Daily news - 17th December 2020 |
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UK news
COVID-19: impact on STIs, HIV and viral hepatitis
Report assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on prevention, testing, diagnosis and care for STIs, HIV and hepatitis in England | PHE, UK
'No shortcuts' to reducing record drug death rate
A Scottish government minister has said there is no easy path to cutting Scotland's record drug death rate as he rebuffed opposition calls to resign | BBC, UK
Drug Deaths Statement -video
Public health minister Joe Fitzpatrick making a statement on Scottish drug deaths, from Tuesday 15 December | BBC, UK
Nine in 10 home workers drinking alcohol on the job
Nine out of 10 people have admitted to drinking alcohol while working from home this year – a statistic that a health and safety firm has said could have concerning consequences for worker health and the quality of work produced | Personnel Today, UK
In Dialogue: How Writing to the Dead and the Living Can Increase Self-Awareness in Those Bereaved by Addiction
[Open access] This article examines how writing can increase the self-awareness of a socially isolated and often stigmatized population: those bereaved by addiction. Writing about a traumatic event has been shown to increase self-awareness which can improve health and regulate negative behaviors | Journal of Death and Dying, UK
Role of grooming of women involved in violent crime examined as part of new gangs guidance
The guidance, Decision-making in ‘gang’ related offences, has been drawn up by the Crown Prosecution Service to give lawyers practical advice on building the strongest possible cases and gathering robust evidence to present to the court. It covers a wide range of issues related to gang offending including gang culture, the use of drill music and social media as well as an examination of tactics used by county lines gangs to recruit vulnerable victims | CPS.gov.uk, UK
How getting a hotel room in March kickstarted a life off the streets
The ‘Everyone In’ scheme housed 15,000 street homeless people during the first Covid wave. As winter hits, charities say it must be reprieved | Guardian, UK
How helping people take drugs safely will save lives
Bristol City Council’s new Drug Strategy consultation will consider the use of safe consumption rooms. Transform Drug Policy’s head of campaigns examines what this could mean for the city | Bristol Cable, UK
Drink Wise, Age Well
Newly launched website. The website has many downloadable resources for professionals and information for people seeking support for their alcohol use. | DrinkWise AgeWell, UK
Episode 4: Recovery and Lockdown - podcast
In this episode, our host Lavinia Black speaks to Geraldine about the challenges of recovery during lockdown. Geraldine has been in recovery for 14 years and has used the skills and networks she developed through Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) to get through the pandemic | Our Sick Society, UK
Loughborough University student died from drugs mix
A student collapsed in a nightclub and died following a "fatal dose" of MDMA and ketamine, an inquest has heard | BBC, UK
“I felt there was no support out there for me” - video
Stuart has had an "active addiction" to drugs for more than half his life but he went into treatment for the first time last year | BBC, UK
My brother's death from drugs overdose was the result of our political failure, says Glasgow MP
In a moving, personal plea to radically change the legal approach to drug abuse, Stewart McDonald, SNP MP for Glasgow South, writes for the first time about the death of his older brother, Malcolm, this year from a drugs overdose | Daily Record, UK
Drug deaths: I was sick and tired of being sick and tired
Recovery worker has overdosed three times and lost many friends to drugs | STV News, UK
Neo Kuma: Health benefits of LSD, ketamine and other psychedelics attract investors with launch of new fund
The possible healthcare benefits of LSD, ketamine and other psychedelic substances will be the focus of a new venture-capital fund launching on Thursday, the first of its kind in the UK | i news, UK
Notification of tobacco or herbal products for smoking
Updated information in line with the new regulations that will apply after the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020 | PHE, UK
Cigarette maker BAT announces US vaccine trial launch
British cigarette maker BAT said Wednesday that its US biotech division Kentucky BioProcessing will launch trials of a potential coronavirus vaccine, developed using tobacco plant technology | Medical Xpress, UK
Knowledge Exchange Event: Long Acting Injectable Buprenorphine
Wed, 27 January 2021, 14:00 – 16:00 GMT. The session will share the experiences from practitioners who are already providing this treatment, as well as an insight into experiences from others who have been delivering the treatment to specific patient groups. There will be time for small group discussions to share experiences | DRNS, UK
International news
Ghost boat laden with cocaine washes up in the Marshall Islands
Abandoned vessel containing 649kg of drug washes up on a remote Pacific atoll after potentially years at sea | Guardian, UK
Canadian cannabis firms Tilray and Aphria reveal £2.8bn merger
All-share deal will create world’s largest weed company, as industry hopes for further liberalisation in US | Guardian, UK
India arrests dozens over call centre 'drug cartel' scam
Indian police have arrested more than 50 people in Delhi on suspicion of being involved in an international call centre scam | BBC, UK
Medical cannabis patients need no longer travel to Netherlands for medication
Delivery service established in April due to Covid-19 to be made permanent | Irish Times, Ireland
