Home | Archive | Weekly | Reports
Daily news - 1st September 2022 |
 |
UK news
Police Scotland roll-out of Naloxone begins
Around 150 pouches are being distributed in Renfrewshire & Inverclyde and Highland & Islands Divisions, following a decision earlier this year to train and equip all operational officers up to and including the rank of Police Inspector | Police Scotland, UK
HERE4U SCOTLAND
Here4U Scotland is a remote mobile application which is uniquely placed to help those who use drugs alone to provide them with support from private, anonymous non-judgmental people who are experienced in preventing DRD. Here4U Scotland connects people who are consuming drugs alone to volunteer supporters who remain present and on the line with them at the period when there is potential for overdose | DRNS, UK
Scottish Drug Checking Project
We’re delighted to support and host the new Scottish Drug Checking Project website and community of practice in partnership with the University of Stirling. Sharing the results of this research will raise awareness and understanding of the potential for drug checking to help Scotland respond better to emerging drug trends and prevent drug-related harms more effectively. It will also help provide evidence to ensure services and budgets are developed to meet changing needs | CREW, UK
Less than human: dehumanisation of people who use heroin
[Now open access] Stigma reduction is an important public health challenge because of the large morbidity and mortality associated with some forms of substance use. Extreme stigma can lead to dehumanisation of target groups, who are ascribed with lesser humanity. The authors examined whether there was blatant and subtle dehumanisation of people who use heroin, and if these were associated with levels of support for non-discriminatory drug policy | Health Policy, UK
ScotRail’s alcohol ban kept in place despite the train operator preferring more relaxed rules
ScotRail’s alcohol ban was kept in place by officials despite the train operator preferring more relaxed rules, which would have seen day-time drinking allowed on board | Glasgow Times, UK
Drugs in the Media with Mattha Busby - podcast
Mattha Busby is a freelance journalist for publications including the Guardian, Observer, London Times, Vice, Jacobin and Leafly. Based in Mexico, Mattha writes about health, drugs, nutrition, human rights, blockchain, the environment, and events in Latin America | Drug Science, UK
Iconic buildings to be lit purple to raise drug death awareness
Last month it was revealed that Glasgow had the highest number of fatalities from drugs in Scotland | STV News, UK
Every Family Has A Story: How We Inherit Love and Loss - webinar
Monday 19th September, 13:00 - 13:30. Bestselling author and psychotherapist Julia Samuel will talk about latest book, drawing on her acclaimed work with individuals from a wide variety of families, across multiple generations. The author explores how we communicate within families and how the way we have learned to communicate is inherited and influenced by past generations, for example the impact of trauma experienced by our grandparents | Addiction Professionals, UK
Recovery Street Film Festival 2022 Award Ceremony & Screening
Fri, 30 September 2022, 11:00 – 13:30 BST. Join us for screenings of the 15 shortlisted films for Recovery Street Film Festival 2022 with an award ceremony and special guest speakers | RSFF, UK
International news
US Open: Nick Kyrgios complains of fan smoking marijuana in second-round win
In the second set Kyrgios, who is facing legal action from a fan he said was "drunk out of her mind" at Wimbledon, said a member of the New York crowd was smoking marijuana | BBC, UK
International Overdose Awareness Day: EMCDDA answers key questions on drug-related deaths
How many people die every year in Europe from a drug-related death? Are women and men affected equally? What substances are involved in these fatalities? These are some of the questions answered in the EMCDDA’s ‘Frequently asked questions (FAQs): drug overdose deaths in Europe’, updated to mark International Overdose Awareness Day | EMCDDA, Portugal
Drug-related deaths: why data matter to save lives - video
Drug use is a major cause of harm and premature deaths among European adults. Many drug-related deaths are a direct result of a drug overdose. But drugs also contribute to other kinds of deaths, such as those caused by HIV infection or viral hepatitis. Drug use is also associated with an elevated risk of suicide, cancer and with deaths caused by violence and accidents | EMCDDA, Portugal
Reflections on International Overdose Awareness Day
Today on International Overdose Awareness Day, Correlation wants to reflect on the current situation regarding overdose, overdose prevention, and non-fatal overdose in Europe | C-EHRN, The Netherlands
Actions Taken by the Biden-Harris Administration to Address Addiction and the Overdose Epidemic
At a time when overdose deaths, driven primarily by illicitly manufactured synthetic drugs, have reached a record high, the Biden-Harris Administration has significantly expanded access to evidence-based prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery support services, as well as taken action to reduce the supply of illicit drugs like fentanyl | The White House, USA
Mass Calls for Harm Reduction on International Overdose Awareness Day
On International Overdose Awareness Day, August 31, more than 50 harm reduction groups in California called on the state government to take action to end the overdose crisis. The groups—which include the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, the Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County and the HIV Education Prevention Project of Alameda County—are all part of the California Syringe Exchange Programs (CASEP) Coalition, a statewide mutual-aid and advocacy network of syringe service providers | Filter Magazine, USA
Increased use of telehealth for opioid use disorder associated with reduced risk of overdose
The expansion of telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with individuals staying in treatment longer and reducing their risk of medically treated overdose, according to a new study | Medical Xpress, USA
Physically active teens more likely to vape
Physically active adolescents may be more likely to use electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes or vapes, than their less active peers, according to new research from the University of Georgia | Medical Xpress, USA
Update of Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines: Final Report for Public Consultation (PDF)
Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health is informed by a public health perspective. It is intended to replace Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines. Its stated focus is to provide people living in Canada with accurate and current information about the risks and harms associated with the use of alcohol. The guidance should help people to make well-informed and responsible decisions about their alcohol consumption | CCSA, Canada
Drug Foundation proposes overdose prevention centre in Auckland - audio
The NZ Drug Foundation is proposing a trial of an overdose prevention centre in central Auckland, providing a safe, medically-supervised setting for people who are taking drugs | RNZ, New Zealand
Blogs, comment and opinion
An avoidable crisis
In Scotland drug policy and consequently the progress of evidence-based treatment options has been struggling for many years. Political inaction is brought about by a complex chain of legal and operational obstructions with local authorities deferring to national Government which in turn is paralysed by international convention. Scotland represents a case study demonstrating the adverse consequences of management by non medical requirements rather than implementation of a clinically proven progressive policy. The difficulty of translating theory and evidence into practice is acknowledged but suggestions are made for pragmatic and humanitarian initiatives | Harm Reduction Journal perspective, UK
#IOAD22 : Raising awareness of overdose and ending the stigma surrounding addiction
International Overdose Awareness Day is the world’s largest annual campaign striving to stop drug-related overdose and the stigma that prevents people who need treatment and support from getting help. Taking place annually on 31 August, it is a sombre remembrance of those who have lost their lives to drug overdose, and an acknowledgement of the anguish suffered by the family and friends left behind | NHS APA blog, UK
Cost of hidden harm: alcohol’s harm to others
Like us, you may have been verbally abused by a person drinking on public transport or at a bus station, or been woken up in the middle of night because your neighbours were drinking and having a party. You may have cut your foot on a broken bottle. In worse cases, some people may have been physically abused by an intoxicated partner or been assaulted by a stranger who was under the influence of alcohol | IAS blog, UK
Clinical psychologist Ryan Carpenter studies how alcohol use contributes to opioid deaths
Approximately 134 people die each day from an opioid overdose in the United States, and Missouri has been heavily impacted by the national opioid crisis | UMSL blog, USA