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Daily news - 9th August 2024 |
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UK news
Study trialling ketamine to break alcohol addiction
A £2.5m trial is using ketamine combined with talking therapies to help people break their addiction to alcohol. The University of Exeter said it was using a licensed form of the drug and early results showed it reduced participants' drinking over a period of six months | BBC, UK
Largest ever trial of ketamine-assisted therapy for alcohol disorder now recruiting
The first patients are now being screened to see if they are eligible to take part in the £2.4 million phase III trial is led by the University of Exeter. The trial will initially be delivered at eight NHS sites across the UK | University of Exeter, UK
Recovery Housing in Scotland: Mapping and capacity survey of providers 2022/23
This report provides the findings of a mapping and capacity survey of recovery housing facilities for drug and alcohol use in Scotland | Scottish Government, UK
Drug production booming in UK's empty high streets
Organised crime groups have been targeting empty shops and pubs in town centres to grow cannabis on an industrial scale, say police bosses | BBC, UK
Question reference: S6W-28609: [Funding allocated to Alcohol and Drug Partnerships]
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether resources to support alcohol dependence recovery should match those allocated to drug addiction harm reduction services, and what measures it will take to ensure that alcohol dependence recovery receives adequate attention and resources | Scottish Parliament, UK
Impact of Alcohol Marketing on People with or at Risk of an Alcohol Problem
Thursday, August 29 · 12 - 1:15pm GMT+1. Join us for the launch of a new literature review exploring how alcohol marketing impacts those with or at risk of an alcohol problem | Alcohol Focus Scotland, UK
Young people and disposable e-cigarettes with David Hammond
In this episode Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Professor David Hammond about vaping. They discuss policy differences between the Canada, the UK and the US as well as changes relating to disposable vapes and the use of nicotine salts. They cover the environmental impact of some of these products before talking about the different choices available to policymakers when developing regulations | Alcohol Problem Podcast, UK
Supporting mid-life women who would like to reduce their alcohol consumption (SPACES project)
Oxford Brookes University are looking for women aged between 40-65 to act in an advisory role for a new research project that focuses on supporting mid-life women who would like to reduce their alcohol consumption | Oxford Brookes University, UK
Welcome to Be Part of Research
Be Part of Research enables you to find and take part in a range of health and care research. You could take part in research at a local hospital, GP practice – or even at home. It's easy to get involved. Simply sign up online and choose the health conditions you are interested in. You will be sent details of approved studies that match your interests to decide if you want to take part | NIHR, UK
Two arrested over £1m cocaine seizure in East Renfrewshire
Two men have been arrested and £1m of cocaine seized by police after a raid at a house in East Renfrewshire | BBC, UK
Dealer sentenced as drugs line shut down
A drug dealer has been jailed for three years and eight months after admitting selling crack cocaine and heroin in Worcester | BBC, UK
International news
Prevalence of problematic pharmaceutical opioid use in patients with chronic non-cancer pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) is one of the most common causes of disability globally. Opioid prescribing to treat CNCP remains widespread, despite limited evidence of long-term clinical benefit and evidence of harm such as problematic pharmaceutical opioid use (POU) and overdose. The study aimed to measure the prevalence of POU in CNCP patients treated with opioid analgesics | Addiction, UK
Portugal seeks to fine companies using national flag to sell alcohol
A probe that coincided with the last stage of the Euros football championship finds that firms were infringing the advertising code | Euronews, UK
NSW top cop Karen Webb bans taxpayer-funded alcohol gifts after scrutiny over her taxpayer-funded alcohol gifts
Investigation cleared NSW police commissioner of serious misconduct after she bought 50 bottles of gin from her friend’s distillery to give as gifts | Guardian, UK
Cocaine discovery could pave way for treatment for substance abuse
Cocaine binds to a specific transporter in the brain that is responsible for regulating dopamine levels. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have studied and described the process, producing new knowledge that may bring us a step closer to designing a drug for cocaine abuse | University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Cannabis dependence associated with increased occurrence of head and neck cancer
A study from the USC Head and Neck Center, part of Keck Medicine of USC and the USC Caruso Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, suggests that cannabis, the most commonly used illicit substance worldwide, is associated with an increased occurrence of head and neck cancer | Medical Xpress, USA
Alcohol use in older adults doubles risk of brain bleeds from falls
Nationally, falls remain the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries in older adults and are the leading cause of traumatic brain injury. In 2021, falls led to the deaths of 36,500 older adults in the United States and 3,805 older Floridians. While some studies have hypothesized that alcohol use contributed to these outcomes, there are few studies which have examined this issue | Medical Xpress, USA
New study defines relationships among heparan and chondroitin sulfate and associated proteins involved in drug abuse
A new study from researchers at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and the Scripps Research Institute reveals how altered molecules and related neurobiological mechanisms operate during substance abuse. These findings open avenues for developing new therapeutic targets and treatment strategies to improve quality of life for drug addicts | Medical Xpress, USA
Teen Cannabis Use Has Fallen Amid Legalization, CDC Data Show
Newly published results of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey show a decline in the proportion of high-school students reporting past-month marijuana use over the past decade, as dozens of states moved to legalize cannabis | Filter Magazine, USA
A woman died after an LA rehab closed last year: Why was it forced to shut down in the first place?
Jasmine Richardson had been struggling with methamphetamine and fentanyl addiction for more than a decade, but she got sober after completing a six-month program at the Teen Project's Freehab center on Sunland Boulevard in Sun Valley | Medical Xpress, USA
Methamphetamine: working with families and friends
Families and friends have long been viewed as agents of change for people with substance use issues. But they also experience their own impacts, including to their physical and psychological health. There is growing recognition of the need to incorporate family and friends into treatment and to provide support to them in their own right. This webinar explores the latest evidence on working with families and friends, and suggests how the AOD sector can better support them | NCCRED, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
We Need to Rethink Our Strategy on Cannabis in the Overdose Crisis
Opioid use disorder treatment needs to take into account evolving cannabis policies, to help give people the best chances of recovery | Scientific American, USA