Daily news - 23rd November 2015 |
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UK news
A framework for working safely and effectively with men who perpetrate intimate partner violence in substance use treatment settings (PDF)
The Framework for working safely and effectively with men who perpetrate intimate partner violence in substance use treatment settings was developed from the findings of the bilateral project ‘Perpetration of intimate partner violence by males in substance abuse treatment: a cross-cultural research Learning Alliance’. | KCL, UK
British hospitals face serious shortage of liver specialists
Despite rising rates of alcohol- and obesity-related liver disease, fewer than 1 in 3 UK hospitals employ a full-time liver specialist | British Liver Trust, UK
Implementation of the Lancet Standing Commission on Liver Disease in the UK - Open access
Between 1980 and 2013, deaths from liver disease in the UK increased by four times, mainly attributable to alcohol consumption. Although the latest data from Public Health England (PHE) show some reduction in the number of hospital admissions for alcohol-related liver disease in those younger than 18 years and in the number drinking, the high mortality in adults continues with 50% of English local authorities seeing a rise in hospital admissions for alcohol-related illness | Lancet, UK
Naloxone
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Public Health England advice entitled Take-home naloxone for opioid overdose in people who use drugs, what steps he is taking to encourage local commissioners to adopt a programme of issuing MHRA-licenced take home Naloxone (a) in general and (b) to opioid-dependent prisoners upon their release; and if he will make a statement | They work for you, UK
Mental Health Services
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many specialist mental health centres for those with drug and alcohol addiction were funded by NHS England in each of the last three years; and how many people each such centre supported | They work for you, UK
Treating addiction as a disease is wrong and harmful, says leading neuroscientist
Dr Marc Lewis was addicted to opiates in his twenties | Independent, UK
Ford creates 'drug driving suit' to simulate the dangers of getting behind the wheel when high
Ford wants to teach young people about the dangers of taking the car after having consumed illegal drugs such as a cannabis, cocaine, heroin and MDMA | Independent, UK
Adam Owens' death: Mother in plea for more services to tackle "epidemic" of legal high drugs
The mother of a County Down teenager who died after taking legal high drugs has said more services are needed in Northern Ireland to tackle the problem | BBC, UK
Lay epidemiology and the interpretation of low-risk drinking guidelines by adults in the United Kingdom - Open access
To explore how the concept of lay epidemiology can enhance understandings of how drinkers make sense of current UK drinking guidelines | Addiction, UK
Addicted to chemsex
An increasing number of gay men are taking part in multi-day, drug-fuelled orgies – despite the health risks. Paul Flynn reports on a powerful new documentary, and what it says about love and loneliness | Guardian, UK
Alcohol involved in half of domestic violence cases
A report has been released showing the amount of crimes that have been committed in the island where the offender has been drinking | ITV, UK
Take part in the 2016 Global Drug Survey
The Global Drug Survey for 2016 launched this week, and you should get involved. It's the world's largest drugs survey, and last year 100,000 submitted their responses | MixMag, UK
Adfam Policy Briefing November 2015
This month's special feature for Carers Rights Day brings together some of the best resources on the Care Act 2014 and the wider growing awareness of the importance of rights for carers | Adfam, UK
Inequalities in health and life expectancies persist
A new ONS report produced in conjunction with PHE has been published revealing the scale of inequalities in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy across England, but also within local authority areas | PHE, UK
CRI wins charity learning award
We would like to extend our congratulations to CRI’s Learning and Development team for winning the award for Best eLearning programme at the Charity Learning Awards this week | CRI, UK
Vans full of vin: why the booze cruise is back
Strong sterling and cheaper crossings mean it can once again make sense to buy large quantities of wine and beer in France. But the question of quality remains | Guardian, UK
Fake ambulance driver had 'no clue' of drugs in back
The driver of a fake Dutch ambulance "rammed to the roof" with £38m of cocaine and heroin claimed he had "no clue" what was in the back, a court heard | BBC, UK
Cigarettes and alcohol seized in raids across Somerset
More than 45,000 cigarettes have been seized in a series of raids across Somerset | BBC, UK
International news
Turkey seizes 11 million Captagon amphetamine pills used by Isis fighters to keep themselves awake
Almost two tonnes of Captagon pills were seized by Turkish anti-narcotic police near the border with Syria | Independent, UK
How ecstacy-related deaths in Britain can be traced to illegal logging in Cambodia
Twenty years after the shocking death of Leah Betts, a trail has emerged linking the killer party drug ecstacy back to the Cambodian rainforest | Telegraph, UK
Generation meds: the US children who grow up on prescription drugs
