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Daily news - 11th September 2023 |
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UK news
New recovery support services and lived experience initiatives guidance
OHID has published new Recovery support services and lived experience initiatives guidance. This guidance supports alcohol and drug treatment and recovery partnerships to understand the evidence for, value of and ways to develop lived experience initiatives and recovery support services. These initiatives and services help individuals and their families sustain recovery long term. It has been written in collaboration with Dr Ed Day, National Recovery Champion and the College of Lived Experience Recovery Organisations (CLERO) | OHID, UK
Marked fall in GP prescribing of opioids, benzodiazepines and Z-drugs
There has been an ongoing fall in the use of opioids, benzodiazepines and Z-drugs in recent years, the NHS Business Services Authority said. A million fewer patients are prescribed a potentially addictive medicine in primary care compared with seven years ago, new NHS figures show. Figures from 2022/23 show 7.1 million patients prescribed a dependency forming medicine compared with 8.1 million in 2015/16 – a 12% drop | Pulse Today, UK
184,000 in UK to get preventable cancer diagnosis this year, study finds
Exclusive: Calls for crackdown on smoking, drinking and poor diet as study reveals £78bn cancer cost | Guardian, UK
What are preventable cancers and how are they prevented?
Risk factors under individuals’ control include smoking, heavy drinking, poor diet and sunburn | Guardian, UK
Number of young Londoners smoking halves in decade amid rise in vaping
New figures reveal wide differences in smoking rates across London boroughs | Evening Standard, UK
Council formally support decriminalisation of drug use
The city is understood to be the first major UK local authority to announce it is in favour of a change | STV, UK
Smoking
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of making the inclusion of advice on (a) how to quit smoking and (b) different methods of quitting smoking mandatory for all tobacco and nicotine-containing products | They work for you, UK
Smoking: Health Services
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using digital technology to support access to stop smoking services | They work for you, UK
Smoking: Health Services
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) support access to and (b) provide funding for stop smoking services | They work for you, UK
Schools: Smoking
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent guidance she has given to schools on teaching pupils about the dangers of (a) smoking and (b) vaping | They work for you, UK
Meeting of the Parliament - alcohol services[Draft]
The next item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S6M-10032, in the name of Carol Mochan, on investing in alcohol services to reduce alcohol-related harm in Scotland | Scottish Government, UK
Alcoholic Drinks: Scotland
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the report by Public Health Scotland entitled Evaluating the impact of minimum unit pricing for alcohol in Scotland, published on 27 June 2023 | They work for you, UK
Drug Deaths
To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on the steps that are being taken to reduce drug deaths in Scotland | They work for you, UK
Tories defend £350K vaping boss donation
The Conservatives have defended accepting a donation from the chief executive of a company accused of marketing vapes to children | BBC, UK
Police seized drugs worth an estimated £4m-plus between April and June
Quarterly statistics detail seizures of cannabis, cocaine, heroin and street valium, as well as a number of arrests | STV News, UK
Drug-driver killed Edinburgh nurse cycling to work at hospital
A drug-driver has been found guilty of killing a nurse who was cycling to work at the intensive care unit of Edinburgh Royal Infirmary | BBC, UK
International news
Pit bull puppy saved by California police after possible fentanyl exposure
California police administered an overdose-reversing drug to a pit bull puppy in attempts to save it from a potential fentanyl overdose | Guardian, UK
Up to 600 babies a year born in Ireland with disorder linked to mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy
Up to 600 children a year are born with one of a group of disorders due to their mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy, according to the HSE | Independent, Ireland
HSE confirms 90 drug samples taken at Electric Picnic
Some 90 drug samples were handed in to surrender bins at the Electric Picnic festival, the HSE has confirmed. Detailed analysis of the samples is underway which will give a breakdown by drug, potency range, and whether any new substances were detected | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Drugs & dissuasion: Portugal's pragmatic policy could show Ireland a path to control addiction
As the debate over decriminalisation heats up in Ireland, The Journal travelled to Lisbon to report on a different approach to drugs | Journal, Ireland
UNODC: Methamphetamine trafficking in and around Afghanistan expanding rapidly as heroin trade slows - press release
Methamphetamine trafficking in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries is surging, with a drastic, nearly twelvefold increase in seizures of the drug in five years from 2.5 tons in 2017 to 29.7 tons in 2021, according to a report published today by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). UNODC findings further suggest that heroin trafficking has continued, although at a lower rate, after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021 and introduced a drug ban in April 2022. Methamphetamine trafficking, however, has intensified since the ban, indicating a rapid expansion of the drug’s manufacture and a possible reshaping of illicit drug markets long dominated by Afghan opiates | UNODC, Austria
