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Daily news - 21st February 2023 |
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UK news
‘I’m not going to leave someone to die’: carriage of naloxone by police in Scotland within a public health framework: a qualitative study of acceptability and experiences
[Open access] In efforts to tackle escalating DRDs in many countries, naloxone is increasingly being provided to people who are likely first responders in overdose situations. This includes non-healthcare professionals, such as police officers. A pilot exercise to test the carriage and administration of naloxone by police officers was conducted in selected areas of Scotland between March and October 2021. The aim of the study was to explore the acceptability and experiences of naloxone carriage and administration by police in Scotland | Harm Reduction Journal, UK
How Oxford university stuck with Sacklers as opioid deaths led others to cut ties
[Seems to be open access] Documents show privileged access to the Boat Race and continued acceptance of donations | Financial Times, UK
Hastings MP welcomes nearly £4m boost drug and alcohol treatment and recovery in East Sussex
East Sussex will receive extra funding of £3,914,147 to combat drug and alcohol misuse over the next two years, totalling £8,753,310 | Sussex World, UK
Hull prioritised for drug and alcohol addiction funding with city set for more than £5m
The Department for Health and Social Care has allocated more than £1.7m to Hull for addiction treatment and recovery for 2023-4, with almost £3.3m set for the following financial year. Health Minister Neil O'Brien said boosting treatment would help cut crime, save lives and benefit communities | Hull Live, UK
'Frightening' new North East campaign highlights how alcohol can cause seven kinds of cancer
People on the streets of Newcastle were shocked and scared hearing how alcohol can cause seven kinds of cancer | Chronicle Live, UK
Rochdale man jailed after being found with almost two million pounds worth of drugs
A man has been jailed after being found with nearly £2 million worth of Class A drugs | ITV, UK
Bath drug dealers jailed after Snow Hill police operation
Solomon Brown 23, and Aaron Gardiner, 21, were arrested as part of investigations in Snow Hill in Bath. Brown was found to have trafficked a 15-year-old to the city from another area of the country and forced him to sell drugs | BBC, UK
International news
Why Europe needs to catch up with psychedelic research
David Nutt FMedSci, Chair Drug Science and PAREA, Prof of Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London, explains why Europe needs to catch up with psychedelic research | Open Access Government, UK
Bursaries for students and professionals from Latin American and Caribbean countries for the 2023 European Drugs Summer School
Two bursaries covering the registration fee for the 2023 European Drugs Summer School (EDSS) are currently being offered through the EMCDDA’s partnership with the COPOLAD III programme. Professionals, academics or experts from Latin American and Caribbean countries (LAC) are encouraged to apply | EMCDDA, Portugal
Study finds fiftyfold increase in U.S. methamphetamine mortality rate between 1999 and 2021
The U.S. methamphetamine mortality rate increased fiftyfold between 1999 and 2021, with most of the added deaths also involving heroin or fentanyl, researchers report in the American Journal of Public Health | News Medical, USA
Documenting the experience of police, paramedics responding to people affected by methamphetamines
Researcher and nurse Dr. Rikki Jones, from the University of New England's School of Health, has documented the experiences of both police and paramedics responding to people affected by methamphetamines in the first study of its kind in Australia. The revealing findings, published in the journal Nursing & Health Sciences and International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, highlight the complex safety issues they face in the fraught hours before hospital admission | Medical Xpress, USA
New Jersey regulation not associated with curbed opioid prescriptions or shortened usage
Regulation designed to reduce prescription opioid pain medications in New Jersey may not have had the intended effect: A Rutgers analysis of Medicaid records found that progression from short-term to long-term opioid use did not decline following new legislation capping initial prescriptions for acute pain to five days | Medical Xpress, USA
New study reveals ketamine could be effective treatment for cocaine-use disorders
As cocaine use continues to climb across the United States, scientists have struggled to develop an effective pharmacological approach to treat the devastating disorder | Medical Xpress, USA
Helen Clark to Open the 27th Harm Reduction International Conference in Melbourne
Former New Zealand Prime Minister and current Chair of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, Helen Clark, will open the 27th Harm Reduction International Conference (HR23) being held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Australia on April 16-19 | HRI, USA
Mexico Just Seized the ‘Biggest’ Fentanyl Lab in History
“This is no longer what we knew before—the small kitchens," said Mexico's president about the bust | VICE, USA
A critique of the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council CEO statement on electronic cigarettes
This paper critically analyses a statement by Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) on e-cigarettes in May 2022 that will be used to guide national policy. We reviewed the evidence and the conclusions drawn in the NHMRC Statement. In our view, the Statement is not a balanced reflection of the benefits and risks of vaping because it exaggerates the risks of vaping and fails to compare them to the far greater risks of smoking... | Addiction, Australia
NSW Health warn about MDMA after spike in drug hospitalisations at Sydney festival
Health authorities have issued a stark warning after one drug was linked to a number of hospitalisations from just one music festival | Daily Telegraph, Australia
Virtual reality plus psychedelics are being trialled in therapy. Are they effective?
Early last year, Australian researchers travelled to a two-day psychedelics retreat in the Netherlands to ask attendees if they would like to take part in a study. Many said they'd give it a go. They consumed the psilocybin (found in magic mushrooms) they'd been planning to take, and then, hours later, as the effects were waning, they put on VR headsets | abc.net.au, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
With You welcomes the increased funding for drug and alcohol treatment from Department of Health and Social Care
Belinda Phipps, Chief Executive Officer at With You says: “With You warmly welcomes the additional funding for drug and alcohol treatment services across the country. For people facing issues with drugs, alcohol and mental health, increasing cost of living pressures mean this funding could not come at a more critical time... | With You, UK
Rigid opiate agonist treatment programmes risk denying people their agency
Greater flexibility is needed to create more person centred care in drug treatment services, but the prohibitionist ideas that underpin clinical practice need to be tackled too, says Judy Chang | BMJ Opinion, UK
Leading alcohol research funder’s relationship with the alcohol industry: time for change?
In 2018, a $100 million clinical trial on how ‘moderate’ drinking affects health was cancelled in the US. This was because it was found to be biased towards producing findings that small amounts of alcohol have health benefits. The trial was paid for by both the alcohol industry and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the self-described largest funder of alcohol research globally | IAS blog, UK
My advice to teens about vaping. Know the facts
My advice for teens is don’t smoke and don’t vape. However, it is your decision and you need to know the facts so you can make an informed choice | Colin Mendelsohn, Australia