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Daily news - 3rd August 2023 |
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UK news
Warning to Worcestershire drugs users about dangerous synthetic opioids
Police are issuing a warning to drug users in Evesham after two men nearly died when they unknowingly took synthetic opioids last month. The men believed they were taking heroin, but after both suffering a serious adverse reaction the drugs were tested and found to be synthetic opioids | West Mercia Police, UK
Merseyside drink and drug driving campaign launched by police
The road safety campaign, Operation Limit, is part of the force's support for Vision Zero, which aims to see no more deaths or serious injuries on roads by 2040 | BBC, UK
Recruiting: Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs members
The Home Office is looking for 16 new members to join the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) | ACMD, UK
Drugs: Misuse
Lord Butler of Brockwell: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 24 July (HL9391), whether the legislation needed to enable prescribing of controlled drugs by paramedic independent prescribers is capable of being made by statutory instrument; and if so, what is the reason for their delay in making it | They work for you, UK
Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
Dan Carden MP: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of specialist alcohol teams on levels of alcohol harm | They work for you, UK
Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
Dan Carden MP: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure specialist alcohol care teams are provided in hospitals which serve the 25% of areas with the highest rates of (a) alcohol harm and (b) socioeconomic deprivation | They work for you, UK
Electroconvulsive Therapy
The Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation in treating (1) alcoholism, (2) problem gambling, (3) depression, and (4) substance disorders | They work for you, UK
Could weight-loss drugs treat addiction? - audio
Barely a day goes by without more headlines around new weight-loss drugs, from the issue of global shortages, to investigations into suicide risk, and debate over just how long people will need to be on them. But in this episode of Inside Health we’re going to look at something slightly different - and perhaps unexpected | BBC Radio 4, UK
Recovering voices in Glasgow
Starts on Fri, 11 Aug 2023 19:00 BST. With the support of one our delivery teams and our local residential partner Turning Point Scotland this group were tasked with devising a recovery themed variety type script (a mixture of monologues, sketches and spoken word) which they will read followed by a discussion/Q&A. 7pm show starts estimated 45-60 minutes 8pm | Creative Change Collective, UK
Claim Met Police commander took LSD and magic mushrooms dismissed
Allegations that a senior Metropolitan Police officer who wrote the force's anti-drugs strategy took LSD and magic mushrooms have been dismissed by a tribunal panel | BBC, UK
'High level' Isle of Man drug dealer sentenced to 20 years in prison
Kyle Molyneux, 27, had been involved in supplying drugs, money laundering, intimidation and exploitation for several years | BBC, UK
International news
Cocaine worth €9.3m seized at Rosslare Europort
It was discovered after Revenue officers stopped and searched a UK-registered freight unit that arrived by ferry from Dunkirk, France, on Wednesday morning | BBC, UK
Mauritius makes progress against smoking - audio
Mauritius, Morocco and Madagascar are leading African countries in making inroads in the fight against smoking, which claims over 8 million lives annually around the world | BBC, UK
Cost-effectiveness of integrated treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) among people who inject drugs in Norway: An economic evaluation of the INTRO-HCV trial
[Open access] The INTRO-HCV randomized controlled trial conducted in Norway over 2017–2019 found that integrated treatment, compared with standard-of-care hospital treatment, for hepatitis C virus (HCV) with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) improved treatment outcomes among people who inject drugs (PWID). We evaluated cost-effectiveness of the INTRO-HCV intervention | Addiction, UK
8% rise in number of people being treated for problem alcohol use
The number of people treated for problem alcohol use last year increased by 8% to 7,421 cases, according to the latest data from the Health Research Board (HRB). The average age cases first began drinking was 16, while the average age of those in treatment was 47. Almost half of cases were unemployed. One in 13 cases was recorded as homeless | RTe, Ireland
In states with legalized cannabis, frequent cannabis use is more common in young adults who are not in college
An Oregon State University study has found that in states where recreational cannabis has been legalized, young adults not in college more often became frequent users of the drug than their college-enrolled peers | Medical Xpress, USA
Evaluation of Field Sobriety Tests for Identifying Drivers Under the Influence of Cannabis
In this randomized clinical trial of 184 cannabis users randomized to THC or placebo, law enforcement officers classified 81.0% and 49.2%, respectively, as FST impaired, and officers suspected that 99.2% of FST-impaired participants received THC. Driving simulator performance was associated with select FSTs | JAMA Network Open, USA
Looking to Cut Back on Wine and Beer? This Pill Might Help
How a nearly 40-year-old medication for alcohol use disorder could help thousands curb their drinking without daily medication | UCSF, USA
There's A Deadly Drinking Problem On TikTok
While the app has strict rules prohibiting branded content promoting alcohol, creators are still allegedly making money drinking to excess — and at least one has died | Huffington Post, USA
What Prohibition Can Teach Us About Drug and Alcohol Policy Today
It’s widely understood today that drinking while pregnant is harmful for the fetus. But the link between alcohol and the health of infants wasn’t as well known in the 1930s, when prohibition was repealed in the U.S. and all sorts of people, pregnant women included, began drinking again | TIME, USA
Cannabis Stigma Still Alive and Kicking, My Practice Shows
Brenda* was in her late 40s, and living with severe rheumatoid arthritis. She sought treatment with me because she was also experiencing PTSD, severe anxiety, and problematic alcohol and benzodiazepine use, which she wished to eliminate. After she had worked through her trauma and her emotional dysregulation, Brenda became more emotionally stable. And she was ultimately able to stop using alcohol and benzodiazepines | Filter Magazine, USA
ANU prepares to launch world-first registry to monitor impacts of psychedelics prescriptions
A team from the ANU has developed a world-first registry to track the effectiveness, safety and further development of psychedelic drugs to be used in the treatment of serious mental health conditions | Riotact, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Expert reaction to latest results from ASH annual survey on vaping in Great Britain
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) are set to publish the latest results of their annual survey on vaping in Great Britain today. Here experts discuss the findings | SMC, UK
Keeping up with Alcohol Brand Promotion: How ‘The Kardashians’ use reality TV to promote their alcohol business interests
In October 2022, season 2 of ‘The Kardashians’ started to receive press attention due to the amount of branding for Kardashian family-owned businesses in the programme, with many viewers complaining due to the amount of alcohol promotion occurring in the show [15], particularly in regard to Kendall Jenner’s (one of the family members) tequila brand, ‘818’ | IAS blog, UK
Why do lgbtq+ individuals have higher levels of drug use?
Statistics suggest that LGBTQ+ individuals use drugs at higher levels than straight people, but what is it that drives this? Megan Townsend takes a look... | Volteface, UK
Anti-alcohol elites are blind to the benefits of drinking
[Possible paywall] Too much booze isn’t particularly good for one – but we cast aside this knowledge in pursuit of something called fun | Telegraph opinion, UK