Daily news - 16th December 2020 |
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UK news
Drug-related Deaths in Scotland in 2019
Statistics of drug-related deaths in 2019 and earlier years, broken down by cause of death, selected drugs reported, age and sex. Statistics show the number of drug-related deaths in Scotland increased by 6%, from 1,187 in 2018 to 1,264 in 2019, the highest number since records began in 1996 | National Records of Scotland, UK
Drug-related death statistics 2019
Responding to the statistics, Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick acknowledged the scale of the public health challenge. Along with its partners, the Scottish Government is taking a range of steps to alleviate the problem of substance misuse, and to reduce the number of deaths | Scottish Government, UK
Scotland's drug-related death toll more than 3.5 times rate for whole UK
Experts condemn public health emergency as ‘national tragedy and disgrace’ | Guardian, UK
Scotland's drug death crisis in six charts
Much-delayed figures for last year have shown a record number of deaths from drug misuse in Scotland for the sixth year in row | BBC, UK
Claim Scotland’s drug-related deaths are not comparable with the UK is False
New statistics showing an increase in the number of drug-related deaths in Scotland led to much debate about how politicians can deal with a death rate reported as the highest in the European Union | The Ferret, UK
New research project to inform Scotland's drug deaths response
Researchers from the University of Glasgow are launching a new research project to inform responses to drug-related harms and deaths in Scotland | University of Glasgow, UK
Health Survey for England 2019 Adults’ health-related behaviours (PDF)
Includes data on adults' health-related behaviours. 18% of men and 15% of women currently smoke cigarettes. 7% of men and 5% of women currently use e-cigarettes. 57% of adults drank at levels which put them at lower risk of alcohol-related harm, that is, 14 units or less in the last week | NHS Digital, UK
Young people who go to bed later drink and smoke more due to their impulsivity
Young people who prefer to stay up late are more impulsive than their peers who go to bed earlier, which makes them more likely to drink alcohol and smoke, a new study in the journal Chronobiology International, reports | University of Surrey, UK
Bristol Charity Advent Calendar 2020, day 16: Bristol Drugs Project
BDP began in the 1980s, when the area had no specialist services for people with drug problems. A group of probation officers and ex-drug users recognised the need for such a service | Bristol 24/7, UK
Take Drugs Seriously Webinars
Benzos – 17th December, 1830-2000 GMT. For each of the webinars, we’ve invited some friends to spend time chatting with our Emerging Trends and Training team about the new resources and key topics relating to each of these drugs | Crew, UK
PhD studentships
Overall purpose: to provide the opportunity to pursue a PhD in addiction science registered at a UK university and hosted at an appropriate organisation which, in the opinion of the Trustees (or officers with devolved authority), furthers the aims of the SSA. The SSA aims to provide up to two full-time studentships per year | SSA, UK
International news
The talking route to recovery. Alcohol Treatment Matrix row 4
Psychosocial or ‘talking’ therapies are the mainstay of alcohol dependence treatment. Via key studies, reviews and guidance, the row walks you through what we know, from the therapies themselves to the influence of practitioners, management, organisational context, and their place in the surrounding treatment system| Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK
The entropic tongue: Disorganization of natural language under LSD
[Open access] Serotonergic psychedelics have been suggested to mirror certain aspects of psychosis, and, more generally, elicit a state of consciousness underpinned by increased entropy of on-going neural activity | Consciousness and Cognition, UK
Cannabis Reform in Spain
The first public event for the European Cannabis Advocacy Network will take place on the 17th of December, which will be focusing on cannabis reform in Ireland and Spain. Each month we will be inviting advocates from two European countries to discuss the current state of cannabis reform in their country, and shine a light on both adult-use and medical cannabis reform across Europe | Volteface, UK
Peru: Police conduct drugs raid dressed as Santa Claus and elf
A police drugs-squad in Peru have raided a house dressed as Santa Claus and an elf, detaining a suspected drug dealer | BBC, UK
‘Dangerous territory’ of expanding alcohol delivery services
Charity warns ‘risky practices’ are allowing underage drinkers to easily purchase alcohol | Irish Times, Ireland
Adult caution list: Those caught in possession of cannabis for personal use may not face criminal charges
This now means that anyone caught in possession of cannabis for personal use can receive a caution instead of being arrested and charged with criminal possession | Journal, Ireland
EMCDDA webinar: COVID-19 induced recession and drug-related problems
16 December 12.00-13.30 (WET/Lisbon) 13.00-14.30 (CET/Brussels). The EMCDDA is offering a series of webinars around the theme of COVID-19. The purpose of the webinars is to help those working in the drugs field understand how drug users, and those supporting them, are coping with the pandemic and to share knowledge and experience | EMCDDA, Portugal
Are changes in binge drinking among European adolescents driven by changes in computer gaming?
