Home | Archive | Weekly | Reports
Daily news - 1st November 2023 |
 |
UK news
Most deprived death rates twice as high
Death rates are almost twice as high in the most deprived areas of Scotland compared to the least deprived, according to a new report from National Records of Scotland. Scotland’s Population report for 2022 also finds the gap is much wider for some causes, including drug misuse deaths | National Records of Scotland, UK
Community pharmacies provided with overdose reversal drug Naloxone
All community pharmacies in Scotland will be given two Naloxone kits in the fight to curb drug deaths | STV News, UK
RADAR local: A guide to drug early warning systems - latest release
The Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) local guide provides areas with guidance on how to develop and operate their own local drugs early warning system (LEWS) to support effective response to reduce drug-related harms | Public Health Scotland, UK
Press release: Barrier to employment lifted for thousands of ex-offenders
Over 120,000 former offenders will find it easier to get work and turn their lives away from crime following a change in the law. The government has announced reforms to give the lowest risk, and first-time offenders, the greatest chance to turn their lives around. By legislating that there should be a presumption against prison sentences of less than 12 months, these offenders will be punished in the community, repaying their debt to society by cleaning up our neighbourhoods and scrubbing graffiti off walls. This will help these offenders stay in work, connected to their families and better access the drug rehab and mental healthcare needed to properly addresses the root causes of their offending | Ministry of Justice, HM Prison and Probation Service, and The Rt Hon Alex Chalk KC MP, UK
Wastewater analysis for new psychoactive substances and cocaine and cannabis in a Northern Ireland Prison
[Open access] The global drug market has been significantly impacted by the emergence of new psychoactive substances, leading to challenges in creating effective legislative controls and their use within recreational drug consumption. This research explores the prevalence of new psychoactive substances and non-medicinal and medicinal compounds within a prison facility in Northern Ireland | Nature, UK
Senior Met officer Julian Bennett faces sack for refusing drug test
A senior Met Police officer who drew up the force's anti-drug strategy could be sacked for refusing to provide a urine sample for cannabis testing | BBC, UK
Recalling Glasgow's 'secret' drinking dens that caused a scandal in the early 1900s
In response to new 10pm drinking laws in the early 1900s, Glasgow punters took it upon themselves to set up private drinking dens where they could continue to consume booze into the early hours | Glasgow Live, UK
Bradford: Take Drugs Seriously
Thursday, November 9 · 6 - 9:30pm GMT, Fountains Church Bradford. Come along to learn about the impact of drugs in Bradford and how we can better protect our community | J Slater, UK
ProACTIVE Network
Fri, 24 Nov 2023 12:00 - 14:00 GMT. Online. Come and be part of the ProACTIVE Network, a new national platform to highlight and give voice to the needs of alcohol patients in hospitals.The network will be lived-experience led, and we are inviting you to come and give your views and shape this new national partnership forum | ProACTIVE Network, UK
Cannabis & Me (CAMe) - survey
If you are aged over 18 years and live in the London area or are willing to travel to London, and are either: currently using cannabis or never used it / used it less than three times in your lifetime, Dr Marta Di Forti and her research team would like to invite you to participate in our research project | KCL, UK
Meeting the challenges of a Cost of Giving Crisis this winter
As charities across the country work towards another difficult winter, our latest research reveals the alarming scale of the challenges facing our sector. With costs climbing, income falling and demand increasing, this is no longer just a cost of living crisis. For charities, who give so much to society, this is a 'Cost of Giving Crisis.' | NCVO, UK
Huncoat crash: Driver using nitrous oxide killed girl, 15
Bonny Barrow's family had entrusted family friend Cameron Hughes to drive her from Manchester to Great Harwood in July, Lancashire Police said. But he was filmed using laughing gas and his mobile before losing control of his Mercedes Sprinter on the A56 at Huncoat and plunging down a ravine | BBC, UK
Maggie the dog helps find €3.7m worth of cannabis
Authorities in the Republic of Ireland have seized herbal cannabis with an estimated value of €3.7m (£3.2m), with the help of drugs dog Maggie | BBC, UK
Ashley Dale: Feud over £40k cocaine theft led to shooting, court hears
A feud which led to Ashley Dale's shooting in Liverpool began with the theft of £40,000 of cocaine, a court has heard | BBC, UK
International news
