be proceeded by myth and hype almost always accompanied by untruths surrounding dangers and addictiveness.

It amazes me to this day the number of people I meet who still believe urban myths such as ‘cocaine not being addictive’ or that ‘ecstasy is safe’; yet the grapevine is often listened to more than the science almost always more than the government.

This is normally simple denial on behalf of those who are addicted or who want to use illegal drugs. Of more concern yet is that these untruths are generated by those sales people and marketing executives whose income and lifestyle relies on ever growing consumption of their products; we usually call them drug dealers.

Here we have another good example of ‘good marketing’. The use of the word ‘herbal’ automatically implies that somehow these drugs are not toxic and potentially even good for you. The use of the word herbal suggests a pure, non-chemical, non-toxic natural source. It certainly does not reflect the potentially lethal drug it refers to.

The government seems to be taking measures now to reclassify these drugs and close those loopholes which exist. This is a process which will continue as long a people are willing to believe those drug dealers who are always looking to push the boundaries of the law, in pursuit of profit at any cost.

Drug use and drug dealing can have dramatic effects on business; both in employee productivity and on the reduced number of customers who will be attracted to businesses which suffer the negative effects of drug use and drug dealing.

In any business there can only be one approach to illegal drugs and that is the adoption of a ‘Zero Tolerance Policy’ and enforcement of that policy through Drug Awareness training. We can provide you with this training and using training aids such as our

Drugs Box our training provides realistic and client focussed training which your employees can relate to.

At Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector including The National Certificate for Licensees Drug Awareness (NCLDA). For other sectors our bespoke Drug Awareness (DA) courses, which examine illegal drugs, their effects and the drug litter synonymous with their use, are specifically designed to reflect the nature of our clients working environment. Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course complements these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and drug related behaviour.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.

‘Kids think strong stuff is the best’

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Title – ‘Kids think strong stuff is the best’Source – The Times
Date – 16th March 2009

‘Skunk’ is a word that is starting to send a shiver through parents across the country; it is starting to be seen as the pariah of all drugs and some perspective should be gained. ‘Skunk’ is something to be concerned about, but maybe because it is a ‘gateway’ drug; meaning that the extra strength of ‘skunk’ makes the jump to class A drugs less of a leap than it’s predecessors.

‘Skunk’ is undoubtedly a stronger version of the ‘resin’ and ‘weed’ that were more common a decade ago and it is undoubtedly becoming the standard ‘marijuana’ strand available in the UK. This article provides an interesting synopsis of why and how that has come about.

It is the acceptance of ‘skunk’ as the ‘standard’ that should be of concern and the competition to produce and consume the strongest variety so young people can boast about it. The glamorisation of stronger drugs and the culture of acceptance of drugs such a cocaine rather than the social exclusion which drug users used to expect, has led in no insignificant part to increased numbers and openness of drug use in the UK.

Drug use and drug dealing can have dramatic effects on business; both in employees productivity and on the reduced number of customers who will be attracted to businesses which suffer the negative effects of drug use and drug dealing.

In any business there can only be one approach to illegal drugs and that is the adoption of a ‘Zero Tolerance Policy’ and enforcement of that policy through Drug Awareness training. We can provide you with this training and using training aids such as our

Drugs Box our training provides realistic and client focussed training which your employees can relate to.

At Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector including The National Certificate for Licensees Drug Awareness (NCLDA). For other sectors our bespoke Drug Awareness (DA) courses, which examine illegal drugs, their effects and the drug litter synonymous with their use, are specifically designed to reflect the nature of our clients working environment. Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course complements these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and drug related behaviour.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk or join us on our Facebook Page and our Facebook Group. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.

The African Connection: how the drug gangs found new routes for their trade

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Title – The African Connection: how the drug gangs found new routes for their trade
Source – The Times
Date – 28th February 2009

Understanding drugs, their effects, the signs and symptoms, drug litter and recognising drug dealing go some way to helping us deal with drug related problems in our workplace. Gaining a better understanding of the real cost of drug use which is one of those problems that is so complicated and so vast as to be incomprehensible, allows us to really get behind ‘zero tolerance’ policies.

Many acknowledge that the fight against drugs is one that can not be won and the world experts concur to a degree. However let us not confuse that with the need to keep fighting in order to mitigate further burden being placed on those people most closely affected by the trade and those areas that are blighted by it.

When people talk about the effects of drugs they most often consider the individual user, I believe that the best way to combat the scourge of drug use is to shame people into stopping, the same way drink driving has been substantially curbed by campaigns showing the unacceptable consequences of drink driving. There will always be an argument that drug users ‘have a choice’ (that in itself is an argument for another time).

The fact is; drug use has serious consequences across the world, it causes major problems including; poverty, war, civil conflict, torture, corruption, global warming, human right abuses, the propping up of illegal regimes, environmental destruction and the failure of entire states.