[Open access] There is currently no good explanation for the decline in adolescent drinking reported for many Western countries in recent years. As modern computer gaming is highly exciting and socially rewarding, it may function as a substitute for adolescent binge drinking. We hypothesized a negative correlation between country‐level changes in computer gaming and binge drinking | Drug and Alcohol Review, Norway
Study: Surge of teen vaping levels off, but remains high as of early 2020
Findings released today from the most recent Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey of substance use behaviors and related attitudes among teens in the United States indicate that levels of nicotine and marijuana vaping did not increase from 2019 to early 2020, although they remain high | NIDA, USA
COVID-19 cuts into college students' drinking
When college campuses closed in the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the quantity of alcohol consumed by students decreased significantly if they went from living with peers to living with parents, according to a new report in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs | Medical Xpress, USA
Analysis finds gaps in care in treating opioid use disorders during pandemic shutdowns
In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, visits to the doctor declined dramatically. One group of patients that appears to have weathered this trend are those who were already being treated for opioid use disorder | Medical Xpress, USA
Comparison of Rates of Overdose and Hospitalization After Initiation of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder in the Inpatient vs Outpatient Setting
In this comparative effectiveness research study of 37 090 propensity score–matched individuals with opioid use disorder receiving outpatient medication treatment or inpatient care, all forms of inpatient care (short or long term) were associated with higher risk of subsequent overdose and hospitalization | JAMA Network, USA
Perceived risk, quit intentions, and quit attempts among cigar users during the COVID-19 pandemic
Regular smokers are at a greater risk for a more serious COVID-19 infection. So, how has the pandemic impacted tobacco use? Are people increasing their smoking behaviors as a coping mechanism, or are they decreasing their smoking because they are worried about the severity of their potential COVID-19 infection? | BASIS, USA
Will the U.S. get its first supervised drug consumption site?
A few countries in Europe in the 1980s tried something new to reduce the harms associated with the use of illicit drugs | AMA, USA
San Francisco Drug Users Face Soaring Deaths. Solidarity Can Sustain Us
My stomach was churning frantically as I lay strapped to a gurney in San Francisco General Hospital that day in 1992. Someone who looked like a police officer or a security guard walked back and forth past my bed | Filter Magazine, USA
Psychedelics Weren't As Common in Ancient Cultures As We Think
The dominant narrative about psychedelics is that they are closely linked to shamanism and have been used in many Amazonian cultures for thousands of years. But there is little reliable evidence to actually back that claim | VICE, USA
Names of vape flavors obscure toxic ingredients
Dr. Miranda Ween from the University of Adelaide and South Australia's Royal Adelaide Hospital led a study, in collaboration with Dr. Laura E. Crotty Alexander at the University of California San Diego, to investigate the lung health risks of E-cigarette vapor from a number of different flavored E-liquids | Medical Xpress, Australia
Greens propose an inquiry into drug harm minimisation
In response to the overwhelming community feedback to proposed drug law reform, ACT Greens spokesperson for drug harm minimisation Johnathan Davis MLA is proposing a Legislative Assembly committee inquiry into alcohol, tobacco and other drug harm minimisation | Mirage, Australia
Drugs in body no reason to strip-search: police watchdog
A suspicion that someone is concealing drugs in their body cavities is not enough to justify a strip search, the state's police watchdog has said in its final report on the invasive practice | SMH, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Harry’s Blog 108: If something doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t make sense
This blog is inspired listening to Mark Carney, former Director of the Bank of England give the BBC 2020 Reith Lecture named after John Reith, the first Director-General of the BBC | NSP blog, UK
We Are With You labels new Scottish drug deaths figures ‘tragic’ and demands swift action
Andrew Horne, Director in Scotland at drug, alcohol and mental health charity We Are With You (formerly Addaction) said: “These figures are tragic. Our thoughts are with the thousands of people who continue to be affected by these deaths on this difficult day... | We Are With You, UK
As drug-related deaths hit a record high in Scotland, it’s time to stop making excuses and take action
Scotland now has the highest death rate per capita of any Western country including America. Politicians north and south of the border need to put political differences aside to tackle this tragedy | Independent voices, UK
Poverty causes drug deaths. Policy needs to understand that
The record drug deaths in Scotland are a policy failure, writes Scottish Drug Forum chief executive David Liddell, one that can only be fixed with a complete paradigm shift | The Big Issue, UK
Alcohol Change UK Annual Conference in Wales 2020
This year, Alcohol Change UK held their annual conference in Wales online, with an incredible 300 people attending from all over the UK. The conference was advertised to anyone who is passionate about alcohol harm reduction, making it inclusive for practitioners, commissioners, clinicians, and emergency service workers – as well as academics | University of Liverpool, Addiction Research blog, UK
Can universities reduce harms associated with students' drug use?
Analysis: drug use by students is under-researched, and doesn't consider the unique context in which students live, work and study | RTe, Ireland
Arbitrary detention and compulsory drug treatment in Mexico: A forsaken face of female incarceration
The global female prison population continues to rise, partly due to harsh drug policies. In the second blog of our series marking the tenth anniversary of the UN Bangkok Rules, Corina Giacomello presents the findings of research on women and girls who use drugs and are detained in Mexico, and shines a light on those detained outside of formal justice institutions | Penal Reform International, USA