Daily news - 1st September 2015 |
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International Overdose Awareness Day - August 31st
International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) is a global event held on August 31st each year and aims to raise awareness of overdose and reduce the stigma of a drug-related death. It also acknowledges the grief felt by families and friends remembering those who have met with death or permanent injury as a result of drug overdose | IOAD, Australia
UK news
I Am A Naloxone Advocate - International Overdose Awareness Day 2015 - video
The Scottish Naloxone programme has worked with many fantastic Peer Educators over the years, who tirelessly give their time to train people across the country to use the life saving treatment Naloxone | SDF, UK
E-cigarette ‘safety’ study was written by industry funded scientists, Lancet warns
Public Health England claimed e-cigarettes were safe but relied on evidence provided by scientists funded by the vaping industry [See Lancet editorial in the Comment section below] | Telegraph, UK
Public Health England under fire for saying e-cigarettes are 95% safer
Editorial in Lancet medical journal criticises PHE for basing its advice on research funded by organisations with links to the tobacco industry [See Lancet editorial in the Comment section below] | Guardian, UK
‘Spice’ drug amnesty to tackle violence epidemic in prisons
Desperate measure is taken to tackle surge of violence in jails | Guardian, UK
Something to chew on – millions of lives blighted by smokeless tobacco
More than a quarter of a million people die each year from using smokeless tobacco, researchers at the University of York have concluded. Millions more have their lives shortened by ill health due to the effects of chewing tobacco-based products, the study reveals | University of York Health Services, UK
Glasgow in grip of "unusual" HIV outbreak as the number of new cases soar
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) usually sees about 10 cases of HIV through drug injection each year. But since the start of this year there have already been 36 cases identified | Evening Times, UK
Paramedics Responding To Increase In Calls To Users
People who have taken legal highs are often more difficult for NHS staff to treat than patients on drugs such as cocaine, say medical staff. Sky's Tom Parmenter reports | Sky News, UK
Diane Esguerra: Mother who lost her son to a heroin overdose hopes her new memoir will help other parents cope with loss
Her son Sacha had been sexually abused by a housemaster at boarding school | Independent, UK
Dabbing: the ‘cannabis crack’ that makes skunk seem weak
If smoking a joint is like drinking a pint of beer, doing a dab of concentrated cannabis oil is like necking a quarter pint of vodka. Time for the inevitable tabloid panic? | Guardian, UK
Hangovers deprive drinkers of 22 hours of summer, Dryathlon charity finds
Survey of 2,000 adults for Cancer Research UK finds average hangover lasts 6 hours and 30 minutes, and quarter of drinkers miss out on going outside | Guardian, UK
Drinking water doesn't prevent a hangover, study says
Raiding the fridge or downing glasses of water after a night of heavy drinking won't improve your sore head the next day, Dutch research suggests | BBC, UK
A Single Bump of Coke Makes It Harder to Tell When You're Being 'That Guy'
Doing just one dose of cocaine makes it harder for you to tell when your friends are angry or disgusted with you, a new study has found. [See also Medical Daily article in International section below] | Motherboard, UK
Release introduces new stop and search app
The drugs law charity Release is introducing a new Y-Stop app, allowing people to report or complain about a stop and search. Y-Stop is a project run by the charity in partnership with StopWatch | Charity News, UK
Is the demise of the British pub inevitable?