Since this article was published the commander in chief of Guinea-Bissau was assassinated followed by a swift reprisal in the form of the assassination of the President days later. Mexico is in meltdown as government fights immensely powerful and well resourced drug cartels. Afghanistan’s opium crop largely funds the Taliban’s fight against the Afghan people and the coalition’s troops. Colombian rainforest is slashed and burned to make way for cocoa crop. The list of destruction is long and frightening and linked directly to the ‘west’s’ addition to illegal drugs.

Of the nearly 1 million cocaine users in the UK how many are seriously concerned about global warming, global poverty, civil conflict around the world? How many insist on ‘Fairtrade’ coffee on the one hand and yet snort lines of cocaine? What they give with the one hand they take away with a violent, oppressive and destructive other hand. How many actually realise the cause and effect of their ‘habit’?

We consider the issues surrounding the impact that illegal drugs has on businesses, employees and customers.

In any business there can only be one approach to illegal drugs and that is the adoption of a ‘Zero Tolerance Policy’ and enforcement of that policy through Drug Awareness training. We can provide you with this training and using training aids such as our

Drugs Box our training provides realistic and client focussed training which your employees can relate to.

At Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector including The National Certificate for Licensees Drug Awareness (NCLDA). For other sectors our bespoke Drug Awareness (DA) courses, which examine illegal drugs, their effects and the drug litter synonymous with their use, are specifically designed to reflect the nature of our clients working environment. Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course complements these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and drug related behaviour.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk or join us on our Facebook Page and our Facebook Group. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.

Ecstasy ‘not worse than riding’

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Title – Ecstasy ‘not worse than riding’
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 7th February 2009

The decision regarding the reclassification of Ecstasy is due soon and it looks like the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is set to recommend that a downgrading from class A to class B occurs.

Having said that the current government ignored their advice on the reclassification of cannabis and few would be greatly surprised to see them ignore this latest advice. Any downgrading is seen as a sign of weakness and political opinion, especially in relation to drug policy, will make it difficult to be seen to be ‘weak on drugs’.

In this context the comment that ‘Ecstasy is no more dangerous than riding a horse’ seems somewhat frivolous. I have not read the piece of academic work from which it comes and maybe it has been taken out of context, but the fact is it has been reported.

But there is no point in trying to justify the comment, clearly the two activities are worlds apart and ‘the comment’ seems to have been made only in the context of the annual deaths from each activity. Naturally this is only the tip of the iceberg as far as illegal drugs sales go; horse riding hardly has the terrible detrimental affect on communities that drugs and drug dealing does.

There also seems to be little reference to the unknown and unproven long term effects of Ecstasy use which researches have in the past called a ‘time-bomb’ waiting to happen.

So let’s put this to one side and consider the real issues for us and that is the impact that illegal drugs can have on our businesses, our employees and our customers.

In any business there can only be one approach to illegal drugs and that is the adoption of a ‘Zero Tolerance Policy’ and enforcement of that policy through Drug Awareness training. We can provide you with this training and using training aids such as our

Drugs Box our training provides realistic and client focussed training which your employees can relate to.

At Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector including The National Certificate for Licensees Drug Awareness (NCLDA). For other sectors our bespoke Drug Awareness (DA) courses, which examine illegal drugs, their effects and the drug litter synonymous with their use, are specifically designed to reflect the nature of our clients working environment. Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course complements these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and drug related behaviour.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk or join us on Facebook. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.

Cannabis law change ‘illogical’

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Title – Cannabis law change ‘illogical’Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 26th January 2009

The day has come and gone without great fanfare; cannabis has been upgraded to a class B drug again and now carries a penalty of up to 5 years imprisonment and unlimited fine for possession and up to 14 years imprisonment and unlimited fine for dealing.

But in reality special rules have been introduced for cannabis, so although it remains a class B drug, the way it will be policed is through a system of warnings, fines and a ‘three-strike’ rule for possession of small amounts.

The confusion this will cause is well documented in previous blog entries and clearly this is a politically motivated change to make a government look tough on drugs and yet not have too much of an effect on the status-quo with regard to how the drug is treated by the police and through the courts. The arguments and political wrangling can continue but those tasked with enforcing the rules will have to grasp the realities. There is a problem with ever increasing strength of ‘skunk’ and the more common availability of it, but the classification system is a little pointless if it does not reflect the harmfulness of the drugs accurately. There are not too many for example who would argue that ‘skunk’ should be a class B drug while the alarming increase in Ketamine use as a recreational drug and the potential harm this drug causes, hardly justifies it remaining a class C drug; then there is ecstasy and the talk of reclassification from class A to B… confused?

For those working in sectors where drug use and drug dealing cause serious problems with disorder,

Workplace Violence and dangers of infection from drug litter, the real change is that if there is anyone ‘turning a blind eye’ to drug use in their premises, the threat from cannabis users just got substantially greater.

