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DrugWise Daily

18th March 2024

 

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UK news

Risk factors for deaths of despair in England: An ecological study of local authority mortality data

[Open access] Deaths of Despair (DoD) are socially patterned fatalities encompassing those attributable to drug and alcohol misuse and suicide. DoD occur much more frequently in socially deprived communities. This ecological study aimed to yield new knowledge on the spatial distribution of DoD, and socioeconomic factors that predict DoD risk in England | Social Science and Medicine, UK

Trying to stay alive in a town tormented by drugs, alcohol and suicide

Blackpool has the highest rate of deaths linked to alcohol, drug abuse and suicide in England, a recent study found. BBC News met a team of former addicts trying to turn around the lives of people in the town | BBC, UK

Shops flouting planned UK disposable vape ban need harsher fines, LGA says

Proposed £100 charge could be seen as a price worth paying to continue to sell the products | Guardian, UK

Scientology-linked UK rehab centre investigated by charities watchdog

Case opened after Observer investigation found that vulnerable people were allegedly subjected to psychological drills at Narconon UK that left them ‘broken’ and ‘traumatised’ | Guardian, UK

Drug Deaths -  debate in the Scottish Parliament on 14 March 2024

Douglas Ross Conservative : "For years, drug deaths have been Scotland’s national shame. This week, it emerged that the number has risen again—it is up by 10 per cent on the previous year. Humza Yousaf’s new Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy, Christina McKelvie, was asked for her response. She said that “the plan is working”. Surely the First Minister cannot agree with that" | They work for you, UK

Drug Deaths - debate in the Scottish Parliament on 14 March 2024

Anas Sarwar Labour : "Since the Scottish National Party Government declared a drug deaths emergency four and a half years ago, more than 5,200 lives have been lost in drug-related deaths—every one of them someone’s son, daughter or loved one. In 2023 alone, 1,197 people died, which is a 10 per cent increase on the previous year. The response from the Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy this week was that the “plan is working” | They work for you, UK

Evaluation of NHS early implementer sites: Tobacco dependency community-based services for people with severe mental illness

People with severe mental illness are more likely to smoke tobacco than people who do not have a mental health problem, which contributes to a shorter lifespan. To address this, the NHS Long Term Plan specified tobacco dependency services for people with mental health problems, including both inpatient and community services for each integrated care system. Inpatient services are being rolled out nationwide, while as a first step towards availability of community services across England, seven early implementer sites have been set up in each region | RCPsych, UK

The 1 in 5 Documentary: A film about the forgotten children of alcoholics

1 in 5 children are affected by a parent's drinking. John Taylor was one of those children. He was trapped in the family cycle until one day he broke free. Now it is his mission to make a difference for the children of today | NACOA, UK

61st Maudsley Debate

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 17:30 - 18:30 BST. Motion for debate: High Time: This house believes that cannabis should be legalised in the UK within 5 years | Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, UK

Health Benefits of Drinking Moderately: Too Good to be True?

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 18:00 - 19:00 BST. Professor Stockwell will present the latest evidence of the effect of moderate drinking on our cardiovascular health at this hybrid event | Royal College of Physicians, UK

Post office will sell alcohol despite objections

A post office will be allowed to sell alcohol, despite councillors raising concerns | BBC, UK

New NHS Gambling Clinic Opens Amid Growing Demand

The NHS has opened a new gambling clinic in Sheffield, meeting the ambitious NHS Long Term Plan target with 15 services now available across the country. Amid growing demand for services, the opening of the new clinic in Sheffield means that the NHS has now almost doubled the number of specialist clinics available in the space of a year within England | NHS England, UK

‘Complex’ post-Brexit tax rules means price rises for UK wine drinkers

Wine Society describes planned alcohol duty changes as ‘ludicrous, expensive and probably unworkable’ | Guardian, UK

Drugs seized and 13 arrested in North Yorkshire county lines crackdown

Thirteen people were arrested during a week-long operation between 4-10 March, police said | BBC, UK

Cambridgeshire county lines crackdown seizes drugs and weapons

Drugs, cash and weapons including zombie knives and machetes were seized during raids over recent weeks | BBC, UK

 

International news

Germany is legalising cannabis – should the UK do the same?

The days of marijuana prohibition in the UK could be numbered, campaigners say, as the EU's most populous nation moves to legalise cannabis from April | i news, UK

Blinken warns about 'global threat' of synthetic drugs - audio

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said synthetic drugs were now the number one killer of Americans between the ages of eighteen and forty-five | BBC Sounds, UK

Pilot fatigue is in the spotlight this week, after the news that one Indonesian flight had two sleeping pilots at its helm. But military organisations have been grappling with this problem for decades – and they have a surprising solution

The intriguing tablets were discovered in a Nazi's pocket. The pilot had been shot down over Britain in a bombing raid during World War Two – along with the remains of his methamphetamine supply. At the time, this was the Luftwaffe's favourite pick-me-up for fatigued airmen, known as "pilot's salt" for its liberal application. But though the allied forces suspected this, they didn't know for sure | BBC, UK

Prison service urges 'extra vigilance' after several concerning overdoses

The HSE has extended a red alert drugs warning to Irish prisons after a number of concerning overdoses among the prison population. The Irish Prisons Service said it is working with the HSE in response to the overdoses, with extra quantities of the anti-opioid naloxone being made available and “extra vigilance” currently being observed in prison settings | Irish Examiner, Ireland

