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Daily news - 14th September 2023 |
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UK news
UK government will not block Scots drug room pilot
The UK government will not block plans for a drug consumption room pilot in Scotland, the Scottish secretary has confirmed. Alister Jack said Westminster would not intervene, but that there were no plans to devolve drugs laws to Holyrood | BBC, UK
England's only antidepressant withdrawal helpline to close
England's only NHS helpline for coming off antidepressants is to close, after the health service withdrew funding.In March, NHS England said local health services should support people struggling to come off these drugs. But the closure of the Bristol Tranquilliser Project will leave no nationwide services, its head says | BBC, UK
Dangerous Drugs
I beg to move, That the draft Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Amendment) Order 2023, which was laid before this House on 5 September, be approved. The order proposes an amendment to paragraph 1(a) of part 3 of schedule 2 to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 to bring nitrous oxide under the control of that Act as a class C drug | They work for you, UK
Drug Deaths
The next item of business is a statement by Elena Whitham on drug deaths. The minister will take questions at the end of her statement, so there should be no interventions or interruptions | They work for you, UK
Cannabis: Prescription Pot Luck? - video
Since it was legalised five years ago hardly any patients in the UK have been prescribed medical cannabis. Used to treat a number of medical conditions, the Government has been accused of misleading the public over its availability on the NHS. Campaigners say an exception has been made for a few patients but others are being forcing to fund it themselves, go without or turn to the black market | BBC, UK
How does finding connection prevent drug deaths? The Ferret investigates…the health gap podcast, part two
If it wasn’t for safer injecting sites I wouldn’t be alive today that’s for sure because I wouldn’t be able to stay alive long enough to hit bottom – to have a moment of clarity where I was able to say ‘I don’t want to do this any more’. “ Trey Helton, manager of the Overdose Prevention Society in Vancouver | The Ferret, UK
86. Diamorphine Assisted Treatment with Danny Ahmed - podcast
In this episode, Jo Neil, and Hannah Thurger are joined by Danny Ahmed, a highly experienced Registered Mental Health Nurse and Integrated Psychotherapist with over two decades of expertise. Together, they delve into a comprehensive discussion on a variety of harm reduction techniques | Drug Science, UK
Why the government ban on nos won’t work
By the end of 2023, laughing gas will be treated as a Class-C controlled substance, which could result in two years in prison for possessing nos and 14 years for supplying it. What’s the point? | The Face, UK
Forward Trust Patron HRH The Princess of Wales meets families impacted by addiction at HMP High Down event
The Forward Trust was delighted to welcome our Royal Patron, HRH The Princess of Wales, to HMP High Down in Surrey on Tuesday 12th September | The Forward Trust, UK
We are now the Centre for Evidence Based Drug Policy!
After four successful years as the CDPRG, we are relaunching as the Centre for Evidence Based Drug Policy. We are opening up a new chapter in our push for evidence based drug policies in the UK. Our new name reflects our work with all parties, and emphasises our conviction that drug policy is a non-partisan issue, fundamentally rooted in public health and urgently needing reform | Centre for Evidence Based Drug Policy, UK
Llanelli: Protest against drug treatment centre near playground
Protesters claim an area which includes a playground could become dangerous for children if a drug addiction treatment centre is built | BBC, UK
International news
France sets out plan to ban disposable vapes
France is set to ban disposable e-cigarettes - known locally as "puffs" - because of the danger they pose to the environment and public health. Speaking recently on RTL radio, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne said the measure was part of a new anti-smoking plan being drawn up by the government. It should be in force by the end of the year, campaigners said | BBC, UK
Number of vapes seized in NSW increases by 500% in three years as state clamps down on ‘alarming trend’
Exclusive: More than 182,000 vapes were seized by NSW Health last year and the number of inspections more than doubled | Guardian, UK
Fentanyl, cartels or simple market glut: what’s behind collapse of Colombia’s coca market?
As the price of coca has slumped, the rural families who depend on the shrub are wondering how they’re going to get by | Guardian, UK
New report shows Europe as key transhipment area for captagon bound for Arabian Peninsula
Europe is a key transhipment point for captagon arriving from the Middle East and bound for the Arabian Peninsula. This is the main finding of a new report published today by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and the German Federal Criminal Police Office, the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) | EMCDDA, Portugal
Captagon trafficking and the role of Europe
This report examines the role of Europe in the production and trafficking of captagon tablets. It includes an historical background, current production and trafficking, seizures, the consumer market, production within the EU, forensic analysis and purported links to terrorism. The report is the culmination of operational action 1.2 of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) Synthetic Drugs and NPS operational action plan of 2022, ‘Improve and analyse the criminal intelligence picture on the production and trafficking of captagon tablets and the role of Europe’ | EMCDDA, Portugal
Charting the fourth wave: Geographic, temporal, race/ethnicity and demographic trends in polysubstance fentanyl overdose deaths in the United States, 2010–2021
The percent of US overdose deaths involving both fentanyl and stimulants increased from 0.6% in 2010 to 32.3% in 2021, with the sharpest rise starting in 2015. In 2010, fentanyl was most commonly found alongside prescription opioids, benzodiazepines, and alcohol. In the Northeast this shifted to heroin-fentanyl co-involvement in the mid-2010s, and nearly universally to cocaine-fentanyl co-involvement by 2021. Universally in the West, and in the majority of states in the South and Midwest, methamphetamine-fentanyl co-involvement predominated by 2021 | Addiction, USA
Study finds high rates of depression and anxiety in people who use both tobacco and cannabis
People who use both tobacco and cannabis are more likely to report anxiety and depression than those who used tobacco only or those who used neither substance, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Nhung Nguyen of the University of California, San Francisco, U.S., and colleagues | Medical Xpress, USA
Economic Evaluation of Extended-Release Buprenorphine for Persons With Opioid Use Disorder
This economic evaluation, which used a state transition model to simulate a population with opioid use disorder and included cohorts of 100 000 simulated individuals in each category of intervention, found that when compared with no medication treatment, treatment with transmucosal buprenorphine yielded an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $19 740 quality-adjusted life-years gained | JAMA Network Open, USA
Blogs,comment and opinion
Scotland is now free to defy the Tories’ drugs policy. This could transform the whole UK
The greenlighting of a drug consumption room in Glasgow is a big win for the SNP in its power struggle with Westminster | Guardian, UK
Should Latin America Be Concerned about Fentanyl?
In Latin American media, the tragedy of the opioid crisis and fentanyl in the United States is understood through such headlines: “Lives Interrupted by Fentanyl: What Hurts the Most Is Waking Up and Needing a Dose.” “Fentanyl: Ecuador and Neighboring Countries on the Radar of Cartels of the Feared Drug.” “Fentanyl, the Other Epidemic Advancing From China and Cannot Be Eradicated.” And most recently: “The 5 Devastating Consequences of Fentanyl, the Drug That Caused Robert De Niro’s Grandson’s Death.” | Talking Drugs, UK
Offering treatment to drug users instead of arresting them reduces crime and addiction – new research into police diversion program shows
When police get suspected drug abusers treatment rather than arresting them, those people are less likely to abuse drugs or commit drug-related crimes in the future, new, limited research finds. This kind of police intervention can help reduce opioid abuse | Conversation, USA
SA media and leaders are demonising a health condition
Some South Australian media, politicians and community leaders are stigmatising people with drug and alcohol dependency, putting barriers in the way of potentially life-saving health care, writes Michael White | In Daily opinion, Australia