Daily news - 27th November 2020

UK news

Adult substance misuse treatment statistics 2019 to 2020: report

There were 270,705 adults in contact with drug and alcohol services between April 2019 and March 2020. This is similar to the previous year (268,251). The number of adults entering treatment in 2019 to 2020 was 132,124, which is also very similar to the previous year’s figure (132,210 in 2018 to 2019). The numbers of people entering treatment for the first time now seem to have stabilised after falling steadily since 2013 to 2014 | PHE, UK

Statistics on Women's Smoking Status at Time of Delivery: England Quarter 2, 2020-21

9.9% of mothers were smokers at the time of delivery. A 0.1% increase from quarter 1, 2020-21 (9.8%), above the national ambition of 6% or less | NHS Digital, UK

Poor evidence around ‘toxic trio’ poses questions for child protection

The toxic trio - parental mental illness, drug or alcohol misuse, and domestic violence – are known to be significant, individual indicators of children being in danger of harm or abuse. However, a prevalent belief, in social work and beyond, is that when these factors occur in combination the risks to children multiply significantly | National Children's Bureau, UK

Warning that NI children are vaping cannabis through e-cigarettes - PHA says the practice is lethal

The Public Health Agency (PHA) has received information regarding incidents involving young people suspected of vaping a liquid form of cannabis through e-cigarettes | Newsletter, UK

Number of children referred to social services for gang exploitation continues to rise

[Limited number of free articles per week] Number involved in trafficking rises from 2,490 to 3,010, while those involved in drug misuse increase from 23,710 to 29,170 | Telegraph, UK

'Suggestions' Cardiff student took ketamine before death

Cardiff University student Megan Pollitt, from Rugby, Warwickshire, died in hospital on 16 November after collapsing at a halls of residence | BBC, UK

Investigating The Microdosing Experience: The Good, The Bad and The Unknown

Microdosing has become a focal point for improving mood and daily functioning. Interest in this field is mounting with a 290% increase in videos relating to microdosing released on Youtube between 2016 and 2018 | Volteface, UK

Video: ‘All Good Points’ Ep2 ‘The Cannabis Dismantling Squad’

In this episode George and Paul discuss all the major cannabis news stories over the past 7 days | Volteface, UK

TfL drug testing

Does TfL undertake drug testing of its operational/safety critical staff? How much has it cost each year since 2015/16 and how many staff have been tested each year? | They work for you, UK

The pandemic nine months on: what lessons have drug and alcohol services learned? - free webinar

Monday 14th December at 12.30pm. Services have had the chance to come to terms with the seismic and sudden changes that the pandemic required of us nine months ago. This webinar will look at whether some of these changes have been beneficial and will outlast the pandemic, and also what services will embrace on return to a more normal environment | SMMGP, UK

Who cares if they die? They're only junkies - free event

Mon, 14 December 2020. 16:00 – 18:00 GMT. Come along to get a fresh perspective on this important issue from informed voices who working to reduce the drug related deaths and reform | UWS & Neil Findlay MSP, UK

Fifth Northern Ireland arrest in NCA Encrochat drug investigation

A fifth person has been arrested by the National Crime Agency in Northern Ireland as part of a major investigation into the alleged importation of drugs, linked to the encrypted phone network Encrochat | NCA, UK

Illegal drugs smuggled into Northern Ireland in PPE shipments

Criminal gangs used Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) shipments in an attempt to smuggle illegal drugs in Northern Ireland, the justice minister has said | BBC, UK

Northern Isles drugs dogs help seize over £250,000 worth of drugs

Since January 1, the charity Dogs Against Drugs - Shetland have helped detect and seize illegal substances and cash totalling £125,363. Orkney Drugs Dog has also been involved in the seizure of drugs valued at £62,000, while almost £56,000 worth of illegal drugs have been seized in the Western Islands | Police Scotland, UK

International news

This is the official Journal of the International Society for the Study of Emerging Drugs, a new, Gold Open Access title. The mutual goal of both the Society and the Journal, is to provide a platform for the rapid exchange of multidisciplinary knowledge on novel psychoactive substances (NPSs), addictions, and their health effects | International Society for the Study of Emerging Drugs, UK

Five Years Ago, White Families Called For A ‘Gentler War On Drugs.’ Did We Get One?

