Home | Archive | Weekly | Reports
Daily news - 25th October 2023 |
 |
UK news
Estimates of opiate and crack use in England: main points and methods
These estimates of opiate and/or crack users were produced by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and the UK Health Security Agency, using a revised methodology from the one used to produce the previous Estimates of opiate and crack cocaine use prevalence: 2016 to 2017 published by Public Health England. Based on the revised method, the national trend figures between 2016 to 2017 and 2019 to 2020 indicate a continuous upward trend of 5% | OHID and UKHSA, UK
Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) quarterly report
The Drugs Team at Public Health Scotland (PHS) has compiled this RADAR quarterly report of drug-related indicators. The objective of this report is to monitor drug-related harms, service usage and toxicology data, in order to provide an early warning of emerging drug trends and identify actions to reduce and prevent drug harms and deaths | Public Health Scotland, UK
Suspected drug deaths increase by 7% on last year, figures show
Drug deaths increased on the same period in 2022 with emergency department and ambulance incidents also rising | STV News, UK
Increased risk of non-fatal overdose associated with non-prescribed benzodiazepine use in Scotland, UK
Drug-related deaths (DRDs) in Scotland increased for seven years in a row between 2014 and 2020, consolidating Scotland's place at the top of the UK and European drug-related mortality charts. One of the defining features of this recent and rapid rise has been the role of benzodiazepines, which are now involved in the majority of all DRDs. These deaths are linked to use of non-prescribed, benzodiazepine-type novel psychoactive substances (NPS) which have been identified by the United Nations as a global threat to public health. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and determinants of non-prescribed benzodiazepine use and its association with recent non-fatal overdose among a national sample of people who inject drugs (PWID) | IJDP, UK
Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Health Services
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to improve support people with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder; and what steps he has taken with Cabinet colleagues to improve support for carers of people with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder | They work for you, UK
Drugs: Crime
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle the promotion of illegal body building drugs on (a) TikTok and (b) other social media platforms | They work for you, UK
Prescription Drugs: Addictions
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) guidance his Department issues and (b) processes are in place to help prevent patient addiction to prescription medicines | They work for you, UK
Earlier mental health support announced for thousands nationwide
The government has announced almost £5 million to fund 'Early Support Hubs' nationwide to deliver mental health support for children and young people | Department of Health and Social Care and Maria Caulfield MP, UK
An Educational Meeting with the NSMNMPF
Fri, 10 Nov 2023 10:00 - 15:00 GMT. King's House Conference Centre, Sidney Street Manchester M1 7HB. Following our successful event in London in May I am delighted to announce our second free educational meeting of the year in Manchester on 10th November. We will be looking at a range of topics, including hepatitis C (with Graham Parsons), the new alcohol clinical guidelines (with Hazel Jordan)and chemsex (with Philippe Bonnet) | National Substance Misuse Non-Medical Prescribing Forum, UK
The Future of Psychedelic Science with Imperial College London
Thu, 26 Oct 2023 19:00 - 20:30 BST. Join us for an online panel discussion on the present and future of psychedelics with three PhD students at Imperial College London | Drug Science, UK
Manchester 'Teflon' drugs boss who owned £250k watch jailed
A drugs boss who named a cover business Teflon Holdings "as he believed none of his crimes would stick to him" has been jailed | BBC, UK
Three charged after largest Isle of Man Class A drug seizure
Three people have been charged with serious drugs offences after Class A drugs with a street value of up £750,000 were seized by Manx police | BBC, UK
More suspected drugs wash up on Sussex coast
Police were called to Goring beach on Monday after they were alerted to suspected packages being found. Officers said the packages will be taken for forensic testing, along with the substances found in Ferring on 12 October, Middleton and Felpham on 13 October and in Selsey last week | BBC, UK
International news
The association between alcohol intake and obesity in a sample of the Irish adult population, a cross-sectional study
Obesity epidemic is one of the most serious public health challenges of the twenty-first century. Alcohol has been studied as a possible risk factor for obesity, but the evidence is discordant. This study examined the association between alcohol consumption and obesity in a sample of the Irish adult population | BMC Public Health, UK
David says ketamine was a ‘lifesaver’ for his depression. So why are many in Australia missing out?
A lack of commercial incentives to get the drug approved for treatment-resistant depression means people cannot afford it | Guardian, UK
British model jailed in Peru for trying to smuggle cocaine
A British model and TikToker has been jailed for nearly seven years in Peru after he was caught trying to smuggle cocaine out of the country | BBC, UK
Young people think vapes aren’t harmful because they are so easy to buy, study finds
More than a third of young adults are vaping and many of them are doing it even though they know vapes contain nicotine, Cancer Council data shows | Guardian, UK
First cannabis associations granted operational licence
Two cannabis associations have been granted operational licences, meaning that they can start cultivating the plant as distribution is expected to begin early next year | Malta Today, Malta
Medal of excellence for EMCDDA expert Laurent Laniel
We are delighted to announce that our colleague Laurent Laniel has been presented with the medal of excellence of the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre-Narcotics. He received the award for his professionalism, expertise, dedication and collaboration in tracking drug trafficking in the Atlantic and Mediterranean maritime domain | EMCDDA, Portugal
STASH, Vol. 19(11) – Ways to prioritize addiction-related health among autistic individuals
Autistic people are at higher risk for experiencing challenges related to substance use, alcohol use, and gambling compared to the general population. Unfortunately, there is limited research addressing the intersection between autism and addictive disorders, impeding the development of effective interventions or health policies. This week, STASH reviews a study by Julia M.A. Sinclair and colleagues that identified essential substance use, alcohol, and behavioral addiction (SABA) priorities that policymakers, researchers, and practitioners should focus on when addressing addiction-related concerns in autistic individuals | BASIS, USA
Law enforcement eyes opioid settlement cash for squad cars and body scanners
Policing expenses mount quickly: $25,000 for a law enforcement conference about fentanyl in Colorado; $18,000 for technology to unlock cellphones in Southington, Conn.; $2,900 for surveillance cameras and to train officers and canines in New Lexington, Ohio. And in other communities around the country, hundreds of thousands for vehicles, body scanners, and other equipment | NPR, USA
Canada Will Legalize Medically Assisted Dying For Eligible People Addicted to Drugs
Eligible candidates must have an extensive treatment history and won’t qualify solely based on a lack of social supports, according to Health Canada | VICE, Canada
Blogs, comment and opinion
New synthetic drugs on the RADAR
The latest report from RADAR, Scotland’s drugs early warning system, highlights the emergence of new benzodiazepines and opioids, but how does this effect harms? In this blog post, Vicki Craik from the Drugs Team at Public Health Scotland, explains how the drugs market is changing and what impact that may have on public health in Scotland | Public Health Scotland blog, UK
How substance use services can better support LGBTQ+ people
LGBTQ+ people in the UK face significant barriers to accessing substance use services, due to a number of factors, including fear of discrimination and stigma. Our research has shed light on these barriers and offers ideas for better helping this community | Conversation, UK
Artificial Intelligence and the Integrated Information Theory of Consciousness in Addiction
This article is exploratory and speculative in nature: Consciousness is not just a tiny speck in the universe; consciousness is everything. It transforms a collection of matter and energy into something profoundly meaningful. Without consciousness, the universe is a silent, unobserved landscape | Tony D'Agostino, UK