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Daily news - 1st February 2024

UK news

Drug-related and drug misuse deaths in Northern Ireland, 2012 to 2022

Figures show there were 154 drug-related deaths registered in 2022. While this represents a decrease of 59 (27.7%) from the 213 drug-related deaths registered in 2021, it is important to note that registration-based figures build in delays arising from system wide processes which can drive annual fluctuations in the series. Since 2012, NI has seen deaths due to drug-related causes rise by 98% from 110 to a peak of 218 in 2020 and to 213 in 2021. The 2022 total (154) represents a 40% increase on the number of drug deaths registered a decade ago | NISRA, UK

Drugs crisis in Northern Ireland laid bare as figures show 40% rise in deaths

Caitlin White was like any other 15-year-old girl. She enjoyed spending time with friends and worked hard in school - with a particular love of art. However, in May 2017, everything changed. In a woodland in Portadown, Caitlin took an ecstasy pill and collapsed while there with friends | ITV, UK

Tackling the Public Health Impacts of Smoking and Vaping

A report, published by Northern Ireland’s Auditor General, has concluded that the health service has made significant progress in reducing smoking prevalence among the local population, but that levels remain concerningly high among some of the most vulnerable groups in society | NIAO, UK

Smoking-related illnesses put 35,000 in hospital a year, report says

Almost 35,000 people are hospitalised each year due to smoking-related illnesses, an NI Audit Office report has said. The number of people smoking has dropped by about 10% since 2011. But prevalence remains "concerningly high" among some of the "most vulnerable" groups | BBC, UK

Vaping: Children as young as seven caught with vapes

Richard Owen from Idris Davies School in Rhymney, Caerphilly, warned punishment is not enough to tackle the issue, with some users taking up to 15 toilet breaks a day to vape | BBC, UK

Rough sleeping in London up 23% to highest level in a decade

City hall counts 4,389 people sleeping on streets in fourth quarter of 2023, with mayor accusing No 10 of ‘turning a blind eye’ | Guardian, UK

Probation: Drugs

Electronic Cigarettes: Advertising

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is her Department's policy to ban the promotion and advertisement of vaping products (a) in sports venues and (b) on sports kits | They work for you, UK

Why we still take cocaine in our 50s – and don’t regret a thing

[Possible paywall] Britain has the biggest cocaine habit in Europe, with Gen X at the forefront – one couple explains why they won’t give up the white powder | Telegraph, UK

NHS APA Conference 2023: Download the session slides

Thank you to everyone who attended and took part in the NHS APA Virtual Conference 2023, 'Living the Stigma: Understanding Addiction and Overcoming Prejudice'. You can now download the slides for each session of our 2023 programme | NHS APA, UK

Ayahuasca: Before and After with Evgeny Lebede - podcast

In this episode, David Nutt meets with Evgeny Lebedev, owner of the Independent and Evening Standard newspaper. Lebedev shares his transformative journey during his first Ayahuasca ceremony in Costa Rica. Throughout the episode, Lebedev not only shares insight into the ceremony’s practices but also describes each personal ayahuasca experience and the themes that tied them together. He highlights his revelations resulting from the ceremony and they discuss the potential of psychedelics within healing practices | Drug Science, UK

Prof Nick Hopkinson discusses smoking and vaping on Times Radio - video

Professor Nick Hopkinson, chairman of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Imperial College London is interviewed on Times Radio about the recent ban on disposable vapes and plans to create a smokefree generation | ASH, UK

The inside story of football’s cocaine problem

Cocaine is now widely used at football stadiums - and other drugs such as ketamine are emerging too. Is it worsening fans' behaviour or are they once again being blamed for society's ills? | i news, UK

I was an addict, a prisoner, a sex worker. I thought the world had written me off – but I saved myself

For two decades Mandy Ogunmokun was either in jail or selling sex to pay for drugs. She had four children – but never got the chance to raise them. Now clean, she has devoted her life to helping other struggling women | Guardian, UK

The Sober Diaries: My challenge has just started

With Dry January now almost over for the many who stopped drinking this month, my test has only just begun. At the age of 25, I have decided to stop drinking alcohol for an entire year | BBC, UK

The Marketing and Consumption of No and Low Alcohol Drinks in the UK (PDF)

[From March 2022] This report examines how No and Low Alcohol (NoLo) beverages are marketed and promoted in the UK and explores how and why consumers drink them. Whilst a more nuanced understanding of the expanding NoLo market and changes in drinking practices is important for policy and public health debates, this topic remains under-researched. The report adds to the evidence base on NoLo consumption in the UK through interviews with drinkers and nondrinkers alongside an examination of marketing and social media outputs for two popular NoLo drinks (Heineken 0.0 and Seedlip) | IAS, UK

