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Daily news - 22nd August 2023 |
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UK news
Open call for evidence: Drug use in ethnic minority groups
The deadline to respond is Friday 22 September 2023. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has previously investigated vulnerability and risk factors to developing drug dependence and vulnerability of specific groups including young people, homeless, and LGBT communities. Following this work, the ACMD has agreed to begin a self-commissioned workstream investigating drug use in ethnic minority groups | ACMD, UK
Scotland's drug epidemic: 'I lost my leg to £15 heroin hit'
Dundee - a city home to fewer than 150,000 people - has been the notorious epicentre of Europe's overdose crisis for years | Sky News, UK
[Statistics for Drug Related Deaths in Scotland are expected to be published later today. Please check this link or follow the DrugWise X account for announcements]
Could decriminalisation solve Scotland's drug problem?
Scotland has the highest drugs death rate in Europe, with narcotics claiming more than 100 lives on average every month. The Scottish government is proposing to decriminalise the possession of drugs for personal use to "help and support people rather than criminalise and stigmatise them" | BBC, UK
Pregabalin: Bereaved mother warns of drug abuse dangers
A Londonderry mother whose daughter died in February has warned young people about the dangers of abusing the prescription drug, pregabalin | BBC, UK
Leeds Festival: Coroner fears more teenage drug deaths
A coroner has warned he fears more young people will die after taking drugs at festivals unless authorities take action to tackle the issue | BBC, UK
Food and drink culture compared with smoking in 1960s
Does Wales have a problem with unhealthy lifestyles? This summer, two leading politicians have suggested people need to manage their personal behaviour around eating and drinking in order to help the Welsh NHS function | BBC, UK
Little Evidence for the Role of Disgust Sensitivity in Implicit Disgust to Images of White People Engaged in Injecting Drug Use (IDU)
[Open access] Previous research has shown that People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) are subject to public stigma, which affects access to, and provision and quality of, treatment and support services. Less is known about the socio-cognitive processes that support the development and maintenance of public stigma toward PWID. The present study investigated the role of disgust sensitivity in implicit disgust to injecting drug use | Substance Use & Misuse, UK
Hucknall: Drug user who caused flat explosion is jailed
A drug user who blew up his flat during a botched attempt to refine cannabis oil has been jailed | BBC, UK
International news
Methods include 'drop offs' out at sea and mixing the drug with other substances - podcast
According to recent studies, Irish people are the joint-fourth highest consumers of cocaine globally and the biggest consumers within the EU | Irish Times, Ireland
Largest US study of e-cigarettes shows their value as smoking cessation aid
E-cigarettes do have value as a smoking cessation aid, according to a new study just released by a team of MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researchers | Hollings Cancer Center, USA
Association of self-reported use of cannabis for the purpose of improving physical, mental, and sleep health with problematic cannabis use risk
Little is known about health-focused cannabis use purposes and their associations with risk for problematic cannabis use. This cross-sectional study examined three broad cannabis use purposes and association with risk for problematic use among young adult cannabis users who report using for > 1 health reasons | BMC Public Health, USA
Using traumatic childhood experiences to understand substance use
Some people are more likely to develop substance use disorders than others. Medical University of South Carolina researchers wondered whether adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as abuse or neglect, could be one reason why | Medical Xpress, USA
New tools enable non-clinicians to diagnose substance use disorders
A new study by Yale School of Medicine (YSM) and NYU Grossman School of Medicine researchers demonstrates the validity of two new diagnostic tools—the Rapid Opioid Use Disorder Assessment and the Rapid Stimulant Use Disorder Assessment. These instruments may be used to increase diagnoses of opioid and stimulant use disorder and access to treatment, as they can be easily administered by non-clinical personne | Medical Xpress, USA
Study finds improved prison reentry programs could help flatten rate of opioid overdose deaths
With opioid overdose deaths surging in the United States, many communities are in desperate need of solutions to bring down the body count. Among the most promising is strengthening prison reentry programs for highest-risk users, a Rutgers-led study has found | Medical Xpress, USA
Variation in HIV Transmission Behaviors Among People Who Use Drugs in Rural US Communities
In this cross-sectional study of 3048 PWUD living in rural areas of the US, substantial proportions of individuals reported drug injection (84.9%), sharing syringes (41.8%), condomless sex (80.0%), and transactional sex (7.5%). Study sites had significant variation in participant characteristics (eg, race and sexual orientation) and HIV transmission behaviors, and some participant characteristics (eg, age and sexual orientation) were more frequently associated with transmission behaviors | JAMA Network Open, USA
FDA’s Approaching Menthol Cigarette Ban Would Expand the Drug War
A national ban on menthol cigarettes is inching closer. This month, the United States Food and Drug Administration will publish final regulations on the matter, according to the agency’s Spring Regulatory Agenda. The FDA has been considering making the ban effective one-to-two years after publication | Filter Magazine, USA
People Who Inject Drugs and Harm Reduction: a Global Perspective
Approximately 15 million people inject drugs, according to the best available evidence—equivalent to three in every 1,000 people on the planet | Filter Magazine, USA
We Can Prevent Overdose Deaths if We Change How We Think About Them
I’ve been living in recovery from opioid use disorder for eight and a half years, and this might be a weird thing to say about addiction, but I feel lucky—like I dodged a bullet... | TIME, USA
Diagnosis and management of toxicity associated with the recreational use of nitrous oxide
[Open access] Nitrous oxide is a popular recreational drug, especially among young people, that can cause serious and sometimes permanent neurological defects. This new review aims to help clinicians recognize signs of nitrous oxide toxicity | CMAJ, Canada
Q&A: Could psychedelics be used to help manage athletes' mental health?
Why do people who take DMT, a powerful psychedelic drug, feel a strong sense of familiarity about places, things or entities that are not a part of waking life? | Medical Xpress, Canada
International Overdose Awareness Day Event Registration 2023
August 31st 2023. International Overdose Awareness Day events are the main way this campaign makes a difference. By hosting an event, you are joining thousands of people across the world to end overdose, reduce stigma, remember those no longer with us and recognise the grief of the family and friends left behind | Penington Institute, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
The reduction of alcohol harm needs to be a priority for us all, warns Alcohol Change UK
Alcohol Change UK welcomes the inclusion of alcohol as a key risk factor and determinant of health in the Department for Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) interim report for its Major Conditions Strategy but is calling for it to go further | Alcohol Change UK blog, UK
The Pill Report 21/08
This pill-specific report focuses on ecstasy pills found in circulation and their dosage | The Trip Report, UK
Is Ibiza the Disneyland of Drugs?
“What the hell has Disneyland got to do with taking drugs in Ibiza?” is a question I’ve been asked many times over the last few years. As an ethnographic researcher exploring drug use and dealing amongst British tourists in the wild zones of ‘the white isle’, the idea came to me in the first of three summers I spent time there | Talking Drugs, UK