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Daily news - 1st August 2024 |
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UK news
Developing drug driving statistics
An initial feasibility study exploring drugs present in motor vehicle drivers and riders killed in reported road collisions, updated with data to 2022 | DoT, UK
Expanding our understanding of long-term trends in alcohol abstention and consumption in England (2001–19) using two age–period–cohort approaches
[Open access] Alcohol consumption has decreased in England in recent decades, while alcohol-specific death rates have remained relatively stable. Age–period–cohort (APC) models offer the potential for understanding these paradoxical trends. This study aimed to use an APC model approach to measure long-term trends in alcohol abstention and consumption in England from 2001 to 2019 | Addiction, UK
Gateshead supports campaign to fight stigma around addiction in our region
Gateshead Council is working alongside the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB) to share a message about stigma and addiction across the region. Stigma Kills is a campaign created by the NHS Addictions Provider Alliance, a collaborative of addiction services working to ensure quality, knowledge, and care in addiction services across the UK. The digital campaign asks the public, as well as health and social care workers, to 'see the person, hear their story.' | Gateshead Council, UK
Drugs: Rehabilitation
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing harm reduction centres for drug users | They work for you, UK
Nitazenes: Misuse
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to (a) tackle the use of nitazenes and (b) help ensure that drug users are safe in the context of trends in the use of those drugs | They work for you, UK
Nitazenes: Misuse
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to help reduce the use of (a) nitazenes and (b) other illicit substances in areas where there is growing use of such synthetic substances | They work for you, UK
Anti-social Behaviour and Drugs: Newcastle-under-Lyme
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to help tackle (a) anti-social behaviour and (b) drug use in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency | They work for you, UK
Teletech launches drug safety video ahead of this weekend's festival
The Manchester-based promoter has joined forces with Azyr, Rebekah and The Loop to ensure the well-being of festival-goers | MixMag, UK
Let's talk e-cigarettes - podcast
Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Associate Professor Nicola Lindson discuss the new evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Professor Jamie Brown. Jamie Brown is Professor of Behavioural Science and Director of the Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group at University College London... His particular focus is on real-world monitoring and evaluation of national tobacco control and alcohol policies, events and stop smoking treatments including e-cigarettes and nicotine replacement therapy | University of Oxford, UK
Digital as a Human Right
Thursday, August 8 · 10am - 12pm GMT+1. Sharing knowledge of Digital Lifelines Scotland projects | DRNS, UK
Heroin in 2024: Trends and Treatment
Wednesday, September 11 · 1 - 5pm GMT+1. London Metropolitan University. Expert led discussion on heroin: Current trends, novel treatment & critical policy. Essential for practitioners & policymakers | Drug Science, UK
2024 MCA Quality Improvement Prize
Closes: 2 September 2024. This competition is open to all qualified doctors in any specialty working in the UK, in any non-consultant training grade. You should report a completed audit, clinical governance or quality improvement project on an alcohol-related health harm topic and reflect current best practice guidelines/evidence. The topic can reflect the full range of interventions from prevention to detection to treatment. The MCA QI Prize is held every 2 years | MCA, UK
Convicted: Ringleader of gang which attempted to smuggle cocaine worth £11 million in bananas
The ringleader of an organised crime group which attempted to smuggle 139 kilos of cocaine into the UK hidden in a consignment of bananas has been convicted | NCA, UK
Gang found guilty over county lines drug network
Members of a drug dealing network across the Midlands and East of England have been convicted after a five-week trial | BBC, UK
Illegal vapes and tobacco worth £200k found in raids
More than £200,000 worth of illegal tobacco, cigarettes and vapes has been seized in raids at off licenses in Bournemouth | BBC, UK
International news
New GSTHR Briefing Paper explores how social workers could help tackle smoking through tobacco harm reduction
A new Briefing Paper from the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction, a project from UK-based public health agency Knowledge·Action·Change (K·A·C), calls for social workers to be given the tools to promote tobacco harm reduction as a means to reverse the high smoking rates found in many of the populations with whom they interact | GSTHR, UK
