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Daily news - 23rd September 2022 |
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UK news
A Realist Review of How Community-Based Drug Checking Services Could Be Designed and Implemented to Promote Engagement of People Who Use Drugs
[Open access] With rising numbers of drug-related deaths in the UK and globally, exploration of interventions that seek to reduce drug-related harm is essential. Drug checking services (DCS) allow people to submit drug samples for chemical analysis and receive feedback about the sample, as well as harm reduction advice... To explore the contexts and mechanisms which impact engagement in community-based DCS, a realist review was undertaken to synthesise the international evidence for the delivery and implementation of DCS | Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, UK
Inequalities in children’s exposure to alcohol outlets in Scotland: a GPS study
[Open access] Alcohol use is a leading cause of harm in young people and increases the risk of alcohol dependence in adulthood. Alcohol use is also a key driver of rising health inequalities. Quantifying inequalities in exposure to alcohol outlets within the activity spaces of pre-adolescent children—a vulnerable, formative development stage—may help understand alcohol use in later life | BMC Public Health, UK
Cannabis: Medical Treatments
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an impact assessment of the regulations prohibiting regulated manufacture of medical cannabis and CBD products on patient safety | They work for you, UK
Drugs Commission and harm reduction - question to the Mayor of London
What do you hope to achieve with your Drugs Commission? | They work for you, UK
Policing (Accountability)
The number of incidences of drug dealing recorded by the police has fallen by 20 per cent while the number of people dying from drugs remains stubbornly high... Will the cabinet secretary say how communities, which are genuinely concerned for their public safety, can hold the police accountable to keep them safe from drug dealers? | They work for you, UK
Corporate Political Activity of the Alcohol and Gambling Industries - video
On 21 September 2022 we hosted a launch webinar of our new study, which shows that the alcohol and gambling industries use the same arguments and framings to shape the narrative around the harms caused by their products, and the solutions to those harms | IAS, UK
Podcast: wearable technologies and overdose prevention with Alexis Roth
In this preview of the SSA Annual Conference in November, Dr Roth talks to the SSA about the UnityPhilly app and other technologies being used to prevent overdose | SSA, UK
Introductory online course launched for LGBTQI+ Substance Use
A free to access e-learning course on LGBTQI+ Substance Use has been launched by Scottish Drugs Forum in partnership with Glasgow Council on Alcohol, Kinder Stronger Better, and Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership | SDF, UK
The Drop at Tokyo World 2022
This year, BDP’s Club & Festival Harm Reduction service, The Drop, has gone from strength to strength. Last weekend we packed up our outreach materials and headed to Eastville Park for Tokyo World Festival. This was the last festival in our packed summer schedule, and it was a good one. Over the weekend, the team engaged over 700 attendees with advice and information about drug and/or alcohol use | BDP, UK
International news
'It's a vicious cycle': Dublin's crack cocaine problem is showing no signs of slowing down
Dublin's north inner city remains in the grips of a crack cocaine epidemic andits related crime remains a huge problem for the businesses and the locals trying to go about their daily lives | Journal, Ireland
Association of Adherence to Healthy Lifestyle Recommendations With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Among Former Smokers
In this cohort study of 159 937 former smokers in the National Institutes of Health–AARP Diet and Health Study, former smokers who reported the highest adherence to recommendations for body weight, diet, physical activity, and alcohol intake had a 27% lower risk of all-cause mortality compared with those who reported the lowest adherence. Associations were also observed for deaths from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease | JAMA Network Open, USA
Psychedelics face corrupting influence of financial interests
Monopolies should respect Indigenous, counterculture traditions, UC expert says | UC, USA
Artificial intelligence tools quickly detect signs of injection drug use in patients' health records
An automated process that combines natural language processing and machine learning identified people who inject drugs (PWID) in electronic health records more quickly and accurately than current methods that rely on manual record reviews | Medical Xpress, USA
Participant satisfaction with the “Power to Quit” smoking cessation program
Among people experiencing homelessness, smoking rates are triple that of the general population. Smoking is a risk factor for many diseases including cancer, heart disease, and lung disease. It remains important to develop smoking cessation interventions that are accessible and acceptable for this population | BASIS, USA
NTSB Calls for Alcohol Detection Systems in All New Vehicles
An investigation into a California crash that killed nine – including seven children – has led the National Transportation Safety Board to call for alcohol impairment detection systems to be included in all new vehicles, according to new recommendations released Tuesday | NTSB, USA
New Jersey Harm Reduction Set to Grow After Atlantic City Legal Battle
A lawsuit between Atlantic City and a local syringe service program (SSP) may be nearing its end. The city has asked a judge to throw it out. But the program reportedly isn’t budging in seeking protection from interference with its services, and wants the judge to constrain the city from further action before the state makes key decisions | Filter Magazine, USA
Canada to review impact of cannabis legalization four years on
Canada on Thursday launched a review of the country's legalization of the use of recreational cannabis four years ago to evaluate its impact on youth, indigenous minorities and others, and to analyze its effect on the economy and the illegal weed market | Reuters, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Public response to Home Office White Paper "Swift, Certain, Tough: New Consequences for Drug Possession"
The Consultation was launched on 18 July 2022 as part of the current Government’s Drug Strategy and its aim to reduce demand for drugs, especially amongst ‘so-called recreational users’, with a particular focus in media statements on ‘middle class drug users’. | Release blog, UK
Most Scottish Prisoners Have A Drug And/Or Alcohol Problem
Earlier this week the Scottish Government published the latest in a series of health needs assessments of people in prison in Scotland with this research paper focusing on substance use. Despite a lack of reliable data, the report concludes that the the nature of drug use within Scottish prisons has changed dramatically over the last decade | Russell Webster, UK
Think Before You Drink: How can we improve alcohol health warning labels?
Drinking guidelines for alcohol are used to inform the public of the consumption levels for low-risk drinking. The UK alcohol guidelines were revised in 2016 and recommend that alcohol consumption should not exceed 14 units per week for both men and women, with drinking spread over three or more days per week. Alcohol guidelines are implemented with the intention of informing the public’s decision making around alcohol, and as a tool to reduce alcohol-related harm | IAS blog, UK
UN debates cannabis legislation and drug treaties
A gathering of the United Nations (UN) Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) is taking place this week in Vienna. The CND is the key UN decision-making body, overseeing the implementation of drug control internationally under the three drug control treaties (1961, 1971 and 1988). For more background see the IDPC resource pages | Transform blog, UK
Beyond Michael Pollan: Where to learn more about psychedelics
A guide for the curious to the best books, writers, filmmakers and talkers about psychedelics | Marc Gunther, UK