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Daily news - 17th November 2023 |
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UK news
Report highlights high rates of overdose and drug related deaths in young people in NI
A research report (PDF) has highlighted that young adults aged 25 – 34 account for the highest number of drug related deaths in Northern Ireland (NI), rising significantly in the past ten years from 13.4 (per 100,000 in 2011), to 27 (per 100,000 in 2021) | Queen's University Belfast, UK
Long-term painkiller use in under 25s may contribute to mental illness and substance misuse
The long-term use of painkillers from a young age may be linked to an increased risk of poor mental health later in life. This is according to research led by scientists at the University of Liverpool and St George’s, University of London which is published today in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe | University of Liverpool, UK
Filling in the gaps: a guide to supporting people experiencing co-occurring alcohol use and self-harm issues
Both drinking and self-harming are often coping mechanisms for mental distress, and both are often linked to trauma | Alcohol Change UK, UK
Moving through the phases of clinical trials in psilocybin research
The potential of psilocybin to treat a range of mental health conditions has gained increasing recognition. Central to the progress in this area is the partnership of King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust with life sciences company Compass Pathways | NIHR, UK
Chancellor urged to bring forward ‘special fund’ for medicinal cannabis
Conservative Natalie Elphicke raised the issue as she told the Commons of a teenage constituent currently in hospital | Express, UK
How to Regulate Psychedelics: A Practical Guide' Launch | Transform Drug Policy Foundation - video
There has been a rapidly expanding discussion on the role of psychedelics in society. While most of the focus has been on their medical use, non-medical use has been marginalised in the public debate. In this webinar, co-authors Ester Kincová and Steve Rolles explain how this guide addresses this gap |
Transform Drug Policy Foundation, UK
Armed Forces: Drugs
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many armed forces personnel in each of the armed services failed drugs tests in each of the last five years | They work for you, 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 lived experience recovery organisations and other recovery organisations to come and give your views and shape this new national partnership forum | ProACTIVE Network , UK
Devon & Cornwall PCC wants tougher police action on cannabis
Police action against class B and C drugs has been branded "pathetically weak" by Devon and Cornwall's Police and Crime Commissioner | BBC, UK
Drugs at prison are a threat to safety - watchdog
The availability of drugs at a prison in Surrey was a “critical threat to safety”, according to inspectors | BBC, UK
International news
International burden of cancer deaths and years of life lost from cancer attributable to four major risk factors: a population-based study in Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and United States
Our study examines the impact of alcohol consumption, excess body weight, human papillomavirus infection, and tobacco smoking on mortality from cancer and YLLs in Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Disparities in the burden of YLLs between countries and between men and women largely reflect differences in risk factor exposure and cancer mortality in each population | Lancet, UK
Snoop Dogg says he’s giving up smoking marijuana
Rapper said his decision came after ‘much consideration and conversation with my family’ | Independent, UK
A potent synthetic opioid was found in the heroin that caused overdoses, but what are nitazenes?
Fifty-seven people have overdosed in the city centre area since last Thursday, the HSE confirmed yesterday. No deaths have been reported | Journal, Ireland
People Before Profit Bill to legalise personal use of cannabis seen as ‘test for Government'
If the Bill becomes legislation it will make it legal for someone to possess up to 7g of cannabis | Journal, Ireland
New analysis highlights greater diversity of cannabis products, rising potency, and security risks posed by Europe's largest illicit drug market
Cannabis products are becoming increasingly potent and diverse, while collaboration between criminal groups is creating new security risks in Europe. These are among the conclusions of a new analysis — EU Drug Market: Cannabis — released today by the EMCDDA and Europol | EMCDDA, Portugal
EMCDDA-Europol Launch: EU Drug Markets – cannabis - video
This webinar provides an overview of the EU cannabis market, from production and trafficking, to distribution and use. The speakers will discuss the processes, materials and actors involved at different stages and levels of the market. Attention will be given to the environmental impact of cannabis production and to new emerging products. Finally, key issues will be defined and recommendations for action at EU and Member State level will be provided | EMCDDA, Portugal
Overdose Epidemic Report 2023
Opioid prescribing by physicians and other health professionals has decreased for the 13th consecutive year, down nearly 50% since 2012, while overdoses and deaths related to illicitly manufactured fentanyl, xylazine, and other synthetic substances continue to increase | AMA, USA
UPDATE 4-Biden removes sanctions from Chinese institute in push for fentanyl help
The Biden administration on Thursday removed the Chinese Ministry of Public Security's Institute of Forensic Science from a trade sanction list, part of a bid to convince Beijing to do more to halt the flow of the synthetic opioid fentanyl into the United States | Yahoo News, USA
Study: Proposed law would expand methadone access, but gaps would remain
The federal Modernizing Opioid Treatment Act, or MOTA, would expand methadone access to an additional 14% of census tracts in the U.S., according to new research from the University of Pittsburgh published recently in Health Affairs Scholar | Medical Xpress, USA
ASHES, Vol. 19(12) – How repetition affects beliefs about tobacco-related misinformation
This week, as part of our Special Series on Addiction Myths and Misinformation, ASHES reviews a study by Jennifer Morgan and Joseph Cappella that examined the effects of repetition on the perceived truth of tobacco misinformation among U.S. adults | BASIS, USA
Prevention of drug diversion and substance use disorders among anesthesiologists: a narrative review
This narrative review introduces points of vulnerability for drug diversion in healthcare and the impact that diversion has on patients, providers, and systems. We explore methods to deter anesthesiologists from initiating the use of substances, prevent healthcare workers from diverting those substances from the perioperative area, and detect individuals that may be diverting substances for their personal use | Braz J Anesthesiol, USA
Wisconsin Lawmakers Want to Fund Pilot Psilocybin Program for Veterans
Wisconsin lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow veterans to access psychedelic treatment. It would use taxpayer dollars to fund a pilot research program for military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. In part, the idea is to put Wisconsin ahead of the game in the event that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves psilocybin as a medical treatment | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Is it possible to reduce population levels of illegal drugs use?
Policy makers must shed outdated thinking and deploy evidence based interventions | BMJ editorial, UK
Mental health and alcohol – "it should be all under one banner"
A new Alcohol Change UK guide for practitioners makes the case for holistic approaches to alcohol and mental health issues | Alcohol Change UK blog, UK
Biden and Xi's Fentanyl Compromise: What Will It Accomplish?
Yesterday President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met outside of San Francisco. Considering U.S.-China relations have been awful recently, this was a big deal, and among the topics discussed were the exports of fentanyl precursors by Chinese companies | Ben Westhoff, UK