Home | Archive | Weekly | Reports
Daily news - 13th February 2024 |
 |
UK news
Needs assessment and feasibility study for a safer drug consumption facility in Edinburgh (PDF)
[Recently made available online.] In January 2023 the Edinburgh Alcohol and Drug Partnership commissioned an independent needs assessment and feasibility study for a safer drug consumption facility (SDCF) in Edinburgh. This report presents the findings from these four work packages, with recommendation for next steps. See also Executive Summary here | City of Edinburgh Council, UK
Assessing the need for, and views on, drug checking services in Edinburgh (PDF)
[Recently made available online.] Previous research has been conducted on the feasibility, acceptability, and barriers and facilitators to implementation of Drug Checking Services (DCS) in Aberdeen, Dundee, and Glasgow, highlighting a range of important considerations. The current study, commissioned by the Edinburgh ADP, aims to assess the need for, and views on the potential of, DCS in Edinburgh, as part of a wider study on safer drug consumption facilities (SDCF). See also Executive Summary here | City of Edinburgh Council, UK
Scotland’s drug harms early warning system highlighted in new video
Scotland’s drug harms early warning system has been showcased in a new video produced by Public Health Scotland (PHS). The Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) programme, led by PHS, uses innovative data collection methods to gather, assess and share information to reduce the risk of drug-related harms | PHS, UK
Funding certainty vital to achieving drug strategy ambitions, says PAC
Progress towards achieving the government’s drug strategy objectives risks being wasted without funding certainty for local authorities, warns a report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) | DDN, UK
Eltham teens treated in hospital after using spiked vape
Five teenagers required hospital treatment after they were thought to have used a vape spiked with the illegal drug Spice, the Met has said | BBC, UK
#COAWeek2024 - 11-17 February 2024
COA Week is a campaign to raise awareness of children affected by parental alcohol problems, celebrated internationally each year during the week in which Valentine’s Day falls. In the UK, COA Week is led by the charity Nacoa UK who provide year-round support. Please join us in our 15th year in the UK. Together we can increase awareness of this hidden problem and the support available. Find out how you can help children of all ages know they are not alone | NACOA, UK
Woman who struggled with drug abuse helps others
A Darlington woman whose children were taken from her care as she struggled with drug abuse has thanked a charity for helping her to turn her life around | BBC, UK
Whistleblowers on what it's like to work as a Glasgow addiction nurse
Two addiction service workers have come forward to share the harrowing reality of their jobs in the hopes of sounding the alarm about staff shortages and lack of funding. We are protecting their identities | Glasgow Times, UK
Drugs Map of Britain Series 2 (1): Viagra - video
We meet the men in their twenties who use sex pills regularly and the drug dealer mixing cocaine and Viagra for a 'weekender'. There's also a visit to a porn set | BBC iPlayer, UK
Drugs Map of Britain Series 2 (2) : THC Vapes- video
Vaping THC to get high is discreet and on the rise for 16-24s, but horror stories of vape juice being spiked with dangerous chemicals and of hospitalisations are putting users off | BBC iPlayer, UK
Drugs Map of Britain Series 2 (3) : Monkey dust- video
Former legal high monkey dust has created headlines as a 'zombie drug' with a city-wide epidemic in Stoke-on-Trent. Users and dealers tell their stories | BBC iPlayer, UK
Drugs Map of Britain Series 2 (4): Crack - video
We meet users and dealers in South Wales, where crack is being labelled as 'the new cocaine.' | BBC iPlayer, UK
ASH CEO Deborah Arnott to retire in the Autumn as the Government poised to create first smokefree generation
Today [Monday 12th February] Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) announces that after 21 successful years, Deborah Arnott will be retiring from ASH on 30th September and the Board of Trustees is starting the recruitment process for her successor. This will allow time for her successor to be recruited before she leaves, to enable a smooth transition | ASH, UK
Frustrated England fans demand Twickenham refund after surprise alcohol-free trial
[Possible paywall] There were reports of one man downing four pints in a row after discovering his seat was in a newly-created 'alcohol-free' zone | Telegraph, UK
Drug couriers jailed for transporting £3m in cocaine
They transported drugs between London, the South West and the East Midlands, police said | BBC, UK
International news
Meet the Zynfluencers: how nicotine pouches ignited a new culture war
Zyn, a kind of modern-day snuff, has developed a bro-y fandom on social media. It’s also opened up a predictable divide | Guardian, UK
Researchers find response to ketamine depends on opioid pathways, but varies by sex
Ketamine, increasingly popular as a treatment for depression and pain, is often prescribed as an alternative to addictive opioids. But the data has been mixed on whether ketamine's effects rely on similar brain pathways as opioids. New research by Stanford Medicine scientists suggests that the confusion may have to do with an overlooked factor—sex | Medical Xpress, USA
Inside Thailand’s U-Turn on Cannabis Decriminalization
Amongst the throngs of tourists, we spotted the neon green cannabis sign. Initially unexpected, it had become a familiar sight on our trip across Thailand. Wafts of weed mingled with the smells of sweet waffles and chili-infused pad thai | Filter Magazine, USA
Over 14 million Australians are now consuming alcohol – driven by increases for wine and ‘RTDs’
New data from Roy Morgan’s Alcohol Consumption Report shows the proportion of Australians who drink alcohol was at 68.1% in the 12 months to September 2023, up by 1.8% points since the pre-pandemic period in the 12 months to March 2020 (66.3%) | Roy Morgan, Australia
Powerful new campaign aims to curb vaping use in young people
Developed by the Cancer Institute NSW in consultation with young people and medical experts, the mass media campaign encourages young people to consider the dangers of vaping, reminding them that ‘every vape is a hit to your health.’ | NSW Government, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Mike Dailly: The jury’s out on minimum unit pricing for alcohol
Alcohol prices in Scotland are set to increase by 30% from September 30 this year as the Minimum Unit Price (MUP) rises from 50p to 65p | Glasgow Times, UK
Echoes of War: The Use of Drugs and Alcohol in Warfare
Wars have always been about more than just battles, territories, and politics. Often overlooked, yet profoundly influential, is the role drugs and alcohol have played in the theatres of global conflict. Whether through the steadying influence of rum rations in the trenches or the stimulating effect of 'Forced March' tablets, the presence of intoxicants has been a consistent yet under-acknowledged companion in the fog of war | Tony D'agostino, UK
Why it’s a bad idea to mix alcohol with some medications
Anyone who has drunk alcohol will be familiar with how easily it can lower your social inhibitions and let you do things you wouldn’t normally do. But you may not be aware that mixing certain medicines with alcohol can increase the effects and put you at risk | Conversation, Australia
Study finds acute alcohol poisoning is a significant component of alcohol-related mortality
A new study led by researchers at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), UNSW Sydney, has explored the circumstances of death and characteristics of fatal alcohol poisoning cases. The study, published in Drug and Alcohol Review, examined deaths from acute alcohol poisoning in Australia, 2011–2022 | NDARC blog, Australia
Why has it been so difficult to create smoke-free areas in Indonesia? The answer lies in the way laws are made
Indonesia has one of the highest smoking rates globally. In 2021, the Ministry of Health estimated there are 69.1 million smokers, the third largest number in the world behind only China and India. For the past decade, the Indonesian government has introduced policies to try and address this. In 2012, it issued a regulation to reduce smoking rates in the country. This included a mandatory to create smoke-free areas in all local districts. But to enact this, local authorities are required to make laws to set up smoke-free areas | Conversation, Australia