Home | Archive | Weekly | Reports

Daily news - 22nd March 2023

UK news

Interim monitoring report on statutory funded residential rehabilitation placements

This is the sixth report on Residential Rehabilitation within the Monitoring and Evaluation Programme led by Public Health Scotland. 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 31 December 2022 | Public Health Scotland, UK

Sober Spring signup

AHA calls on UK Government to introduce ‘life-saving policy’ as MUP in Scotland reduces deaths

Following the release of a Public Health Scotland and University of Glasgow study, the Alcohol Health Alliance are calling on the UK Government to introduce the Minimum Unit Pricing policy in England | AHA, UK

Humankind to deliver drug and alcohol support for young people, children and families in Enfield

Insight Enfield: Sort it! is set to launch in April 2023 providing provide free, friendly and confidential drug and alcohol support in the London Borough of Enfield for young people up to the age of 25, parents with drug or alcohol challenges, and families affected by a loved one’s substance use | Humankind, UK

Sidemen manager: 'I cut out alcohol to succeed' - video

Jordan Schwarzenberger, co-founder of Arcade Media and manager of the group of YouTubers known as The Sidemen, talks about his attitude to alcohol in the workplace | BBC, UK

The Truth About Drug Science - An Evening at Queen's University Belfast

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 17:00 - 19:30 BST. Queen's University BelfastUniversity Road Belfast BT7 1NN. Were you taught to say no to drugs rather than being given the tools to make an informed decision? Are current drug laws actually working? | Drug Science, UK

Ed Sheeran reveals struggles with drugs, alcohol and depression

In a wide-ranging interview with Rolling Stone, Sheeran says he has quit drugs and spirits after the death of his close friend Jamal Edwards | Sky News, UK

Olivia Pratt-Korbel murder-accused was 'high-level' drug dealer

The man accused of murdering Olivia Pratt-Korbel was a "high-level cannabis dealer", he has told a court | BBC, UK

International news

Conservative group demands to know if Prince Harry admitted drug use on US visa application

A conservative think tank is calling for Prince Harry’s US visa application to be released so Americans can see whether or not he admitted to his past drug use before moving to California in the summer of 2020 | Independent, UK

Malawi cannabis: Farmers let down after paying out cash

Malawian farmer Ethel Chilembwe has paid out hundreds of dollars, cleared six hectares of land and got ready for the training, but after two years of waiting she has not cultivated a single cannabis plant | BBC, UK

Health minister Mark Butler accuses Nationals of trying to normalise vaping with ‘silly policy’

Federal health minister says his predecessor was unable to enact stronger border controls because he was ‘rolled’ by his party room | Guardian, UK

Alcohol branding during rugby union matches in Ireland after commencement of Sect. 15 from the Public Health (Alcohol) Act: a frequency analysis of highlights from the European Rugby Champions Cup and Six Nations Championship

Under Sect. 15 of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018, Ireland has banned alcohol advertising in or on the sports area during a sports event, except for branded clothing. The restrictions commenced on 12th November 2021, but concerns have been raised that alcohol branding continues to feature in the now-prohibited sporting area | Irish Journal of Medical Science, Ireland

Global Report on Cocaine 2023: Local dynamics, global challenges (PDF)

The COVID-19 pandemic had a disruptive effect on drug markets. With international travel severely curtailed, producers struggled to get their product to market. Night clubs and bars were shut as officials ramped up their attempts to control the virus, causing demand to slump for drugs like cocaine that are often associated with those settings. However, the most recent data suggests this slump has had little impact on longer-term trends. The global supply of cocaine is at record levels | UNODC, USA

Methadone doses haven’t kept up in the age of fentanyl. A new rule aims to help

Patients beginning treatment for opioid addiction often face excruciating withdrawal symptoms. But for people struggling to transition from ultra-potent illicit fentanyl to comparatively weaker addiction medications, help may be on the way | STAT News, USA

Study suggests interprofessional team training could prove effective in alcohol use disorder prevention and treatment

An LSU Health New Orleans study demonstrated the effectiveness of single, focused Interprofessional Education (IPE)-based exercises in preparing young health professions learners to limit or prevent alcohol use disorder (AUD) | Medical Xpress, USA

Nation’s First Therapeutic Psilocybin Facilitators Graduate in Oregon

In Oregon, the first cohort of students has graduated a class in how to administer psilocybin therapy. Now, they can apply for a license to be a psilocybin “facilitator” as the state moves toward opening the first psilocybin clinics in the United States later this year. People will be able to visit the clinics to use psilocybin while under trained supervision for several hours—although this is not legally classified as a medical or psychological service, and no medical diagnosis is required | Filter Magazine, USA

“A Stable Foundation”: Meet the 22-Year-Old Suing Alberta for Safe Supply

There are many things that Ophelia Black, 22, would like to do. Going back to school, building a career and falling in love are high on the list. But right now, her life is dominated by a fight for continued access to the hydromorphone (Dilaudid) she’s been prescribed for the past two years for opioid use disorder | Filter Magazine, USA

Blogs, comment and opinion

Expert reaction to study looking at alcohol-related deaths and hospitalisations in Scotland since the minimum unit pricing for alcohol policy was introduced

An observational study published in the Lancet looks at alcohol-related deaths and hospitalisations in Scotland since the minimum unit pricing for alcohol policy (MUP) was brought in by the Scottish government in 2018. This Roundup accompanied an SMC Briefing | Science Media Centre, UK

The united patients alliance relaunches

After taking some time off due to becoming a father, Clark French, founder of the United Patients Alliance, is relaunching the patient-focused organisation at the Brighton Medicinal Cannabis Summit 2023. We spoke to Clark to get all the details… | Volteface, UK

WHO’s Latest Assault Could Destroy Vaping As We Know It

Early reports suggest the World Health Organisation (WHO) is about to launch a new assault on vaping. Indeed, The New Nicotine Alliance (NNA) has identified proposals that are likely to destroy vaping as we know it | Ashtray blog, UK

Unpacking “drug policy”

It seems like more is being said about drug policy than ever before. I’ve been posting thoughts about drug policy here for years. However, as I read comments from others, I often wonder whether we’re talking about the same things. To be honest, I haven’t given a lot of thought to the conceptual boundaries of “drug policy” when I use the term | Recovery Review blog, USA

Opium Connoisseurs: The Rajas and the Padshahs of India

By the sixteenth century, in India, opium was more than a mere herbal medicine or a valuable item of maritime trade. From its earliest introduction around the tenth century AD, to its wide and swift diffusion by the fifteenth-sixteenth centuries, the assimilation and the subsequent ‘Indianisation’ of opium proved to be a major cultural watershed, particularly in Bengal, Behar, North-Western Frontier provinces, Central India, and certain parts of Rajputana | Points blog, USA

Extend Studio