Daily news - 16th June 2016 |
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UK news
Taking a new line on drugs (PDF)
‘Taking a New Line on Drugs’ assesses the situation in the UK as regards rising health harm from illegal drugs, with reference to their context within the wider ‘drugscape’ of legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco, and sets out a new vision for a holistic public health-led approach to drugs policy at a UK-wide level [Press release here] RSPH and FPH, UK
Health bodies call for drugs to be decriminalised
Two leading public health organisations have called for the possession and personal use of all illegal drugs to be decriminalised in the UK | BBC, UK
Public health bodies call for decriminalisation of drugs
Report from Royal Society for Public Health and Faculty of Public Health says misuse of drugs should be a health issue, not a criminal one | Guardian, UK
Ecstasy warning after pills found with double or triple doses in UK
Campaigners say pills at Manchester’s Parklife festival had up to 250mg of MDMA, which could prove lethal to some | Guardian, UK
Injecting Equipment Provision in Scotland 2014/15 (PDF)
This publication reports on details of Injecting Equipment Provision (IEP) to People Who Inject Drugs (PWIDs) across Scotland. This is the eighth report in this series and relates to the Financial Year 2014/15. The purpose of IEP is harm reduction. IEP services have been shown to be effective in reducing injecting risk behaviours in PWIDs | ISD Scotland, UK
Understanding the relationship between poverty and alcohol misuse
This rapid review examined evidence of the association between poverty and alcohol use. The research primarily focused on work undertaken in the UK and was commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation as part of their programme to develop Anti-Poverty Strategies for the UK. The purpose of the rapid review was to provide an evidence base that the Joseph Rowntree Foundation could use in developing their strategies, and to inform how alcohol misuse was addressed | CPH, UK
Over half of children in most deprived areas live with a smoker
Over half of children living in Northern Ireland's most deprived areas are living with an adult smoker | BBC, UK
Does the practitioner matter in brief interventions?
Second part of the fortnightly course on the evidence for alcohol treatment selects, explores and explains seminal and key research on the influence of the practitioner on the impacts of brief interventions | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK
More People Than Ever Say They Get Their Drugs on the Dark Web
Even though the FBI has used extraordinary measures to seize dark web marketplaces, drug users are increasingly turning to them to buy narcotics, newly published results from the Global Drug Survey (GDS) 2016 suggest | Motherboard, UK
Smoking and Lung Cancer - BBC radio
It wasn't until the 1950s that British researchers first connected cigarette smoking with the huge rise in people suffering from lung cancer. Initially, scientists had thought pollution was a much more likelycause. Hear an archive interview with Sir Richard Doll who carried out the original studies and Sir Richard Peto who worked with him | BBC Radio iPlayer, UK
Say why to drugs - podcast
Alcohol. Dr Suzi Gage and Scroobius Pip discuss booze on this episode, the drug of choice in the UK and elsewhere. Although its legal, and often barely considered as a drug, it's by no means a safe substance | Acast, UK
Policing and Crime Bill: firearms and alcohol licensing
These documents relate to the firearms and alcohol licensing provisions in the Policing and Crime Bill | Home Office, UK
Break On Through
Scientists have discovered DMT, the Class A hallucinogenic, naturally occurs in the body, and may contain a clue to what happens when we die and why people see fairies | Volte Face, UK
'Dark web' drug dealer jailed after parcel intercepted
A man who ordered cannabis on the "dark web" and planned to deal the drug to clear his debts has been jailed for six months | BBC, UK
Drug teen suspect Henry Hicks stopped and searched 89 times by police
A teenager who died while under police surveillance for drug dealing had been stopped and searched 89 times in three years, his inquest has heard | BBC, UK
International news
Euro 2016: Alcohol ban ahead of games 'difficult to police'
French authorities are restricting the sale of alcohol and drafting in 4,000 extra police in Lille with England, Wales, Russia and Slovakia fans in the town for Euro 2016 matches | BBC, UK
Opioid painkiller study: 66% of patients keep leftover pills after treatment
One-fifth of that group then share their leftover pills, shedding further light on opioid overdose crisis after 29,000 overdoses in 2014 | BBC, UK
