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Daily news - 16th August 2023

UK news

Open consultation: Mandating quit information messages inside tobacco packs

This consultation closes at 11:59pm on 10 October 2023. We are holding a consultation about mandating quit themed information messages and advice (also called pack inserts) inside tobacco packets to help more smokers quit. We know from the existing international evidence and practice that introducing these messages can help people quit smoking. So, this consultation is seeking the views of interested people, businesses and organisations on this policy initiative | OHID, UK

Adfam launches Combating Drugs Partnerships Guidance

Adfam is pleased to publish new guidance on involving families in Combating Drugs Partnerships (CDPs). CDPs were established following the Government’s Harm to Hope Drugs Strategy, providing a setting in each local area for understanding and addressing shared challenges related to substance use, improving practice, and ensuring coordination across different local delivery partners | Adfam, UK

Reduced grey matter in frontal lobes linked to teenage smoking and nicotine addiction – study

Findings may demonstrate a brain and behavioural basis for how nicotine addiction is initiated and then takes hold in early life, say scientists | University of Cambridge, UK

NHS stop smoking services quarterly

This release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) presents information on NHS Stop Smoking Services in Scotland and their progress towards their annual Local Delivery Plan (LDP) Standard | Public Health Scotland, UK

On the trail of a new street drug - audio

What happens when a new drug hits the UK’s streets? And how are illicit drugs here changing – and why? James follows the trail of the first case of “zombie drug” xylazine in the UK and hears some powerful personal stories along the way | BBC Radio 4, UK

Alcohol-Free Life & Employability (14/08/2023) - audio

Jake Peach sits in, talking about employability and one Essex woman's journey to sobriety | BBC Radio Essex, UK

Derry: Three drug-related deaths last weekend, court told

Police in Londonderry say a batch of extra-strength pregabalin tablets are missing after three drug-related deaths in the north-west | BBC, UK

Police treating two SWG3 teen deaths as drugs-related

Detectives investigating the deaths of two 18-year-olds who attended the same DJ event in Glasgow have confirmed they are being treated as drugs-related | BBC, UK

Leeds Festival drugs death: Dad says event is not safe

The father of a 16-year-old boy who died after taking drugs at last year's Leeds Festival said the event is currently not safe for under-18s. David Celino died in hospital on 28 August 2022, after taking MDMA at the event at Bramham Park | BBC, UK

Pattern Up: the collective behind “crack and heroin permitted zones” posters

Over the last year, these phoney council-branded artworks have popped up around London, Dublin, Cambridge and at Glasto. We spoke to the guerrilla artists about their controversial tactics and the importance of legalising drugs in the UK | The Face, UK

Harrogate county lines drugs gang jailed

Four members of a gang who ran a county lines drugs network in the Harrogate area have been jailed | BBC, UK

International news

Study finds 11% of patients in cardiac intensive care have taken recreational drugs

Researchers conclude there is ‘potential value’ in testing heart patients’ urine for substances such as marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine [see item below] | Guardian, UK

Prevalence and impact of recreational drug use in patients with acute cardiovascular events

[Open access] While recreational drug use is a risk factor for cardiovascular events, its exact prevalence and prognostic impact in patients admitted for these events are not established. We aimed to assess the prevalence of recreational drug use and its association with in-hospital major adverse events (MAEs) in patients admitted to intensive cardiac care units (ICCU). The prevalence of recreational drug use in patients hospitalised in ICCU was 11%. Recreational drug detection was independently associated with worse in-hospital outcomes | BMJ Heart, UK

Germany's Cabinet is set to approve a plan to liberalize rules on cannabis possession and sale

Germany's Cabinet is set to approve a plan to liberalize rules on cannabis, setting the scene for the European Union's most populous member to decriminalize possession of limited amounts and allow members of "cannabis clubs" to buy the substance for recreational purposes | Mail Online, UK

‘You have to sacrifice your life’: the drug runners of Colombia’s rainforests

‘You have to sacrifice your life’: the drug runners of Colombia’s rainforests
With few job prospects, young men in the jungle borderlands with Brazil risk everything in a marijuana trade that ultimately bankrolls dissident armed groups | Guardian, UK

Australia’s vaping crackdown to be enforced with new laws

Exclusive: After announcing most forms of vaping would be banned, the Albanese government will legislate changes and boost agencies’ powers | Guardian, UK

Residents of coastal areas asked to be 'eyes and ears' of gardaí in spotting drug smugglers

A leading Garda has pleaded with people in coastal communities to act as their eyes and ears for 'unusual activities' following the recent drug hauls washed up in Co Donegal | Irish Examiner, Ireland

Prospective study of e-cigarette use and respiratory symptoms in adolescents and young adults

E-cigarette use in young adults was associated with respiratory symptoms, independent of combustible cannabis and cigarette exposures | BMJ Thorax, USA

Teen vaping: Did the EU get it wrong on e-cigarettes?

