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Daily news - 9th October 2023 |
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UK news
ACMD advice on 2-benzyl benzimidazole and piperidine benzimidazolone opioids
Updated with an addendum (PDF) that covers consideration of a further 4 newly detected 2-benzyl benzimidazole (nitazene) opioids | ACMD, UK
Synthetic opioids may be behind rise of fatal overdoses in West Midlands
Exclusive: About 30 deaths in two months being examined for the involvement of heroin substitutes called nitazenes and xylazine | Guardian, UK
Nitazenes: Super strength street drugs linked to multiple NI deaths
Super strength street drugs which are "500 times stronger than morphine" have been linked to multiple deaths across Northern Ireland for the first time, a coroner has said | BBC, UK
The Sober Myth: Are Young Adults Really a Generation of Non-Drinkers?
The proportion of young adults who do not drink has increased from 14% in 2017 to 21% in 2023 while remaining relatively stable among the rest of the population (approx. 13%). Young adult drinkers are less likely than the rest of the population to drink weekly or more often (46% vs 56%) and less likely to drink above the Chief Medical Officers’ (CMOs) low risk drinking guidelines (17% vs 20%). Young adult drinkers are the age group most likely to binge drink in the UK (74% vs 63% of drinkers aged 25 and over). However, the prevalence of binge drinking has fallen for both groups since 2017 (from 82% among young adult drinkers and 66% among drinkers aged 25 and over) | Drinkaware, UK
Wes Streeting threatens to ‘come down like ton of bricks’ on vaping industry
Shadow health secretary says government is ‘asleep at wheel’ as more children become addicted | Guardian, UK
Exploring DEMAND for Residential Rehabilitation amongst those who use drugs in Scotland - survey
We would like to invite you to take part in a Public Health Scotland funded research study that is being carried out by a team of researchers from Figure 8 Consultancy (Dundee), Glyndwr University (Wrexham), and Kings College London. The majority of the research team have their own lived experience of drug use. We are trying to understand the demand for residential rehabilitation amongst people using drugs in Scotland. This is part of a wider national programme aiming to improve drug and alcohol support... | Figure 8 Consultancy (Dundee), Glyndwr University (Wrexham), and Kings College London, UK
Brecon: Take Drugs Seriously
Monday, October 16 · 5 - 8pm BST. Brecon Cathedral, Cathedral Close Brecon LD3 9DP. Anyone's Child: Families for Safer Drug Control and Kaleidoscope invite you to join us for a conversation around the impact of drugs in Brecon and how we can better protect our community | J Slater, UK
NCA investigation launched after drugs found off south coast of England
The National Crime Agency has begun an investigation following the recovery of a significant quantity of what is thought to be cocaine from the coast of Dorset and Hampshire. Holdalls containing hundreds of kilos of powder were discovered in the sea off the St Aldhelm’s point and Durdle Door areas in Purbeck | NCA, UK
Cookstown: Cannabis worth £1.7m seized from lorry
Suspected cannabis worth an estimated £1.7m has been recovered from a lorry in Cookstown, County Tyrone, police have said | BBC, UK
International news
How Portugal deals with drugs - audio
Portugal decriminalized the public and private use, acquisition, and possession of all drugs in 2000 - while keeping heavier legal penalties for dealers and drug traffickers. Now many other governments around the world are also considering how best to limit the damage the drug trade can inflict on their countries. James Cook visited a clinic in Porto, northern Portugal, where addicts can legally consume drugs under medical supervision, to weigh up how the alternative approach has been working | BBC, UK
California nearly decriminalizes psychedelics – but governor hits brakes
Gavin Newsom vetoes measure, saying state must set up thorough guidelines for treatment before he is willing to sign | Guardian, UK
Cannabis firms are cut off from the US financial system, but relief is in sight
US Senate is eyeing a bill that would allow banks to do business with cannabis companies – now, if only they would vote on it | Guardian, UK
Addiction Audio: The public health impact of legalising cannabis
In 2018, Canada became the second country to legalise cannabis. This was the topic of a recent Addiction Audio podcast with Dr Janni Leung. The SSA’s Natalie Davies unpacks some of the key findings from Janni’s work and considers what it means to judge the effectiveness of a policy or intervention from a public health perspective | SSA, UK
Ireland must follow UK and ban smoking for next generation, says charity
