Daily news - 28th April 2021 |
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UK news
Police officers across North Wales to carry life-saving spray for drug overdoses
Police Officers across North Wales will be equipped with a “miracle” nasal spray which acts as an antidote to a drugs overdose after two lives were saved during a pilot project | Bangor Aye, UK
British-Irish Council: Misuse of Substances
This most recent ministerial meeting of the misuse of substances work sector was an excellent opportunity to engage with Ministers from the other BIC member Administrations.... The meeting focused on ways to reduce alcohol consumption and opportunities to measure the effectiveness of addiction services, and considered how the future work of the sector can progress | They work for you, UK
Addiction Support Service: North-west
Alcohol and drugs services across the north-west are provided through a combination of primary and secondary care services that are commissioned by the Health and Social Care Board, along with the prevention, treatment and support services that are commissioned by the Public Health Agency | They work for you, UK
Living with a smoker raises your risk of developing mouth cancer by 51%, study warns
A non-smoker who lives with someone who does smoke is at 51 per cent higher risk of developing mouth cancer than if they lived in a smoke-free home, a study shows | Mail Online, UK
Scots councillor calls for drugs reform after three people were taken to hospital following overdoses in Stirling
The Observer understands that two people were rushed to hospital on Monday, April 19, after overdosing at Springkerse House homeless accommodation in Springkerse Road | Daily Record, UK
Covid-19: Gardening therapy scheme reopens after lockdown
For more than 20 years the Putting Down Roots project has been using gardening to help people recover lost confidence and self-esteem | BBC, UK
Gary Mansfield - podcast
The More Than My Past podcast is presented by film star Jason Flemyng. Jason talks to those who have managed to overcome addiction or offending – exploring their stories and finding out how their lives have changed | More than my past, UK
Meth lab found in raid near Redditch
A suspected methamphetamine laboratory has been uncovered during a police raid | BBC, UK
Gloucestershire drugs gang jailed after police swoop
A gang of 12 drug dealers that sought to flood a town with cocaine have been jailed after police swooped on their network | BBC, UK
Lincolnshire Police find £6m cannabis farm in disused Frampton factory
Police have raided a huge cannabis farm in Lincolnshire just weeks after discovering the biggest marijuana-growing operation the county has ever seen | BBC, UK
International news
Defund the World Health Organisation! MPs put pressure on Boris to act over vaping attack
Angry MPs have called on the Government to defund the World Health Organisation unless it ends its hostile attitude towards vaping as a way of helping smokers quit | Express, UK
US could ban menthol cigarettes in a win for racial health equity
Experts say that 85 per cent of Black smokers smoke menthol | Independent, UK
The Opioid Crisis explained in under 5 minutes - video
The overdose crisis is now one of America's biggest killers, with misuse of opioids as the main driver of deaths. Social challenges of the last decade, from the financial crisis of 2008 to the COVID-19 epidemic, saw the spread of stronger synthetic opioids like fentanyl and the incapacity of the war on drugs to protect people | GCDP, UK
Texas officials seek posthumous pardon for George Floyd over drug conviction
Nearly a year after his death, and a week after the police officer who killed him in Minneapolis was found guilty of murder, the search for justice for George Floyd continues | Guardian, UK
Cheap alcohol to be banned in Ireland 'within weeks'
Curbs on the sale of alcohol have been introduced in Ireland on a staggered basis over the past few months, and in January new restrictions aimed at reducing the consumption of alcohol put a stop to 'multibuy' offers and banned alcohol from being included in supermarket voucher schemes | Irish Post, Ireland
Over 3,500 on wait list for a detox bed, with over 140 residential beds still closed
Between December 2019 and June 2020, 170 residential beds were closed. A number of these had reopened by November last year but 143 remained closed around the country, according to HSE data released to Noteworthy | Journal, Ireland
Debate heats up over electronic cigarettes in Europe
Electronic cigarettes and novel tobacco products have been around for more than a decade as alternatives to cigarette smoking, which kills nearly 700,000 people in the EU every year. However, they remain a controversial issue and the EU is still hesitant about how to treat them legally | EurActiv, Belgium
