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Daily news - 3rd April 2024

UK news

DDN April 2024 - out now

In this issue we look at alternatives to custodial sentences, the opportunities for successful diversion schemes, and the positive impact of moving away from short sentences. Our contributors this month also provide vital knowledge – on the trauma suffered by many veterans who find themselves self-medicating with alcohol and drugs; on neurodivergent conditions; on safe spaces for women; and on ways to connect with peer support and recovery communities | DDN, UK

Drug Testing on Arrest (DToA): programme data

A summary of the activity of the Drug Testing on Arrest (DToA) programme since its launch in March 2022. Updated with data up to December 2023 | Home Office, UK

Council considers introducing minimum alcohol price

Sunderland City Council has launched a public consultation after being urged by its public health team to look at implementing a minimum price locally | BBC, UK

SDF undertakes innovative work in drug checking

Sunday 31 March was International Drug Checking Day but Scotland still lacks the drug checking services which would allow people who are going to use drugs to first check what the drugs they have been sold actually contain | SDF, UK

Are nitazenes the tip of the iceberg? - video

Rob and Jamie discuss the latest news regarding synthetic opioids, including the UK government's decision to ban 14 nitazenes and reports of more fatalities in Wales associated to these substances. What impact will the latest 'crackdown' on drugs have, especially on those who use substances? | Barod, UK

Inside the ecstasy factory making pills bound for Parklife festival

Most pills are made in the Netherlands, but there’s also a cottage industry in the UK, with people knocking out pingers in spare bedrooms, garages and lock-ups | The Face, UK

People get multiple cannabis prescriptions - audit

Some people in Jersey are receiving "multiple prescriptions" of medicinal cannabis from two or more prescribers each month, an audit has found | BBC, UK

Doctor's orders: Why patients are still fighting to receive a medical cannabis prescription

Medical cannabis was legalised in 2018, but patients are still fighting to be prescribed. Sophie Church looks at whether a Labour government would make access simpler | Politics Home, UK

Professorial Lecture by Professor Andrew McAuley

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 17:00 - 19:30 BST. Glasgow Caledonian University. Join us on April 30, as Professor Andrew McAuley, gives a public lecture on the changing epidemiology of injecting drug use in Scotland over the past 25 years and its impact on related harms such as overdose and blood-borne viruses | Conferences and Events, UK

International news

Oregon passes law recriminalising drug possession

The law rolls back an experimental policy - the most liberal drug measure in the US - that made possession for personal use a ticketed offense with a fine up to $100 (£76). The new legislation penalises those possessing small amounts of drugs with probation, and up to 180 days in jail | BBC, UK

Biden administration US ban on menthol cigarettes delayed

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's proposal to ban menthol flavored cigarettes in the United States faced another setback, according to anti-tobacco advocates who noted that White House officials have missed another deadline to issue a final rule on a ban | Mail Online, UK

High tide: why are cocaine bricks washing up on Sydney beaches?

More than 250kg of the class-A drug has been found on NSW beaches since December as soaring Australian demand drives the illegal trade | Guardian, UK

Mid West Regional Drugs & Alcohol Forum: Small Grants 2024

The Mid West Regional Drugs & Alcohol Forum invites applications for once-off Small Grant funding from Community, Cultural, and Voluntary groups that are not eligible for funding from another source. Projects must be based in the Mid-West area (Clare, Limerick City & County and North Tipperary). Applications for grants (min. €500 & max. €2,000) should be directly relevant to the MWRDAF as per the National Drugs Strategy | ActiveLink, Ireland

E-cigarette use linked to increased risk of heart failure, large study finds

People who use e-cigarettes are significantly more likely to develop heart failure compared with those who have never used them, according to one of the largest prospective studies to date investigating possible links between vaping and heart failure. The findings are being presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session | News Medical, USA

Study finds e-cigarette users now more likely to quit traditional cigarettes

A new paper in Nicotine & Tobacco Research finds that smokers who switch to electronic cigarettes are now more likely to stop smoking regular cigarettes. In the past, smokers who began using electronic cigarettes mostly continued smoking. The paper is titled, "Divergence in cigarette discontinuation rates by use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS): Longitudinal findings from the U.S. PATH Study Waves 1-6." | Medical Express, USA