Alcohol-Specific Inpatient Diagnoses in Germany: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Analysis of Primary and Secondary Diagnoses from 2012 to 2021
[Open access] Our study aimed to a) describe the distribution of hospital discharges with primary and secondary alcohol-specific diagnoses by sex and age group, and b) describe how the number of hospital discharges with primary and secondary alcohol-specific diagnoses have changed across different diagnostic groups (categorized by primary International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision [ICD-10] diagnosis) over time | Addiction, UK
Impact of opioid overdoses on US life expectancy and years of life lost, by demographic group and stimulant co-involvement: a mortality data analysis from 2019 to 2022
[Open access] The United States’ opioid crisis is worsening, with the number of deaths reaching 81,806 in 2022 after more than tripling over the past decade. This study aimed to comprehensively characterize changes in burden of opioid overdose mortality in terms of life expectancy reduction and years of life lost between 2019 and 2022, including differential burden across demographic groups and the contribution of polysubstance use | Lancet, USA
Dual use of vaping and smoking quadruples lung cancer risk, Ohio State study finds
People who both vape and smoke are four times more likely to develop lung cancer than people who just smoke, according to new study published by The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) and College of Public Health. These findings were consistent across gender and race | News Medical, USA
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration finds increase in nicotine vaping, treatment uptake
Almost 23% of adults reported having any mental disorder last year, according to a report released from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration | Medical Xpress, USA
Biden administration should push for addiction medication in recovery houses, groups say
The Biden administration isn’t doing enough to ensure people living in recovery housing have access to gold-standard addiction medications like methadone and buprenorphine, according to a coalition of health care, harm reduction, and addiction recovery groups | STAT News, USA
Why do men with drinking problems change their behavior? A qualitative study nested in a randomized controlled trial in India
[Open access] Interviews with participants in a trial in India which found lay counselling effective for heavy drinkers reveal why simply making treatment accessible is important: for some participants, “trial procedures themselves, i.e., screening, recruitment [and] meeting with the primary care doctor” were “sufficient to kick-start the process of change.” | Alcohol, USA
Cannabinoid Cannabigerol reduces anxiety and stress in first human clinical trial
A lesser-known cannabinoid that is gaining in popularity, Cannabigerol (CBG), effectively reduced anxiety in a clinical trial without the intoxication typically associated with whole plant cannabis. It may even have some memory enhancing effects, according to a new study in Scientific Reports | Medical Xpress, USA
Pregnant Oklahoman using medical marijuana doesn’t constitute fetus neglect, rules court
The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ruled this month that if a pregnant woman uses her legally prescribed medical marijuana, it doesn’t mean she’s committing neglect against the fetus | Washington Times, USA
Interpol Operation Nabs 206 Suspects, Seizes Drugs Worth $1.6B
Police across Europe, South America, and Africa detained over 200 individuals and seized US$1.6 billion worth of illegal drugs and precursor chemicals during a two-month anti-narcotics operation, Interpol announced on Tuesday | OCCRP, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Chronic Cocaine Induced Bradycardia: a Contributor to Drug Related Deaths? (PDF)
The use of wearable devices and monitors to measure physiological markers such as heart rate and respiration, and detect potential drug overdose, is an area of development in the UK and North America where drug-related deaths are high. Whilst testing a smartwatch to refine the algorithm to detect potential overdose, we observed some unexpected, but clinically important findings... | University of Stirling et al, UK
U.S. Sentencing Commission Comment Letter
Richard Nixon announced the War on Drugs in 1971 and, in doing so, perpetuated an ongoing rhetoric and myth of Black criminality. Ronald Reagan escalated the impact of this policy by prioritizing punishment over treatment, thereby causing a significant increase in the incarcerated population, especially for nonviolent drug offenses. Over a dozen organizations joined MAPS in sending letters to the United States Sentencing Commission, urging a review and revision of the Drug Quantity and Drug Conversion Tables | MAPS, USA