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Daily news - 26th October 2023

UK news

Guidance - Substance misuse: providing remote and in-person interventions

This guidance has been updated to provide more detail on the appropriate use of remote and in-person interventions, especially for vulnerable people | OHID, UK

[Open access] In England, the proportion of 13–15 year-olds who have ever drunk alcohol fell from 71% in 1999 to 35% in 2019. Despite substantial research literature studying this decline, we know little about connections with concurrent shifts in wider aspects of health and wellbeing. This paper aims to identify how indicators of health and wellbeing cluster within 15-year-olds in England, identify changes in clustering over time, and explore associations with sex and family affluence | Preventive Medicine Reports, UK

Healthcare in Remote and Rural Areas: SHAAP consultation response

Alcohol harms are one of Scotland’s most pressing public health and social issues, evidenced by the latest alcohol death figures from the National Records for Scotland (NRS). The figures show an increase from 1,245 alcohol-specific deaths in 2021 to 1,276 in 2022. Additionally, in 2021/22, there were 35,187 alcohol-related hospital stays. This means that every day in Scotland, more than 3 people lose their lives and almost 100 more are hospitalised because of alcohol | SHAAP, UK

Darkest before the Dawn: our manifesto for the night time economy 2024 (PDF)

This document lays out key recommendations that address critical issues such as licensing regulations, community engagement, safety measures, and the promotion of cultural diversity. It calls for a paradigm shift in how policy makers and Ministers perceive and support the industry, advocating for a more collaborative, forward-thinking, and inclusive approach | NTIA, UK

Cannabis regulation among island illegal drugs review suggestions

The regulation of cannabis is among suggestions in a review on reducing the harms of illegal drugs on the Isle of Man | BBC, UK

Over-supervised, Under-dosed

This is the second column from the drugs team at Release, where every other month we are putting forward a new case study from our advocacy work to share with others in the sector. Our hope is to spotlight some of the difficulties people face in treatment and shine a light on how people might advocate, both for each other and themselves. This time we are writing with Allie, a patient who reached out to Release for support with her pick-ups and under-dosing | DDN, UK

Humankind opens its first employment focussed drug and alcohol support service in South London

Humankind has launched its first-ever London employment-focused drug and alcohol support service in the boroughs of Lambeth, Lewisham, and Southwark | DDN, UK

Smoking

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is reduce the prevalence of smoking | They work for you, UK

Electronic Cigarettes: Health Hazards

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has considered the potential merits of including in statutory guidance on relationships, sex and health education a requirement for pupils to be taught about the health risks associated with e-cigarettes and vapes | They work for you, UK

Script assist 2.0: in conversation with Arjun Rajyagor

Q&A with the brainchild of UK medical cannabis prescription platform Script Assist | Volteface, UK

Bianca Williams: Two Met officers sacked over athlete search gross misconduct

The hearing found the two sacked officers - PC Jonathan Clapham and PC Sam Franks - lied about smelling cannabis in Mr Dos Santos' car and so had breached professional standards of police behaviour in relation to honesty and integrity | BBC, UK

Warning after vapes containing Spice drug seized in Selby

Police have issued a warning after reports of children as young as 12 being supplied with vapes containing the illegal synthetic drug Spice | BBC, UK

International news

Extended difficulties following the use of psychedelic drugs: A mixed methods study

[Open access] Long-term adverse experiences following psychedelic use can persist for weeks, months, or even years, and are relatively unexplored in psychedelic research. Our convergent mixed-method study gained quantitative and qualitative data from 608 participants who reported extended difficulties following psychedelic experiences | PLOS One, UK

Lives at risk unless NSW introduces drug testing before festival season, health groups warn

Minns government urged to introduce pill testing trial to ensure the safety of partygoers | Guardian, UK

‘Low sugar’ labels on alcohol are misleading and should be axed, Australian peak health bodies say

Exclusive: ‘All alcohol products increase the risk of cancer, regardless of their sugar or carbohydrate content,’ Cancer Council says | Guardian, UK

Vaping promotion at shops and on social media exposing young Australians to practise, study finds

Results fly in face of general ban on e-cigarette advertising and come as number of vape stores continues to increase | Guardian, UK

GAA star Luke Loughlin on cocaine addiction and drugs in rural Ireland | Upfront with Katie Hannon - video

Westmeath footballer Luke Loughlin speaks to Upfront with Katie Hannon about his battle with cocaine addiction and the issues with drug use in rural communities | RTe, Ireland

Smoke-free generation by 2040: Belgium steps up campaign against tobacco

In a move that aims to step up Belgium's battle against smoking, Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke announced on Tuesday a series of measures that will curtail tobacco companies and ban outright the display of tobacco products | Brussels Times, Belgium

Treating amphetamine use disorder with stimulants: An encouraging new approach

A new study has found that it may be possible to use stimulants to treat stimulant use disorder. People with amphetamine-type stimulant use disorder who are treated with prescription psychostimulants such as methylphenidate and dextroamphetamine (commonly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)) may lower both their craving and stimulant use, especially if such treatments are administered at high doses | Medical Xpress, USA

Study finds most young people have been exposed to vaping ads, despite restrictions

Three quarters of young Australians who are aware of vaping have seen e-cigarette advertising, according to a new study by The George Institute for Global Health. The research findings were published in the journal Tobacco Induced Diseases | Medical Xpress, USA

Prince Edward Island Overdose Prevention Site Stalled Indefinitely

Prince Edward Island, Canada, does not intend to appeal the veto of a proposed overdose prevention site (OPS), issued by Charlottetown councilmembers in September. CBC News reported that provincial authorities confirmed on October 19 there are no current plans to look for another location | Filter Magazine, USA

Off-duty pilot accused of trying to shut off airliner’s engines mid-flight said he took ‘magic mushrooms’ 48 hours before the incident, court documents say

The off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot accused of attempting to disable a plane’s engines mid-flight told investigators he believed he was dreaming and had taken “magic mushrooms” 48 hours before the incident, according to state court records obtained by CNN | CNN, USA

Blogs, comment and opinion

Crack vaccine research we did on rats could help babies of mothers who use cocaine – and reduce addiction

The most recent statistics put the number of regular cocaine or crack cocaine users in the world at 20 million. Of these, one in four will become addicted or develop use disorders | Conversation, UK

“They’re not change-resistant, they’re change-terrified!”

A new handbook, jointly published by Alcohol Change UK and Recovery Cymru, shows how peer support can make all the difference for people who are struggling to escape an alcohol problem | Alcohol Change UK blog, UK

How to start reducing your risk of breast cancer

Whelan Barzey, Communications Officer at Breast Cancer UK, writes about the link between breast cancer and alcohol | Drinkaware blog, UK

The war on vaping is bad for our health

A crackdown on e-cigarettes will do far more harm than good | Spiked, UK

Adele called herself a ‘borderline alcoholic’. But is that a real thing?

British singer-songwriter Adele says she has quit drinking, describing herself as a “borderline alcoholic” when she was in her 20s. She joins a growing number of people who are trying to quit or reduce their drinking. But what does “borderline alcoholic” mean and is it a real thing? | Conversation, Australia

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