Rises in the minimum wage and the death of the beer tie are forcing pubs to adapt or die | Telegraph, UK
Inside the chemical underground: the truth about legal highs
"We would start taking it on a Friday night and not stop until Sunday – we wouldn’t sleep or eat. By Sunday we were in a state. The comedown started. We couldn’t be alone. We used to curl up in bed or me and my pals on the couch, not speaking just almost in shock. The paranoia kicked-in or as we called, ‘the fear’. It was awful.” | Herald, UK
Cannabis farm worth £500,000 found in Strathaven
A cannabis farm with an estimated street value of £500,000 has been found at a property in Strathaven, South Lanarkshire | BBC, UK
Man jailed for suspected crystal meth possession released after police confirm it was just salt
A man imprisoned for four months for possession of methylamphetamine has been released after it was determined that the suspected ‘crystal meth’ was actually salt | Independent, UK
Man arrested in Stirling after children take drugs
A 12-year-old boy and 14-year-old girl in Stirling have been taken to hospital after taking an "illicit substance", police have said | BBC, UK
Fast food delivery firm brings DRUGS to your home as well as McDonald's and KFC
The online company carries the logos of McDonald’s, Nando’s, KFC and Pizza Hut but is really selling Class A party drugs in Manchester | Mirror, UK
Jack Nicholson 'offered Princess Margaret cocaine' book claims
Biography offers glimpse into the social life of the monarch's younger sister | Telegraph, UK
International news
Daily pot smoking on US college campuses at 35-year high, study finds
More relaxed marijuana policies in many states may have contributed to rise as teens and young adults increasingly see the drug as harmless | Guardian, UK
Medical cannabis company sells its first marijuana pills
A company has sold its first marijuana pills legally, and they are available to buy over the internet in Europe | Independent, UK
Alcohol sales get higher after weed legalization contrary to industry fears
Alcohol businesses are seeing ‘phenomenal growth’ alongside marijuana industry in Colorado, dispelling concerns that consumers prefer pot over booze | Guardian, UK
Mexican opium production rises to meet heroin demand in US
Opium production in Mexico increased by 50 per cent in 2014, as farmers tried to meet the growing levels of heroin use across the border in the US | Independent, UK
Indigenous Queenslanders turning to ice to beat alcohol ban, says police chief
Police commissioner Ian Stewart says despite originally supporting alcohol prohibition he now thinks policy should be reviewed | Guardian, UK
New body established for addiction nurses
A new Irish chapter of the International Nurses Society on Addictions (IntNSA) has opened in Ireland — the first such group outside of the United States | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Overdose strategy ‘critical’ for Ireland
Ireland needs to introduce a national overdose strategy — first promised back in 2009 — an addiction agency has said | Irish Examiner, Ireland
International Overdose Awareness Day 2015 'Rethink ' - video
The HSE, in conjunction with the Ana Liffey Drug Project and the National Family Support Network, is marking International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) to raise awareness of the risks of drug overdoses and the impact on individuals and their families | HSE Ireland, Ireland
EU court to issue opinion on minimum alcohol price
Europe’s top court will provide the first indication this week as to whether it will allow minimum alcohol pricing — a measure being considered by a number of countries including Ireland | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Factsheet: Opiates - the Irish situation (PDF)
This factsheet contains information on treatment, prevalence, mortality and crime in Ireland. As new statistics are released this factsheet will be updated | NRB, Ireland
Commission consults the public on tax rules for alcoholic beverages
The European Commission has launched a public consultation to assess whether some of the rules on excise duty on beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages should be changed to fight tax fraud and reduce the sale of counterfeit alcohol | Europa, Belgium
Injuries from Methamphetamine-Related Chemical Incidents — Five States, 2001–2012
Methamphetamine (meth), a highly addictive drug, can be illegally manufactured using easily acquired chemicals; meth production can cause fires, explosions, injuries, and environmental contamination. To analyze injury incidence and trends, data on 1,325 meth-related chemical incidents reported to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's (ATSDR)...were examined | CDC, USA
A single cocaine dose lowers perceptions of sadness and anger
A single dose of cocaine can interfere with the ability to recognise negative emotions, according to new research presented at the ECNP conference in Amsterdam | Medical Xpress, USA
Medication treatment for opioid use disorders in primary care increases patient access
Clinicians at Boston Medical Center (BMC) showed that expanding the number of sites offering office-based opioid treatment with buprenorphine (OBOT B) utilizing addiction nurse care managers, trainings and technical support resulted in more physicians becoming waivered to prescribe buprenorphine and more patients accessing treatment at sites across Massachusetts | EurekAlert, USA
