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Daily news - 14th August 2024 |
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UK news
What action does the public think the government should take on tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food?
England’s high burden of preventable ill health is still being driven by three leading risk factors: tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food. Over the past decade, the government has focused on supporting individuals to change their behaviour, rather than taking population-level action to minimise people’s exposure to these risk factors in the first place, such as through marketing regulation, fiscal policy and licensing. But both approaches – population-level action and individual support – are needed if this burden of preventable ill health is to be successfully reduced | Health Foundation, UK
Needle Exchange Surveillance Initiative (NESI): Monitoring blood-borne viruses and injecting risk behaviours among people who inject drugs in Scotland, 2008–09 to 2022–23
The aim of the Needle Exchange Surveillance Initiative is to measure and monitor the prevalence of blood-borne viruses (hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV), other health harms, risk behaviours and uptake of harm reduction and health services among people who inject drugs in Scotland | Public Health Scotland, UK
IARD launches resources to support workplace alcohol policies
One in three (34%) employers say staff socialising in person is important given the increase in hybrid working. Three in four (73%) companies have more generations in their workforce than ever before. But four in five (79%) employers do not have policies on responsible alcohol consumption in the workplace and eight out of 10 (81%) do not have guidance on inclusive social events. IARD launches new resources to support the development of alcohol in the workplace policies and tools for line-managers | IARD, UK
Nurse hails hospital quit scheme after vape switch
A hospital worker has said he feels "tons better and healthier" after ditching cigarettes in favour of vaping, as figures showed one in 10 adults in the UK were now using e-cigarettes | BBC, UK
What should we do about vaping? - audio
Richard was 10 when he started smoking, and by the age of 35, he had given up on giving up smoking. But thanks to vaping he quit, almost by accident, in just a few months | BBC Sounds, UK
Man rushed to A&E after ‘trapped gas’ turned out to be collapsed lung from chain vaping
A super-fit gym goer was forced to crawl to A&E in agony after a bout of trapped wind turned out to be a collapsed lung caused by chain vaping | Metro, UK
Breaking down barriers – our Peterborough service is bringing support to some of the country’s most vulnerable women
Luci Weir leads EWE (Empowering Women Everywhere), the Vulnerable Women’s Project at Change Grow Live’s Aspire Recovery Service in Peterborough. She explains how just one of the activities, the Wildflowers outreach clinic, is breaking down barriers to support some of the country’s most vulnerable women | Change Grow Live, UK
Via and Shannon Trust provide life-changing literacy and numeracy project in Barking and Dagenham
We’re excited to announce that Via and Shannon Trust have been working together to help residents of Barking and Dagenham who struggle with reading and everyday numeracy | v-i-a, UK
International news
Boaters in Florida find 56 pounds of barnacle-covered cocaine
Boaters off the coast of Florida this week spotted a bundle of 56 pounds worth of cocaine with a street value $625,000, according to local police | Independent, UK
New Zealand charity unknowingly gives out sweets with lethal levels of meth
Up to 400 people received parcels that could contain the contaminated lolly as police open a criminal investigation | Guardian, UK
Inmates' health monitored after suspected overdoses at Portlaoise Prison
It comes three weeks after the Irish Prison Service issued an urgent drug alert across all prisons following the detection of nitazine, which can result in a fatal overdose | RTe, Ireland
More than €10m worth of cocaine seized at Dublin Port
Investigators attached to Revenue and the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau seized the cocaine on Tuesday | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Cork & Kerry Recovery Walk 2024 - FREE EVENT
Sun, 29 Sep 2024 12:00 - 16:00 GMT+1. Join us for the first ever Cork & Kerry Recovery Walk on September 29th, 2024! This inspiring event is a celebration of Addiction Recovery | Cork & Kerry Recovery Academy, Ireland
Most People Who Use Marijuana Obtain It From Licensed Retailers, New Survey Finds
Among cannabis consumers in states with legalization laws, nearly 8 in 10 say they purchase all or most of their marijuana from licensed retailers—seemingly supporting advocates’ arguments that enacting regulated markets can detract from illicit sellers | Marijuana Moment, USA
Comparative Safety of In Utero Exposure to Buprenorphine Combined With Naloxone vs Buprenorphine Alone
This observational study noted similar and, in some instances, more favorable neonatal and maternal outcomes for pregnancies exposed to buprenorphine combined with naloxone compared with buprenorphine alone | JAMA Network Open, USA
Less sleep and later bedtime in childhood linked to future substance use
A good night's sleep is essential for children's health and development, but childhood sleep patterns may also be linked to future substance use. A new study, led by a team of Penn State researchers, has found that adolescents were more likely to have consumed alcohol or tried marijuana by age 15 if they went to bed later and slept fewer hours during childhood and adolescence | Medical Xpress, USA
E-Cigarette Nicotine Delivery Among Young Adults by Nicotine Form, Concentration, and Flavor
In this crossover randomized clinical trial of 72 participants aged 21 to 25 years who used e-cigarettes, salt-based (vs freebase) nicotine resulted in higher nicotine intake after both 5-minute standardized and 30-minute ad libitum vaping, particularly at 5% (vs 1%) nicotine. Compared with freebase nicotine, nicotine salts yielded more positive subjective effects ratings and intense puffing behaviors, and menthol (vs tobacco) flavor yielded more positive subjective effects ratings | JAMA Network Open, USA
Gender affirming harm reduction: a toolkit for syringe service programs
The purpose of this living document is to assist service providers in better understanding the needs of the TGNCNB community when utilizing Syringe Service Programs (SSPs). This toolkit is a source of information and is not meant to be read all the way through in one sitting. The goal is to utilize each component of the kit as both a learning document and as a place to come back to with questions | National Harm Reduction Coalition et al, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
‘Bristol can lead the way in pushing for legalising cannabis’
Cannabis is now legally regulated in a growing number of countries around the world, but the UK is being left behind | Bristol Cable, UK
Limits on bar/tavern hours of sale: an important tool in a violence prevention toolbox?
In the United States, Baltimore, Maryland has long held the unfortunate distinction of being one of the cities with the highest violent crime rates. When one Baltimore neighborhood experienced a persistently high burden of homicides and assaults, legislators tried an often-overlooked strategy: Reducing the hours that bars/taverns could sell alcohol | IAS blog, UK
Mpondoland Cannabis Growers Left Out to Dry
Six years after the Constitutional Court judgment, small-scale dagga growers are sliding deeper into poverty while businesses profit in South Africa’s “cowboy” cannabis industry | Talking Drugs, UK