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Daily news - 21st August 2024 |
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UK news
Drug misuse deaths increase
1,172 people died due to drug misuse in 2023, according to latest statistics published by National Records of Scotland. This is an increase of 121 deaths compared with 2022 | National Records of Scotland, UK
Scotland’s drug deaths remain worst in Europe amid ‘concerning’ 12% increase
Government pledges to step up efforts to tackle problem as figures show number of deaths rose to 1,172 in 2023 | Guardian, UK
Jade saw drugs kill family and friends - then they took her life too
It is less than a year since we met Jade in Glasgow's Merchant City to hear her story. She was someone with direct and painful experience of Scotland's horrendous drug death tally – figures which are rising again, external, and remain significantly higher than those in the rest of Europe. Jade told us she had been using heroin and cocaine for years "as a coping mechanism" to block out trauma from her past | BBC, UK
Drugs and Alcohol Policy Minister receiving cancer treatment
Drugs and Alcohol Minister Policy Christina McKelvie is undergoing treatment for secondary breast cancer and will take a period of leave | Scottish Government, UK
'Thriving' drugs market at HMP Durham - inspectors
Prisoners at HMP Durham are spending too much time locked in their cells and there is a "thriving" drugs market, inspectors have found | BBC, UK
Brothers face long jail terms for drug runner murder
Two brothers have been convicted of murdering a cocaine runner who refused to give them credit | BBC, UK
International news
The Internalization of Stigma and the Shaping of the Grief Experience for Peers Bereaved by a Drug-Related Death
People who use drugs form a significant part of the community who are impacted by drug-related deaths, but their stigmatized positioning in society yields implications for their access to support and the social recognition of their grief. This project explores how the internalization of drug-related stigmas shapes the grief experience for peers bereaved by a DRD | Journal of Death and Dying, UK
Matthew Perry’s assistant found him unconscious at least twice before his death
Kenneth Iwamasa faces up to 15 years in prison if he is convicted | Independent, UK
FSI warns of public health risk from synthetic cannabis products
HHC is chemically similar to THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, but remains legal in Ireland | Irish Times, Ireland
Naloxone and Patient Outcomes in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests in California
In this cohort study of 8195 patients with OHCA treated in 3 Northern California counties between 2015 and 2023, emergency medical service administration of naloxone was associated with significantly improved outcomes. The number needed to treat with naloxone was 9 for return of spontaneous circulation and 26 for survival to hospital discharge | JAMA Network Open, USA
Methadone take-home policies and associated mortality: permitting versus non-permitting states
From having to attend the clinic near-daily to be seen taking their methadone, COVID led some US states to allow patients to attend less often and take more of their methadone at home. Despite fears of the opposite, if anything this was associated with fewer methadone-related deaths | Substance Use: Research and Treatment, USA
Study finds experts have high credibility among young adults in social media health campaigns
Researchers at UMass Chan Medical School were interested in determining how young adults perceive information about vaping e-cigarettes based on who shared that information on Instagram | Medical Xpress, USA
A compound in rosemary extract can reduce cocaine sensitivity
A team of researchers led by the University of California, Irvine has discovered that an antioxidant found in rosemary extract can reduce volitional intakes of cocaine by moderating the brain's reward response, offering a new therapeutic target for treating addiction | Medical Xpress, USA
Can the Theory of Youth Vaping as “Gateway” to Smoking Be Put to Bed?
The notion that nicotine vaping leads people to smoking—known as the “gateway” theory—is a common refrain among those who seek to restrict access to vapes in the name of youth protection, including some scientists. It persists, amid overwhelming evidence that vaping is a “gateway” out of smoking for large numbers of people—and even though data from numerous countries show population-level correlations between increases in vaping and decreases in youth smoking | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Wasting time on ‘phoney debates’ has hampered action on Scottish drug deaths
The rate of people dying from a drug overdose death in Scotland remains the highest in Europe and the latest statistics from the National Records of Scotland confirm that. Each year the publication of these statistics confirms the human tragedies that affect families and communities every day. There is a peak in media, political and public interest and our organisation, Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF), receives a few dozen media requests from Scotland and further afield | Holyrood, UK
Sorry, red wine drinkers: alcohol is only ever bad for your health
We needn’t be puritanical about having a drink, but we can no longer deny that it harms us, even in small quantities | Guardian opinion, UK