Thank you to our Premium sponsors:
|
|
Could you sponsor DrugWise Daily? Please Email Harry Shapiro to discuss |
|
|
In date order, Monday to Friday
Opioid addiction linked to increased risk of dementia
Individuals addicted to opioids have a 56% higher risk of developing dementia than non-users, according to a study led by researchers at Oxford Population Health and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford. The findings are published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association | Oxford Population Health, UK
Falling through the cracks: Closing the gap in stop smoking support for people with common mental health conditions
This report examines the inequalities in smoking among people with mental health conditions. It draws together evidence on smoking prevalence, barriers to quitting, examples of emerging practice, and sets out recommendations for national government, the NHS, local authorities and the voluntary sector to improve access to tailored support, strengthen partnerships and ensure people with mental health conditions are not left behind | ASH, UK
Over 140 health leaders call for national action as report warns 1.5 million people with depression and anxiety who smoke risk being left behind
Mental health and public health leaders have called on the Government to publish a national roadmap to a smokefree country that prioritises people with common mental health conditions, as a new report warns that 1.5 million people with depression and anxiety who smoke are at risk of being left behind | ASH, UK
True scale of UK’s prison drug crisis revealed as deaths hit record high
Chief inspector of prisons demands ministers to get a ‘grip’ on the crisis as tactics for smuggling lethal substances into jails have escalated to drones that can deliver up to 11kg of drugs at a time | Independent, UK
Nearly 1 in 5 primary leaders tell parents to stop vaping
Heads’ unions hope plans to make vaping illegal anywhere on site will help settings to reinforce existing school rules | TES, UK
Avoid alcohol in heatwave, says ambulance service
The director of 999 operations at London Ambulance Service (LAS) has asked people to "avoid alcohol" or "take plenty of fluids along with alcohol" in the heatwave to avoid needing their care | BBC, UK
Alcohol charities warn 99p Buzzballz shot ‘designed to appeal to children’
Cheap ready-to-drink cocktail criticised as appealing to children while ‘hiding behind a thin “nostalgia” label’ | Guardian, UK
Pete Doherty to headline Scotland’s first alcohol-free music festival in Glasgow
Recovery Connects, a unique event bringing together people recovering from addictions to drugs and alcohol, will be held at Queens Park Arena | Glasgow Live, UK
Ketamine Report 2025-2026
Our Ketamine Report 2025-2026 offers a look at our collective work over the past year and highlights the initiatives and differences we are making locally, regionally and nationally | WithYou, UK
Emily nearly lost access to her baby because of a hair strand test. Experts fear she's not alone
When social workers asked a mother to submit a sample of hair for a drugs test, she thought it would prove she was clean and sober. But it turned out to be the start of a legal battle to regain custody of her daughter. Emily - not her real name - was a former ketamine user, whose habit had resulted in her baby daughter being taken into care at the end of 2022 | BBC, UK
Guidance on the management of clusters of drug-related harms
This guidance sets out how you can prepare, monitor, identify and respond to clusters of drug-related harm. The guidance recommends a public health incident management approach to short-term increases in drug-related harm. This approach may be led locally by alcohol and drug partnerships (ADPs) or by NHS public health directorates. Incident management principles are well established and this guidance should be read along with the guidance on the management of public health incidents (MPHI) | Public Health Scotland, UK
Acceptability and usability of a respiratory biosensor for drug overdose detection and first responder notification: a qualitative evaluation of perspectives from people who use drugs and wider stakeholders
[Open access] Alone at home is a high-risk time for fatal overdose. A chest-worn biosensor could detect the respiratory signs of overdose and alert emergency services, but will it be used? This pilot in Dundee, Europe's overdose hotspot, suggests that in principle the technology is acceptable to users and services, but needs fine-tuning | Harm Reduction Journal, UK
Tobacco company levy could raise up to £4.9bn and prevent 10,000 hospital admissions, study suggests
New modelling from the Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG) shows a 'polluter pays' levy scheme could cut smoking deaths, reduce hospital admissions, and raise billions in tax revenue | SARG, UK
A mixed-methods evaluation of the development and implementation of a high-quality alcohol assertive outreach treatment service
[Open access] The city of Hull in England was certainly in need of reaching out to and engaging high-risk, high-burden drinkers in support and treatment. Could an intensive outreach service be mounted and sustained, and would its clients and the services they resort to experience benefit? | DEPP, UK
Rise of dangerous drug adulterant and public health response tracked in New York State
A dangerous sedative called medetomidine has been quietly spreading through New York's illicit drug supply. A new analysis shows how, over several years of careful tracking and coordination, public health agencies in New York State executed a data-driven response to alert the public, make health practitioners aware of the emergent substance, distribute test strips and ultimately save lives | Medical Xpress, USA