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Daily news - 3rd October 2023 |
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UK news
Calls for a big increase in UK spending on preventative policies
Government spending on preventative policie from vaccines to family hubs should be significantly increased and the Treasury should create an accounting category to monitor it, according to a report by the thinktank Demos | Guardian, UK
MSPs unite to call for compassion and kindness as See Beyond campaign is debated in Parliament
In recognition of the impact on those left behind when someone they love dies because of alcohol and drugs, MSPs used a debate on See Beyond – See the Lives – Scotland in the Scottish Parliament this week to call for more compassion and support. Led by Miles Briggs MSP and supported by Monica Lennon MSP, who both lost their fathers to alcohol, a cross-party group of MSPs shared their experiences of alcohol and drug problems, and deaths, amongst people in their lives and in the areas they represent as MSPs | University of Stirling, UK
Breaking Point: kinship carers in crisis
Breaking Point is the first report in Kinship’s 2023 annual survey series. It explores the views and experiences of nearly 1,700 kinship carers across England and Wales and finds that many kinship families are close to breaking point, struggling to access the support they and their children need to continue as a family | Kinship, UK
Psychoactive drugs making inmates violent and aggressive
The new governor of HMP Edinburgh said prisoners taking synthetic drugs and new forms of "street" benzodiazepines were having extreme reactions due to their increased potency | BBC, UK
Northumberland Recovery Partnership joins Humankind
We are delighted to welcome the Northumberland Recovery Partnership (NRP) service into Humankind from 1 October 2023. Northumberland Recovery Partnership is a dedicated service for anyone in Northumberland aged 18+ who is experiencing problems with drugs and/or alcohol | Humankind, UK
Addiction Awareness Week: 28th October - 4th November
As we step into the third year of Addiction Awareness Week, we're fuelled by an unyielding commitment and an ambition that burns brighter than ever | Action on Addiction, UK
SCCR Conference 2023 - Increasing Circles: How Family Support Ripples Out
Thu, 12 Oct 2023 12:00 - 13:00 BST. Ripples…The Power of ‘You’ will cover a series of talks, discussions and workshops explore how the acts of individuals can ‘ripple’ outwards, causing others to make decisions whose consequences then ripple out further. The talks will not only look outwards, but also inwards; we are best placed to contribute to our community when our minds and relationships are in good health | SCCR, UK
Bradford: Take Drugs Seriously
Thursday, November 9 · 6 - 9:30pm GMT. Fountains Church Bradford, BD5 0BQ. Come along to learn about the impact of drugs in Bradford and how we can better protect our community. Join the discussion about what a new approach to drugs could mean for West Yorkshire, your family and your community | J Slater, UK
Met officer ‘thought he could smell cannabis’ in police stop of athletes
Pc Allan Casey ‘thought he could smell cannabis’ after Ricardo Dos Santos and Bianca Williams’ car was stopped, a misconduct hearing was told | Independent, UK
Manchester drug dealer ordered to pay back £460k
A drug dealer who trafficked £1.3m of cannabis, cocaine and ketamine has been ordered to pay back almost £460,000 | BBC, UK
Milton Keynes man jailed for killing Lewis Butler
A young crack dealer who killed a man in a row over drugs has been sentenced to 12 years in jail | BBC, UK
Huge cannabis haul found in Hanley
More than 2,200 plants from which the class b drug is produced were discovered growing at two locations in Hanley, police have said | BBC, UK
International news
Captain charged in connection with Cork drugs seizure
The captain of the vessel at the centre of last week's cocaine seizure off the Irish coast has been charged on drugs offences | BBC, UK
Effect of provision of non-alcoholic beverages on alcohol consumption: a randomized controlled study [Japan]
The use of alcohol-flavored beverages not containing alcohol (hereinafter referred to as non-alcoholic beverages) is recommended to reduce alcohol consumption. However, it is unclear if this reduces excessive drinking | BMC Public Health, UK
Citizens’ assembly set to call for liberalisation of drugs laws
‘Strong mood for change’ at assembly, says chairman Paul Reid, despite Garda opposition to drugs legalisation | Irish Times, Ireland
Cannabis use disorder linked to ~60% higher risk of adverse cardiovascular events, Canadian study finds
A recent study published in Addiction evaluated the associations of cannabis use disorder (CUD) with cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes | News Medical, USA
FDA must crack down on retailers selling tobacco to teens: Report
A new government report (PDF) finds that federal regulators need to do more to help in the battle to keep kids and teens off tobacco. Among the report's findings were that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration needs to get tough on retailers selling tobacco to youth and should improve its oversight of online retailers | Medical Xpress, USA
Smoking, Not Injecting, Now Linked to Two-Thirds of BC Overdose Deaths
Amid a mass exodus from injecting drugs to smoking them, the push for safe consumption sites (SCS) in North America has yet to fully mobilize around safe inhalation spaces. According to data from the British Columbia Coroners Service, 65 percent of unregulated drug deaths recorded from January 2023 through the end of August were linked to smoking. Injecting was linked to 15 percent of deaths, and snorting/sniffing to 14 percent | Filter Magazine, USA
How does a family history of psychosis influence the risk of methamphetamine-related psychotic symptoms: Evidence from longitudinal panel data
Among people dependent on methamphetamine, the relative risk of psychotic symptoms during weeks of methamphetamine use does not appear to be dependent on, or increased by, having a family history of psychosis. However, a family history of psychosis does appear to be an independent risk factor that contributes to the absolute risk of psychotic symptoms in this population | Addiction, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Reflections on the Newly Released Recovery Among Adults in the US Report from SAMHSA
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently released the Recovery from Substance Use and Mental Health Problems Among Adults in the United States. It provides data from 2021 through the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The press release is here. It is exciting for several reasons. Central among them is that efforts to include recovery questions into the NSDUH was the culmination of a great deal of effort by a whole lot of people over the last 20 years. We just made history! | Recovery Review blog, USA