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Daily news - 2nd March 2023 |
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UK news
Sunak says laughing gas review being carried out more quickly after Sky News investigation into spike in hospital admissions
The prime minister made the revelation after an MP raised Sky News's investigation that found a sharp rise in hospital admissions and an increase in the size of nitrous oxide canisters available from 8g to 620g, with growing numbers of young people using the potentially life-changing drug | Sky News, UK
Alcohol assertive outreach: a handbook
The experience of Alcohol Change UK’s Blue Light approach has shown that if people need support but don’t come into services, services may need to go out and find them through assertive outreach. That means making time to work with people in their own settings and build engagement with them through persistent and consistent interactions. This handbook is based on a recognition that identifying an alcohol problem does not always lead smoothly and naturally to treating it | Alcohol Change UK, UK
Alcohol-related hospitalisations skyrocket with 'significant rise in deaths' under SNP
National Records of Scotland data showing deaths had increased by 5% in 2021 | Scottish Daily Express, UK
Vaping: Rise in teenage use a concern for Kent County Council
Kent County Council (KCC) has urged businesses and residents to report illegal vapes and under-age sales to trading standards officers | BBC, UK
What should we do about the rise in children vaping? - podcast
Madeleine Finlay speaks to former Guardian health editor Sarah Boseley about the rise in vaping among under-18s and what can be done to discourage more children from taking up the habit. She also hears from Prof Linda Bauld about the impact of vaping on young people | Guardian, UK
Electronic Cigarettes: Environment Protection and Health Hazards
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) environmental, and (2) health, impact of disposable vapes; and what plans they have, if any, to ban the sale of such products | They work for you, UK
Electronic Cigarettes: Children
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to strengthen regulatory powers in respect of the sale of vaping products to children | They work for you, UK
Judy Chang, Executive Director INPUD on Jude Byrne Award nominations - video
Judy Chang, Executive Director INPUD talks about the kind of person who should apply or be nominated for the Jude Byrne Emerging Female Leader Award | INPUD, UK
Volunteer at Humankind
We can offer great volunteering opportunities which are fulfilling and rewarding and which can lead to paid employment with us or elsewhere | Humankind, UK
Man arrested after laughing gas canisters seized
A man has been arrested after police seized boxes of laughing gas canisters and party balloons from a car in Nottingham city centre | BBC, UK
International news
Webinar – Learning together: Progressing Decriminalisation in Scotland, Ireland, Norway, Poland and Maine
Friday 03 March 2023, 13.00 – 14:30 (GMT). SDF will be hosting a webinar to coincide with the publication of a new report, Working To Decriminalise People Who Use Drugs: Learning From Decriminalisation Efforts In 5 International Jurisdictions. This report has been prepared for Ana Liffey Drugs Project by the Scottish Drugs Forum with support and funding of The Open Society Foundation. The report evaluates the recent decriminalisation and advocacy efforts in Scotland, Poland, Norway, Ireland and Maine (USA) | SDF, UK
How harsh drug laws undermine health and human rights in Asia
Rosma Karlina and Bambang Yulistyo Dwi live with their two young children in the rainy hillside town of Bogor, south of Jakarta. If their family life is traditional, their work life is anything but. Ms Karlina is the founder and Director of Suar Perempuan Lingkar Napza Nusantara (also called Womxn’s Voice), an advocacy and care organisation serving women and transwomen who use drugs | UN AIDS, UK
Queensland police to retain right to charge children over minor drug offences for which adults receive only warning
Exclusive: advocates and legal experts warn legislation could disadvantage children who would still be subject to police discretion | Guardian, UK
Horizon Europe Health: Guide for Researchers
Horizon Europe is the main European Union funding programme for research and innovation. Running from 2021 until 2027, it has a total budget of €95.5 billion, of which €8.246 billion is dedicated to health research. As part of our commitment to fostering and enhancing European and international coordination, collaboration and engagement, the Health Research Board (HRB) offers advice and support to researchers who would like to apply for Horizon Europe funding | HRB, Ireland
Former HSE boss Paul Reid to chair Citizens' Assembly on drugs use
