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Daily news - 2nd February 2024 |
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UK news
Study lays out options for Scotland’s first drug checking services
An extensive study led by the University of Stirling has laid out options and key considerations for Scotland’s first drug checking services (DCS). The project, which was funded by the Scottish Drugs Death Taskforce, found that demand was high for a range of different DCS across the three different pilot areas in Scotland – Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow | University of Stirling, UK
Scottish Drug Checking Project summary (PDF)
Briefing paper. This study, which ran from January 2021-May 2023, created a programme of work to research, and plan/prepare for delivery of, drug checking services in Scotland. The study developed the evidence base on drug checking, to inform and The study developed the evidence base on drug checking, to inform and build infrastructure for the delivery of drug checking services in three cities: Aberdeen, Dundee, and Glasgow | Crew, UK
Alcohol management in care homes - A good practice guide for care staff (PDF)
This guide aims to help care staff deliver a high standard of care in relation to alcohol. It is based on the findings of a research study which gathered the views and experiences of care staff, people living in care homes, their families and CQC inspectors. It takes account of legislation, standards for care set out by CQC and codes of conduct for adult social care workers and nurses | University of Bedfordshire, UK
Drinking alcohol in a care home - A guide for care home residents and the general public (PDF)
FAQs for care home residents and their families around alcohol. This guidance is based on independent research funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research School for Social Care Research | University of Bedfordshire, UK
Recovery of neuropsychological function following abstinence from alcohol in adults diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder: Systematic review of longitudinal studies
[Open access] Alcohol use disorders (AUD) associate with structural and functional brain differences, including impairments in neuropsychological function; however, reviews (mostly cross-sectional) are inconsistent with regards to recovery of such functions following abstinence. Recovery is important, as these impairments associate with treatment outcomes and quality of life | PLOS One, UK
Release to open Harm Reduction Hub in London
Release is opening a Harm Reduction Hub in London – here the charity explains how you can help | DDN, UK
Rattlesden YouTuber calls for easier access to medical cannabis
A woman who self-medicated with black market cannabis to help with insomnia is campaigning for it to be accessed more easily on the NHS | BBC, UK
Drugs (Prisons)
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to prevent drugs being smuggled into prisons | They work for you, UK
Prisoners' Release: Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department is taking steps with the Department of Health and Social Care to provide (a) alcohol and (b) drug treatment to people upon their release from prison | They work for you, UK
David Nutt and Amanda Fielding: The psychedelic renaissance - podcast
Could psychedelics be used to help tackle mental health issues like depression and addiction? In this episode of Brave New World, Evgeny Lebedev speaks to Professor David Nutt, one the leading researchers in this controversial field. His former student, now professor, Robin Carhart-Harris, describes the impact of his study comparing psychedelic medicine with mainstream medicine. Evgeny also meets pioneers like Amanda Feilding who developed the first images of the brain on LSD, and the psychologist Bill Richards who explains his research into consciousness | Brave New World, UK
Bitter blow for beer drinkers as John Smith's Extra Smooth bitter becomes latest brew to have its alcohol strength slashed while its prices are HIKED - after Shepherd Neame, Carlsberg, Foster's and Old Speckled Hen all did same
Beer-lovers face a bitter blow as John Smith's Extra Smooth has become the latest to slash its alcohol strength despite its prices being hiked - after Shepherd Neame, Carlsberg, Foster’s and Old Speckled Hen all did the same | Mail Online, UK
Why does the UK want to ban disposable vapes and when will it happen?
As part of a clampdown on under-18s using e-cigarettes, the UK government is planning to outlaw disposable vapes and a ban could come into force early next year | New Scientist, UK
International news
Danish dog owners’ use and the perceived effect of unlicensed cannabis products in dogs
The interest in the use of medical cannabis has increased in recent years in both human and veterinary fields. In Denmark, there are no veterinary-licensed medical cannabis or cannabinoid supplements, and it is illegal to prescribe or sell cannabinoids intended for the treatment of veterinary patients. This study aimed to explore the unlicensed cannabinoid use in Danish dogs, by questioning dog owners about usage, indication for use, way of purchase, and their perceived effect of the cannabinoid treatment. An anonymous online survey was distributed via social media | PLOS One, Denmark
Where Is Cannabis Legal In Europe? A Guide To The Latest Policy Changes
In a milestone for European drug policy, the first regulated sales of adult-use cannabis took place in Switzerland last year, while January 2024 saw the first legal non-profit cannabis club open its doors in Malta | Forbes, USA
Notes from the Field: Cluster of Severe Illness from Neptune’s Fix Tianeptine Linked to Synthetic Cannabinoids — New Jersey, June–November 2023
Tianeptine is an atypical tricyclic antidepressant with pharmacologic effects that include enhancement of serotonin reuptake and mu-opioid receptor agonism. The Food and Drug Administration has not approved tianeptine for use in the United States; however, it is readily purchased in elixir formulations online or at gas stations informally referred to as “gas station heroin”. This report describes an uncharacteristic spike in tianeptine ingestions in New Jersey during June–November 2023, with severe associated clinical effects with synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) identified in samples of the ingested products | CDC, USA
Estimating the ratio of fatal to non-fatal overdoses involving all drugs, all opioids, synthetic opioids, heroin or stimulants, USA, 2010–2020
US drug overdose deaths are at historic levels. For every fatal drug overdose, there are many more non-fatal; however, minimal nationally representative data exist on trends in the ratio of fatal to non-fatal drug overdoses and how this differs by drug type | BMJ Injury Prevention, USA
Methadone treatment gets first major update in over 20 years
The federal government is unveiling new regulations meant to modernize methadone treatment, the first major update to patient care standards at methadone clinics in more than 20 years | STAT News, USA
Study of alcohol treatment completion reveals greater disparities for women of color
An intersectional study of alcohol treatment completion rates reveals striking disparities for racial and ethnic minoritized women when compared to white men. Overall, women complete treatment at slightly lower rates than men, but the completion rates for Black, Latina, American Indian, and Native Alaskan women compared to white men are significantly lower | Medical Xpress, USA
Lawmaker wants California workplaces to put naloxone in first-aid kits
A new bill would require California workplaces to stock their first-aid kids with a nasal spray that can prevent opioid overdoses, greatly expanding the range of locations that have the lifesaving medication on hand | Medical Xpress, USA
Publicis settles opioid case with US states for $350 mn
Publicis Health will pay $350 million to settle charges from US states that its "predatory and deceptive marketing strategies" worsened the opioid epidemic, New York's top prosecutor said Thursday | Medical Xpress, USA
Records show Publix opioid sales grew even as addiction crisis prompted other chains' pullback
An executive at Teva Pharmaceuticals flagged Publix Super Markets in October 2015 after detecting what he called in an email "serious red flags" with the grocery chain's orders of powerful opioids | Medical Xpress, USA
Secondary school students’ use of alcohol and other substances – 2022–2023
This report presents national secondary student use of alcohol and other substances from the 2022–2023 Australian secondary school students alcohol and drug survey | Australian Government Health and Aged Care, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Shifting Geopolitics: How Cocaine Production is Moving into Europe
Cocaine labs are typically hidden amidst the thick, humid jungles of the Andean mountain range, awash with mosquitos and the deep smell of chemical fumes. These clandestine jungle labs produce the world’s favourite party drug. Yet, in 2020, Dutch authorities found a laboratory on their home turf, in the northern village of Nijeveen | Talking Drugs, UK