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Daily news - 6th September 2022

UK news

DDN September 2022 - out now

‘People with lived experience are vital to success’. Knowing that other people understand you is reassuring, and coming together as a community celebrates the positive changes we have made in our own lives.’ Darren’s version of recovery (p6) will resonate with many people celebrating Recovery Month, particularly those who have experienced early trauma | DDN, UK

Nitrous oxide: Doctors warn of “epidemic” of use by young people

[Open access] Doctors are concerned after seeing more users presenting neurological complications after inhaling often from large canisters of the gas, usually 80 times the size of whippits | BMJ, UK

Alcohol Everywhere A Report by the Alcohol Action Group (PDF)

Scottish Families Alcohol Action Group designed a survey to get a better idea of how widely spread alcohol messages are in our homes, communities, online spaces, and other parts of everyday life. The survey was open for views in January/February 2021 and then again in September/October 2021. We are now comparing the findings and sharing them to help raise awareness and contribute towards creating positive actions that will reduce alcohol harm in Scotland | SFAD, UK

Fines for smoking outside Scottish hospitals become law

Anyone caught lighting up within 15m of a hospital building in Scotland could be fined up to £1,000 | BBC, UK

Medical cannabis in the UK: What's wrong and how to fix it - podcast

One of the most commonly discussed topics in the medical cannabis industry are the barriers and why the market has not taken off as many people thought it would. Katya and Paul discuss this in detail and explore what needs fixing before the industry can effectively expand | Volteface, UK

Spiking: what universities can do

Our practice note aims to support universities’ response to spiking as we enter the 2022–23 academic year | Universities UK, UK

Making Recovery Visible

Saturday 10th September. Henley. Celebrating the resilience of people in recovery through the power of music and comedy | Towards Recovery CIC, UK

Wigan dealer found with £5m of cocaine in car jailed

Police found 50kg of the Class A drug and a meat cleaver when they stopped Jansen McDonald on the A1 near Doncaster on 12 July | BBC, UK

International news

Prevention of alcohol-related suicide: a rapid review

[Open access] Suicide remains a leading cause of death worldwide, with an estimated 700,000 suicide deaths per year. The World Health Organization identifies reducing alcohol use as one component of comprehensive approaches to suicide prevention. This paper conducted a rapid review of the evidence on alcohol-related suicide prevention interventions | DEPP, UK

NFM4: How People who Use Drugs can Meaningfully Engage

27th September, 2022, 14.00 – 15.30 CEST. In preparation for the Global Fund 2023-2025 grant cycle (New Funding Model 4/NFM4), INPUD is organising a webinar to introduce people who use drugs to NFM and particularly NFM4 with the aim to mobilise the community to engage in the processes on national level and influence their outcomes | INPUD, UK

People engaged in opioid agonist treatment as a counterpublic during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia: A qualitative study

[Open access] People receiving opioid agonist treatment (OAT) are at higher risk of comorbidities, poverty and discrimination, which Big Events like the COVID-19 pandemic may exacerbate. The behaviours of people receiving OAT do not always align with normative behaviours as conceived by ruling institutions and laws, and so the group becomes a counterpublic, not imagined in mainstream public discourse. The aim of this study was to understand how people receiving OAT implemented practises of care to mitigate negative health outcomes during COVID-19 | DAD, Australia

Support for trial meth addiction programme in Northland

New Zealand's tough-on-crime approach to meth has failed. That's according to a new report (PDF) from The Helen Clark Foundation and the Drug Foundation, which says we should take a health-based approach instead | RNZ, New Zealand

Blogs, comment and opinion

The UK's new drug strategy (HM Government, 2021) does not say a lot explicitly about harm reduction. It may offer some unexpected opportunities to recover some of the losses that Britain has made in harm reduction in the last two decades. It also has significant gaps, and may even increase harms done to people who use drugs by further criminalising them | IJDP commentary, UK

“There’s nothing else for kids to do round here”: alcohol use in rural and islands communities

As Parliament returns for a new term, Emma Roddick reflects on the role of alcohol in rural and island communities in Scotland | SHAAP blog, UK

Are fears about the impact of vaping on young people justified?

The rising popularity of vaping, along with the ease with which under-18s can obtain products, has made some commentators put two and two together to make five | Independent voices, UK

Supporting families affected by drug use

The effects of drug use can be felt by the whole family. How do our services support people to manage family life? | With You, UK

Five Areas Where “More Research” Isn’t Needed to Curb the Overdose Crisis

“…but more research is needed.” That’s often the refrain in science, and it includes addiction research. As the addiction and overdose crises continue to claim an unprecedented number of lives and fray communities, science is an essential part of the solution | NIDA blog, USA

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