'A drugs gang turned my son against me'

Safe and Sound, based in Derby, runs a support group for families of youngsters groomed into working for county lines gangs. It says families are being torn apart and living in fear | BBC, UK

Portsmouth: Three held over £10m cocaine haul in banana boxes

Three men have been arrested after cocaine with a street value of £10m was found in the linings of banana boxes shipped from the Dominican Republic | BBC, UK

International news

Detection of highly potent opioid in MDMA prompts emergency warnings and renewed calls for pill testing

Head of Canberra pill testing venue says nitazenes are a ‘serious problem’, with the risk of overdose ‘extreme’ due to opioid naivety | Guardian, UK

Florida authorities seize $55m worth of drugs in 60-day operation

Two suspected drug trafficking ventures were stopped by the Cutter Resolute (WMEC 620) crew and six suspects were detained, officials said | Independent, UK

First cannabis association begins operating

KDD Society is now fully operational and has begun distributing cannabis to registered adult member | Malta Today, Malta

Drug overdose cardiac arrests involve younger, healthier people than other cardiac arrests

An analysis of data for more than 500,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the U.S. found key differences in outcomes between cardiac arrests caused by drug overdoses and cardiac arrests due to other causes, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association | Medical Xpress, USA

Efficacy of electronic cigarettes found to be noninferior to varenicline

For smokers who are motivated to quit, the quit rate is noninferior for electronic cigarettes (ECs) versus varenicline and is higher for ECs than nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in the form of nicotine gum, according to a study published online Jan. 29 in JAMA Internal Medicine | Medical Xpress, USA

Study finds recipients of e-cigarette coupons 1.5 times more likely to begin using, less likely to quit

A new study led by a researcher in the Georgia State University School of Public Health finds that people who receive coupons for e-cigarettes are more than 1.5 times more likely to begin using them and less likely to quit | Medical Xpress, USA

Ketamine has helped many severely depressed veterans, study shows

Ketamine has received a lot of attention as a potential treatment for depression, but few studies have revealed how well it works in real-world settings, especially in patients with complex mental health needs | Medical Xpress, USA

These Academics Went Public About Using Drugs

A growing number of academics are openly discussing their past and present drug use in an attempt to reduce stigma and help overcome addiction | VICE, USA

Using alone at home: What’s missing in housing-based responses to the overdose crisis?

[Open access] Against the backdrop of North America’s overdose crisis, most overdose deaths are occurring in housing environments, largely due to individuals using drugs alone. Overdose deaths in cities remain concentrated in marginal housing environments (e.g., single-room occupancy housing, shelters), which are often the only forms of housing available to urban poor and drug-using communities. This commentary aims to highlight current housing-based overdose prevention interventions and to situate them within the broader environmental contexts of marginal housing | Harm Reduction Journal, Canada

[Open access] There has been rapid, recent growth in the number of vape stores in WA, with most located within walking distance of schools. In metropolitan WA, vape store density is strongly associated with socio-economic disadvantage, mirroring the pattern observed globally for tobacco outlets | Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, Australia

Blogs, comment and opinion

Scotland’s Urgent Call for Reform: How the Lack of Transparent Drug Death Investigations Impacts Public Health and Police

In Scotland, the absence of a comprehensive system akin to the Coroners’ system in England and Wales raises questions about the accuracy of drug death statistics. In Scotland cause of death is investigated and assessed by the Crown Office and Procurator Service (COPFS). This process is run without any public scrutiny and with very limited family involvement | FAVOR, UK

The surprising truth about ‘Nanny State’ Britain

This week, a Conservative Prime Minister announced he was banning something – disposable vapes. The reaction to that ban – or rather, the lack of reaction – is a signpost to future UK health policy, which will lean towards interventionism in the years ahead. Companies making and selling food and drink should pay close attention | Spectator, UK

Are We in a Drugs Apartheid?

Drugs’ legality is shifting before our eyes. New Zealand tried to ban young people from legally purchasing cigarettes, while the UK prohibited the possession of nitrous oxide. Thailand may re-criminalise cannabis after struggling to control its open market, while the Netherlands is piloting the first European recreational cannabis programme. But it can be difficult to identify what motivates such changes to drug laws and how significant these are | Talking Drugs, UK

Don’t lower the price: 3 more effective ways to reduce the costs of smoking

Associate Health Minister Casey Costello recently said she was concerned about the financial burden on people who smoke. She has requested advice on freezing the Consumers Price Index (CPI) adjustment applied annually to tobacco products, according to a leaked Ministry of Health document | Conversation, New Zealand

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