Millions of US children are on medication for behavioural problems and depression – but what are the long-term effects? Photographer Baptiste Lignel followed six boys and girls to find out. Introduction by Sarah Boseley | Guardian, UK
Bed heads: Colorado’s Airbnb-style website for cannabis lovers
TravelTHC is an accommodation service that offers the intoxicating blend of helping tourists to get high, legally, while on holiday in a stranger’s home | Guardian, UK
The War on Drugs: Harming, not protecting, young people (PDF)
This briefing from the Count the Costs initiative highlights the specific costs of the drug war for children and young people. It demonstrates how this war, while declared in the name of protecting young people from the ‘drug threat’, has ironically exposed them to far greater harm | Count the Costs, USA
Heroin, Survivor of War on Drugs, Returns With New Face - The New York Times
Nearly 44,000 Americans a year — 120 a day — now die of drug overdoses. Neither traffic accidents nor gun violence, each claiming 30,000-plus lives a year, causes so much ruination. The annual drug toll is six times the total of American deaths in all wars since Vietnam | NY Times, USA
New Treatments Not Enough to Eliminate Hepatitis C
Despite powerful new medications, the lack of screening and treatment capacity will make it difficult to eliminate the hepatitis C virus in the United States, according to projections presented here at the Liver Meeting 2015 | Medscape, USA
New study assesses the impact of exposure to e-cigarette ads on young adults
Exposure to e-cigarette advertisements may enhance curiosity and usage among young adults, according to a study published this week in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research | EurekAlert, USA
UK (University of Kentucky) awarded $6 million to further develop treatment for cocaine abuse
University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy Professor Chang-Guo Zhan, along with fellow UK Professors Fang Zheng and Sharon Walsh, and Professor Mei-Chuan Ko from Wake Forest University, recently received $6 million in funding over five years to further develop a potential treatment for cocaine abuse | EurekAlert, USA
The Women Who Smoke Weed While Pregnant
Stoner moms are vibrant members of the cannabis community, and the legal weed industry is making sure to capitalize on women and the power of the pussy. But there's also an under-the-radar population of female cannabis consumers that isn't as openly talked about: pregnant women | VICE, USA
Desperate family calls for medicinal cannabis amnesty after police come knocking
Five weeks ago, Bill Shorten visited Cherie and Trevor Dell in their Sydney home to talk about how medicinal cannabis is helping their three-year-old daughter Abbey | Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
Nurses say supervised injecting room only way forward for prison program
The nurses' union has reluctantly backed a supervised injecting room as the best model for a needle and syringe program in Canberra's adult prison | Age, Australia
The Drug Law Wars – a story that began in Canberra
After close to half a century of pumping billions into drug law enforcement the realisation is dawning that the global war on drugs was doomed to fail | Age, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
The devil is in the detail: policymakers must learn from experience to address complex needs
Claire Richmond works with Opportunity Nottingham – one of the 12 Big Lottery-funded Fulfilling Lives areas which MEAM supports. Ahead of the Spending Review, she reflects on the growing national interest in its work, and the vital role of lived experience | MEAM, UK
The impact of alcohol on hospital services
I joined leaders from the “blue light” emergency services at the annual Alcohol Concern conference this week. Colleagues from the Police, ambulance and fire services gathered together for a discussion about the impact of alcohol on our front line services (and services in general) | UHMB Blog, UK
Preventive services could mitigate the effects of cuts and improve Britain’s health
Local authorities should focus on tackling health and social problems early. Leaving it too late and coping with the consequences is a shocking waste of funds | Guardian, UK
Living with Alcoholism; A Personal Story
I recently had some news, sad news, to say that a friend I had known for a long time had passed away. I had lost touch with this lady many years ago, but from time to time, we would catch up and touch base. I knew that my friend had some issues with alcoholism, but I guess I had not appreciated the severity of her problem, which she understandably kept to herself | Freya Barrington Blog, UK
‘I found that nothing worked, except cannabis’: Who are Ireland’s marijuana users?
After a hearing on Thursday in Castlebar, Co Mayo, he was made to pay a fine of €250 for the possession of cannabis, and another €500 fine for the cultivation | Journal, Ireland
White Parents Are Fighting Back Against the Drug War They Helped Create
For months, news outlets across America have been hyping the heroin "epidemic." It's now a white problem, the headlines scream, and consequently, the articles imply, we need a kinder, gentler approach | VICE, USA
Taking action together on secondary supply laws
So many of us have been there. Exams are done. The shenanigans for muck-up day are sorted. A friend just turned 18 and can grab a slab of beer for us to drink on our final night of high school. This will make it a truly kick-arse celebration. In the words of Alice Cooper: School’s out for summer. School’s out forever | GrogWatch, Australia