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Daily news - 20th December 2023

UK news

Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales: 2022 registrations

In England and Wales, 4,907 deaths related to drug poisoning were registered in 2022, equivalent to a rate of 84.4 deaths per million people, this is similar to the rate recorded in 2021 (84.0 deaths per million, 4,859 deaths); the age-standardised mortality rate for deaths related to drug poisoning has risen every year since 2012 | ONS, UK

Highest ever drug death total for England and Wales

The age-standardised mortality rate for deaths related to drug poisoning has risen every year for a decade, says ONS, with the rate of drug-poisoning deaths now more than 80 per cent higher than in 2012 – at 84.4 deaths per million people compared to 46.5 per million | DDN, UK

Drug poisoning deaths in England and Wales at highest level in 30 years

Nearly half of the 4,907 drug poisoning deaths in 2022 involved an opiate, ONS figures show | Guardian, UK

'Recovery is possible' says former user as North East drugs deaths remain highest in country

He said: "I was using every single day, doing things that I wouldn’t normally do. Getting myself into bother, manipulating my family. Just doing everything that I could to get my next fix. I nearly lost my life a few times. I was on the verge of losing my family. I was so close to becoming homeless."| ITV, UK

National drug and alcohol treatment waiting times

This release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) reports on waiting times for people accessing specialist drug and alcohol treatment services between 1 July and 30 September 2023. In 2011, the Scottish Government set a Standard that 90% of people referred for help with problematic drug or alcohol use will wait no longer than three weeks for specialist treatment that supports their recovery | Public Health Scotland, UK

Scotland's drug and alcohol treatment waiting times revealed

Five of Scotland’s 13 health boards did not meet the waiting times standard for drug and alcohol treatments, despite the national target being met | National, UK

Interim monitoring report on statutory funded residential rehabilitation placements: Placements approved by Alcohol and Drug Partnerships between 1 April 2021 and 30 September 2023

This is the eighth report on residential rehabilitation within the Monitoring and Evaluation Programme led by Public Health Scotland (PHS). The report presents information on the number of Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) statutory-funded placements into residential rehabilitation, with estimated costs, that were approved between 1 April 2021 and 30 September 2023 | Public Health Scotland, UK

Scottish Public Health Observatory update: Estimated quarterly numbers of people prescribed opioid substitution therapy in Scotland (12-month period)

In the 12-month period ending 30 June 2023 (the end of 2023/24 Q1), Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) was prescribed to an estimated minimum of 30,133 people in Scotland. In the 12-month period to the end of the previous financial year quarter (2022/23 Q4) an estimated minimum of 29,962 people were prescribed OST | Public Health Scotland, 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. The LDP Standard for NHS Scotland sets a target number of successful 12-week quits based on a percentage (1.5%) of the estimated smoking population aged 16 plus in the 40% most deprived areas (60% in NHS Island Boards). In 2023/24 this target amounts to 7,026 individuals | Public Health Scotland, UK

Addiction and definitions with Robert West - podcast

In this episode Zoe Swithenbank talks to Professor Robert West about his work on ontologies within addictions. Robert begins by summarising the definitions and constructions that relate to addiction, as well as their meanings and the implications for treatment. He also explains how different definitions can frustrate progress in addiction-related research | SSA, UK

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many alcohol-specific deaths there were in each of the last five years, broken down by region | They work for you, UK

Tackling Spiking

With permission, I will make a statement about the Government’s action to tackle spiking... | They work for you, UK

Workers at Tory donor’s JCB factory test positive for drugs after sniffer dogs called in

Exclusive: ‘Significant’ number of staff sacked from digger firm after drug and alcohol tests | Guardian, UK

Jail for man who hid cocaine in frozen chicken consignment

A man who hid cocaine with a street value of about £18m in a consignment of frozen chickens has been jailed | BBC, UK

Shop that 'sold laughing gas to kids' loses licence

Officers found 60 bottles of nitrous oxide and 10 packs of balloons at M&S Off Licence, in Leeds, when they visited the shop earlier this year | BBC, UK

 

International news

Effectiveness of culturally tailoring smoking cessation interventions for reducing or quitting combustible tobacco: A systematic review and meta-analyses

[Open access] Standard approaches to smoking cessation may not be as effective for certain populations, and tailoring on cultural factors could improve their effectiveness. This systematic review measured the effectiveness of culturally tailoring smoking cessation interventions on quitting or reducing smoking combustible tobacco | Addiction, UK

Netherlands trials legally cultivating cannabis for first time | BBC News - video

The Netherlands is starting a trial aimed at decriminalising the production and supply of cannabis. The drug is being legally cultivated as part of a small experiment that could eventually be rolled out across the country. The consumption of cannabis has long been allowed in the Netherlands, but the sale of the drug remains illegal, even though it is tolerated | BBC, UK

‘We don’t sell our way of life’: Indigenous peyote users and the companies trying to cash in