The former CEO of the Health Service Executive has been appointed as the independent chairperson of the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use | RTe, Ireland
State Cannabis Legalization and Cannabis Use Disorder in the US Veterans Health Administration, 2005 to 2019
In this observational study of sequential yearly Veterans Health Administration electronic health record data from 2005 to 2019, CUD rates increased from 1.38% to 2.25% in states with no cannabis legalization, 1.38% to 2.54% in states that legalized medical use, and 1.39% to 2.56% in states that legalized recreational use. Significant but small effect sizes were found for medical and recreational legalization, accounting for 4.7% and 9.8% of the overall increases in the respective states | JAMA Psychiatry, USA
Cocaethylene cardiotoxicity in emergency department patients with acute drug overdose
When compared to cocaine exposure alone, cocaine and ethanol exposure in emergency department (ED) patients with acute drug overdose was significantly associated with higher occurrence of cardiac arrest, higher mean lactate concentrations, and lower occurrence of myocardial injury | Medical Xpress, USA
Is integrated treatment necessary for co-occurring disorders?
More than half of adults with posttraumatic stress disorder also have alcohol use disorder, and more than 1 in 10 with alcohol use disorder have posttraumatic stress disorder. Identifying the best course of treatment for adults with these commonly co-occurring disorders can be difficult. Which disorder should interventions target? Is integrated treatment the only option? This study explores whether single-focus treatments for alcohol use disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder lead to improvements in both among adults with these co-occurring disorders | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Study shows alcohol delivery services used to extend drinking sessions
A survey of Australian adults who use popular alcohol delivery sites found one in five utilized a service to continue a home drinking session | Medical Express, Australia
Participating in research can be beneficial for people who inject drugs
A new study has found participating in research over many years can give people who inject drugs a chance to share their experiences and contribute to broader knowledge | Medical Express, Australia
Why Australia is legalising medicinal psychedelics - audio
Fifty years ago, psychedelic drugs were successfully used to treat mental illness; that is, until politicians stepped in and banned them. But soon, Australia will lead the world in legalising the use of drugs like MDMA and psilocybin, which is found in magic mushrooms, to treat patients suffering depression and PTSD. | abc.net.au, Australia
Drug and Alcohol Research Connections - March 2023
Latest research, opinion and project news from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at UNSW; National Drug Research Institute (NDRI) at Curtin University; and National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA) at Flinders University | NDARC, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
An often overlooked impact of drug use
Cigarette butts, used nitrous oxide canisters and discarded disposable vapes are common sights in our parks and on our pavements. This week’s blog gives some thought to the hidden cost of these items | DSM Foundation, UK
Portuguese Experts and Civil Society Unite Against Criminalisation
An open letter published in early February by public health and members of the Portuguese civil society condemn the Mayor of Porto’s words against drug use and people who use them, including his desire to criminalise public drug use in the Northern city | Talking Drugs, UK
Can you get a hangover from Shrooms?
Ever felt not quite right the day after taking magic mushrooms? You might have had a shroom hangover... | Volteface, UK
‘It’s everywhere’: Considering the impact of alcohol marketing on people with problematic alcohol use
Alcohol marketing influences alcohol use and is designed to forge positive relationships between (potential) consumers, brands, and alcohol consumption. As with other consumer goods, alcohol marketing is highly gendered in nature; it targets men, women, and increasingly other genders (i.e. non binary), in different ways, particularly through connotations of femininity and masculinity | IAS blog, USA
Moving Beyond a System of Care Designed to Fail Us
What would happen if we treated substance use with comprehensive, individualized care and support over the long-term? We don’t entirely know; we have never fully tried that approach for the general population. We do know that the kind of care provided physicians and other impaired professionals but not the general public yield really encouraging long term outcomes, yet such care is unavailable for the rest of us. We must change this | Recovery Review blog, USA