An explosion in vaping rates among kids is prompting Europe to rethink its approach to regulation | Politico, USA

Two-thirds of Americans say their lives have been affected by addiction: Poll

Two-thirds of those surveyed said either they or a family member have been addicted to alcohol or drugs, been homeless because of an addiction, or overdosed or died from drug use. Moreover, 19% say they themselves have been addicted to drugs or alcohol, had a drug overdose or were homeless because of an addiction | Medical Xpress, USA

[Open access] Substance use patterns are diverse, and multiple substances are often involved in fatal and nonfatal overdoses. Additionally, polysubstance use is associated with greater difficulty accessing and remaining in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. The aim of this study was to identify substance use patterns and determine their association with SUD treatment engagement among emergency department (ED) patients at risk of opioid overdose | Addictive Behavior Reports, USA

Vaping of Cannabis, Cannabidiol, and Synthetic Cannabis Among US Sexual Minority Youths

In this cross-sectional study, sexual minority youths, particularly bisexual youths, were more likely to vape THC and CBD, as was found in a California sample. It is well-documented that minority stress (eg, stress from sexual orientation–based discrimination) is associated with youth substance use, which may be consistent with vaping cannabis | JAMA Network Open, USA

The DRAM, Vol. 19(9) – Drinking and coping among deaf and hard of hearing students

Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students face unique everyday stressors, such as navigating communication barriers, requesting and managing academic accommodations (e.g., interpreter or notetaker services), and adapting to hearing-centered classroom environments. These stressors may contribute to increased risk for drinking to cope, which is associated with alcohol-related problems. This week, The DRAM reviews a study by Joseph S. Baschnagel and Justin S. Bell that compared DHH and hearing college students’ alcohol use, drinking-to-cope motives, and coping styles | BASIS, USA

SAMHSA's 2023-2026 Strategic Plan

The 2023–2026 SAMHSA Strategic Plan presents a new person-centered mission and vision highlighting key guiding principles and presenting new priorities, goals, and objectives. To achieve its mission, SAMHSA has identified five priority areas to better meet the behavioral health needs of individuals, communities, and service providers... | SAMHSA, USA

Lawsuit Casts Doubt on New York’s Cannabis Social Equity Program

A lawsuit against New York State has thrown the future of its cannabis social equity program into doubt. The plaintiffs, a group of disabled military veterans, argue that New York’s licensing process discriminates against them. A judge has issued a temporary order stopping any further dispensary licenses from being issued under the program | Filter Magazine, USA

Re-Queering Harm Reduction Means Reclaiming Its Grassroots Spirit

When the harm reduction movement emerged, survival was front of mind: Policymakers were leaving drug users, sex workers and queer and trans people to die from AIDS. People who used drugs and exchanged sex had no other choice but to design their own infrastructures of care, here defined as networked relations between people, material resources and knowledge, which together make care possible | Filter Magazine, USA

Learnings from a prison-based drug treatment program on planning for release: A qualitative study

Prison-based drug and alcohol group treatment programs operate in all Australian jurisdictions. With more than two-thirds of people in prison having a history of substance use prior to incarceration, such programs are needed. There have been few published papers on the impact of attending group treatment programs in Australian prisons, and the research published to date has been predominately quantitative. We aim to report the experiences of males in prison who completed and those who did not complete a group-based drug and alcohol program, to gain insight into their strategies for reducing harm from drug and alcohol post-release | DAR, Australia

International Overdose Awareness Day 2023

31st August 2023. International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) is the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember without stigma those who have died from overdose, and acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind. The IOAD 2023 theme “Recognizing those people who go unseen” is about acknowledging people in our communities who are affected by overdose but might go unseen in the crisis | Pennington Institute, Australia

Blogs, comment and opinion

Synthetic opioids and reducing risk

In this blog post, Turning Point’s Safer Lives Lead, Deb, sheds light on the emergence of a concerning new class of opioids known as “nitazenes” and the risks they present | DDN blog, UK

How the media can play its part in reducing the stigma surrounding substance use

By their nature, our media correspondents tend to be determined, single-minded, opinionated individuals. These qualities tend to go hand in hand with effective journalism. So when a new campaign launched this year sharing the stories of those left behind after losing a loved one to alcohol and drug use, the groups behind the drive faced a dilemma. The campaign needed media coverage, which meant it needed the journalists. But the subject required sensitive treatment | University of Stirling Public Policy blog, UK

Mythbusting magic mushrooms

The use of magic mushrooms dates back thousands of years, so it’s understandable that they’ve picked up a fair few myths along the way. From sending you crazy to being a purely recreational party drug, let’s look at some of the most common misconceptions surrounding their use | Volteface, UK

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