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Daily news - 19th December 2023 |
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UK news
[Released later today] Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales: 2022 registrations
Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales from 1993 to 2022, by cause of death, sex, age and substances involved in the death. [These statistics should be published at this link at 9.30am today, however please see the DrugWise twitter account to see the confirmed link after they have been released] | ONS, UK
Parents with substance use problems: learning from case reviews: Summary of risk factors and learning for improved practice around parents with substance use problems
This briefing looks at case reviews published between 2022 and 2023, where parental substance use problems were a key factor. Many of the learning and recommendations contained in the serious case reviews repeat lessons from numerous other reviews. Reviews emphasise that professionals need to conduct child-centred assessments and continue to reassess the potential risks that children face in households experiencing problems with substance use | NSPCC Learning, UK
Call for greater drug use surveillance
Council chiefs have called for greater regulation and surveillance of the use of illegal drugs in response to what they have called ‘worrying new trends’. | Local Gov, UK
Working with the police service and homeless services in North West England to reduce alcohol harms: A feasibility study of a tailored Blue Light approach
Deaths caused by alcohol are increasing in England and 80 % of people with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are not in treatment. The Blue Light approach (Alcohol Change UK) is an initiative to support people with AUDs who are not in treatment. This study aimed to tailor the Blue Light approach (combined with alcohol identification and alcohol brief interventions [ABI] training) for police officers and homeless service staff in North West England, and to qualitatively evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the training | JSAT, UK
Demonising vaping is prompting young people to switch to tobacco as mixed messaging suggests they are equally as dangerous, experts warn
Scare stories and misinformation about the harms of vaping could be triggering a rise in young people smoking, experts have warned | Mail Online, UK
How to go sober at Christmas, from people who know
Latest figures from the NHS suggest a third of people under 25 have not drunk alcohol for at least a year | BBC, UK
Aripiprazole (Abilify and generic brands): risk of pathological gambling
Healthcare professionals prescribing aripiprazole are reminded to be alert to the risk of addictive gambling and other impulse control disorders. Healthcare professionals should advise patients, their families and friends to be alert to these risks | MHRA, UK
Episode #9 How will Afghanistan's opium ban affect the UK? With Martin Powell - video
Martin discusses OPCs and whether these are services we are likely to see established more widely across the UK. Additionally, this episode explores the current opium ban in Afghanistan, how this is, and may, impact the UK, especially increasing the threat of synthetic opioids entering the drug market, which could add to the UK's current record level of drug-related-deaths | Barod, UK
Police arrest 38 drivers after drink and drug tests
Northamptonshire Police has carried out checks across the county for its month-long Christmas campaign | BBC, UK
Two jailed over multi-million pound West Yorkshire drug plot
Jordan Walker and Neesha Gohil were part of a group that supplied cocaine and heroin, with about 100kg (220lbs) seized across the operation | BBC, UK
‘Respected’ doctor caught selling drugs using dark web under Star Wars pseudonym
Shoaib Ahmad sold ecstasy, cannabis and fake versions of the anxiety-reducing medication Xanax over 12 months from July 2016 until August 2017 | Independent, UK
Dealer jailed over crack cocaine drugs lab garage
Mahtar Sohna, 50, was later arrested after police raided an address in Lily Lane, Newark, which was found to make crack cocaine | BBC, UK
International news
California drug trafficking ring hid cocaine in car parts and instant noodles
Four men face a life sentence after packaging up to $160m worth of illegal substances to export to Australia and New Zealand | Guardian, UK
Migrants and drugs — need to scale up specialised drug services in Europe
Health and social responses for migrants who use drugs are explored in a new EMCDDA miniguide launched to mark International Migrants Day. The resource is one of a series of miniguides making up the agency's latest overview of actions and interventions to respond to the consequences of illicit drug use. Presenting key issues related to migrants and drug use, the miniguide reveals gaps in service provision and limited knowledge on the extent and nature of drug problems in this group | EMCDDA, Portugal
Incorporating Harm Reduction Into Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery
For many years, complete abstinence from alcohol consumption was viewed as the most effective way to recover from alcohol use disorder (AUD) and was a primary outcome of AUD treatment. A large body of evidence, however, suggests that treatment and recovery strategies that reduce heavy alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences without complete abstinence can be effective for mitigating the harms associated with alcohol misuse for many individuals | NIAAA Spectrum, USA
1.4 million illegal e-cigarettes seized as US government bears down on unauthorized sales
The US Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday the seizure of about 1.4 million units of unauthorized e-cigarette products, including commonly used brands such as Elf Bar and Funky Republic, which has received warnings from the agency over the sale and distribution of unauthorized products that appeal to minors | CNN, USA
How Common Is Fentanyl in Samples of Cocaine and Meth?
At face value, a recent study shows that fentanyl was quite common in samples of unregulated stimulant drugs taken from across 25 states. However, the authors of the paper say that’s not the whole story | Filter Magazine, USA
Psychedelic psilocybin-assisted therapy found to reduce depressive symptoms in adults with cancer and depression
Results from a Phase II clinical trial indicate that psilocybin, a hallucinogenic chemical found in certain mushrooms of the genus Psilocybe, may benefit individuals with cancer and major depression. Trial participants treated with psilocybin not only experienced a lessening of depressive symptoms but also spoke highly of the therapy when interviewed at the end of the trial | Medical Xpress, USA
Xylazine-laced fentanyl cited for drug overdose spike in Peterborough area
The health unit says the the drug involved is believed to be light grey-blue fentanyl which has been mixed with xylazine and benzodiazepines | Global News, Canada
An on-line school-based substance use harm reduction programme: The Illicit Project randomized controlled trial results
[Open access] The aim of this study was to measure the effectiveness of an on-line, neuroscience-based harm reduction intervention (The Illicit Project) on substance use, harms and knowledge over a 12-month period | Addiction, Australia
Helping or hindering – alcohol in disguise
Alcohol free drinks are being promoted as healthy and safe alternatives to full strength alcohol, but with no regulatory restrictions on their consumption or promotion, what impact are they really having on young Australians? | Flinder's University, Australia
Partners’ Report 2023: The definitive story of International Overdose Awareness Day in 2023
The Partners’ Report tells the story of the most recent International Overdose Awareness Day – what it achieved, how people remembered those no longer with us, and how we continue calling for a world free from overdose | Penington Institute, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Of course the uptick in smoking is about vaping and tobacco, but it’s also about loneliness
More young people are taking up the habit, and one reason may be a need for the comfort of connection | Guardian opinion, UK
Give supervised consumption sites a chance to reduce drug-related deaths
Governor Maura Healey’s DPH now supports the idea of creating sites where people can take illegal drugs under medical supervision. While no panacea, they’re worth trying as a way to reduce overdose fatalities | Boston Globe opinion, USA
Christmas drinks anyone? Why alcohol before bedtime leaves you awake at 3am, desperate for sleep
You’ve come home after a long day at work, you have dinner, put the kids to bed, and then you have your usual nightcap before drifting off to sleep. Or, perhaps you’re at the pub for the work Christmas party, and you think you’ll just have one more drink before heading home | Conversation, Australia