Weekly news - 9th June 2017

In date order, Monday to Friday

Green dreams: the growing case for medical marijuana

Should medical cannabis be legalised? It makes sense to the woman with MS who pays £500 a month on it, and the neurologist whose patients resort to street drugs | Guardian, UK

'I can stop and breathe': the people taking ketamine for depression

It has a reputation as a party drug, but some patients say it has transformed their lives after no other treatments helped | Guardian, UK

UK trial tests personality-based approach to preventing drinking

Positive and persistent effects on the drinking outcomes of high-risk
London pupils suggests they may have benefited from this psychosocial
intervention over standard drug education - but was the novel strategy
of matching the intervention to the pupils' personality the active
ingredient | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK

Women and Drugs - videos

Recordings of the women and drugs event | Mental Elf, UK

List of most commonly encountered drugs currently controlled under the misuse of drugs legislation

The following is a list of the most commonly encountered drugs currently controlled under the misuse of drugs legislation showing their respective classifications under both the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (MDA) and the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 (MDR) | Home Office, UK

Drink and Drugs News: June issue

'Most drug-related deaths are of people not in treatment’ By the end of this week the next government will have been chosen – and who knows, the wheels may have started turning again after a static couple of months for policy | DDN, UK

Leanne Wood defends her stance on prescribing heroin on the NHS

Leanne Wood has defended her stance on prescribing heroin on the NHS. Speaking to ITV’s Tonight programme, the leader of Plaid Cymru said it is something that should be explored | ITV, UK

Blenheim CDP Announce Support for Drug Consumption Rooms

Drug and alcohol service providers are continuing to break the silence on drug consumption rooms, with Blenheim CDP releasing a public position stating they would be willing to provide a drug consumption room where they are needed | Volte Face, UK

Responding to cannabis use in primary care

Given the increasing significance of cannabis in UK treatment caseloads,
we return to this 2010 clinical review to see what can be gleaned about
how to assess and manage problem cannabis use in primary care | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK

A systematic review of alcohol screening and assessment measures for young people: a study protocol

Alcohol consumption creates a significant public health burden, and young people who drink alcohol place themselves at risk of harm. Expert guidance and reviews have highlighted the pressing need for reliable and valid, age-appropriate alcohol screening and assessment measures for young people. The proposed systematic review will evaluate existing alcohol screening and assessment measures for young people aged 24 and under | BMJ Open, UK

European Drug Report 2017

What do the latest data tell us about the European drug market? What are the new trends in drug use among European adults and school students? What are the harms associated with drug use and what is being done to counter them? These and other questions are explored in the 2017 European Drug Report, our annual overview of the drug situation in Europe | EMCDDA, Portugal

Almost one in three drugs overdoses in Europe occur in the UK

Britain has Europe’s highest proportion of heroin addicts and problematic use of novel psychoactive substances, say reports by the European drugs agency | Guardian, UK

European Drug Report 2017: trends and developments in Europe's drug situation - video

What do the latest data tell us about the European drug market? What are the new trends in drug use among European adults and school students? What are the harms associated with drug use and what is being done to counter them? These and other questions will be explored by the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) on 6 June in its annual overview of the European drug situation | EMCDDA, Portugal

Perspectives on drugs: Drug consumption rooms: an overview of provision and evidence

Supervised drug consumption facilities, where illicit drugs can be used under the supervision of trained staff, have been operating in Europe for the last three decades. These facilities primarily aim to reduce the acute risks of disease transmission through unhygienic injecting, prevent drug-related overdose deaths and connect high-risk drug users with addiction treatment and other health and social services | EMCDDA, Portugal

Changes in Europe’s cannabis resin market (Perspectives on drugs)

The European market for hashish is currently one of the world’s largest and most profitable. About 647 tonnes of cannabis herb and 641 tonnes of hashish were consumed in the Euroean Union in 2013 and the retail market has an overall value estimated conservatively to be about EUR 9.3 billion in 2013. This analysis describes how the supply of cannabis resin in Europe is changing in response to competition and other market developments | EMCDDA, Portugal

Wastewater analysis and drugs — a European multi-city study (Perspectives on drugs)

The findings of the largest European project to date in the emerging science of wastewater analysis are taken up in this ‘Perspective on drugs’. The project in question analysed wastewater in over 60 European cities and towns (hereinafter referred to as ‘cities’) to explore the drug-taking habits of those who live in them | EMCDDA, Portugal

Preventing overdose deaths in Europe (Perspectives on drugs)

It is estimated that over 70 000 lives were lost to drug overdoses in Europe in the first decade of the twenty-first century. Reducing drug-related deaths therefore remains a major challenge for public health policy. This analysis describes some of the factors that increase the risk of fatal and non-fatal overdoses and a number of interventions developed to prevent these events | EMCDDA, Portugal

Synthetic cannabinoids in Europe (Perspectives on drugs)

Synthetic cannabinoids represent the largest group of substances currently monitored in Europe by the EMCCDA through the EU Early Warning System. Current knowledge on these substances and trends in production, availability, use and harms are presented in this analysis | EMCDDA, Portugal

High-risk drug use and new psychoactive substances

This report provides a first look at the emergence of more problematic forms of use of new psychoactive substances among a range of demographic groups, including opioid and amphetamine injectors, prisoners, the homeless and men who have sex with men. It explores, in particular, the use of synthetic cathinones, synthetic cannabinoids and new synthetic opioids, as well as related harms and responses | EMCDDA, Portugal

Call for drug test services at all UK festivals and clubs after successful pilot

There's a call for UK festivals to provide drug-testing services, in an attempt to reduce deaths | BBC Newsbeat, UK

Evidence for the effectiveness of minimum pricing of alcohol: a systematic review and assessment using the Bradford Hill criteria for causality

To assess the evidence for price-based alcohol policy interventions to determine whether minimum unit pricing (MUP) is likely to be effective | BMJ, UK

Even moderate drinking may damage the brain

"Even moderate drinking can damage the brain," The Guardian reports. A new study, involving brain scans and cognitive testing, suggests that moderate drinking, over many years, could damage areas of the brain linked to memory and cognitive function | NHS Choices: Behind the Headlines, UK

Analytical test strip fights fentanyl overdoses

Simple chemical analysis helps drug users prevent overdosing on deadly opioid | Chemistry World, UK

Prescription drug addiction 'to overtake heroin use' in UK

The number of people addicted to legal medicines is overtaking those struggling with heroin abuse, a leading rehab provider has warned | Independent, UK

Tears, hope and letters addressed to drugs: A rare glimpse of life inside an addiction rehab centre

Rob Hastings hears how two staff at one of Britain’s oldest rehab centres defeated their own addictions and are helping others win their battles, despite funding cuts | I news, UK

Rehab - lives addicted: BBC iPlayer

Going behind the doors of the private world of a residential rehabilitation centre in Somerset, this powerful documentary uncovers what is done to help people beat their addictions and start rebuilding their lives, through a series of intimate encounters at Broadway Lodge | BBC, UK

Making It Happen

We are excited to launch Making It Happen, our guidance covering how to ensure the needs of families affected by drugs and alcohol are met | Adfam, UK

Drugnet Europe 98

Synthetic cannabinoids in Europe

Synthetic cannabinoids represent the largest group of substances currently monitored in Europe by the EMCDDA through the EU Early Warning System. Current knowledge on these substances and trends in production, availability, use and harms are presented in this analysis | EMCDDA, Portugal