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Daily news - 20th March 2023 |
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UK news
UK health expert raises alarm at vaping ‘epidemic’ among teenagers
Leading respiratory doctor fears generation could end up with long-term addictions and lung damage | Guardian, UK
Teen vaping is a new pandemic, head teacher warns
Vaping and the use of e-cigarettes among teenagers has become a "new pandemic", a head teacher has warned | BBC, UK
Public health grant: What it is and why greater investment is needed
Additional but time-limited funding for drug and alcohol treatment has been allocated to local authorities. Taking account of this additional spend leaves broader public health funding 21% lower on a real terms per person basis since 2015/16. Some of the largest reductions in spend over this period were for stop smoking services and tobacco control, falling by 45% in real terms, as well as drug and alcohol services for adults (17%) and sexual health services (29%) | The Health Foundation, UK
Top secret drug report supported decriminalisation
[Paywall, but free one month trial avialable] The Home Office has won a battle to suppress a report from its own expert adviser that recommended decriminalising possession of drugs.A tribunal has concluded | Times, UK
David Blunkett says Labour should consider decriminalizing drugs
Former Labour home secretary says Keir Starmer should order inquiry into drug laws | Politico, UK
Alcohol industry 'trying to obstruct public health policy'
Industry claims about the damage curbs on alcohol marketing would do to the economy and businesses in Scotland should be treated with a “healthy degree of caution”, a charity has insisted | National, UK
Reporting the impact of our Alcohol High Intensity User (HIU) Project
Our HIU Project based in Essex working across the Mid and South of the county including Southend and Thurrock supports people that have multiple support needs and have a history of frequent A&E presentations or hospital admissions due to their alcohol use | Phoenix Futures, UK
Providing a ‘wound aware’ service
Humankind is committed to improving people’s health and wellbeing, and the coming years will see a greater focus on both health outcomes and the reduction of health inequalities. We know the health of some people who use drugs can be poor, and for those who inject drugs wounds are a particular risk. It is therefore our ambition is to become a wound aware service provider | Humankind, UK
Bradford drivers inhaling laughing gas is 'big problem' - fire chief
The number of people inhaling laughing gas before driving and crashing in West Yorkshire has become "a big problem", firefighters have said | BBC, UK
Deaths of Children from Illegal Drug Use (Support for Families)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support families whose children have died as a result of illegal drugs | They work for you, UK
Smoking: Health Education
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage people to quit smoking | They work for you, UK
Schools: Electronic Cigarettes
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the accessibility of vapes in schools | They work for you, UK
Electronic Cigarettes: Children
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of children smoking e-cigarettes; and what plans they have to put an age limit on sales | They work for you, UK
A table, a chair, and a sharps box
Dr Gillian Shorter talks to podcast host Rob Calder about drug consumption rooms... | SSA, UK
Combatting and Responding to Stigma, Trauma, Substances, and Domestic Violence
Thursday, 18 May, 2023 - 09:00 to 15:30. Northumbria University, Hedley Suite, 4th Floor, Sandyford Building, City Campus, Newcastle, NE1 8QE. A good practice accelerator event for public health, social care and crime professionals, volunteers and those supporting individuals and families with substance related concerns in the North East of England. This is a hybrid event, with in person and online options available. The day will include a number of formal presentations from international and regional speakers, interactive small group parallel session and round table discussions with opportunities to collaborate, contribute and network | Vonne, UK
Barrister who represented high-profile figures admits buying drugs from clients
Star barrister Henry Hendron bought £1,000 of M-cat from an award winning BBC producer | Independent, UK
International news
Man arrested after €2.4m of cocaine seized at Rosslare
A man in his 30s has been arrested after cocaine worth €2.4m (£2.1m) was seized at a port in the Republic of Ireland | BBC, UK
Saudi Arabia’s Execution of Hussein Abo al-Kheir
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs if he will make a statement on Saudi Arabia’s execution of Hussein Abo al-Kheir | They work for you, UK
UK ambassador to Yemen took part in opening of Jordanian cigarette factory
Michael Aron praised facility part-owned by British American Tobacco at ribbon-cutting event in 2019 | Guardian, UK
Kenya's plan to curb alcohol abuse: One pub per town
Kenya's deputy president has tried to take a radical step to reduce alcohol abuse in the country's central region by saying that county governments should only allow one pub per town, but not everyone is convinced that this is a good plan | BBC, UK
Fake eyelash remover used as party drug delisted from Amazon after Sydney WorldPride ban
Police confiscated bottles of drug known as GBL, which can be sold under a loophole for industrial purposes | Guardian, UK
Pro-tobacco lobbyists circle Australian government’s proposed vaping reforms
As the TGA considers at least 4,000 submissions, tobacco companies appear to be heightening lobbying efforts | Guardian, UK
Australia spends billions ‘failing to police’ cannabis that earns black market $25bn a year, Greens say
David Shoebridge says legalising the drug would bring in $28bn in tax revenue in first decade | Guardian, UK
Coroners call for prescription medication nicknamed ‘coffin tablets’ to be reclassified as controlled drug
Concerns raised over potential misuse of Pregabalin, which is licensed for treating epilepsy, nerve pain and anxiety, but is being sold on the streets for €1 a tablet | Irish Times, Ireland
Ukraine Snapshots.Services for Ukrainian refugees in De Regenboog Groep (PDF)
