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Daily news - 16th December 2024 |
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UK news
Charter of Rights for People Affected by Substance Use
The Charter of Rights for People Affected by Substance Use has been launched, aiming to improve the experience of anyone needing support. The Charter, recognised as the first of its kind in the world by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, will help ensure people know their rights and the support they can expect to receive, and that those who use drugs and alcohol, and their families, are treated with dignity | Scottish Government, UK
Banned and 'forgotten' drug: What happened to khat?
A decade ago, a stimulative drug sold that for just a few pounds, was banned in the UK. Known as khat, it’s a plant that’s chewed, giving similar effects to amphetamine. Ten years on from the drugs reclassification, experts say it is still being sold in the UK, in places for ten times more than it cost in 2014 | BBC, UK
First specialist NHS clinic provides effective help for young adults with psychosis to decrease or stop their cannabis use
The NHS Cannabis Clinic for Psychosis offers a feasible and effective treatment strategy to help young adult cannabis users to significantly cut down and even stop their cannabis use | KCL, UK
Stop smoking service celebrates first year success
Two-thirds of referred patients to a new smoking cessation service have quit smoking within the programme's first year | BBC, UK
From nightcaps to nightmares: the many ways alcohol disrupts your sleep
Despite Dr Alex George’s recent experience of sobriety negatively affecting his sleep, alcohol remains a reliable way to disrupt your rest, in the long and short term | Guardian, UK
OECD Toolkit to Combat Homelessness
With over 2.2 million people experiencing homelessness in a given year, the issue remains a persistent challenge in OECD and EU countries. Organised around nine building blocks, this Toolkit helps policy makers design and implement strategies to combat homelessness. It provides guidance in policy design, in how to engage stakeholders, strengthen the evidence base, and embed systematic monitoring and evaluation into homelessness policy making | OECD, UK
More than a million vapes a day in UK thrown away, says research
From June 2025 it will be illegal to sell single-use vapes to combat environmental damage | Guardian, UK
Liverpool FC staff party at cathedral stopped after ‘drugs paraphernalia’ found
Event at Anglican cathedral ended by venue’s staff over incident it says was ‘not in line with our values’ | Guardian, UK
Gang jailed over £140m fake company cocaine plot
Members of a gang have been jailed over a plan to import £140m of cocaine into the UK using a fake company which claimed to handle returned goods from Amazon and Argos | BBC, UK
Three men jailed for their roles in crime group behind United Kingdom’s biggest ever drugs conspiracy
The OCG included offenders from across the UK and criminals from the Netherlands who were brought to justice following a long-running National Crime Agency investigation | NCA, UK
International news
Associations of smoke-free policies in multi-unit housing with smoking behavior and second-hand smoke exposure: A systematic review
[Open access] Smoke-free policies in multi-unit housing appear to be associated with reduced smoking behavior and second-hand smoke exposure. Successful implementation depends on accessible cessation support and effective enforcement | Addiction, UK
Inside Assad’s Captagon drug-smuggling empire and how it funded brutal Syrian regime
The export of illegal drug captagon financially fuelled Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime for years | Independent, UK
McKinsey to pay $650m to settle opioid charges
Consulting firm McKinsey has agreed to pay $650m (£515m) to settle criminal charges related to its role in the US opioid crisis | BBC, UK
Australian tourists in hospital in Fiji with suspected alcohol poisoning
Foreign affairs department updates travel advice for Fiji to include warning about risk of methanol poisoning and drink spiking | Guardian, UK
‘Relieved and happy’: final five members of Bali Nine released from jail and back in Australia
Scott Rush, Matthew Norman, Si-Yi Chen, Martin Stephens and Michael Czugaj have returned from Indonesia, Anthony Albanese confirms | Guardian, UK
Study finds federal needle exchange programs reduce health care costs and blood-borne infections
The World Health Organization has set a target of reducing hepatitis C infections to fewer than two per 100 people who inject drugs per year as part of an elimination strategy for hepatitis C. In 2024, Canada unveiled its 2024–2030 Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infection Action Plan that emphasized support for harm reduction programs and expanding the PNEP | Medical Xpress, USA
Time for a Concerted Push to Get Vapes in All Prisons