Indigenous Americans fought through genocide and forced assimilation to use peyote in peace. Will the psychedelics renaissance co-opt it? | Guardian, UK

HSE confirms more suspected nitazene-linked overdoses in Cork

The Health Services Executive has confirmed that there has been 17 suspected overdoses involving nitazene in Cork city over the past 12 days. There was an initial cluster of 12 nitazene-related overdoses between Wednesday, 8 December and Tuesday 12 December, with a further five cases up to last Friday | RTe, Ireland

Drug users being trained to prevent overdoses

Active drug users are being trained by the HSE to prevent and treat overdoses after highly potent synthetic opioids were found in Ireland. The new Circle Peer to Peer programme is to begin for a six-month pilot phase in 16 locations from January | Irish Examiner, Ireland

Surge in use of Ketamine as party drug, HSE warns 

A party drug that was once on the margins of Ireland’s nightlife and festival scene has witnessed a “noticeable increase” in its popularity in recent years, HSE experts have said | Irish Examiner, Ireland

Drug consumption rooms

A main aim of this report is to inform discussions on drug consumption rooms (DCRs) by examining the available evidence, as well as reviewing the various models being adopted and their characteristics. The report is based on a mixed-methods approach, including a review of documents published by EMCDDA and C-EHRN up to 2020, together with a structured literature search for new peer-reviewed (MEDLINE) and grey publications, including relevant health and public-order outcomes of drug consumption rooms and covering the most recent years (2020 and 2021) | EMCDDA, Portugal

Treating opioid disorder without meds is more harmful than no treatment at all, finds study

In cases of opioid use disorder, short-term medically managed withdrawal (commonly known as detox) and long-term rehabilitation treatments that don't incorporate continued use of buprenorphine or methadone are no more effective at preventing overdose deaths than no treatment at all, a new Yale-led study reveals | Medical Xpress, USA

New study explores how young people with early-onset psychosis view substance use and interventions

A new study led by SMU medical and psychological anthropologist Neely Myers indicates that while young people diagnosed with early psychosis understand the importance of discontinuing the use of substances like cannabis, many are ambivalent about stopping | Medical Xpress, USA

New study challenges belief that opioids are effective at treating cancer pain

The world's largest review on opioid medicines for cancer pain has found it is unclear whether some commonly used opioid medicines are better than a placebo and suggests that non-opioid medicines, including aspirin, may be as effective as opioids | Medical Xpress, USA

 

Blogs, comment and opinion

Change Grow Live responds to the tragic deaths of people who use drugs

Mark Moody, Chief Executive for Change Grow Live said: "It is a tragedy that 4,907 people who use drugs have died. We must remember that behind every statistic is a person’s life... | Change Grow Live, UK

Paul Townsley responds to drug-related deaths in 2022

Paul Townsley, CEO of Humankind, said: “Along with everyone at Humankind, my thoughts and deepest sympathies are with anyone who has lost a loved one. Their deaths will devastate families and communities up and down the country. Those 4,907 sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, friends and partners have gone far too soon... | Humankind, UK

WithYou responds to the Office of National Statistics report on drug-related deaths

Hayley Savage, Interim Chief Executive at WithYou, said: “This is a very sad day. Each one of these deaths is a tragedy and we would like to extend our thoughts to everyone who has been affected | With You, UK

Dragging their heels: the alcohol industry’s response to mandatory pregnancy warning labels

What would it look like if the alcohol industry really didn’t want an alcohol harm-reduction initiative introduced? No doubt they would invoke the tried-and-true harmful industry playbook that involves denying harm, distracting through implementation of industry-run voluntary systems, and delaying compliance with mandatory requirements. These strategies have been writ large in the protracted story of the introduction of a mandatory pregnancy warning label on alcohol products in Australia | IAS blog, UK

The Rise of Prescription Drug Misuse in the UK: A Hidden Epidemic?

The UK is witnessing an increase in prescription drug misuse, posing a significant challenge to public health systems. This trend, primarily involves benzodiazepines, opioids, stimulants, and other central nervous depressants | Tony D'Agostino, UK

Vape deals are everywhere this Christmas – here’s how to deal with the horrific waste problem

Vape deals are all over the place in the run-up to Christmas. Vape kits, e-liquids and accessories are being widely promoted as stocking fillers, frequently with upwards of 50% off | Conversation, UK

K culture’, ketamine’s prominent yet overlooked role on the Irish drug scene and implications for health

The Irish drug landscape has been significantly changing for some time with many new user groups now existing from a range of social demographics across Irish society. We are currently observing a situation where new drug trends are often not represented in our traditional general population surveys, youth surveys or within our addiction service data. One trend identified through the application of new approaches such as targeted nightlife outreach and local web surveys among people who use drugs [1–3] is the use of ketamine which has become a prominent feature of ‘recreational’ drug repertories in Ireland, often used in combination with other ‘club drugs’ for stimulant and euphoric effects when socialising | Irish Journal of Medical Science letters, Ireland