Daily news - 26th November 2021 |
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UK news
Substance misuse treatment for adults: statistics 2020 to 2021
Statistics on alcohol and drug misuse treatment for adults from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) | Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, UK
Drug and alcohol treatment sees rise in deaths in England
There has been a 27% rise in people dying while in treatment for drug and alcohol addiction during the pandemic, an official report shows | BBC, UK
The impact of disinvestment on alcohol and drug treatment delivery and outcomes: a systematic review
[Open access] In the context of substantial financial disinvestment from alcohol and drug treatment services in England, our aim was to review the existing evidence of how such disinvestments have impacted service delivery, uptake, outcomes and broader health and social implications | BMC Public Health, UK
Welsh Parliament Debates Drug Policy Reform
[On Wednesday] the Welsh Labour MP for Newport West, Jayne Bryant led a Senedd debate opening up a vital conversation about drug reform in Wales. This was an incredibly exciting debate, impactfully demonstrating increased pressure and appetite for reform to the UK government | Volteface, UK
Sativex brain tumour trial backed by Tom Daley starts
A trial of a cannabis-based mouth spray in brain tumour patients has begun after a crowdfunding campaign raised £400,000 | BBC, UK
Primary care-based drug treatment: case studies
We have been promoting the potential advantages of primary care-based drug treatment, including a reduction health inequalities and the stigma associated with the use of drugs. Cranstoun provide the third in a series of case studies, including a pilot for long-acting buprenorphine in primary care | Addiction Professionals, UK
Sober Freedom: 'I have had to fill that void that alcohol left'
A woman who has struggled with alcohol addiction has urged others in a similar situation to seek help | BBC, UK
SAP Drugs and Me
Tue, November 30, 2021, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM GMT. Drugs and Me - High Tech: How can technology help us manage the benefit and harm of drug use | UCL Society For The Application Of Psychedelics, UK
SUAB Webinar: End of life care for people who use substances
Wed, 8 December 2021, 13:00 – 14:30 GMT. Exploring the experiences and needs of people who use substances and are at the end of their life and receiving palliative care | SUAB, UK
International news
Dublin Port bust nets €10m of drugs
The drugs were found concealed in furniture which arrived from the Netherlands on Wednesday, said revenue officials targeting transnational organised crime groups | BBC, UK
The ‘cocaine collectors’ retrieving smuggled drugs in Rotterdam
As the volume of cocaine trafficked into the Netherlands through the port city of Rotterdam increases, so too does the number of young men employed by criminal gangs to retrieve the drugs from among freight arriving from Latin America. The BBC has had a rare glimpse into the dangerous work of these so-called "cocaine collectors" who provide a vital link in the European narcotics supply chain | BBC, UK
Research indicates ‘third and fourth generation drug users’
In Ballyfermot, research indicates there is now “third and fourth generation drug users”, while drug use has increased during Covid | Echo, Ireland
EMCDDA webinar: Drug-related deaths in Europe, current challenges and implications for responses
08 DEC 2021. This webinar is linked to the latest bundle of EMCDDA miniguides which focus on responding to drug-related harms. It aims to provide an insight into the current situation regarding drug-related deaths in Europe and responses to them. Speakers will briefly present the situations they face and discuss policies and responses | EMCDDA, Portugal
Reporting Desk for New Drugs - Annual Report 2020
In the Netherlands, a total of 78 different new psychoactive substances were reported to the Reporting Desk for New Drugs by the participating laboratories in 2020; nine of these new psychoactive substances were detected on the illicit drug market in the Netherlands for the first time | Trimbos, The Netherlands
New scientific research and writing mentorship initiative towards diversity in research on alcohol control policies
The World Health Organization’s Less Alcohol Unit, Department of Health Promotion, the Alcohol Research Group (ARG) and the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research have launched a new scientific research and writing mentorship initiative. The initiative aims to support early-stage researchers from low- and middle-income countries in their work to analyse, report and publish a study related to strengthening alcohol policies... | WHO, Denmark
What Experts Think About Cannabis Legalisation in Europe
Cannabis legalization is coming to Europe: the governments of Luxembourg and Switzerland announced their plan to regulate the production and sale of cannabis products, other countries may follow their lead soon | Drug Reporter, Hungary
The use of medical cannabis in pediatric palliative care: a case series
[Open access] We aimed to describe a clinical experience in a setting where high-level evidence may not be obtained. We report our clinical experience in a pediatric palliative care department in Italy | Italian Journal of Pediatrics, Italy
Moncton woman able to resume opioid addiction treatment after birth control dispute with doctor
Earlier this month, Billard, 32, spoke out about losing access to her opioid-addiction treatment after she and her doctor disagreed on her chosen method of birth control | CBC, Canada
Improved naloxone access can prevent prescription opioid overdose deaths
Making the opioid overdose antidote naloxone easily accessible and available free-of-charge to people who are prescribed opioids in Australia would be cost-effective and save hundreds of lives, new Burnet Institute research demonstrates | Burnet Institute, Australia
Alcohol consumption in Australia rises in 2021, reversing long term decline
Most of us were guilty of it last year, helping to soften the blow of lockdowns, but it seems we don’t want to do away with this indulgence | news.com.au, Australia
First man charged over nicotine vape sales
A man who was allegedly selling e-cigarette vapes containing nicotine in south west NSW has been charged under new laws that took effect at the start of October | Canberra Times, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Collective Voice’s response to the 2020/21 substance misuse treatment statistics
The 2020/21 drug and alcohol treatment data released today covers a uniquely challenging period in our field’s history. People facing drug or alcohol addiction, already a vulnerable and oftentimes isolated group, had to endure a global pandemic that radically altered how they could receive support | Collective Voice blog, UK
LGA responds to latest adult substance misuse treatment statistics
"As these figures show, more needs to be done to meet increasing demand and a huge amount of unmet need, with more than half a million adults estimated to have alcohol dependency, while a high proportion of those receiving treatment are living in the most deprived areas." | LGA, UK
Why we commissioned making rehab work?
We believe this is the most in-depth analysis of the status of residential treatment in England for many years. It certainly has the most wide-ranging endorsement we have seen on this topic with support from across the drug and alcohol treatment sector and people with lived experience | Phoenix Futures blog, UK
We need significant and sustained investment in treatment services to tackle alcohol addiction
Alcohol touches every part of our society. Its use is normalised in almost every aspect of our lives, whether you’re socialising or relaxing, celebrating or mourning, at home or on holiday. And alcohol dominates our public spaces, whether you’re out in your town or city centre, at the theatre or a music concert | Politics Home, UK
Why the pandemic means it is right to further increase minimum pricing of alcohol - Dr Lewis Morrison
We are three and a half years into Scotland’s minimum unit pricing policy, which set out to make long-term changes to the country’s relationship with alcohol and improve lives for generations to come | Scotsman opinion, UK
Germany to regulate cannabis: a seismic shift for global reform
[On Wednesday], the new German coalition Government confirmed that it intends to legalise and regulate cannabis for non-medical (recreational) adult use | Talking Drugs, UK
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women 2021
‘Violence against women’ is an umbrella term for forms of abuse that are disproportionately perpetrated against women, and/or perpetrated against women because they are women. It includes domestic abuse, rape and sexual assault, female genital mutilation, ‘honour-based’ violence, and sex trafficking | SSA, UK