New plans to completely ban the sale of cigarettes to the next generation in the UK is a reminder of how far Ireland has fallen behind other countries, a charity insisted today | Independent, Ireland
Health bodies establishing early warning system for deadly opiates
The HSE says it has not yet seen any signs that the deadly opiate drug, fentanyl, has arrived in Ireland after concerns were expressed that the drug might be present in recent overdoses | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Irish gangs involved in 'large-scale' cocaine trafficking from South America
Irish gangs are among a growing number of networks in Europe involved in “large- scale” cocaine trafficking from South America | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Reducing the harms of xylazine: clinical approaches, research deficits, and public health context
Xylazine has emerged as a consistent part of the unregulated drug supply in recent months. We discuss major domains of xylazine’s harm, current knowledge deficits, clinical and harm reduction strategies for minimizing harm, and xylazine’s public health and policy context. As an interdisciplinary team from across the USA, we have pooled our knowledge to provide an overview of xylazine’s current and emerging contexts | Harm Reduction Journal, USA
Consequences of adolescent drug use
Substance use in adolescence is a known risk factor for the development of neuropsychiatric and substance use disorders in adulthood. This is in part due to the fact that critical aspects of brain development occur during adolescence, which can be altered by drug use. Despite concerted efforts to educate youth about the potential negative consequences of substance use, initiation remains common amongst adolescents world-wide | Nature, USA
Rise in overdose deaths increasingly affects those with lower educational attainment, study finds
Drug overdose deaths increased sharply among Americans without a college education and nearly doubled over a three-year period among those who don't have a high school diploma, according to a new RAND Corporation study. The findings further highlight a potential association between the rise in drug overdose deaths and barriers to education access, a social determinant of health | Medical Xpress, USA
Does smoking tobacco damage sperm quality?
A study published in the journal Antioxidants finds that tobacco smoking can negatively affect semen quality by inducing stress responses in sperm cells | News Medical, USA
Study explores how endocannabinoids regulate brain's response to stress
Investigators have identified new signaling mechanisms utilized by endocannabinoids to regulate a subset of neurons in response to stress, according to findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences | Medical Xpress, USA
Benefits of psychedelics in obsessive-compulsive disorder: In search of evidence
In recent years, interest in psychedelics and their possible benefit in treating psychiatric illnesses has been revived. Expectations are high, especially in obsessive-compulsive disorder, where patients' therapeutic options are still limited | Medical Xpress, USA
A healing culture: Alaska Natives use tradition to battle influx of drugs, addiction
In the sanctity of a tribal sweat lodge, master wood carver Wayne Price felt his creator utter a directive to use his talents to help men and women battle addiction | USA Today, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
First wednesdays launch ‘the social impact of cannabis legalisation’ report
Their latest report examines how cannabis reform can shape lives, livelihoods and the law | Volteface, UK
Britain is on a glidepath to an alcohol ban
[Possible paywall] Rishi Sunak set the precedent – and now activists will push for ever more restrictions on drink | Telegraph, UK
Cannabis Use Itself May Not Lead to Apathy
The public, as well as many elected officials, continue to believe that the regular use of cannabis leads to amotivation and diminished effortful behavior. However, whether the amotivational syndrome exists or not is still controversial; there are still too few studies on the topic, and those that exist are often poorly controlled and small. They do not allow a definitive answer | Psychology Today blog, USA
“His mom sold the suit she bought for his funeral.”
A colleague spoke these 10 words during group supervision the other day. Ten words that encompass decades. Ten words that could fill a book or a semester. Ten words that describe addiction, trauma, loss of hope, resignation, preparation, change, belief, and somewhere new. Ten words about two actions – the purchase of a suit and the sale of a suit. Two actions that describe the experiences of individuals with addiction and their loved ones | Recovery Review blog, USA