Tobacco harm reduction in the United States, like most other harm reduction, tends to ignore the prison-industrial complex and the people held captive there. But prison is ripe for policy change. Likely, there is no larger group of affected people in the same place suffering in the same way | Filter Magazine, USA
After Biden Clemency Action for Drug Convictions, Most People Want More
As President Joe Biden announces a new round of pardons and commutations—including several for people with marijuana and other drug convictions—a new poll shows a majority of Americans are in favor of clemency for everyone who’s been federally criminalized over cannabis, as well as broader drug possession | Filter Magazine, USA
Older Australians turning to cannabis as cigarette prices rise, research shows
New research from Curtin University has revealed increasing cigarette prices over the past several years have seen more older Australians turn to cannabis use as an alternative. "Cannabis and tobacco: substitutes and complements" was published in the Journal of Population Economics | Medical Xpress, USA
Fake oxycodone tablets containing potent synthetic opioid detected
This notification is to let you know a potent synthetic opioid was detected in fake oxycodone tablets seized by the New Zealand Customs Service. The tablets were found to contain either N-pyrrolidino isotonitazene OR N-pyrrolidino protonitazene | High Alert, New Zealand
Blogs, comment and opinion
‘Ethics in Focus’ - questions and answer from our webinar
We were delighted to join so many of you online to hear from our guest speakers at our recent ‘Ethics in focus’ webinar. If you haven’t yet had a chance to catch it, you can look back at it here: Anti-Stigma Network - YouTube As promised, here are the answers to your questions below. Dr Nicole Miller has also kindly shared the slides from her presentation: Community-Based Participatory Research & Digital Storytelling-Best Practice using Peer-led approaches - UWL Repository | AntiStigma Network, UK
The rehabilitation industry: Lived experience and performance
We approach this essay through a unique observation of being on both sides of the criminal justice system as prisoners and drug addicts to transitioning into professionals and educators within and around the criminal justice system. We argue that the concept of rehabilitation has – through the neo-liberal capitalist social system – evolved into a Rehabilitation Industry | Probation Journal, UK
Transforming prevention: ASH’s response to the NHS 10-year Health plan consultation
In November, the Government launched a new consultation as part of their 10-year plan to reform the UK’s health service. ‘Change NHS: help build a health service fit for the future’ asked organisations, NHS staff and the public for their input into they would want the 10 year health plan to include, what changes should be made and how they should be implemented. ASH has responded, emphasising the urgent need for comprehensive measures to reduce smoking rates through a sustained focus on primary and secondary prevention both through population level interventions and individual treatment | ASH blog, UK
My Voices 2024 - Turning Point's most recent event celebrating our 60th year
My Voices 2024 - our most recent event celebrating our 60th year – was held in Birmingham, and brought together people we support, family members and colleagues from all over the country to connect and share experiences | Turning Point, UK
South Africa wants to make alcohol more expensive. Why it’s a good idea – health economist
South Africa’s National Treasury has proposed raising excise taxes to curb excessive drinking in the country. According to a 2018 World Health Organization report, 60% of South African drinkers aged 15 and older engage in heavy episodic drinking | Conversation, South Africa
What is the drug captagon and how is it linked to Syria’s fallen Assad regime?
After the fall of the al-Assad regime in Syria, large stockpiles of the illicit drug captagon have reportedly been uncovered. The stockpiles, found by Syrian rebels, are believed to be linked to al-Assad military headquarters, implicating the fallen regime in the drug’s manufacture and distribution | Conversation, Australia
Naloxone can reverse opioid overdose. Here’s why you might need some at home or in your bag
A medicine called naloxone is available for Australians to take home in case of opioid overdose. Here’s how it works, when you should have it on hand and when you should use it | Conversation, Australia
Why did Indonesia release the Bali Five now? Its new leader wants to send a strong message to the world
Following weeks of intrigue about a possible deal, the remaining members of the Bali Nine have been released from prison in Indonesia and returned to Australia. The five Australians had served nearly 20 years of their life sentence for their involvement in a drug-smuggling operation | Conversation, Australia