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Daily news - 26th August 2022 |
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Thank you very much to Exchange Supplies for kindly sponsoring us for another year. Much appreciated.
Enjoy the Bank Holiday weekend. See you again on Tuesday.
UK news
Only 1 in 2 over-55s aware alcohol increases cancer risk
Leading cancer prevention and survival charity highlights low awareness of the links between alcohol and cancer in new poll | WCRF, UK
Are you allergic or intolerant to alcohol?
Do you suffer from terrible hangovers or feel unwell after drinking just a small amount of alcohol? You may be intolerant – or even allergic – to alcoholic drinks. Sue Quinn explores the telltale signs of intolerances and allergies, the difference between them and what to do if you think you're affected | BBC, UK
Running a Delphi process on autism and addiction: Betul Aslan talks to the SSA
Betul Aslan ran the modified Delphi process for the Substance use, Alcohol and Behavioural Addictions in Autism (SABAA) project funded by the SSA. We caught up with Betul to ask about the mysterious Delphi | SSA, UK
Innovation Fund to Reduce Demand for Illicit Substances - Phase 1
Closes: 13:00 on 12 October 2022. The Innovation Fund to Reduce Demand for Illicit Substances is an NIHR partnership with the Office for Health Improvements and Disparities and the cross-government Joint Combating Drugs Unit, and will fund research projects that will help build this evidence base around reducing demand, and therefore reducing use, of so-called ‘recreational drugs’ such as powder cocaine, cannabis, ecstasy and nitrous oxide. The fund will support the development and piloting of new population level interventions, their evaluation and future roll-out in the community, if found to be effective | NIHR, UK
NIHR Innovation Fund to Reduce Demand for Illicit Substances
Tue, 6 September 2022, 13:00 – 14:00 BST. The event will be hosted by the NIHR Research Design Service and will provide delegates an opportunity to hear from members of the funding programme team and information about the RDS and the support available for people applying to the programme. There are also potential opportunities for developing new partners and collaborators for those wishing to do so | NIHR, UK
Overdose Prevention, Intervention and Naloxone - free e-learning course
Various dates. Scotland only. Can you recognise the signs of an overdose? Do you know how to respond to an overdose? This short e-learning course will show you how to administer Naloxone. Naloxone temporarily reverses an opioid overdose. You will learn facts about drug-related deaths in Scotland, how to identify an overdose and how to respond to an overdose. You will also learn how Naloxone works and how you can use it to potentially save a life | SDF, UK
Thomas Bewley obituary
Psychiatrist who pioneered the treatment of drug addicts to help create a more humane view of dependency in the UK | Guardian, UK
Rise in Albanian asylum seekers may be down to criminal gangs
Albanian gangs controlling UK drugs trade offer minibus trip and Channel crossing for £4,000 on TikTok | Guardian, UK
Guernsey police given new urine testing kits to detect drug spiking
The force said the kits can test for 10 different substances and give a result in a short period of time | BBC, UK
County Durham man blew up Horden bungalow trying to make cannabis oil
Christopher Titterington suffered significant injuries during the explosion in Rosedale Terrace, Horden, County Durham, in July 2020 | ITV, UK
Barrister asked client to supply drugs, court hears
Henry Hendron, 41, is alleged to have bought crystal meth and Gamma Butyrolactone (GBL) between August 2021 and March 2022 | BBC, UK
International news
International Overdose Awareness Day 2022
In recognition of the International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) campaign, celebrated every year on 31 August, Release staff have come together to honour the memory of all those that we have lost to drug overdoses, and that do not have the conditions to seek the help they require | Release, UK
Australia drug bust: Largest-ever crystal meth haul found in marble
Almost two tonnes of methamphetamine has been seized by Australian police - the biggest bust of the drug in the country's history | BBC, UK
Switzerland To Launch Europe's First Cannabis Sales Pilot Program
Switzerland is to become the first European country to launch a cannabis sales pilot program to study the effects of cannabis legalization | Forbes, USA
N.Y. Medical Marijuana Giants Struggle to Break Into Recreational Market
Large operators want in on the state’s new retail industry. A potential multimillion-dollar fee stands in the way | NY Times, USA
Association Between Changes in Alcohol Consumption and Cancer Risk
In this cohort study of 4 513 746 insured adults in Korea, those who increased their alcohol consumption had a higher risk for alcohol-related cancers and all cancers compared with those who had sustained levels of drinking, whereas those who reduced their alcohol consumption had a lower risk. Although an increased risk was observed temporarily after quitting drinking, no increased risk was observed when quitting was sustained | JAMA Network Open, USA
Characteristics of Prescription Opioid Analgesics in Pregnancy and Risk of Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome in Newborns
In this cohort study of 48 202 opioid-exposed pregnancies with live-born neonates, strong agonists were associated with a higher risk of NOWS compared with weak agonists, and long half-life opioids were associated with an increased risk compared with short half-life products. These associations were independent of morphine milligram equivalents | JAMA Network Open, USA
A recovery framework to measure addiction medication outcomes
For individuals with opioid use disorder, FDA approved medications reduce opioid use and overdose risk. Outcomes beyond substance use in medication research – quality of life and reduction of psychological symptoms, for example – can help inform treatment and public health messaging and recommendations. This study compared effects of extended-release, injectable naltrexone to daily, oral buprenorphine on life satisfaction | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Are Fentanyl Test Strips Helpful for Counterfeit Pharmaceutical Pills?
The chocolate chip cookie theory of fentanyl distribution in counterfeit “pharmaceutical” pills holds that when the pills are pressed, the fentanyl is not evenly spread through the mixture | Filter Magazine, USA
Portugal Fighting Back Against Rising Tide of Cocaine
Portugal has seized records amount of cocaine from South America in recent months, underscoring how the country is regaining its place as a significant drug entry point and transit hub | Insight Crime, Colombia
Coke light: drug tests show 40% of 'cocaine' had no cocaine
Researchers from The Australian National University (ANU) have released results from Australia's first government-backed pill testing service, including finding methamphetamine that was actually sugar. The experts examined a range of recreational drugs deposited at the ACT's CanTest Health and Drug Checking service during August, including ketamine, MDMA, heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine | ANU, Australia
The stigma of long-term methadone treatment - audio
We hear from a woman with lived experience of addiction, treatment and stigma, and an expert on what best practice looks like for opiate treatment in Australia | abc.net.au, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Three more things worth knowing about recovery from addiction
A few things related to recovery have caught my eye recently, things that I think are worth knowing and that ought to shape our practice | Recovery Review blog, UK
Afghanistan’s drug trade is booming under Taliban rule
Soon after taking power last August, the Taliban vowed to crack down on narcotics. Fast forward to April of this year, and they seemed to make good on that promise, issuing a decree that unequivocally banned the production and sale of illicit drugs. Unfortunately, that decree has been inadequately enforced, and Afghanistan’s drug trade is booming under Taliban rule | Atlantic Council blog, UK