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Daily news - 20th October 2022 |
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UK news
Wales' drug deaths a complex picture
A complex and evolving pattern of drug use and availability is resulting in increased drug deaths in Wales, with two thirds of deaths in 2021 involving a combination of drugs, including alcohol and prescription medicines | Public Health Wales, UK
Drug misuse deaths in Wales reach record high as figures nearly double in one year
The data, from the Office for National Statistics and analysed by Public Health Wales, reveals there were 210 recorded drug misuse deaths last year - an increase of 41% on 2020 | ITV, UK
A post-pandemic spike in substance use amongst young people & barriers to accessing support (PDF)
Following the ending of Covid-19 restrictions, illegal drug use has soared among young people. 1 in 3 young people have used an illegal drug in the past 12 months, and yet it still remains a taboo topic in our society | The Mix, UK
Effect of financial voucher incentives provided with UK stop smoking services on the cessation of smoking in pregnant women (CPIT III): pragmatic, multicentre, single blinded, phase 3, randomised controlled trial
The offer of up to £400 of financial voucher incentives to stop smoking during pregnancy as an addition to current UK stop smoking services is highly effective. This bolt-on intervention supports new guidance from the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which includes the addition of financial incentives to support pregnant women to stop smoking. Continuing incentives to 12 months after birth is being examined to prevent relapse | BMJ, UK
Drug and alcohol services rated ‘Good’
We Are With You (With You) was commissioned by our Public Health team two years ago to deliver STRIDE, the drug and alcohol service which offers support, treatment and recovery | With You, UK
Treatment, recovery and Integrated Care Systems - what does it all mean?
Tue, 29 November 2022, 14:00 – 15:30 GMT. Discussion on the risks and opportunities presented by Integrated Care System reforms to drug and alcohol treatment and recovery | Collective Voice, UK
Drugs raids in Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent
Drugs with a street value of £750,000 have been seized in raids in Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent | BBC, UK
International news
Alcohol-induced deaths in Australia at their highest in 10 years
Health experts point to late-stage liver disease, neurodegenerative diseases and heart failure as conditions that can be caused by long-term drinking | Guardian, UK
Are you a cannabis-loving Canadian who doesn’t like to leave home? Uber Eats to the rescue!
The online delivery service can now supply legal marijuana from several dispensaries in Toronto – as well as pizza for the munchies | Guardian, UK
Cork GP and councillor backs development of supervised injection facility in city
Facilities provide drug users with sterile injecting equipment, thus reducing risk posed by discarded needles and anti-social behaviour, Cork City Council was told | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Germany’s plan to legalize cannabis is out. Here’s what it says
Germany plans to decriminalize the purchase and possession of small amounts of cannabis, allow licensed sales in shops, but advertising would be banned | Politico, Germany
Marijuana, meth, cocaine and opiate use are linked to atrial fibrillation
A new study by UC San Francisco researchers of more than 23 million people concludes that some commonly used and abused drugs pose previously unidentified risks for the development of atrial fibrillation (AF), a potentially deadly heart-rhythm disorder | Medical Xpress, USA
US government seeks court injunctions against six e-cigarette manufacturers as FDA steps up enforcement
The US Department of Justice took legal action against six e-cigarette manufacturers Tuesday, seeking permanent injunctions against the manufacturers on behalf of the US Food and Drug Administration. The flurry of complaints marked the first time the FDA has taken this step against e-cigarette manufacturers to enforce its premarket review requirements for new tobacco products | CNN, USA
ASHES, Vol. 18(11) – Healthcare providers’ perceptions of smokers’ responsibility for smoking
Healthcare providers are optimally positioned to help patients quit smoking through the delivery of smoking cessation care. Providers can help patients stop smoking by advising them to quit, providing brief counseling, prescribing medication, and connecting patients with resources such as a quitline | BASIS, USA
Instead of worrying about fentanyl in Halloween candy, talk to your kids about drug use and staying safe, experts say
There’s little danger this Halloween of young trick-or-treaters consuming “rainbow fentanyl” — brightly colored pills laced with the dangerous synthetic opioid. But it is important for parents to have honest conversations with kids about the real dangers of fentanyl | Philadelphia Inquirer, USA
FDA Targets Small Vape Companies With Permanent Injunctions
On October 18, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that they had filed for permanent injunctions against six small vape manufacturers in the United States | Filter Magazine, USA
I Used Ketamine for Buprenorphine Withdrawal; It Gave Me Peace of Mind
It was quite a feat, really. Fifteen years living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 10 of those addicted to heroin, had left my mind a chaos of unregulated, unwanted, constant noise. Anxiety and depression and memories. Translation: distress, distress, distress. And the storytelling. Everything is a story to a writer—and I mean everything | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
The Challenge of Benzodiazepines in Tackling Drug Related Deaths
This is the first of a series of three articles on tackling benzodiazepines. In this I consider how and why benzodiazepines contribute to drug related deaths. In the next two articles I will describe what we know about ‘safe supply’ and other interventions and what this means for service delivery | DRNS blog, UK
The health and social care crisis makes tobacco control an imperative
The healthcare community has for a long time been pressing the UK government to produce a tobacco control plan that sets out how it will deliver on its Smokefree 2030 objective, which was first articulated in 2017. However, reports from “insiders” now suggest that the secretary of state for health and social care, Thérèse Coffey, does not intend to honour the government’s repeated promises to do this | BMJ opinion, UK
Kym’s Blog: Industry’s Role in Health Inequalities
A major driver of this death and ill health are health harming products, also known as the commercial determinants of health. Alcohol, tobacco, and products high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) are estimated to be responsible for 1 in 5 NCD deaths and are a major driver of health inequalities | VHS blog, UK
A promise to my brother pulled me back from my drug addiction
I was four years clean when my beloved brother died – I had promised him I would finish my memoir, so that’s what I did | Guardian opinion, UK
NNA’s Response to the Observer’s Negative Editorial on Vaping
On Sunday, the Observer published a very negative editorial which repeated all the tired arguments put forward by ideological anti-vaping activists. It ignored the recent comprehensive review by the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities, instead choosing to amplify cherry-picked science, half-truths and hypothetical risks | NNA, UK
German cannabis legalisation plan leaked
Key aspects of the German government’s plans to create a legalised recreational cannabis market have been leaked | Volteface, UK
Smoke and mirrors: why claims that NZ’s smokefree policy could fuel an illicit tobacco trade don’t stack up
The New Zealand parliament is currently considering a new smokefree law to implement key components of the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Action Plan | Conversation, New Zealand