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Daily news - 12th December 2023 |
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UK news
Warning as high potency synthetic opioids identified in illicit benzodiazepine market
Welsh public health experts in the UK’s only national drug testing service are warning that people may not be getting what they think they are getting when buying benzodiazepines | Nation Cymru, UK
Tobacco harm reduction and people experiencing homelessness – a UK perspective
In this Briefing Paper, we will explore: the impact of high rates of smoking among people who are homeless or sleeping rough; the barriers they face to smoking cessation; and ways in which support services could use tobacco harm reduction strategies to improve health outcomes for this group, including recent evidence drawn from initiatives that emerged in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic | GSTHR, UK
Waiting for inpatient detoxification: A qualitative analysis of patient experiences
[Open access] There is limited provision of inpatient detoxification relative to other treatments for alcohol and other drug (AOD) use. This means people often need to wait prior to detoxifying. However, waiting for healthcare is generally perceived as negative and stressful. This paper aims to understand patients’ experiences of waiting for inpatient AOD detoxification to ascertain whether and how service-level policies and practices might be improved | IJDP, UK
Smoking costs billions more than tobacco taxes, says report
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) has published new figures showing the far-reaching impact smoking has on society on the day the consultation to create a ‘smokefree generation’ closes. The charity says it demonstrates why action to make smoking history is needed and how this will benefit the whole of society | The Dentist, UK
Cannabis prescribed in Guernsey more than 13,000 times in year
Medicinal cannabis has been prescribed more than 13,200 times over the past 12 months in Guernsey, new figures from the States show | BBC, UK
Free drink-spiking test kits rolled out to Shrewsbury bars
Test strips, which can detect whether drugs GHB (Gamma-hydroxybutyrate) and "Special K" (Ketamine) have been slipped into a drink, are being rolled out to the town's venue's for free | BBC, UK
Sheffield city centre targeted by fake 'crack and heroin zone' posters
Sheffield has become the latest city to be targeted by fake posters appearing to permit the sale of crack and heroin | BBC, UK
Action for the River Kennet says disposable vapes 'new and concerning' threat to waterways
An environmental group has warned that disposable vapes pose a "new and concerning threat" to waterways | ITV, UK
The Forward Trust National Reunion 2024
Sat, 27 Jan 2024 11:00 - 15:30 GMT. St. John's church in Hackney, London. The Forward Trust is delighted to welcome clients, graduates, alumni, ex-peers, staff, friends, family and loved ones to our yearly celebration of all things Forward. Meet with people and celebrate your success during a day of shares from our clients who have overcome the greatest of struggles and rebuilt their lives, great food, live entertainment and much, much more | Forward Trust, UK
Couple who took cocaine before baby died avoid jail
The pair admitted neglecting the child by recklessly consuming the drug in his presence, but tests were unable to determine that cocaine exposure was the cause of his death | BBC, UK
Double killer affected by alcohol during neighbour attack, court told
A convicted double murderer accused of battering his neighbour to death with a coffee table lost control due to his alcohol addiction, a court has heard | BBC, UK
Trio jailed for hiding drugs worth millions in sorbet pallets
Three men have been jailed for hiding drugs with a street value of millions of pounds inside pallets of raspberry sorbet | BBC, UK
International news
Myanmar overtakes Afghanistan as top opium producer
The report by the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says Myanmar's economy has been badly affected by conflict and instability since the military seized power in 2021 | BBC, UK
Drug lords hunt corrupt police officers who stole shipment in Tijuana
Two officers suspected of theft have been killed, prosecutors say, along with at least three others | Guardian, UK
Southeast Asia Opium Survey 2023: Cultivation, Production, and Implications (PDF)
To assess the scope of opium poppy cultivation and opium production in Southeast Asia, UNODC has been conducting opium surveys in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) intermittently since 1992 and regularly in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar since 2002. The present report contains the results of the UNODC opium poppy cultivation surveys in Lao PDR and Myanmar covering the 2022/2023 poppy season | UNODC, Thailand
How To Design Excise Taxes on Alcoholic Beverages
This How to Note examines the complex interplay between excise taxes on alcohol and alcoholic beverages, their revenue yield, and the public health concerns related to alcohol consumption. The note suggests guidance on how countries can approach the design of excise taxes on alcohol based on theoretical principles as well as empirical evidence drawn from international experience | IMF, USA
Why get high? Teens use cannabis for coping and enjoyment, finds study
A study in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors by researchers at UC Davis Health and the University of Washington surveyed teens over a six-month period to better understand their motives for using cannabis | Medical Xpress, USA
Young adults report lower alcohol use after learning that drinking is declining among their peers
Learning that their peers' alcohol use is declining over time may help reduce young adults' drinking, according to the first study that tested this approach among community-based participants (versus college students). During young adulthood, drinking habits tend to become established. Young adults are known to be influenced by social norms, particularly their peers' drinking behaviors | Medical Xpress, USA
America’s War on Drugs Has Always Been Bipartisan—and Unwinnable
For 70 years, politicians in both parties have fought an unwinnable war on drugs. In the latest chapter, the Biden Administration has labeled Mexican cartels the top criminal threat facing the U.S. and proposed devoting even more resources to trying to keep drugs from crossing the border — policies that historically have only made things worse | TIME, USA
Racial disparity in addiction treatment access highlights inequities of opioid epidemic
The CDC says synthetic opioids, particularly fentanyl, contributed to about 75,000 overdose deaths in the United States in 2022. It's a crisis that hits every demographic group, but there are large racial disparities between who is offered the most effective treatment and who isn't | PBS, USA
After Years of US Clinics, I Get Methadone With Dignity in Australia
Irecently moved from the United States to Sydney, Australia. Uprooting your entire life can always be stressful. But a big extra stressor for me was uncertainty around how I would access methadone, a medication I have used for over a decade | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
I took a one-month break from drinking, here’s how Dry January will benefit you
Should you give Dry January a try this year? Amber Raiken writes about health benefits and social drawbacks that came from taking a month-long break from alcohol | Independent, UK