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Daily news - 15th June 2023

UK news

Home Office U-turn on festival drug tests ‘puts people at risk’

Exclusive: Festival organisers say onerous new licence rules for onsite drug testing could endanger lives | Guardian, UK

Basildon: Police issue warning after two suspected drug deaths

Police investigating two deaths they believe to be drug-related have issued a warning after identifying a harmful synthetic opioid at the scene | BBC, UK

[Open access] Approximately 30–50% of people with serious mental illness have co-existing drug or alcohol problems (COSMHAD) associated with adverse health and social care outcomes. UK guidelines advocate both co-occurring needs being met within mental health services, but uncertainty remains about how to operationalise this. A realist synthesis was done to identify, test, and refine programme theories of how context shapes the mechanisms through which UK service models for COSMHAD work, for whom, and in what circumstances | Lancet, UK

Welsh Government's alcohol policy dubbed a failure by the Welsh Conservatives

Wales' minimum alcohol unit pricing policy has failed with the number of people dying from alcohol related deaths increasing since it was brought in, the Welsh Conservatives claim | ITV, UK

Government funded forum 'encourages people who use drugs' to apply for job in death prevention

Drug addicts have been asked to apply for a role in overdose prevention, leading some to raise eyebrows over their ability to take on the responsibity | Scottish Daily Express, UK

Medical cannabis on prescription appg appoints a new secretariat and with bold strategy and vision

Volteface and The Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society (MCCS) have been successfully elected as the new secretariat for the medical cannabis on prescription APPG – bringing new bold strategy and commitment to working collaboratively with parliament, the industry and patients to improve the UK landscape | Volteface, UK

Electronic Cigarettes: Children and Young People

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) undertaken research on measures adopted by other countries to prevent the take-up of vaping by (i) young people and (ii) adults | They work for you, UK

Under-tens in hospital 15 times for 'vape-related disorders' over past year

Meanwhile, others aged between 10 and 19 were taken to hospital 25 times. Admissions of under 20s have quadrupled since 2020 | ITV, UK

How to get any drug lab tested in three simple steps

It’s a simpler process than you might think – and it could save you from all sorts of nasties | The Face, UK

Paid research opportunity: Help us to better understand drug use amongst ethnic minority groups

The National Centre for Social Research has been commissioned by the Department for Health and Social Care to explore drug use among ethnic minorities in England. The aim of this research is to make recommendations on reducing drug use and improving access to treatment and support for these groups. We are looking to speak with people who have experience of non-opiate drug misuse. Taking part involves participating in an interview for up to 90 minutes and you will receive a £25 voucher as a thank you. Getting involved can help us get a real understanding of different experiences and how treatment can be improved. If you, or someone you know, may be interested in taking part in this research, please contact the team via email at: recruitment-dhscresearch@natcen.ac.uk | OHID, UK

The Forward Trust Employability Day Awards Event 2023

Wed, 28 Jun 2023 11:00 - 14:00 BST. To celebrate Employability Day 2023, The Forward Trust are hosting an Awards Event with Speakers at the Turner Contemporary Art Gallery | Forward Trust, UK

Recovery Street Film Festival 2023 - entries open

This year we are inviting anyone who is directly or indirectly affected by drug and alcohol use (individuals, family members, friends, professionals) to make a film of between one to three minutes in length, related to ‘The Sky is the Limit’ | RSFF, UK

Manx dealer who sold cannabis to friends sentenced

A drug dealer who sold cannabis to friends has been handed a suspended jail sentence | BBC, UK

Illegal vapes and cigarettes worth £21,000 seized

About 1,700 illegal disposable vape pens and almost 1,000 packets of illicit and counterfeit cigarettes, with an estimated value of £21,000, have been seized in a recent investigation by Luton's Trading Standards | BBC, UK

International news

Support. Don't Punish - A global advocacy campaign calling for drug policies based on health and human rights

June 26, 2023. Support. Don’t Punish is a global grassroots-centred initiative in support of harm reduction and drug policies that prioritise public health and human rights. The campaign seeks to put harm reduction on the political agenda by strengthening the mobilisation capacity of communities targeted by the “war on drugs” and their allies, opening dialogue with policy makers, and raising awareness among the media and the public. The campaign’s yearly high point is the Global Day of Action, which takes place on, or around, 26th June | IDPC, UK