Understanding Illegal Methamphetamine Manufacture in Afghanistan (PDF)
This analysis examines the modalities of illegal methamphetamine manufacture in Afghanistan, highlighting risks to the region. Seizures of methamphetamine have increased from some 2.5 tons in 2017 to 29.7 tons in 2021 in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries, with an increasing share originating from Afghanistan | UNODC, Austria
Vaping e-cigarettes can be as harmful to gum and oral health as smoking traditional cigarettes
For years, it has been known that smoking can contribute to serious damage on gum and oral health, with smokers having more gum diseases, more tooth loss, and increased levels of oral cancer. It has also been known that gum disease can play a negative role on systemic health, e.g., it is implicated in diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, and others | News Medical, USA
Analyzing the new US plan to target xylazine-laced fentanyl
The lethal mixture of xylazine and fentanyl, also known as Tranq dope, may sound unfamiliar to many, but its impact is harming people who use drugs nationwide | Medical Xpress, USA
Adaptive Smoking Cessation Using Precessation Varenicline or Nicotine PatchA Randomized Clinical Trial
In this randomized clinical trial, 188 smokers chose between varenicline and nicotine patches and were then randomized to adaptive or standard treatment. Biochemically verified 30-day continuous smoking abstinence at 12 weeks after the target quit date was significantly higher for the adaptive treatment group than the standard treatment group | JAMA Network Open, USA
Colombian President proposes Latin American alliance to transform 'war on drugs'
Colombian President Gustavo Petro proposed on Saturday an alliance between Latin American countries to bring a unified voice to the fight against drug trafficking, by recognizing drug consumption as a public health problem instead of confronting it with what he called a "failed" militarized approach | Reuters, USA
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is something you need to talk about, Cheryl Dedman says
Cheryl Dedman is passionate about breaking down stigmas around a disorder she knows all too well. She has an adopted relative with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) – a lifelong condition that can impact on people's motor skills, physical health and emotional regulation | abc news, Australia
“Putting lives at risk”: experts call on Premier Chris Minns to set up pill testing trial ahead of festival season - audio
Drug experts and advocates have written an open letter to New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, calling on the state government to set up a drug testing trial before the summer festival season. The letter is backed by more than a dozen experts, practitioners and advocates across the health, legal, justice and drug sectors | Abc.net.au, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Home Affairs Committee publish their report ‘Drugs’
The Home Affairs Committee works to scrutinise the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Home Office and associated public bodies. ‘Drugs’, the third report of the 2022-23 Parliamentary session, examines recent action by the Home Office, the government’s latest drugs strategy (From Harm to Hope), alongside legal frameworks such as the Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) and the New Psychoactive Substances Act (2016) | Collective Voice blog, UK
Annie Wells: SNP must back our Bill to end drug deaths crisis
For another year, hundreds of families across Glasgow and thousands across Scotland have been devastated by the loss of a loved one to addiction. So many of our communities, like mine in Springburn, are scarred by the horrendous loss of life to drugs and alcohol | Glasgow Times, UK
Could psychedelics be useful for palliative care?
Much of the research focus on psychedelics revolves around their potential application to treatment-resistant mental health conditions such as depression and PTSD. However, could these mind opening drugs have applications in the palliative care context, helping patients with terminal diagnoses to overcome existential dread? Let’s take a look | Volteface, UK
Closure of harm reduction units in Greece: Austerity politics trumping community empowerment?
The recent decision by OKANA, the Greek government’s agency for drug services, to close seven harm reduction units, including one in Goudi (Athens), has raised serious concerns among service users, healthcare professionals and advocates. In the following lines, we delve into the implications of these closures; highlight the importance of preserving and expanding, not shrinking, harm reduction provision; and urge national and international authorities to prioritise the needs of people who use these services | IDPC blog, UK
Mums who use drugs in the UK
Anna Millington, founder of Harm Reduction Mother 2 Mother, accessed drug treatment at an NHS-led service in the UK for her drug use and her key worker suggested, “why don’t you just drink a bottle of wine every night instead? That’s what I do.” | Points blog, USA
We must end the unwitnessed safe supply of opioids
I am a doctor, and I am a parent of teenagers, and I am watching a slow-moving tragedy unfold before my eyes inBritish Columbia. And I feel compelled to speak out about it | Globe and Mail opinion, Canada