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Daily news - 4th October 2022 |
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UK news
DDN October 2022 out now
We talk about stigma a lot. We think about language and we want to be inclusive. But let’s take the vision wider and talk about empowerment – and initiatives that go hand in hand with service user involvement and co-production. Dave Higham strongly believes we have to look at the environments we create in places of support, if we’re to build recovery-orientated systems of care (p10). This is no more starkly illustrated than when tackling homelessness, and the co-founder of BillyChip (p6) shares a very clear vision – to spread kindness and compassion | DDN, UK
Independent prescribing by paramedics and administration rights for therapeutic radiographers
Government response to the ACMD's advice on the prescribing of controlled drugs by paramedics and on the administration rights of morphine by injection for therapeutic radiographers | ACMD, UK
Chemical characterisation of the vapour emitted by an e-cigarette using a ceramic wick-based technology
Fourth-generation ‘pod’ e-cigarette devices have been driven by technological advances in electronic atomization of the e-liquid. Use of microporous ceramic as a wicking material improves heating efficiency, but how it affects the chemical emissions of these devices is unclear | Nature, UK
Drug users should be allowed to take heroin legally, says Tory MP
A Conservative MP has said the government needs to rethink its approach on the criminalisation of drugs, and suggested substances like heroin should be legalised | Yahoo News, UK
Make cannabis Class A drug, say Conservative police commissioners
A group of Conservative police commissioners is calling for cannabis to be reclassified from a Class B to a Class A drug | BBC, UK
Health risks of smoking are typically linked to respiratory illness – but it impacts HPV recovery too
We’ve come a long way since the indoor smoking ban of 2007, and the government has pledged for England to be smokefree (meaning fewer than 5% of the population smoke) by 2030 | Metro, UK
Hundreds of thousands more women than men prescribed powerful anti-anxiety drugs ‘harder to come off than heroin’
‘It was like living in a chemical haze and I couldn’t remember what was happening from one hour to the next. Night became day. Day became night,’ says woman | Independent, UK
Nitrous oxide: Southend mum's campaign over 'laughing gas'
A bereaved mother has described how she stops other youngsters in the street who she sees inhaling volatile substances to warn of the dangers | BBC, UK
Luton's new helpline aims to support people with alcohol problems
The campaign features a powerful story from Geri whose partner James died due to alcohol | Luton Today, UK
Karen Tyrell joins Drinkaware as the new CEO
Karen Tyrell takes up her post as Chief Executive Officer of Drinkaware today, Monday, 3rd October 2022 | Drinkaware, UK
Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham disagree on cannabis & drug policy reform at Labour Party Conference '22 - video
Jay Jackson, Head of Policy & Public Affairs at Volteface and Secretariat of the Labour Campaign for Drug Policy Reform asked Mayor of Greater Manchester and London Mayor Sadiq Khan about their views on drugs policy & cannabis legalisation | Volteface, UK
Sadiq Khan 'prepared to go against public opinion' on legalising cannabis but Keir Starmer could block it
The mayor praised the “high standards” of legalised cannabis farms in the US during a tour earlier this year | My London, UK
Will Liz Truss legalise cannabis? - video
Volteface staff Paul North, Jay Jackson and Katya Kowalski discuss if Liz Truss and her new Ministers are going to legalise cannabis or have any positive impact on drug policy reform | Volteface, UK
Kinship Care Week 2022
This #KinshipCareWeek2022 (Monday 3rd to Friday 7th October) we’re celebrating the amazing role that kinship carers across England and Wales play in children’s lives and our society | Kinship, UK
Jeremy Paxman says he'll try cannabis to help his Parkinson's
Fronting a new documentary for ITV entitled Paxman: Putting Up with Parkinson's, the veteran broadcaster has opened up about how he is dealing with the neurologial disease | Yahoo News, UK
BDP’s allotment project receives National Lottery funding
BDP is happy to report we have received funding from the National Lottery’s Community Fund to improve our allotment and to provide a place for people we work with to connect with the outdoors | BDP, UK
Baby 'given alcohol' in north Wales taken into care
A baby shown apparently being forced to drink alcohol on social media has been taken into care | BBC, UK
Newcastle: Drugs destined for student market seized
Drugs, cash and weapons have been seized as part of a crackdown on dealers targeting students | BBC, UK
Hounslow: Cannabis factory break-in murderers jailed for life
Two burglars who murdered a man during an attempt to steal drugs valued at £100,000 have been jailed for life | BBC, UK
International news
The everyday life of drugs: producers, dealers, consumers, enforcers