Adults caught with cannabis may now receive a caution
Drug organisations in favour of decriminalisation have described as a “move in the right direction” a legal change allowing gardaí to caution, rather than charge, people caught in possession of cannabis for their own personal use | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Researchers identify predictors of timely enrollment in treatment for opioid use disorder
For people living with opioid use disorder, the path to treatment is not always clear-cut. Sometimes, there's no path at all | Medical Xpress, USA
Chemical found in cigarettes could increase severity of COVID-19, new study finds
A new study has found that high levels of the chemical cadmium, is associated with an increased risk of death in patients with influenza or pneumonia. Scientists suggest that the chemical, found in cigarettes and contaminated vegetables, could increase the severity of other respiratory illnesses, such as COVID-19 | News Medical, USA
Teens using e-cigarettes more likely to take up smoking or smokeless tobacco
A new study offers strong evidence that kids who use e-cigarettes are more likely to take up smoking or smokeless tobacco, researchers say | News Medical, USA
Experimental vaccine can counter dangerous effects of synthetic cannabinoids
Made in clandestine laboratories and sold widely across the United States, the diverse class of drugs known as synthetic cannabinoids presents a growing public health threat | Medical Express, USA
Successful pilot integrates PrEP and syringe exchange services
When taken daily, pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is a highly effective way to prevent HIV transmission, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | Medical Xpress, USA
Indian Health Service’s OD-Vulnerable Patients Aren’t Getting Naloxone
The federal health agency serving federally recognized tribal members achieved its goal of reducing opioid prescriptions | Filter Magazine, USA
The Struggle for Medical Marijuana Access in Brazil
Theo, a 14-year-old living in Rio de Janeiro, suffers from a type of epilepsy that causes absence seizures—brief lapses in awareness | Filter Magazine, USA
Revealing Trends in Russia’s Dark-Web Drug Markets
Heroin use became widespread in Russia in the late 1990s, amid the opening of international borders and social upheaval and deprivation | Filter Magazine, USA
Opioid- and Stimulant-related Harms in Canada
This update includes data on deaths, hospitalizations and Emergency Medical Services responses involving opioids and/or stimulants between January 2016 and June 2020, where available | Government of Canada, Canada
A Supplemental Report on British Columbia’s Unregulated Drug Supply Amidst Dual Public Health Emergencies (PDF)
Results from British Columbia’s Community Drug Checking Service January 2020 – October 2020 | BCCSU, Canada
Opioid overdose antidote to move to easier access on pharmacy shelves in Manitoba
Currently, naloxone must be handed out by health-care professionals like pharmacists | CBC News, Canada
New use for an old drug: How does ketamine combat depression?
Researchers from three Canadian universities find the key to unlocking the antidepressant effect of ketamine in the brain | EurekAlert, Canada
Toronto, Regina Among Cities Willing to Discuss Decriminalizing All Drugs Following Vancouver
VICE World News surveyed 30 Canadian mayors to ask them if they would follow Vancouver’s lead and pursue local drug decriminalization | VICE, Canada
Trends in the availability and type of drugs sold on the internet via cryptomarkets, September 2019 – September 2020
This bulletin series reports on trends in the availability and type of substances sold on the internet via cryptomarkets over the last 13 months (a new bulletin is released typically every four months) | NDARC, Australia
Police take health-focused approach to tackle rising drug use
Police will focus on referring drug users to support services and showing them and their families compassion as part of a new five-year strategy to treat addiction as a health rather than an enforcement issue | The Age, Australia
Matters of Substance - December issue
In her first Director's Cut newly appointed Executive Director Sarah Helm describes the momentum for change as irrepressible thanks to the hard work of all of us | NZDF, New Zealand
Blogs, comment and opinion
Are older adults getting the alcohol support they need during COVID-19?
Remote support has helped older adults with drinking issues during the pandemic but face to face is still key | We Are With You, UK
‘The need for change is obvious and long overdue’ – David Liddell, SDF CEO
The statistics announced yesterday are a grievous reminder of the human cost of the ongoing public health crisis we face in Scotland | SDF, UK
Agenda: The drugs stats would be even worse without harm reduction
Yesterday marked the delayed publication of the latest drugs deaths statistics in Scotland | Herald, UK
Scotland’s drug problem is a national scandal
[2 free articles per month] You have seen the chart and it is grim. A list of European countries ranked by annual drugs deaths, with Scotland at the top and a long red bar beside it | Spectator, UK
I've cut down my drinking dramatically. So why do people think I tried to stop – and failed?
Drinking doesn’t have to be all or nothing, yet our model for alcohol misuse assumes abstinence is the only answer | Guardian, UK
A victory for common sense, but there’s still a difficult road ahead
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has confirmed that clinically-proven CBD products registered on the ARTG will be eligible for Schedule 3 over-the-counter sale at pharmacies at doses of up to 150mg per day as of February 1st 2021 | Cannabiz, Australia