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Daily news - 17th November 2022 |
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UK news
Effects of media representations of drug related deaths on public stigma and support for harm reduction
Drug related deaths (DRD) are at historically high levels in the United Kingdom (UK), but some approaches that have the potential to reduce risk of mortality remain controversial. Public support makes an important contribution to drug policy development but there are high levels of public stigma towards people who use drugs (PWUD), and this is partly shaped by media representations. We investigated whether depiction of the characteristics of decedents represented in news articles about DRD was associated with differences in stigmatising attitudes and support for harm reduction policy | IJDP, UK
Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation
Electronic cigarettes (ECs) are handheld electronic vaping devices which produce an aerosol by heating an e‐liquid. Some people who smoke use ECs to stop or reduce smoking, although some organizations, advocacy groups and policymakers have discouraged this, citing lack of evidence of efficacy and safety. People who smoke, healthcare providers and regulators want to know if ECs can help people quit smoking, and if they are safe to use for this purpose. This is a review update conducted as part of a living systematic review | Cochrane Library, UK
'Women use drugs too': Why reforming our drug laws will reduce harm for *all* of us
Release, the UK's leading organisation on drug policies, on why reform is urgently needed | Glamour Magazine, UK
Drug-checking services at festivals improve attendee safety, study shows
Nearly two-thirds of festivalgoers who learned their drugs did not match what they were sold as decided to dispose of the remaining substances | DJ Mag, UK
Scam Drug Dealers Are Ripping People Off on Social Media
Beware of Instagram accounts plump with tantalising pictures of every pill and powder imaginable – they might be too good to be true | VICE, UK
The United Kingdom's Psychoactive Substances Act 2016. Where are we now?
This narrative review describes the background to the introduction of the UK Psychoactive Substances Act 2016, and developments since the Home Office review of the Act in 2018. It discusses the challenges when measuring illicit drug proliferation, and triangulates the impact of the Act by using data from multiple public sources | Drug Science, UK
NHS APA Conference 2022: Download the session slides!
Thank you to everyone who attended and took part in the NHS APA Virtual Conference 2022, 'Tackling Stigma in Action: Visibility, Education & Language'. You can now download the slides for each session of our 2022 programme | NHS APA, UK
Prescription Gin: Rulings and Decisions
Member of the public complaint: "My concern is that it just seems very wrong to make alcohol (or anything else!) resemble prescribed medication. And the suggestions on the labels to take alcohol when stressed and before each exam, completely against all the “responsible drinking” recommendations..." | Portman Group, UK
Drunk headteacher ‘chewed garlic to mask alcohol smell before Ofsted visits’
[Possible paywall] Jeremy Tucker banned for at least three years as misconduct hearing reveals he would often turn up to work in an inebriated state | Telegraph, UK
International news
Tobacco and nicotine products in Qatar. A short guide for travellers to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
With the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 starting soon, people who use nicotine and are planning to visit Qatar have questions about the possession and use of nicotine and tobacco products in the country. We provide a complete set of the necessary information on this subject | GSTHR, UK
New Zealand smoking rates fall to lowest on record, but vaping on the rise
Overall smoking rate falls to 8% as country pursues goal of becoming smoke-free by 2025, but many may be switching to vaping instead | Guardian, UK
Intoxicating spaces: virtual exhibition
Conceived as a digital scrapbook, this website brings together over 1,000 exhibits – or ‘scraps’ – from archives, libraries, and museums. All relate to the introduction, circulation, sale, enjoyment, and regulation of new intoxicants in sites and spaces across our case study cities of Amsterdam, Hamburg, London, and Stockholm | Intoxicating Spaces, UK et al
Integrated brief interventions for noncommunicable disease risk factors in primary care: the manual: BRIEF project
Brief interventions are recognized by WHO as an effective measure to help people quit tobacco, reduce or stop alcohol use and increase physical activity. They can translate to significant health benefits at population level when systematically applied to a large proportion of people | WHO, USA
Policy, system and practice response to alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic in seven countries of the WHO African Region. Brief 9, October 2022
This Snapshot describes and synthesizes the policy changes in alcohol policies, systems and practices adopted by seven African countries in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe | WHO, USA
FDA moves toward making overdose antidote an over-the-counter drug
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration appears poised to approve certain naloxone products for over-the-counter use, a move that would help fight the nation's opioid epidemic | Medical Xpress, USA
Top U.S. addiction researcher calls for broad deregulation of methadone
The U.S. government’s top addiction researcher is calling for broad deregulation of methadone, a key drug used to treat opioid use disorder | STAT News, USA
Fentanyl isn’t just causing overdoses. It’s making it harder to start addiction treatment
Doctors are reporting a troubling trend when it comes to fentanyl. The powerful drug, they say, isn’t just causing overdoses — it’s also making it more difficult to begin addiction treatment. In particular, fentanyl appears more likely to cause severe withdrawal symptoms for patients put on buprenorphine, a key medication used to treat opioid use disorder | STAT News, USA
FDA Warns Firms for Selling Illegal E-cigarettes That Look Like Toys, Food, and Cartoon Characters
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued warning letters to five firms for the unauthorized marketing of 15 different e-cigarette products. Each e-cigarette product is packaged to look like toys, food, or cartoon characters and is likely to promote use by youth | FDA, USA
US overdose deaths may be peaking, but experts are wary
Have U.S. drug overdose deaths stopped rising? Preliminary government data suggests they may have, but many experts are urging caution, noting that past plateaus didn't last | Medical Xpress, USA
Affordable Care Act linked to reduced smoking among US adults with mental health and substance use disorders
During the first decade following passage of the Affordable Care Act (enacted March 2010), U.S. adults with mental health and substance use disorders (MH/SUD) experienced significant increases in health insurance coverage. They also showed significant reductions in smoking and increases in recent smoking abstinence | Medical Xpress, USA
Drugs, Death and Denial on the Job
One in three BC construction workers reported problematic substance use. As deaths rise, a response is taking shape | The Tyee, Canada
There is a nationwide recall of toxic poppy seeds. What is thebaine? And how do you get sick from poppy seeds?
At the weekend Victorian health officials issued a warning about the risks of brewing poppy seed tea after 19 people suffered toxic contamination | abc.net.au, Australia
Nitrous oxide – not a laughing matter
Medical professionals are calling for tighter restrictions on the sale of nitrous oxide gas cartridges, colloquially known as ‘nangs’, due to potentially serious harm for users including lasting neurological damage | UNSW, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Post-pandemic trends in the UK MDMA market and implications for harm reduction services
As the Loop announces its long awaited charity status, Senior team members Fiona Measham and Adam Waugh explore the post-pandemic state of the UK MDMA market | Volteface, UK
Is it time to reconsider what we know about CBD?
A new study from KCL might force us to reconsider the relationship between CBD & THC. Megan Townsend explains... | Volteface, UK
Who’s winning the war against vaping?
A new report says those favoring safer nicotine products are on “the right side of history | Marc Gunther, UK
Readers' Letters
The Scotsman’s response to Public Health Scotland’s latest report on the impact of Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) on reducing alcohol harms in Scotland suggests that MUP should be abandoned because of an increase in sales of fortified wines such as Buckfast (15 November) | Scotsman, UK
317,793 people were arrested for marijuana possession in 2020 despite the growing legalization movement
More than 300,000 people were arrested for cannabis possession in 2020, FBI records show. Meanwhile, the drug is being legally sold for a profit in 19 states | Conversation, USA