International drugs ring smuggled cocaine in surfboards

Police in Uruguay say they have broken up an international drugs ring which smuggled cocaine from South America to Europe hidden inside surfboards | BBC, UK

People who use ‘smart drugs’ worse at complex tasks, study finds

Research has found those who use medications such as Ritalin without having conditions such as ADHD actually reduce their mental performance | Guardian, UK

Launch event: European Drug Report 2023

16 June 2023 at 12.00 (Lisbon), 13.00 CET (Brussels). How many new drugs were detected in Europe over the last year? What are the latest trends in drug production and trafficking? What substances are causing the most concern today? Find out more when the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) launches its European Drug Report 2023: Trends and Developments in a press conference in Brussels on 16 June | EMCDDA, Portugal

EMCDDA4GE: Results of two-year cooperation project celebrated at closing event in Tbilisi

The results of fruitful cooperation between the EMCDDA and Georgian drug experts were celebrated today at the closing event of the two-year EMCDDA4Georgia project in Tbilisi | EMCDDA, Portugal

“The relationship changed because I had changed”: Experiences and perceptions of friendships between women treated for substance use disorder in women-only residential programs

[Open access] Social support is known to be a key factor during recovery from a substance use disorder (SUD). Previous studies have examined a variety of relationships, but less attention has been paid to friendships between women with SUD. This qualitative study examined the perceptions and experiences of friendship of 14 women who recovered from a SUD and were treated in women-only residential treatment programs (RTP) in Israel | Feminism and Psychology, Israel

Males are significantly more vulnerable than females to overdose deaths

Men were significantly more vulnerable than women to overdose deaths involving opioid and stimulant drugs in 2020-2021, according to a new study analyzing death records data from across the United States. The study found that men had a 2–3 times greater rate of overdose mortality from opioids (like fentanyl and heroin) and psychostimulants (like methamphetamine and cocaine) | News Medical, USA

Alcohol harm reduction can also reduce other substance use

A different approach than traditional abstinence-based programs, harm reduction treatment for alcohol use disorder, also called HaRT-A, has patients set their own goals. In a study of 308 people experiencing homelessness, the participants receiving harm reduction treatment set goals of meeting basic needs and improving quality of life well above quitting alcohol and other substances | Medical Xpress, USA

Study shows psychedelic drugs reopen 'critical periods' for social learning

Neuroscientists have long searched for ways to reopen "critical periods" in the brain, when mammals are more sensitive to signals from their surroundings that can influence periods of brain development. Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine say a new study in mice shows that psychedelic drugs are linked by their common ability to reopen such critical periods, but differ in the length of time the critical period is open—from two days to four weeks with a single dose | John Hopkins University, USA

Cartels Are Using Pharmacies To Sell Fake Pills Laced With Fentanyl and Meth to Unwitting Tourists

Tourists can buy opioids and benzos in Mexico without prescriptions. Many of the pills are fake and laced with fentanyl and meth, a VICE News investigation with the Bunk Police shows | VICE, USA

Rising rates of benzodiazepine toxicity among young people spark concern

The rate of hospital encounters for benzodiazepine-related toxicity rose by 67% for young adults (aged 19 to 24) and 44% for youth (aged 18 or below) in Ontario between 2013 and 2020, according to a new study from ICES and Unity Health Toronto | Medical Xpress, Canada

Province expands access to opioid agonist treatment medications

British Columbia is taking action on the toxic drug crisis by being the first province in Canada to provide universal coverage for eligible medications used for the treatment of opioid-use disorder | Gov.bc.ca, Canada

Blogs, comment and opinion

A Positive Drug Story

On visiting a doctor and being prescribed medication it is taken for granted that you will be provisioned with the requisite information to proceed in a safe and sensible manner. This will perhaps include the dose, the required frequency of administration, potential side effects, and so on. A small-print sheet with details might also be forthcoming. With respect to recreational drugs and medicines, this is not the case... | DM Trott, UK

The truth about acid casualties

Barrett is the main case study of the “acid casualty”: the archetypal subject who, after a few too many trips, is said to endure a mental collapse from which they may never return | UnHerd, UK

Drinking alcohol is bad for you – end of. Ignore the headlines that claim otherwise

Another week, another article suggesting that alcohol may have health benefits. It’s amazing how desperate drinkers are to fool themselves | Guardian opinion, UK

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