Thu, 8 December 2022, 17:30 – 20:00 GMT. Chaired by Maziyar Ghiabi, editor of the special issue, panelists Frances Thomson and Neil Carrier will present their research on coca in Colombia and khat in East Africa, and discussant Niamh Eastwood will bring her perspective as the head of the UK's centre of expertise on drugs and drugs law. Panelists will take questions from a live audience in the SOAS Brunei Gallery Lecture theatre | SOAS, UK
Alcohol industry body taught 15,000 children about drinking, against health department rule
Secondary school teachers are being offered training in how to lead classroom lessons about alcohol by Drinkaware, an organisation that is funded by the alcohol industry, distilleries, and breweries | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Outcomes of law enforcement officer administered naloxone
Law enforcement officer (LEO) administered naloxone is an effective intervention for treating prehospital opioid overdoses. Our objective is to determine the rate and factors associated with adverse behavioral effects and efficacy following LEO naloxone administration | AJEM, USA
October issues of American Psychiatric Association journals cover opioid and cannabis use disorders, suicide prevention, treatment in prison and more
The October issues of two of the American Psychiatric Association’s journals, The American Journal of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Services are available online. The latest issue of the American Journal of Psychotherapyis also online now | EurekAlert, USA
Youth Substance Use Prevention Month
In October, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is observing Youth Substance Use Prevention Month. The need for prevention has never been greater. Studies show that the earlier in life a young person starts using alcohol or other drugs, the greater their lifetime risk of misuse or addiction | SAMHSA, USA
Are some substance use disorders associated with more recovery barriers than others?
Sociodemographic and economic characteristics mark potential barriers to recovery, and can help inform the development of treatment plans, healthcare system models, and policies. This study used Norwegian public health data to identify some of these factors that help uncover disadvantages for people with substance use disorder | Recovery Research Institute, USA
San Francisco’s New DA Moves to Prosecute Overdose Deaths as Murder
The successor to San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin is making good on her promise to ramp up the drug war. DA Brooke Jenkins, appointed in July by Mayor London Breed after the recall of the reformer Boudin, is now threatening people with murder charges if they sell drugs linked to an overdose death | Filter Magazine, USA
'Brand new way to treat patients': Ketamine injections approved for Alberta's community facilities
The regulatory body for Alberta doctors has recently updated its regulations allowing non-hospital treatment centres to administer Ketamine to treat serious depression and mental health conditions | CTV News, Canada
Unregistered benzodiazepines and counterfeit alprazolam: trends in NSW
This presentation provided an update on trends in detections and public health responses to unregistered benzodiazepines and counterfeit alprazolam in NSW | NDARC, Australia
Global trends in opioid medicine availability
This webinar presented the latest global and regional trends in the use of opioid analgesics and explores issues related to availability | NDARC, Australia
Thousands are waiting for drug and alcohol treatment. For Chloe, the long wait for help almost took her life
When Chloe was told she'd have to wait 12 months for a bed at a drug and alcohol rehab centre, she spiralled | abc.net.au, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
E-cigarettes vs nicotine patches: are either adequate to support pregnant smokers?
Did you know that maternal smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of smoking uptake amongst the offspring when they reach adolescence? (Niemela et al. 2017, Biederman et al. 2014) This is in addition to many other health problems both for women and their offspring, such as ectopic pregnancy and low birth weight | Mental Elf blog, UK
Future UK Drugs Policy must embrace NHS-funded medicinal cannabis, adult-use legalisation and legal regulation of all drugs
Adult-use legalisation of cannabis is the only solution to the huge problem of the violent, gangster-controlled drugs trade which now dominates our streets. Current government policy supports the gangsters’ business model and is directly responsible for violence such as the murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, the record number of drug deaths, street dealing, knife crime, county lines and ease of access by minors. Until the government faces up to the disastrous policy it has pursued for over 50 years, all these problems will continue to get worse | Peter Reynolds, UK
‘Indian Viagra’ – herbal drug Kamini contains morphine and can quickly lead to dependence
The herbal formulation Kamini has been in the news with a Brisbane drug and alcohol treatment program reporting 12 men accessing the service because they could not stop taking Kamini. A second group of 12 patients in Melbourne sought help for opioid dependency from taking the herbal medicine, which is usually illegally imported from India | Conversation, Australia