'Everyone knows drugs are sold and people are intimidated in areas affected by poverty'

The North Inner City Drugs and Alcohol Task Force has been reestablished amid a national conversation about our approach to drug use | Journal, Ireland

Economic hard times make Swedes cut back on drinking

A slumping economy gave Swedes less to cheer about last year as alcohol consumption fell the most in nearly a decade in the Nordic country, excluding the 2020 pandemic, research showed Friday | Medical Xpress, USA

Cannabis Use Linked to Elevated Myocardial Infarction and Stroke Risk

Cannabis use may increase the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke independent of tobacco use, according to recent findings in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Compared with nonusers, daily cannabis consumers had 25% higher odds of myocardial infarction and 42% higher odds of stroke. More frequent use was associated with a greater possibility of adverse cardiovascular outcomes regardless of whether cannabis was smoked, eaten, or vaporized | JAMA Network, USA

A systematic qualitative study investigating why individuals attend, and what they like, dislike, and find most helpful about, smart recovery, alcoholics anonymous, both, or neither

[Open access] Some individuals seeking recovery from alcohol use disorder attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) while others choose newer alternatives such as Self-Management and Recovery Training (“SMART” Recovery). Some even attend both, while some choose not to attend either. Little is known about why people choose which pathway(s), and what they like, dislike, and find helpful. Greater knowledge could provide insights into the phenomenology of recovery experiences and enhance the efficiency of clinical linkage to these resources | JSAT, USA

ToxIC Fentalog Study Group - Quarterly NPS Report: Q4 2023

Results were reported from 8 sites across the United States. Geographical differences were observed for opioids, poly-drug use, NPS and xylazine. Fentanyl overwhelming remains the most commonly detected opioid nationally. Numerous NPS were detected, including N-desethyl isotonitazene, N-pyrrolidino protonitazene, N-pyrrolidino etonitazene, and more | CFSRE, USA

Q&A: Lesbian, gay, and bisexual women found to smoke more and be less likely to quit

People who identify as lesbian, gay, and bisexual—particularly women—respond more positively to tobacco marketing, are more inclined to smoke cigarettes daily, and may have a more difficult time quitting, according to two studies by a Rutgers Health researcher | Medical Xpress, USA

Smokes and votes: Could menthol cigarette ban sway US election?

In a quintessentially American tale of race and politics, the lowly menthol cigarette is playing a curiously large role in the US presidential election this year | Medical Xpress, USA

Kamala Harris Calls For Marijuana To Be Rescheduled 'As Quickly As Possible'

Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday called on the federal government to move “as quickly as possible” to change the way it officially classifies marijuana, saying that “nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed.” | Huffington Post, USA

‘Salvation is about saving lives’: CBD churches plead for safe injecting room

Reverends from city churches in Melbourne say they were driven by their Christian faith to throw their support behind a safe injecting room in the CBD in a joint letter to Premier Jacinta Allan | The Age, Australia

 

Blogs, comment and opinion

Changing Prison Drug Culture Is Possible

In an excellent recent episode of their ‘News Agents’ podcast, Lewis Goodall and colleagues interviewed the (excellent) Charlie Taylor – the independent Inspector of Prisons – on how the dealing and consumption of drugs has become the predominant activity in some of our prisons | Forward Trust blog, UK

So Britain’s young people are taking up pipes and cigars? This was a trend I had to investigate

Who are these people? Why are they doing it? And would I look stupid holding a cigar? All were questions I needed to answer | Guardian opinion, UK

'Volumes of drugs arriving in Ireland are just ridiculous’

Security sources say Ireland has become a transiting point for illicit drugs while the Irish Naval Service has effectively shrunk | Irish Examiner opinion, Ireland

Drug “poisoning” or “overdose”?

The NY Times has an article on the debate between characterizing drug deaths, fentanyl deaths in particular, as poisonings or overdoses. Much of the argument focuses on destigmatizing drug-related deaths | Recovery Review blog, UK

How meth became an epidemic in America, and what’s happening now that it’s faded from the headlines

Rural America has long suffered from an epidemic of methamphetamine use, which accounts for thousands of drug overdoses and deaths every year. William Garriott, an anthropologist at Drake University, explored meth’s impact on communities and everyday life in the U.S. in his 2011 book “Policing Methamphetamine: Narcopolitics in Rural America.” Since then, the problem has only gotten worse | Conversation, USA

Why Oregon’s Drug Decriminalization Failed

The sponsors of the law fundamentally misunderstood the nature of addiction | The Atlantic ideas, USA

NSW and Victorian Labor Continue to Stall on Pill Testing, Despite Yet Another Death

Shortly after being airlifted to Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital, 23-year-old Antony Maugeri died of a suspected drug overdose last weekend, after having attended the Pitch Arts and Music Festival in southwestern Victoria. The death is a reminder that the last time the Victorian premier Jacinta Allan and NSW premier Chris Minns were called on to roll out pill testing, after yet more drug-related medical emergencies at Australian music festivals, this was met with hesitancy tending toward rejection | Sydney Criminal Lawyers, Australia