Access to alcohol and heart disease among patients in hospital: observational cohort study using differences in alcohol sales laws
Greater access to alcohol was associated with more atrial fibrillation and less myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure, although an increased risk of congestive heart failure was seen shortly after alcohol sales were liberalized | BMJ, UK
'El Guero', co-founder of feared Sinaloa drug cartel, released early from US jail
Concerns emerge cocaine trafficker – who was released for good behaviour after less than 10 years – detained in Mexico following deportation | Guardian, UK
25% of males age 15-39 die due to alcohol
One in four deaths of young men aged from 15 to 39 in Ireland is due to alcohol and drink is a factor in half of all suicides, according to the Health Research Board | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Irish drug users near top for problems caused by ecstasy and alcohol
Irish drug users are near the top of the table for problems caused by ecstasy and alcohol, an international drug survey indicates | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Controversial Dublin drug injecting centre gets go ahead
Plans to open a medically supervised injection centre in Dublin this year look set to go ahead, but critics say it will simply hide the problem | UTV, Ireland
EMCDDA–Europol Joint Report on acetylfentanyl
In September 2015, the EMCDDA and Europol examined the available information on a new psychoactive substance N-phenyl-N-[1-(2-phenylethyl)piperidin-4-yl]acetamide (acetylfentanyl), through a joint assessment. The two organisations concluded that sufficient information had been accumulated to merit the production of a Joint Report on acetylfentanyl as stipulated by Article 5.1 of the Council Decision | EMCDDA, Portugal
When it comes to methadone maintenance treatment, one size does not fit all
Did you know that methadone maintenance treatment (MMT), is one of the most effective treatments for opioid use disorders, especially when patients stay in treatment for at least 12 months? In fact, stopping MMT prematurely risks negative outcomes, including death | BASIS, USA
AMA Delegates Vote to Add Naloxone to Opioid Rx
The American Medical Association (AMA) adopted new policies at its annual meeting to help reverse the growing epidemic of opioid overdose (from heroin and prescription opioids) and abuse | PPM, USA
An E.R. kicks the habit of opioids for pain
Instead of opioids, an E.R. in New Jersey now treats many pain patients with alternatives like laughing gas, trigger-point injections and even a therapy harp | NY Times, USA
Alcohol dependent individuals show greater risk of suicide in evening hours
A new study found that there is a circadian pattern of peak and nadir in the incidence of suicides committed in alcohol dependent individuals | Science Daily, USA
Research shows not all low nicotine cigarettes reduce harm
Switching to reduced nicotine content (RNC) cigarettes may not necessarily reduce harm to smokers, according to new research conducted by Penn's Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Nicotine Addiction (CIRNA) | Medical Xpress, USA
Sleep duration varies by alcohol drinking patterns, race, and sex
Compared to their white counterparts within each alcohol drinking pattern (never, moderate, excessive) investigated, black men and women were significantly more likely to get less than six hours of sleep, less likely to get seven to eight hours of sleep and generally more likely to get nine or more hours of sleep | Science Daily, USA
Poll: Overwhelming majority of ACT residents support 3am last drinks
New polling released today has shown that a majority of Canberrans, almost two thirds (65.5 per cent) of Australian Capital Territory (ACT) residents, support ending the sale of alcohol in clubs, bars and pubs after 3am | FARE, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Pinpointing the health effects of alcohol
Fresh insights from health policy analysis, but more certainty needed | BMJ editorial, UK
Education, not legislation is the key to addressing Scotland’s alcohol-related problems
We were concerned by the comments from Stephen Dornan supporting the introduction of ‘fresh laws’ on alcohol licensing (“Stores hit out over call to give alcohol sales data”,The Herald, June 14t) | Herald Opinion, UK
Twice-bereaved father calls on David Cameron to legalise and regulate drugs to keep other children safe
Ray Lakeman, from the Isle of Man, is the newest member of the Anyone’s Child Campaign. He told his tragic story in last weekend’s Mail on Sunday, where he explained how his two sons, Jacques, 20 and Torin, 19 died side-by-side having accidentally overdosed on ecstasy | Anyones Child Blog, UK