HHS Releases New Buprenorphine Practice Guidelines, Expanding Access to Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder
In an effort to get evidenced-based treatment to more Americans with opioid use disorder, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is releasing new buprenorphine practice guidelines [ Practice Guidelines for the Administration of Buprenorphine for Treating Opioid Use Disorder] that among other things, remove a longtime requirement tied to training, which some practitioners have cited as a barrier to treating more people | SAMHSA, USA
One in five pharmacies blocks access to key medication to treat addiction
The study, published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, was conducted by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and the Oregon State University College of Pharmacy. Researchers called hundreds of pharmacies around the country to ask whether they would dispense Suboxone, also known as buprenorphine | Medical Xpress, USA
Redressing Inequities in America’s Drug Policies: An Evidence-Grounded Call for Bold Action
In this brief for the Biden-Harris Administration, the CDPE and the Health in Justice Action Lab outline key actions to enhance the equity and effectiveness of drug policy in the United States | CDPE, USA
Lack of educational opportunities influence drug use for rural youth
MU study identifies compounding challenges that limit advancement opportunities for disengaged youth, offers possible solutions | EurekAlert, USA
Run, don’t walk! To learn about the benefits of exercise on alcohol use disorder treatment
This week, The DRAM reviews a randomized trial by Jeremiah Weinstock and colleagues that examined the efficacy of an exercise program as an intervention for sedentary non-treatment-seeking adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD), with and without motivational interviewing and contingency management | BASIS, USA
Study: Marijuana vaping more common among Hispanic, Black youths
Hispanic and Black adolescents and teens are more likely to smoke marijuana using e-cigarettes than their White peers, an analysis published Monday by JAMA Pediatrics found | UPI, USA
Study examines smoking behavior after the implementation of California law
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in America and causes about 30% of all cancer deaths. That's why researchers with the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center wanted to study the impact of a California law passed in 2016 that raised the tobacco sales age from 18 to 21 | News Medical, USA
Federal Bill Aims to Tax Vapes as Much as Cigarettes
On April 22, high-ranking Democratic legislators introduced a bicameral bill that would create the country’s first federal vaping tax | Filter Magazine, USA
Statement on New Details Released in Killing of Andrew Brown Jr. by North Carolina Police While Serving a Search & Arrest Warrant for Drugs
Black, Latinx & Indigenous People Deserve to Live in a World Where They are Given the Same Chance to Live Regardless of Whether or Not They Use Drugs | DPA, USA
Weight Gain After Smoking Cessation and Risk of Major Chronic Diseases and Mortality [Australia]
In this nationally representative cohort study of 16 663 Australian adults studied between 2006 and 2014, people who quit smoking had significantly lower risk of death than those who continued smoking regardless of change to weight and body mass index after quitting | JAMA Network open, USA
Virtual 'spotting' could help keep drug users safe during COVID-19, U of T researchers say
A group of researchers at the University of Toronto and the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs are studying a remote supervised-consumption model known as “spotting” to understand its benefits among people who use drugs during the pandemic | University of Toronto, Canada
Finally, injecting some sense into drug policy
It is more than 20 years since legislation came into effect that allowed the establishment of an ACT supervised injecting facility, but establishing such a facility has been put on the back burner by successive Labor governments | City News, Australia
Darwin young people who have lost friends to ice addiction take matters into their own hands
Performer Arthur Lariosa was motivated to continue his involvement with 'Secrets' after losing several friends | abc.net.au, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Scotland's drug-deaths scandal: We need a government that's willing to take responsibility and not just blame Westminster – Christine Jardine MP
It was an uncharacteristically unguarded remark from the First Minister which might yet prove significant in the Scottish election | Scotsman, UK