If you are the proprietor, owner or in control of a premises where drug use or drug dealing occurs and you are aware of it but fail to resolve it or report it, you can be held as liable for the activity as those taking part. There is no defence of not being directly involved. For those working in the Licensed Retail Sector, the added threat of a premises licence review also looms and is much more likely with class B drug activity than class C drugs; not that any illegal drug activity is likely to be overlooked…

Maybe it will get easier to send a strong message out now that cannabis is a class B drug again and easier to enforce zero tolerance policies, but the question will be how much confusion this muddled message causes and if that is not actually more counterproductive than the reclassification itself.

At Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector including The National Certificate for Licensees Drug Awareness (NCLDA). Our bespoke Drug Awareness (DA) courses, which examine illegal drugs, their effects and the drug litter synonymous with their use are designed to reflect the nature of our clients working environment. Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and drug related behaviour.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk or join us on Facebook. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.

Beer’s drug theme angers watchdog

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Title – Beer’s drug theme angers watchdog
Source – www.ft.com
Date – 20th January 2009

I find this story unbelievable considering the current climate, both legislative and economic.

Firstly to name a drink ‘speed-ball’ with its direct link to such a destructive drug habit and the connotation of the highly addictive and destructive nature of this practice (of mixing crack cocaine and heroin), seems to me to be not just irresponsible but also plain stupid.

Secondly to do this not for any misjudged commercial reason, but for the purpose of getting ‘one over’ on the Portman Group and to “…give them something worthwhile complaining about…” seems petulant. Why they felt the need to ‘make their point’ when they had won their recent panel hearing against a previous complaint, is difficult to understand.

It is a pity that what on the surface seems to be a successful start-up in such difficult economic times chooses to market a product named after an addictive drug habit with slogans like ‘ class A ale’ and ‘a vicious cocktail of active ingredients’. I can understand the frustration at the previous complaint made against the company and the time and distraction it must have caused, but this must be considered a grossly miscalculated mistake and bizarre response.

The Portman Group is after all, the industry body which defends the whole Licensed Retail Sector from further legislation through its voluntary codes of practice. At a time when government bodies are pushing for this voluntary code to become legally compulsory, which will lead to additional cost for the entire industry, this type of incident provides a strong hand for those calling for further regulation.

The Licensed Retail Sector is in the grip of a very serious economic downturn, which is recession in all but the details and with nearly 40 pubs going out of business every week, the very people that this company supplies are being squeezed more than ever. The whole sector needs to work together to promote Responsible Alcohol Retailing through effective Training, not to splinter and display petulance that plays straight into the hands of the sectors detractors.

When irresponsible promotion of alcohol can lead to a premises licence review, it is a brave licensee who puts a product on their shelf which clearly promotes any form of drug use or excessive consumption of alcohol.

The defence that only some 1200 bottles have been sold in the UK does not really wash; ask the pub in Newcastle that recently got into trouble with their local licensing authority by selling off 36 bottles of beer cheaply (see ‘Bar’s 10p beers ‘irresponsible’).

At Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the licensed retail sector to help them sell alcohol more responsibly. These include; The Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) designed for front-line staff to help them meet their statutory requirements; The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence; The National Certificate for Licensees Drug Awareness (NCLDA) and our bespoke Drug Awareness (DA) courses, which examine illegal drugs, their effects and the drug litter synonymous with their use.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk or join us on Facebook. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.

Adverts tell teenagers of cocaine peril

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Title – Adverts tell teenagers of cocaine peril
Source – The Times
Date – 4th December 2008

This latest advertising campaign attacks many of the common myths about cocaine use. Cocaine is a drug that has gained an alarming acceptance amongst users and the public generally. Although there is some debate about the angle of the dog used in this campaign, the messages are clear.

It paints cocaine as the unsavoury drug it really is. The myths that it is a drug whose control people can regulate are exposed. Many users claim they can give up cocaine at any time, this is not exactly the honest truth.

Cocaine users do on the whole develop a physiological addiction to the drug, they ‘look forward’ to its use and rationalise it. The perception that it is not addictive or dangerous is challenged by the statistic of 196 death certificates last year stating cocaine as a mitigating factor. This doesn’t even touch on the long term damage to health that many medical professionals predict. The chemicals and other agents ‘cut’ into cocaine (see ‘

Drawing the line’) are a serious risk to users.

For the Licensed Retail Sector and for workplaces generally cocaine users present a constant headache. Dealing with the users, the dealers and the after effects of cocaine use should be taken seriously; ignoring it not only presents issues of potential prosecution; but also security and personal safety issues. Cocaine users present a unique set of challenges to employees.

At Beyond The Blue we run a number of specific courses directed at providing the knowledge not just on how to recognise drug use and drug dealing but how to prevent it and how to deal with users. The National Certificate for Licensees Drug Awareness (NCLDA) and our bespoke Drug Awareness (DA) courses look at illegal drugs, the effects and the drug litter synonymous with their use. Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) courses help staff deal with drug related conflict and Violence in the Workplace and the National Certificate for Door Supervisors (NCDS) provides successful candidates with the qualification required to allow them to apply for their SIA Door Supervisor Licence.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk or join us on Facebook. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.