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Daily news - 18th December 2023 |
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UK news
Government response to the ACMD's drug misuse prevention review
The government responds to advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) on preventing drug misuse among vulnerable groups of people | Rt Hon Chris Philp MP. Minister of State for Crime, Policing and Fire, UK
MAT standards informed response to benzodiazepine harm reduction interim guidance
This guidance encourages flexible and individualised high-intensity care, to support staff working in specialist treatment services who are regularly engaging with people using street benzodiazepines as well as opioids. Included is information on immediate changes you can make and action you can take to actively reduce harms by forming therapeutic relationships which consider the prescribing of benzodiazepines and the safe and effective delivery of appropriate psychosocial interventions | Public Health Scotland, UK
Addendum to ACMD's report on the use and harms of 2-benzyl benzimidazole ('nitazenes') and piperidine benzimidazolone ('brorphine-like') opioids, 15 December 2023 (accessible)
The ACMD recommends that a consultation should be undertaken with stakeholders, including academia and the chemical and pharmaceutical industries on the introduction of a generic control on 2- benzyl benzimidazole variants, as new examples may be encountered and could present a serious risk of harm | ACMD, UK
Hospital admissions due to smoking up nearly 5% last year, NHS data shows
Smoking-related hospital admissions in England increased by nearly 5% in 2022-23, compared to the previous year, but remain lower than before the Covid pandemic. Latest statistics from NHS England show that in 2022-23 there were an estimated 408,700 hospital admissions due to smoking, a rise from 389,800 in 2021-22 (an increase of 4.8%). The newly published figures in NHS England’s Statistics on Public Health, 2023 report also cover 2020-21, when there were 314,100 admissions attributed to smoking, which was consistent with fewer hospital admissions overall that year | NHS England, UK
“It would really support the wider harm reduction agenda across the board”: A qualitative study of the potential impacts of drug checking service delivery in Scotland
Drug checking services (DCS) enable individuals to voluntarily submit a small amount of a substance for analysis, providing information about the content of the substance along with tailored harm reduction support and advice. There is some evidence suggesting that DCS may lead to behaviour and system change, with impacts for people who use drugs, staff and services, and public health structures. This paper reports on qualitative interviews with forty-three participants across three Scottish cities where the implementation of community-based DCS is being planned | PLOS One, UK
Understanding alcohol use and changes in drinking habits among people with a severe mental illness: a qualitative framework analysis study
Individuals with a severe mental illness (SMI) are more likely to drink at harmful levels or abstain. While it is known that drinking patterns change over time, the reasons for this among those with a SMI are unclear. This study aimed to (i) explore the experiences with alcohol, particularly in relation to mental health symptoms, and (ii) how drinking patterns have changed over time, among individuals who have a SMI diagnosis | Frontiers in Psychology, UK
Bringing safer injecting to the people that need it
The time is right to improve access to needle and syringe programmes. Peter Furlong, our National Harm Reduction Lead, and Tracey Kemp, our National Hepatitis C Strategy Lead, explain how organisations can come together to make it happen | Change Grow Live, UK
Isle of Man plea for drug users to carry overdose life-saver kit
People at risk of opioid overdose and their relatives have been urged to make sure they have a kit that could be life-saving | BBC, UK
Engagement with the tobacco industry: Guidance for local government
This publication sets out how local councils can manage interaction with the tobacco industry, in line with the requirements of article 5.3 of the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and in accordance with the WHO Guidelines for implementation of article 5.3 | Local.gov, UK
Tweaks to law on spiking ‘won’t help’ unless police attitude changes, say experts
Home Office plans wording ‘update’ but campaigners call for new offence to help address low conviction rate | Guardian, UK
The rise of the sober employee
Alcohol has long been integrated into British workplace culture, whether for client entertainment or team socialising, particularly during the festive season | Business Leader, UK
Recovery Steps in South Cumbria becomes first Humankind-led service to micro-eliminate hepatitis C