Target trial emulation for comparative effectiveness research with observational data: Promise and challenges for studying medications for opioid use disorder

[Open access] Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) increase retention in care and decrease mortality during active treatment; however, information about the comparative effectiveness of different forms of MOUD is sparse. Observational comparative effectiveness studies are subject to many types of bias; a robust framework to minimize bias would improve the quality of comparative effectiveness evidence. This paper discusses the use of target trial emulation as a framework to conduct comparative effectiveness studies of MOUD with administrative data | Addiction, USA

Telehealth may help people stick with alcoholism treatment

Alcoholics who receive treatment through telehealth were more likely to engage in more therapy visits and stick to anti-alcohol medication longer than those who venture out for alcohol use disorder therapy, researchers found | Medical Xpress, USA

More women are drinking themselves sick: The Biden administration is concerned

When Karla Adkins looked in the rear-view mirror of her car one morning nearly 10 years ago, she noticed the whites of her eyes had turned yellow | Medical Xpress, USA

Wastewater study sheds light on tracking cannabis use challenges

In a recent study published in the journal Water Research, researchers discussed the progress in wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) of cannabis use | News Medical, USA

Core elements of recovery among those with direct lived experience

There are many pathways to recovery from substance use disorder, but do all recovery pathways lead to the same destination?  Examining over 9,000 individuals, this study sought to understand the shared markers of success in the recovery process | Recovery Research Institute, USA

We aim to systematically review and meta-analyze the effectiveness and safety of psychedelics [psilocybin, ayahuasca (active component DMT), LSD and MDMA] in treating symptoms of various mental disorders. Web of Science, Embase, EBSCO, and PubMed were searched up to February 2024 and 126 articles were finally included. Results showed that psilocybin has the largest number of articles on treating mood disorders (N=28), followed by ayahuasca (N=7) and LSD (N=6) | Psychiatry Research, USA

New Hampshire Is Weighing Harsher Fentanyl Punishments

New Hampshire is weighing a series of bills that would increase punishments for fentanyl-related activity, introducing new mandatory minimum sentences. Republican lawmakers are working to advance the bills. Opponents warn they will be counterproductive and harmful | Filter Magazine, USA

Ontario's top doctor calls for decriminalization, limits on legal substances

Dr. Kieran Moore also wants province to explore value of raising legal drinking age from 19 to 21 | CBC News, Canada

Surge in drug testing services in 2023: 'Honest conversations' about drug use

The NZ Drug Foundation has seen a surge in use of their substance checking services, with a 51 percent increase on the year before. It tested 2602 samples at 98 clinics in 2023 and its latest drug checking report found nearly one in five drugs checked were different to what people thought they had | RNZ, New Zealand

Blogs, comment and opinion

The Sick-Quitter Effect: Alcohol-related death has been underestimated over the last 30 years

The relationship between alcohol use and risk of death has been studied widely, and often a J-shaped risk curve is found, where low-level drinkers appear to have decreased risk compared to non-drinkers, and heavy drinkers the highest risk. But many of these studies have not accounted for a critical issue called the ‘sick-quitter effect’. In our new study, we summarised the evidence on alcohol and risk of death in evidence reviews that have been conducted globally, with a focus on the methods that were used | IAS blog, UK

Drugs are costing the lives of too many prisoners

In prison, drugs kill. HMP Parc, a private prison in Wales managed by G4S, has seen six inmate deaths over a period of three weeks. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO), the official body tasked with investigating deaths in prisons, soon realised that ‘at least’ two of those deaths were drug-related | Spectator, UK

Galleries are a Safe Space for people with Lived Experience of Alcohol-related Harm

Can an art gallery provide a safe space for people with lived experience of alcohol-related harm? Read this blog and discover the unique long-term partnership between the National Galleries of Scotland and homelessness charity Rowan Alba | National Galleries, UK

German lager was once my downfall. My advice to Brits going to Euro 2024 – don’t do as I once did

The Foreign Office has warned football fans that the beer may be stronger than they think. I say focus on quality, not quantity | Guardian opinion, UK

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