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Daily news - 17th October 2023 |
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UK news
Consultation launched on the first UK clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment
The Department of Health and Social Care has launched a public consultation seeking views on the first ever UK clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment. To help shape the guidelines, organisations and individuals who provide alcohol treatment and those with lived experience should respond by 8th December 2023.’ | OHID, UK
Drones delivering Naloxone with Caroline Copeland, Patrick Courtney and Paul Royall
In this episode, Rob Calder talks to Drs Caroline Copeland, Patrick Courtney and Paul Royall about their recent article assessing the time it would take for drones to deliver naloxone to people who are overdosing on opioids | SSA, UK
Super strength nitazene opioid drug linked to UK deaths
A coroner has said that super strength street drugs have been linked to multiple deaths across Northern Ireland. The same thing is happening elsewhere in the UK and in the US. So what do we know about them, and their potential impacts? Professor David Nutt is a neuropsychopharmacologist and former government drug “Tsar”... | Naked Scientist, UK
Growing up inside Understanding the key health care issues for young people in young offender institutions and prisons (PDF)
This analysis uses routinely collected hospital data to look at the service-use patterns of children and young adults aged 25 and under in young offender institutions and prisons in England. We engaged with experts and looked at the literature to consider this in the context of the key health care needs of young people | Nuffield Trust, UK
Tasered Braintree man died from cocaine complication, coroner told
A 29-year-old man who was Tasered by police died moments later from complications related to cocaine ingestion, an inquest heard | BBC, UK
Are nicotine pouches the new vapes? - audio
What is 'snus' and how many people are using it in the UK? | BBC, UK
Southampton parents hope detectors will reduce vaping in school
Parents worried about the rise of vaping in schools have described designing a detection alarm they hope will stop pupils taking up the habit | BBC, UK
Press release: New support for NHS to treat gambling addiction
The NHS is set to benefit as new levy will raise an estimated £100 million of new funding for research, prevention and treatment of gambling addiction |
Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, The Rt Hon Lucy Frazer KC MP, The Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP, and Neil O'Brien MP, UK
Gambling firms to be forced to pay about £100m a year to NHS
Levy will be used to fund addiction research, prevention and treatment as part of government overhaul | Guardian, UK
Woman sent legal letters laced with drugs to Nottinghamshire prison
Vivienne Williams sent a number of disguised packages into HMP Lowdham Grange in Nottinghamshire containing the Class B drug Spice | BBC, UK
International news
Canadian cannabis market struggles five years after legalisation
Canada remains one of the only countries in the world that allows legal and regulated access to recreational marijuana. But five years after the drug's legalisation, the country's cannabis industry is struggling for survival | BBC, UK
Thieves carry out $1.6m heist at Florida alcohol distribution centre
One of America’s largest wine and spirt distributors carrying brands like Malibu was raided in Tampa, with $1.6 million worth of stock taken | Independent, UK
New services for children with mental health and drug disorders
Two new health centres to coordinate the delivery of addiction and mental health services for adolescents are promised for 2024. The ‘dual diagnosis’ hubs will provide care for around half of the country including Cork and Kerry | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Amphetamine: new analysis on Europe's most common synthetic stimulant highlights sophisticated EU-based production and environmental concerns
Amphetamine is the most common synthetic stimulant available in Europe, constituting a large and stable market worth a minimum of EUR 1.1 billion annually. In a new analysis released — EU Drug Market: Amphetamine — two EU agencies highlight sophisticated EU-based amphetamine production, as well as the impact of production on the environment | EMCDDA, Portugal
EMCDDA official visit to Peru in the framework of Working Arrangement with DEVIDA
This week, EMCDDA Director Alexis Goosdeel is making an official visit to Peru in the framework of the agency's Working Arrangement with the Peruvian national drug observatory, DEVIDA. This is the first such arrangement signed with a Latin-American country | EMCDDA, Portugal
White House moves closer to a ban on menthol cigarettes, amid intensifying opposition from tobacco companies