Recovery Steps in South Cumbia, which we run in partnership with The Well, offers integrated drug and alcohol services operating from sites in Barrow in Furness and Kendal since October 2021 | Humankind, UK
Street Drugs Discussions: Deep Dive into Ketamine 2
Fri, 12 Jan 2024 12:00 - 14:00 GMT. This webinar features a panel discussion on ketamintrends, history in medicine, treatment and effects on neuroplasticity and much more | Drug Science, UK
Crime Time Inc Extra - Peter Krykant - audio
In this episode Simon and Tom discuss drugs legislation with activist and campaigner Peter Krykant. Peter discusses his own relationship with drugs and what motivated him to set up Scotland first safe consumption space - from the back of a van! | Crime Time Inc, UK
Plan to expand shoplifter rehab as offences soar
A scheme to treat offenders with addiction issues in a bid to reduce shoplifting is set to be rolled out across the West Midlands | BBC, UK
Hampshire: Class A drug use rise despite county lines crackdown
Hampshire County Council said it found the use of these drugs had risen through its work on substance misuse treatment.Concerns about high drug misuse were raised during the council's cabinet meeting on Tuesday | BBC, UK
Six men jailed after running one of UK's largest ever drug operations
A gang which made millions selling guns and drugs in what prosecutors say was one of the largest criminal operations ever seen in the UK have been jailed | BBC, UK
Cannabis worth £800,000 found in abandoned Doncaster nightclub
A "huge" cannabis factory with plants worth about £800,000 has been found in an abandoned Doncaster nightclub | BBC, UK
International news
Priority healthcare needs amongst people experiencing homelessness in Dublin, Ireland: A qualitative evaluation of community expert experiences and opinions
In light of evidence that housing-related disparities in mortality are worsening over time, this study aimed to explore the perspectives of experts working in homeless health and addiction services on priority healthcare needs amongst people experiencing homelessness in Dublin, Ireland, a city facing problematic increases in homelessness | PLOS One, UK
Assessing the risk of COVID-19 reinfection and severe outcomes among individuals with substance use disorders: a retrospective study using real-world electronic health records
Despite advancement in vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 over the past 2 years, many concerns remain about reinfection and waning immunity against COVID-19 and its variants, especially among people with substance use disorder (SUD). The study assessed the risk of COVID-19 reinfection and severe illness among adults with SUD and their vaccination status to inform management in this vulnerable population as the pandemic continues | BMJ Open, UK
Netherlands begins trial to make cannabis fully legal
Experiment aims to make production, supply and smoking legal and remove effects of gang involvement | Guardian, UK
Perry death an accident caused by ketamine - coroner
Actor Matthew Perry's death was an accident caused by the "acute effects of ketamine", medical officials in Los Angeles have confirmed | BBC, UK
‘Tranq tourism’: alarm in Philadelphia as TikTokers travel to film drug users
A low-income area has become ground zero for the dangerous sedative xylazine – and an ‘exploitative’ type of content creation | Guardian, UK
17 drug overdoses in Cork in 10 days linked to nitazene
12 of the overdoses took place between Wednesday, December 6, and Tuesday, December 12, a further five occurred up to Friday | Irish Examiner, Ireland
HSE emerging drug trend monitoring. Year 2 results from the Syringe Analysis Programme 2022. The identification of injecting trends in the Dublin and Midland Region through the application of syringe analysis methodology
In the second phase of the Syringe Analysis Programme, the HSE in partnership with Merchants Quay Ireland collected 165 used syringes from the Dublin and Midland regions during September and October 2022. The residual drugs were extracted from these syringes and the data used to compare drug trends from the two regions. The Syringe Analysis Programme is the first of its kind in Ireland, whereby community services and a laboratory collaborate to conduct analysis | HSE, Ireland
Start-up phase in controlled cannabis supply chain experiment kicks off in Breda and Tilburg
The start-up phase in the experiment with a controlled cannabis supply chain experiment was officially launched in a coffee shop in Breda by health minister Ernst Kuipers. As of today, coffee shops in these two cities can sell cannabis grown by controlled suppliers. They may also continue with the tolerated sale of illegally produced cannabis products | Government of the Netherlands, The Netherlands
Substance-abuse stigma impedes treatment in various ways, scientists say
Addiction is one of society's most misunderstood and rebuked health conditions. That stigma discourages many people from seeking treatment for substance dependence, according to a new report published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest | Medical Xpress, USA