Today [October 30] marks five years since the New York Times published its front-page article proclaiming “In heroin crisis, white families seek a gentler war on drugs.” Many things have changed since then, but the drug war rages on | Talking Drugs, UK

Dozens of Prohibition-era alcohol bottles discovered in walls and floors of New York home

Owners were told their 100-year-old home was built by a notorious bootlegger | Independent, UK

Global Synthetic Drugs Assessment 2020

This report provides an analysis of the global synthetic drugs market. The first part of this report provides options for responses to counter the synthetic drug problem. The second part presents a global thematic analysis of the key trends and emerging developments of the synthetic drugs market as well as the recent trends in the manufacture of synthetic drugs, including the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic | UNODC, Austria

European Drug Prevention Prize 2021: Youth Innovation in Drug Prevention

We are calling for projects to apply for 2021. The Prize is awarded to active youth drug prevention projects. Projects from all 47 Council of Europe member States, as well as other member States of the Pompidou Group and members of the Group's Mediterranean network for co-operation on drugs and addictions (MedNET) are eligible to apply | Council of Europe, France

Does Decriminalization of All Drugs Improve Our Collective Well-Being? Oregon Is Betting on Yes

Amid the chaos of the presidential election, it was easy to miss some of the other ballot box results. Among those that would, in normal circumstances, have made headlines were several extremely significant wins for drug reform that portend better health and well-being for millions of people within several states | Well and Good, USA

Novel cannabis plant extracts could protect against COVID-19

Researchers in Canada have conducted a study suggesting that novel Cannabis sativa extracts may decrease levels of the host cell receptor that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) uses to gain viral entry to target tissues | News Medical, USA

Researchers Use Biometric Wristbands to Measure Health Effects of Psychedelics

Toronto-based Field Trip Health will be using WHOOP’s biometric wristband to measure the biometric effects of psychedelic therapies. Field Trip specializes in both the development and delivery of psychedelic treatments, and will specifically be using the WHOOP Strap 3.0 to determine whether or not ketamine-assisted therapies can improve physical health | Mobile ID World, USA

Mortality among patients with frequent emergency department use for alcohol-related reasons in Ontario: a population-based cohort study

Our primary objective was to describe the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of this high-risk population and examine their 1-year overall mortality, premature mortality and cause of death as a function of emergency department visit frequency in Ontario, Canada | CMAJ, Canada

Call to rethink response to South Africa’s drug policy landscape

Cape Town - Rethinking the response to drugs may reduce the burden on the criminal justice system, as a study has found that the current approach has not reduced their use or impact on crime | IOL, South Africa

Survey reveals burden of alcohol and methamphetamine harm in WA EDs

The results of a new survey released by the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM; the College) provide new insights into the burden of alcohol and methamphetamine harm in Western Australian emergency departments (EDs) during the busy summer period | ACEM, Australia

Blogs, comment and opinion

Headline treatment numbers remain stable, but mask the full story

Today’s 2019/20 figures for adults in substance misuse treatment do not make happy reading, especially in light of yesterday’s Spending Review | Collective Voice blog, UK

Exploring the Twitter activity around the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

Responses to the BMJ article on consumer activity on social media and the tobacco industry | BMJ, UK

Reining in Police Powers: Shoebridge on His Drug Dog and Strip Search Bill

Over the last two years, unlucky commuters at Sydney’s Central Station have been confronted with NSW police officers accompanied by drug dogs | Sydney Criminal Lawyers, Australia

And finally...

Squiffy squirrel: Rodent gets drunk on fermented pears in viral video

Alcohol is an intoxicating drink, not a delicious snack for squirrels – as one of the bushy-tailed tree-scramblers recently found out the hard way | Independent, UK

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