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Daily news - 17th April 2023 |
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UK news
Launch Phase 2 of the Reducing Demand Innovation Fund
OHID, the Joint Combatting Drugs Unit and the National Institute for Health Research launched the first phase of the Innovation Fund to Reduce Demand for Illicit Substances last August. We are pleased to announce that the information for phase 2 is now live. This phase is focussing on evaluation of interventions and is open to projects that are already funded through phase 1 and those that aren't currently funded by this programme. Information can be found on the NIHR website where the specification has been published. This page has links to FAQs and guidance for applicants. At present, organisations can view the documentation and begin planning their prospective bids, but will not be able to submit applications until Wednesday 24th May. If you would like to hear more about the fund and how it will operate, NIHR will be hosting an online launch event from 12-1pm on Monday 22nd May | OHID, JCDU and NIHR, UK
Ministry of Justice: Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD)
The Ministry of Justice led BOLD programme has been created to demonstrate how people with complex needs can be better supported by linking and improving the government data held on them in a safe and secure way. BOLD will initially focus on reducing homelessness, supporting victims of crime, reducing substance misuse and reducing reoffending | MoJ, UK
Cost of living pressures placing UK adults at greater risk of alcohol dependence
Alcohol consumption habits of people in the UK have changed due to the cost of living crisis, according to research commissioned by drug, alcohol and mental health charity With You. A survey of over 2,000 adults across the UK carried out by polling company Markettiers, finds nearly half (47%) of UK adults are prioritising drinking alcohol at home instead of at pubs, bars and restaurants due to the cost of living crisis | With You, UK
Some ‘nicotine-free’ vapes high in addictive substances, tests reveal
Concerns raised after some brands sold in shops in England and Wales found to exceed legal limits | Guardian, UK
Is vaping safe or not? All you need to know about e-cigarettes
Why is the government promoting vapes for smokers in England while discouraging them for youth? | Guardian, UK
Fellowships: what, how, who and when?
Tue, 25 Apr 2023 14:00 - 15:00 BST. Top tips from people who have successfully been awarded fellowships in addiction | SSA, UK
The Truth About Drugs in Bristol - at the University of Bristol
Tue, 9 May 2023 18:30 - 21:00 BST. An opportunity to learn about much-needed drug harm reduction strategies in the city, plus new psychedelic research at a Bristol clinic | Drug Science, UK
Premier League bans gambling sponsorship on front of club shirts
There are eight Premier League clubs with gambling firms as sponsors, with an estimated value of £60m each year. Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said: "While the vast majority of adults enjoy gambling without harm, we can't ignore the fact footballers are massive role models to kids." | Sky News, UK
Former Lincolnshire PC Liam Shields accused of taking cocaine
A former Lincolnshire police officer will face a misconduct hearing this week accused of taking cocaine | BBC, UK
International news
Police dismantle cocaine ‘mega lab’ in Spain with 200kg daily capacity
Colombian and Mexican specialists among 18 arrested in operation against ‘sophisticated’ enterprise | Guardian, UK
US charges 28 members of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel including El Chapo’s sons
Charges filed against cartel leaders, alleged chemical suppliers, lab managers, traffickers and others in fentanyl investigation | Guardian, UK
Company advertising and selling bubblegum-flavoured cannabis vape products in Australia under investigation
Exclusive: Ethically Enhanced website sold Hubba Bubba-flavoured vapes containing cannabidiol, as owner of bubblegum brand considers legal action | Guardian, UK
Why is it hard to legalise cannabis in Australia? – Full Story podcast
Uruguay, Canada and a number of US states have all moved to legalise recreational cannabis. But seven years after medicinal cannabis became legal in Australia, the Greens are still trying to get laws on recreational use relaxed | Guardian, UK
‘I stopped sleeping’: the sometimes difficult path off antidepressants
One in seven Australians take the drugs. How well do we support them when they want to come off the medication? | Guardian, UK
Ireland needs to stop stigmatising and villainising drug users, assembly hears
Not all drug use is problematic and some can even be beneficial, the first Citizen’s Assembly on Drugs Use has heard | Irish Examiner, Ireland
High increase of young women taking cocaine, leading drugs expert warns
Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs warned the amount of people presenting for treatment tripled in the last six years | Dublin Live, Ireland
Drug experimentation is increasing in Finland as attitudes towards drug policy change
More and more people have also tried other drugs, although the numbers are significantly lower than cannabis. 7% of the population reported having tried amphetamine at some point in their life, 6% ecstasy and 5% cocaine. The use of performance-enhancing drugs has remained unchanged, with only 1% of the population reporting having tried them | Nord News, Norway
The association between combustible/electronic cigarette use and stroke based on national health and nutrition examination survey [China]
Sole e-cigarettes and dual use of e-cigarettes with combustible cigarettes might increase the risk of stroke | BMC Public Health, USA
Estimated Costs and Outcomes Associated With Use and Nonuse of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder During Incarceration and at Release in Massachusetts
This economic evaluation of a model of the natural history of OUD in Massachusetts found that a strategy offering buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone during incarceration was associated with 192 fewer overdose deaths (a 1.8% reduction) and was less costly than a naltrexone-only strategy averting 95 overdose deaths (a 0.9% reduction). The 3-MOUD strategy was also cost-effective at $7252 per quality-adjusted life-year gained | JAMA Network Open, USA
Our Film Tour Is Exposing Methadone Clinics’ Cruelty
Swallow THIS: A Documentary About Methadone and COVID-19 is currently on tour nationwide. Marilena Marchetti and I made the film to expose the pervasive, hidden culture of cruelty in methadone clinics—and how pandemic reforms were too little, too late, and frequently ignored | Filter Magazine, USA
Record high overdose, poisoning calls mark 7th anniversary of overdose emergency in B.C.
Data shows B.C. had record high overdose, poisoning calls in March | CBC News, Canada
No chance Australia will follow UK’s ‘swap to stop’ free vape
The UK is set to dish out millions of free vapes to help its smokers quit. But Australia has chosen a totally different direction | news.com.au, Australia
The 'priceless' service that can detect fatal drugs
Harm reduction advocates are calling on the ACT government to continue operating the nation's first fixed-site drug checking clinic, warning Australia will lose the ability to detect fatal substances | Canberra Times, Australia
Criminalisation and incarceration of people who use drugs must end: former world leaders - audio
It's been more than half a century since then US President Richard Nixon declared the war on drugs. But a growing chorus of former world leaders are pushing for global reform, arguing that hardline policies have led to widespread persecution, incarceration and suffering | abc.net.au, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Are Germany’s updated cannabis legalisation plans a step backwards?
On 12th April 2023, Minister of Health, Dr. Karl Lauterbach, and Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, Cem Özdemir, held a press conference to announce the updated German approach to legalised adult cannabis use | Volteface, UK
Improving online learning for people working in treatment services
The SSA’s Rob Calder has had a paper published in Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy about workforce training needs and current use of online resources by substance use professionals. He talks to Natalie Davies about user-centred design, unmet needs, and unpopular mandatory courses | SSA, UK
Drug use needs to be handled with empathy and evidence
As the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use begins its work, Tony Duffin writes of his recent experience in Portugal where he visited supervised injection sites — at both mobile and fixed locations | Irish Examiner opinion, Ireland
I was addicted to fentanyl. Here's what we should be doing about it
A former fentanyl addict writes about her experiences and the policies she believes will best help others | SF Gate Op-Ed, USA
There’s more to drug policy than legal or illegal
In a recent post, I tried to unpack “drug policy” to look beyond legal/illegal and think through the kinds of things that drug policies determine and influence | Recovery Review blog, USA
Historical Hangovers: Picturing the Drunken Woman from the Nineteenth Century to the Present
April sees the return of the Grand National and the British media are always hungry to report on a particular spectacle – Ladies Day. For years, the British tabloids such as The Daily Mail have focused primarily on the behaviour of Aintree Races’ female attendees, tapping into negative stereotypes associated with the recreation of women from predominantly working-class areas | Points blog, USA