Few patients receive opioid agonist therapy after opioid overdose, despite benefits: Study
In the week following any hospital visit for an overdose, only one in 18 people with opioid use disorder begin a treatment known to be highly effective in reducing illness and deaths, according to new research | Medical Xpress, USA
Past-Year Use Prevalence of Cannabidiol, Cannabigerol, Cannabinol, and Δ8-Tetrahydrocannabinol Among US Adults
After passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, manufacturers have developed products derived from hemp (cannabis containing <0.3% Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol [Δ9-THC]) featuring emerging cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD), Δ8-THC, cannabigerol (CBG), and cannabinol (CBN). It is currently unknown how widely these products are used. Our goal was to characterize past-year use prevalence and factors associated with use of CBD, Δ8-THC, CBG, and CBN among US adults | JAMA Network Open, USA
Psilocybin has treatment potential for a range of psychiatric conditions but remains poorly understood, says study
Medicinal psilocybin may prove to be an untapped therapeutic resource for a variety of psychiatric conditions identified by researchers at The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health | Medical Xpress, USA
Designing non-hallucinogenic psychedelic treatments that may accelerate research on mental health benefits
There is nothing magic about the recent increase in interest around the study of psychedelic drugs as potential treatments for patients suffering from a myriad of mental health conditions | Medical Xpress, USA
FDA seizes more than 1.4 million illegal vaping products
Federal agents have seized more than 1.4 million illegal vaping products being smuggled into the United States from China | Medical Xpress, USA
Neither Snake Oil Nor Silver Bullet: Ibogaine for Opioid Use Disorder
In the midst of a devastating overdose crisis, the need for effective, tolerable and well-evidenced treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) has never been higher. Incredibly, there is a plant, the shrub iboga, or Tabernanthe iboga, alkaloids in the roots of which seem to have a remarkable ability to interrupt addiction and ease withdrawal | Filter Magazine, USA
The Slow-Moving Train Wreck of Australian Vaping Policy
After nearly a decade advocating for vaping as a tobacco harm reduction strategy in Australia, I am stepping away from the field to retire. Witnessing Australia’s descent over these years, from its former status as a global leader in tobacco control to the current slow-moving train wreck, has been profoundly distressing | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Expert reaction to news reports that Matthew Perry’s accidental death was partly from acute effects of ketamine
It was reported that Matthew Perry’s death was partly caused by acute effects of ketamine. Matthew Perry had previously received ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety which is not related to his cause of death. Here two experts on the use of Ketamine for depression, give their views | SMC, UK
How much could the NHS save if people had healthier lifestyles? Hundreds of millions according to research
The NHS spends a lot of time and money looking after people who smoke, or drink too much or don’t do enough exercise. Hospital admissions and treatments are an expensive business | Conversation, UK
Recovery is __________ Scope of Practice Podcast with the Connecticut Certification Board
Recently, I did a podcast with Jeffrey Quamme of the Connecticut Certification Board on the piece below and why we need to stop saying recovery from addiction is Possible or Expected in America. The piece that was posted here on Recovery Review on October 12, 2023 and is clipped below. It was a great discussion on the language of recovery is possible or expected. The link to the podcast is HERE | Recovery Review blog, USA
Opinion: My life after meth — learning to open and close the curtains
When I was on meth, I was busy. Very busy. There was gardening to do, color-coding the closet, taking apart doorknobs, trying to put doorknobs back together and trips to Home Depot at 3 a.m. to look at light fixtures and nails. I had things to do, and whatever I was doing I was very interested in. Until I wasn’t, leaving the bathroom doorknob on the floor and moving on to some other project | LATimes opinion, USA
Nonalcoholic beer: New techniques craft flavorful brews without the buzz
The holiday season for me includes socializing over drinks with friends and family. But all the celebrating tends to catch up with my waistline, and by New Year’s Day, it’s time to get back in shape. Besides vowing to hit the gym more, my approach involves a “Dry January.” But as someone who teaches brewing science, spends a lot of time around breweries and bars, and thoroughly loves beer, abstaining is no easy task | Conversation, USA