Cocaine Linked To Problems Recognizing Negative Emotions
The effects of cocaine are well documented, from the effect it has on our brain’s dopamine, to the negative consequences that can arise in the event of an overdose. Researchers from the Netherlands and Germany have given us another damaging effect of the drug -- the lessened ability to recognize negative emotions | Medical Daily, USA
Life sentence for ice does not address the problem, say drug experts
Changes to the state's drug laws that will result in lower-level ice dealers facing a possible sentence of life in prison have been criticised by experts in the legal and drug rehabilitation sectors as an outdated response to NSW's ice problem | Age, Australia
International Overdose Awareness Day: 'The system robbed my son'
This time last week, Aaron Short was young, in love, hanging out with his girlfriend, enjoying the winter sun and talking about their future | Age, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Supervised injectable heroin for refractory heroin addiction
Opioid use is the number one reason for seeking substance misuse treatment across 30 European countries. Opioids are drugs derived from the opium poppy and these include the drug heroin (EMCDDA, 2015) | Mental Elf Blog, UK
Why the EU has failed in tackling the alcohol problem
The EU has shown a lack of leadership in tackling alcohol-related harm and its citizens are paying the price | Pharmaceutical Journal, UK
E-cigarettes: Public Health England's evidence-based confusion
Last week, Public Health England (PHE) reported what it described as a “landmark review” of evidence about e-cigarettes. The headline in their press release quoted their top-line finding—“E-cigarettes around 95% less harmful than tobacco”. Kevin Fenton, Director of Health and Wellbeing at PHE, commented that, “E-cigarettes are not completely risk free but when compared to smoking, evidence shows they carry just a fraction of the harm” | Lancet Editorial, UK
Marc Lewis: the neuroscientist who believes addiction is not a disease
Lewis, famous for detailing his own years of drug addiction in a book, divides the medical profession by arguing it is a behavioural problem, not a medical affliction | Guardian, UK
Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use: New trends and what they mean
The latest instalment of the Health and Social Care Information Centre’s (HSCIC) ongoing survey of young people sheds light on several issues that continue to whirl around media and public opinion. Since the 1980s, the Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England series has been a valuable indicator of current and emerging trends in young people’s attitudes towards drug use | Mentor-ADEPIS, UK
No smoke without fire: Negotiations with tobacco firms must be transparent
Despite the almost comical redacting of entire pages of material, the release of documents by the European Commission on the implementation of TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) sheds useful light on the Commission’s dealing with the big tobacco firms | Independent, UK
Reducing the terrible toll of legal highs
How Manchester's day centres are coming together to take action on the damaging effects of legal highs | Homeless Link, UK
A New Anti-Police Harassment App Is Being Released Just in Time for Notting Hill Carnival
"Actually, apps can be good" news now, and drugs law charity Release are launching a stop and search app just in time for Carnival, the annual day of stop and search, the day that the police force get down on their knees and thank the patron saint of stop and search for the powers they are granted to ticket people for holding extremely small baggies with trace amounts of drugs in | VICE, UK
This Is How The UK Government Lies To Its Citizens About Cannabis
The preposterous response from the UK government to the massive petition for the legalisation of cannabis is a pack of lies | CLEAR, UK
VIDEO: ‘The Scientist’
Documentary on the life and work of Raphael Mechoulam | CLEAR, UK
We found only one-third of published psychology research is reliable – now what?
The ability to repeat a study and find the same results twice is a prerequisite for building scientific knowledge. Replication allows us to ensure empirical findings are reliable and refines our understanding of when a finding occurs. It may surprise you to learn, then, that scientists do not often conduct – much less publish – attempted replications of existing studies | Conversation, UK
The Long Walk of Moms and Dads After Overdose
It's a hard road, the one that we walk after our children die from a drug overdose. It's a walk that numbs your feet from the miles of isolation and grief | Huffington Post, USA
Wacky British Idea: Why Not Tell The Truth About E-Cigarettes?
Last week Public Health England (PHE), a government agency, published a detailed report on electronic cigarettes that describes them as far less dangerous than the conventional kind and recommends them as a harm-reducing alternative | Forbes, USA
Suicide risk in alcohol & other drug treatment settings: A persistent clinical issue
The Suicide Assessment Kit (SAK) was developed by NDARC to help alcohol and other drug treatment agencies manage and reduce their client's risk of suicide. Managing suicide risk amongst a high-risk population should be an integral part of the treatment system | Drug and alcohol research connections, Australia