Daily news - 5th May 2020 |
 |
Coronavirus frequently updated resources
Treatment and recovery services – and COVID-19 |Collective Voice
COVID-19 Information Hub | Scottish Drugs Forum
COVID-19 and smoking: resources, research and news | BMJ
Coronavirus: information and advice hub - alcohol | Alcohol Change UK
COVID-19 resources page for people who use drugs (PWUD) and drug service providers | EMCDDA
UK news
DDN May 2020
We've had to change our plan for this issue several times this month as your news and survival tips have been coming in. The good thing is, it’s not just about business as usual – it’s become about being better than usual. Not only are we hearing about swift action to keep essential services maintained – we’re also learning about new, enhanced versions of outreach, where service users are an essential part of developing and maintaining the model | DDN, UK
PHE priorities in health and social care: 2020 to 2021
Letter from health minister Jo Churchill confirming Public Health England’s (PHE) role and priorities for the financial year 2020 to 2021 | PHE, UK
Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic: information for providers
We're making changes to the way we work during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. They include how we do our job and support providers to keep people safe. They also affect how people communicate with us, or send us applications or information | CQC, UK
Dame Louise Casey to spearhead government taskforce on rough sleeping during pandemic
A specialist taskforce has been created to lead the next phase of the Government’s support for rough sleepers during the pandemic | Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government and The Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP, UK
Underage vaping spikes in the north of England
More than a fifth of 15-year-olds in Yorkshire and the Humber vape, according to NHS figures that suggest a stark north-south divide in underage vaping | Bureau of Investigative Journalism, UK
Morrisons and Deliveroo have joined up to offer home deliveries in as little 30 minutes
Customers will be able to order from more than 100 essential items, including groceries, household items and alcoholic beverages | Independent, UK
COVID-19 – Responding to mental health and isolation in the pandemic - webinar
The fourth SDF COVID-19 webinar will be held on Thursday the 7th of May at 13.00 – 14.00. The focus on the webinar will be on mental health among people who use substances during the pandemic | SDF, UK
WDP and InPost secure new partnership for Capital Card® users during COVID-19 pandemic
Leading drug and alcohol charity WDP has teamed up with InPost, Europe’s only end-to-end parcel locker provider, to offer its Capital Card® users access to essential items during the coronavirus pandemic, through 24/7 contact-free delivery to local InPost lockers | WDP, UK
Groundswell Coronavirus - alcohol advice (PDF)
Staying safe and minimising harm during COVID-19 | Groundswell, UK
Groundswell Coronavirus - advice for people using drugs (PDF)
Staying safe and minimising harm during COVID-19 | Groundswell, UK
International news
Bibliography on COVID-19 and Addiction
[First item under search boxes] This downloadable document lists articles found in PubMed from searches on the given date involving addiction-related topics and COVID-19 | SSA, UK
Smoking and COVID-19 with Olga Perski - audio
Suzi Gage talks to Dr Olga Perski about evidence around the relationship between smoking and COVID-19, why there may have been some disagreement in the literature and the media as to the relationship, and her work conducting a living systematic review to explore this further | SSA, UK
Three Maryland counties sue Juul for 'blatantly marketing its vaping products to underage teens and contributing to nationwide youth vaping epidemic'
Three Maryland counties have filed lawsuits against the e-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc., arguing the company intentionally marketed its products to underage customers and contributed to a youth vaping epidemic, court documents detail | Mail Online, UK
India coronavirus: Delhi shuts some liquor shops due to crowds
Police in India's capital Delhi shut liquor stores in parts of the city, hours after they opened for the first time since 24 March | BBC, UK
Mexican drug lord Carrillo Fuentes' villa auctioned for $2m
The Mexico City home sold for more than $2m (£1.6m) and the proceeds will go to Mexico's public health service and its fight against coronavirus | BBC, UK
Australian experts fear coronavirus spike in domestic abuse as Global Drug Survey probes users
The world’s largest independent survey of drug use will include questions about domestic abuse for the first time, as Australian addiction experts warn about the impact of Covid-19 lockdowns on relationships, mental health and substance use | Guardian, UK
Legalising cannabis: what will New Zealanders be asked to vote on in September?
More than 50% of voters must say yes to the proposed changes for parliament to consider the changes | Guardian, UK
Advisory notice by HSE Social Inclusion to Addiction Services in Ireland
In December 2019, HSE Social Inclusion circulated and advisory note to services in Ireland in relation a concern around the emergence of new benzodiazepines or fake tablets onto the Irish market | Drugs.ie, Ireland
Menthol ban to affect 200 million PJ Carroll cigarettes
British American Tobacco subsidiary shifting focus towards Irish vaping market, writes Sean Pollock | Independent, Ireland
Publicans propose plans to reopen six weeks earlier than scheduled
Under the Government's road map pubs are not scheduled to reopen until August, but two representative groups are hoping new arrangements could see pubs opening from the end of June, along with cafes and restaurants | RTe, Ireland
Webinar 'Coronavirus and drug-related issues: are we ready to learn the lessons?'
The EMCDDA is offering a new 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
Drug overdose epidemic is transmitted from old to young, study shows
It's no secret that America has an ever-worsening drug addiction problem, but how much does a person's birth year come into play? | Medical Xpress, USA
Largest grant ever for cannabis research to help fund study by McLean's Dr. Staci Gruber
The funding will support investigations into a range of issues related to cannabis, including its effects on the human brain, its use in treating medical and psychiatric conditions, and how it might be regulated | EurekAlert, USA
Device tracks vaping habits to better understand use
A new tool developed by a Cornell Tech team can unobtrusively monitor electronic cigarette inhalations—yielding important information for research about when and where people vape, how deeply they inhale and how much nicotine they consume | Medical Xpress, USA
Study shows need for new focus in anti-vaping efforts for older teens and young adults
They know it's addictive. They know it's linked to dangerous and even fatal lung diseases. And they know it delivers far more nicotine than the cigarettes it's supposed to replace | Medical Xpress, USA
The “Queen of Consciousness” Driving Psychedelic Study and Advocacy
Amanda Feilding is the founder and director of the Beckley Foundation, which has been pioneering psychedelic research and advocacy to drive evidence-based drug policy reform since 1998 | Filter Magazine, USA
Alcohol warning labels reduce sales, change minds
Colourful, highly visible warning labels applied to bottles and cans of alcohol in Yukon’s largest liquor store prompted many people in Canada’s highest-alcohol-consuming region to cut back on their drinking | UVIC, Canada
Opioid crisis worsens during pandemic as services for drug users scale back
Harm reduction workers battling Ontario’s opioid crisis say COVID-19 is making the situation worse, as police and public health officials in Toronto report a spike in overdoses and related deaths since the start of the pandemic | City News, Canada
Blogs, comment and opinion
Mitigating and learning from the impact of COVID-19infection on addictive disorders
The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures required to address it are cutting a swathe through people’s lives and the global economy. People with addictive disorders are particularly badly affected as a result of poverty, physical and mental health vulnerabilities and disruption of access to services | Addiction editorial, UK