Daily news - 23rd December 2020

Tomorrow is the last DrugWise Daily of the year. We wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you for all your support.

Jackie and Harry

UK news

National drug and alcohol treatment waiting times

Between 1 July - 30 September, 97.2% of the 9,342 people who started their first drug or alcohol treatment waited 3 weeks or less, an increase from the same quarter in the previous year (95.1%), which may be in part attributable to a fall in the number of completed waits during the quarter (10,486 in 1 July - 30 September 2019) | Public Health Scotland, UK

Scots with drug and alcohol problems waiting more than five weeks for help

The Scottish Government is under pressure to get on top of an addiction crisis | Daily Record, UK

16,000 students took our drugs survey. Find out how and what they’re taking this term

In a survey of over 16,000 uni students across the country, from 14 different UK universities, it’s clear that drug use is still prevalent at uni despite national lockdowns, rules of six and tier systems aplenty | The Tab, UK

Telford girl's 'miracle' response to medical cannabis

A seven-year-old with a rare form of epilepsy has made an "amazing" recovery after beginning a medicinal cannabis oil treatment, her family said | BBC, UK

Alcohol Alert 2020 : The Year in Review

As we reach the end of an exceptional year, we can reflect on the alcohol policy news that dominated the headlines | IAS, UK

2020: Year in review

2020 has been a year of firsts, not least for the cannabis industry. There have been some major positive developments along with some setbacks too | Hanway Associates, UK

Smoking: Staffordshire

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the smoking cessation rate in (a) Stoke-on-Trent and (b) Staffordshire | They work for you, UK

[Open access] Although alcohol research often comments on observed sex differences (i.e. patterns of consumption), there is a lack of investigation into the reasons for these differences. For females, the regular hormonal fluctuations across the menstrual cycle are a potential influencing factor for alcohol consumption | Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology, UK

Leaving No Smoker Behind

Tue, 19 January 2021, 14:00 – 16:30 GMT. Smoking prevalence rates are disproportionately high amongst those who are homeless and dependent on substances. What can be done? | London South Bank University, UK

Drinkers in York fined for crossing over tier boundaries

A "shocking" number of fines have been handed out to people moving from tier three to tier two areas to drink in pubs and bars, a police force said | BBC, UK

Cardiff drug deaths: Man admits deals linked to two deaths

A drug dealer has admitted supplying Class A drugs to a student and a man who both later died | BBC, UK

British haulier ran Europe-wide drug ring from living room

A British haulier shipped drugs for gangs across Europe from his Warrington living room in lockdown | BBC, UK

International news

US sues Walmart for alleged role in opioid crisis

In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, prosecutors said the retail giant filled hundreds of thousands of questionable prescriptions, "knowingly" violating vetting rules | BBC, UK

Philippines: mother and son murder by police officer ignites calls for change

Incident intensifies criticism of President Duterte, accused of allowing police to act with impunity | Guardian, UK

Pensioners arrested after ‘drug haul trips’ to Gibraltar with campervan

[Limited number of free articles per week] The sexagenarian couple were allegedly caught with 500kg of hashish, €14,000 cash and a semiautomatic rifle in a secret compartment | Telegraph, UK

EMCDDA releases study findings on the impact of COVID-19 on drug markets, use and services in the southern ENP region

The emergence of new drug trafficking routes, the reduced availability of drug-related health services and the adaptation of drug treatment protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic are among the findings highlighted today in a new EMCDDA report | EMCDDA, Portugal

Impact of COVID-19 on drug markets, drug use, drug-related harms and responses in south European Neighbourhood Policy countries

Since the beginning of 2020, the world has been experiencing an unprecedented public health emergency caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, which has led to progressive introduction of social distancing and other control measures by national governments | EMCDDA, Portugal

DrugNet Europe - December 2020

Drugnet Europe news round-up for December. Bumper end-of-year edition, full of all latest products, services and upcoming events | EMCDDA, Portugal

Season’s greetings and warm wishes for a safe and healthy 2021

At the start of this year, when we embarked on our 25 years of monitoring celebrations, we knew it was going to be a special 12 months. Little did we know then just how unusual and challenging the year would turn out to be… | EMCDDA, Portugal

Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 1999–2019

Deaths from drug overdose continue to be a public health burden in the United States. This report uses the most recent data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) to update statistics on deaths from drug overdose in the United States, including information on trends from 1999 through 2019 by sex and age group, and by specific types of drugs involved (i.e., opioids and stimulants) | CDC, USA

Statement from ONDCP Director Carroll on Release of 2019 Drug Mortality Data

Last year’s drug mortality data makes it clear: innovations in illicit substance combinations, and a stark spike in the amount of lethal methamphetamine smuggled into the United States from Mexico, took a heartbreaking toll on the United States in 2019,” ONDCP Director Jim Carroll stated | The White House, USA

National Roadmap on State-Level Efforts to End the Nation’s Drug Overdose Epidemic (PDF)

The importance of removing barriers to evidenced-based treatment has taken on further importance as the deadly drug overdose epidemic worsens and evolves | AMA, UK

Assessment of Nicotine and Cannabis Vaping and Respiratory Symptoms in Young Adults

In this cross-sectional study of 2553 young adults, cannabis vaping at any level was associated with increased odds of bronchitic symptoms, and cannabis vaping 3 or more times in the last month was associated with increased odds of wheeze, even after simultaneously adjusting for nicotine vaping, cigarette smoking, and combustible cannabis use | JAMA Network, USA

A community-level intervention reduces alcohol-related crashes

New research from the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation shows that a community-level alcohol intervention in California resulted in a 17% reduction in alcohol-involved crashes among drivers aged 15-30 | Medical Xpress, USA

Are e-cigarettes a gateway to tobacco cigarettes for adolescents?

E-cigarettes have gained popularity, in part for their perceived role in helping smokers transition away from smoking cigarettes, which are likely more harmful | BASIS, USA

Frontline Harm Reductionists Qualify for Early Vaccination—Will They Get it?

Frontline harm reductionists—including syringe service program (SSP) providers, peer outreach workers and hepatitis C testers—should be eligible for early COVID-19 vaccination, according to the CDC allocation guidelines now being followed by most states | Filter Magazine, USA

How Some Problematic Provisions Got Added to the Historic MORE Act

The Marijuana Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on December 4 by a vote of 228 to 164, has been viewed by many drug policy reform advocates as a major victory. Among other things, the bill would decriminalize marijuana possession at the federal level | Filter Magazine, USA