#COP10 COP-OUT | Harry Shapiro discusses COP10 and the latest GSTHR briefing paper - video
On November the Tenth Conference of the Parties (#COP10) to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) will meet in Panama, with the fate of safer nicotine products hanging in the balance. Harry Shapiro joins us to shed some light on these closed-door proceedings, and how these meetings will inevitably impact tobacco harm reduction efforts around the globe | NSP, UK
Victorian government scrambling to prepare for long-planned end of public drunkenness laws
Sobering-up facility not completed, emergency workers unclear about their role in new scheme – and it begins on Melbourne Cup Day | Guardian, UK
Children so addicted to nicotine they sleep with vapes under pillow, Australian hearing told
Medical professionals warn tobacco addiction is rising after years of decline and call for reforms on political donations and corporate sponsorships | Guardian, UK
'A blizzard': Regional services fear growing scale of cocaine use
When it comes to Ireland's problems with cocaine, Joe Treacy does not mince his words. "I made the comment last year that it was snowing in Galway. You could 'up that’ and say it is now blowing a blizzard. It’s everywhere, every little village, every little townland, every little boreen with the grass growing down the middle," he says | RTe, Ireland
Pioneering Drug Consumption Room Simulation in Finland: A Step Towards Informed Discourse on Harm Reduction Services
In Finland, three organizations, including the A-Clinic Foundation, C-EHRN’s focal point in Helsinki, organised a drug consumption room simulation recently to inform the dialogue around supervised drug consumption sites, inviting media representatives and parliament members. We asked Annuska Dal Maso, the head of street work at A-Clinic Foundation, to tell us about the event. Read her account of the forward-looking initiative below | C-EHRN, The Netherlands
DrugNet Europe - October 2023
Monthly round-up of the latest policy news from the European Monitoring Centre on Drugs and Drug Addiction | EMCDDA, Portugal
Biden administration urges schools to carry naloxone, the opioid overdose treatment
The Biden administration is encouraging schools throughout the United States to carry naloxone to help prevent fatal drug overdoses in students | Medical Xpress, USA
Youth vaping skyrockets as 85% are exposed to e-cig ads, despite global bans
In a recent study published in the journal Tobacco Induced Diseases, researchers conducted a four-nation-wide cross-sectional online survey to assess youths’ exposure to media-based e-cigarette advertising. Despite World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations and national legislature restricting e-cigarette advertising, study findings revealed that 85% of youth sampled had been exposed to one or more modes of e-cigarette advertising | News Medical, USA
The WAGER, Vol. 28(11) – At-risk/problem gambling and its association with homelessness and mental health/substance use among low-income U.S. veterans
The prevalence of gambling problems is higher among U.S. military veterans when compared to the general civilian population. Aspects of military service — experiences of trauma, difficulty adjusting to life post-deployment, and low social support after returning from deployment — may contribute to the risk of problem gambling among veterans. This week, The WAGER reviews a study by Elina A. Stefanovics and colleagues that examined the associations between recreational gambling and at-risk/problem gambling, and homelessness and mental health/substance use disorders among low-income U.S. military veterans | BASIS, USA
San Francisco to Start Charging Fentanyl Sellers With Murder
A joint anti-drug task force in San Francisco is to begin charging people who sell fentanyl that’s involved in a fatal overdose with murder. The new escalation in the city’s drug war, focused particularly on the downtown Tenderloin neighborhood, comes with the state’s collaboration | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
UK smoking and vaping policy consultation – my draft response
The government is consulting on proposals for a smokefree generation and restrictions designed to tackle youth vaping, including bans on flavours and disposable vapes – I am sharing my draft consultation responses for information and input | Counterfactual blog, UK
The global state of hepatitis
Harm Reduction International’s annual report on the global state of harm reduction includes an update on whether countries are on track to meet the World Health Organization target of eliminating hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. Natalie Davies explores the findings | SSA blog, UK
Animals on Drugs
Just like humans, animals too have shown behaviours hinting at a desire for drugs and alcohol. These stories provide a glimpse into the unexpected ways animals engage with psychoactive drugs | Tony D'Agostino, UK