On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration requested White House clearance on a policy that would ultimately ban menthol cigarettes. The tobacco industry has already spent the last few months doing everything it can to drum up opposition, from drafting letters for members of Congress to rallying freedom-focused smokers, according to a review of advertising databases, leaked documents, and research reports | STAT News, USA
First Chemsex Harm Reduction Project in Brazil Takes Aim at Misinformation
During the pandemic, public health researchers in São Paulo began noticing what seemed to be an increase in the popularity of chemsex. The term refers to the practice and surrounding culture of sex parties among queer drug users—typically men who have sex with men, who use methamphetamine, mephedrone or GHB | Filter Magazine, USA
Canadian guideline for the clinical management of high-risk drinking and alcohol use disorder
In Canada, low awareness of evidence-based interventions for the clinical management of alcohol use disorder exists among health care providers and people who could benefit from care. To address this gap, the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse convened a national committee to develop a guideline for the clinical management of high-risk drinking and alcohol use disorder | CMAJ, Canada
Staggering increase in opioid-related deaths among people experiencing homelessness, new study finds
People experiencing homelessness account for an increasing proportion of fatal opioid-related deaths in Ontario, Canada, reaching one in six such deaths by 2021, according to new research from ICES, Western University and Lawson Health Research Institute | Medical Xpress, Canada
Apparent consumption of alcohol in Australia
The Apparent consumption of alcohol in Australia report uses data from a range of sources, including excise data, import clearance records and financial information, to estimate the total amount of alcohol made available to people living in Australia every financial year. Annual data is presented for total volumes and volumes per capita at the National level. Estimates are disaggregated into the beverage types of beer, wine, spirits, and cider | AIHW, Australia
Kava sales in supermarkets draws fire from critic, but importer backs 'alternative to alcohol'
A Fijian-Australian has criticised the sale of a traditional drug from the Pacific Islands in Australia, but others are supporting the practice | abc.net.au, Australia
Victoria prepares to launch medicinal cannabis driving trial
Medicinal cannabis users will be able to get behind the wheel on closed roads as part of a trial to assess the impact the drug has on their driving ability, under new laws introduced to Victorian parliament | Yahoo News, Australia
Global State Of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR) Raises Alarm On FCTC COP10 Decisions
The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR) has released a new briefing paper, which should be alarming to the New Zealand Government delegation about to head off to the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control COP10 meeting in Panama | SCOOP, New Zealand
Blogs, comment and opinion
Scotland, European Capital of Overdoses, Will Open A Drug Consumption Room
On September 27th, a joint committee formed by NHS and city council officers approved a plan to implement Scotland’s first legal drug consumption room. The plan is to have the facility operational by April next year, with funding guaranteed by the Scottish government until 2027 for evaluation of the pilot programme. The Scottish government will make £2.3 million available a year to execute this project | Talking Drugs, UK
Autumn Statement Submission October 2023 (PDF)
We welcome the chance to make a representation to the forthcoming Autumn Statement. Raising alcohol duty is identified as one of the ‘best buy’ policies to tackle the exorbitant costs linked to treating non-communicable diseases (NCDs). With rates of alcohol harm increasing across the UK, now is more important than ever to take fiscal steps to prevent harm and protect public finances | IAS, UK
Response to Ministry of Justice Consultation on Diversionary and Community Cautions in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022
Release has responded to the Ministry Of Justice’s Consultation: Diversionary and Community Cautions, Draft Code of Practice, Part 6 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 | Release, UK
Cannabis legalisation: what does the emerging evidence say?
Lots of arguments get thrown around when it comes to recreational cannabis legalisation, with claims that usage goes down and mental health outcomes improve. But, what does the literature say currently? With US states continuing to legalise and more European countries joining in on recreational reform, it is worth examining the current bank of evidence. We need to understand what we may still have to consider when it comes to policy implementation | Volteface, UK
EU bureaucrats plotting to use WHO treaty to sideline European Parliament on tobacco harm reduction
The Commission is trying to use the forthcoming FCTC COP-10 meeting to endorse anti-harm-reduction measures and to evade democratic scrutiny | Counterfactual, UK