De Regenboog Groep (The Rainbow Group) is a non-profit organisation that hosts Correlation - European Harm Reduction Network. Established almost 50 years ago, it is based in Amsterdam. It provides services to people needing support due to homelessness, mental health problems, use of psychoactive substances, or financial and other personal issues | Correlation Net, The Netherlands
A World Tired of Drug Prohibition: Impressions at the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs
The Drugreporter team attended this year’s 66th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the largest annual global meeting on drug policies. This is a preliminary written report with some personal impressions – the videos are coming soon | Drug Reporter, Hungary
Inmates with opioid addiction report peer navigators are crucial for successful community reentry
Recently incarcerated people with opioid use disorder have trust in working with peer support specialists who recovered from addiction and faced similar life experiences, according to a Rutgers study | Medical Xpress, USA
Association of Household Opioid Availability With Opioid Overdose
In this cohort study of 1 691 856 Oregon adults in 1 187 140 households, the odds of opioid-related overdose increased significantly when another household member had opioid fills in the preceding 6 months. The odds also increased when both the individual and another household member had opioid fills in the preceding 6 months | JAMA Network Open, USA
National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week® (NDAFW)
March 20–26. NDAFW is an annual, week-long health observance that inspires dialogue about the science of drug use and addiction among youth. NDAFW provides an opportunity to bring together scientists, students, educators, healthcare providers, and community partners to help advance the science and address youth drug and alcohol use in communities and nationwide | NIDA, USA
After a wave of teen fentanyl overdoses, a Texas community grapples with shock and anger at the epidemic's toll
A rash of overdoses has brought shock and anger to families in Carrollton and become a sobering reminder of how rampantly fentanyl has made its way to young people in recent years | NBC News, USA
We Asked an Expert if Smoking Ciggies Can Actually Help You Quit Vaping
There's a rumour going around that's been plaguing the nicotine-crazed community since vaping firmed up its unsexy chokehold on the world: Can switching back to ciggies help when you're trying to quit? And which is the lesser of the two evils, anyway? After speaking to some experts, I'm gonna cut to the chase and give it to you straight. The answer to the first question is, basically: No. | VICE, USA
Study hints at the promise of non-hallucinogenic LSD for treating mood disorders
Mood disorders are mental health conditions characterized by persistently dysregulated moods, such as recurring feelings of depression or euphoria. According to statistics by the National Institutes of Health, approximately 1 in 5 people in the United States will experience mood disorders at some point in their life | Medical Xpress, USA
The Story of Aversion Therapy for Alcohol Use Disorder
On June 30, 2022, Schick Shadel Hospital in Burien, Washington, closed its doors for good. It was the last facility in the United States offering aversion treatment for alcohol use disorder | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Rethinking drugs: criminalisation is causing harm
While there is little evidence of the efficacy of criminalisation to curb drug use, the disproportionate impact of punitive interventions on the most disadvantaged communities has been extensively documented over the last decades. So why are Governments still pushing ahead with the so-called ‘war on drugs’? In this piece, Stephen Walcott, previously a Researcher at the Police Foundation (now at leading cross-party think tank Demos), argues that criminalising people for using drugs does little to improve health and social inequalities reduce offending or protect the public purse | Revolving Doors, UK
Crispin Blunt and Ben Ramanauskas: Legalising ‘magic mushrooms’ can boost levelling up, aid veterans, and reduce pressure on the NHS
Psychedelics should be available to enable much more effective treatment of mental health conditions like depression. That was the topic of Tuesday night’s adjournment debate in the House of Commons. The debate is part of a campaign to raise awareness of this vitally important topic, not least with Chris Philp, the relatively new Police and Drugs Minister | Conservative Home, UK
Scotland's drug-deaths scandal: As hundreds continue to lose their lives and others rely on state-procured methadone, does Nicola Sturgeon have any regrets? – Susan Dalgety
The young (ish) woman bounced into the pharmacy. “It’s me,” she called out to the staff, before joining the rest of us in the queue for prescriptions. She didn’t have to wait long before being called into a small consultation room where, in full view, she was handed a plastic cup of green-blue liquid. Methadone. Green. Jungle Juice | Edinburgh Evening News opinion, UK
Political landscape: legal cannabis in Italy
What’s the political landscape for cannabis policy reform in Italy? After an Italian court recently ruled that categorizing hemp flower as a narcotic was ‘absurdly restrictive’, will a new bill on cannabis gain enough support to pass through the country’s legislature? | Volteface, UK
Big Increase In Executions For Drug Offences
The organisation Harm Reduction International has monitored the use of the death penalty for drug offences worldwide since 2007. The latest edition of their report published last week (16 March 2023) provides updates on legislative, policy and practical developments related to the use of capital punishment for drug offences, a practice which is a clear violation of international standards | Russell Webster, UK
Seeing Addiction as a Learning Disorder Changes Everything
While advocates have long tried to convince the public that addiction is a disease— a position ratified by most experts— this view has also always been controversial. For one, many drugs are criminalized, suggesting that it is a moral problem rather than an illness. Secondly, addictive behavior is not completely involuntary, in contrast to conditions like Alzheimer’s that cannot be altered by changes in motivation | BASIS, USA