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Daily news - 19th February 2024

UK news

Use and harms of xylazine, medetomidine and detomidine

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) was commissioned to give advice on the appropriate classification and scheduling of xylazine under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. This followed an ACMD self-commissioned review of its harms. This report reviews the evidence of use and the harms of xylazine in the UK and considers whether it should be controlled by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Evidence of Illicit use in the UK of the related compounds medetomidine and detomidine was also sought, as this has been reported in other countries. The report provides recommendations for the classification and scheduling of xylazine, following a thorough review of the evidence available | ACMD, UK

Drug Alert – Contaminated Vapes

We are aware of vape liquids & pens containing very strong synthetic cannabinoids ‘spice’ which are likely being sold as THC vapes. These are causing unintended effects in those who use them | Cranstoun, UK

Call to reinstate funding to support children bereaved by alcoholism

Campaigners and MPs are urging the government to reinstate funding for services to support children of alcoholics amid an increase in the number of parental deaths linked to alcohol addiction | CYPNow, UK

The synthetic opioids claiming lives in the UK - audio

Deaths from synthetic opioids such as nitazenes and fentanyl are low in the UK but there are fears the problem could escalate and that figures don't show the true picture of the situation. David Aaronovitch explores how dangerous these drugs are, why the opioid crisis is so bad in the US, where they come from and why a shortage of heroin in the UK could mean drug cartels switch to supplying these often fatal alternatives | BBC Sounds, UK

Beyond belief

In this piece, we look at the case of a previous drug treatment service user, Sarah, who experiences chronic pain related to long-time disabilities and has been penalised for seeking to treat her severe pain while also looking for assistance with opioid dependence | DDN, UK

Alcoholism and Drugs: Rehabilitation

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to investigate claims made in the Observer on 4 February that the Narconon rehabilitation centre offers a rehabilitation programme linked to the Church of Scientology and that some former patients have suffered extreme reactions as a result of the programme | They work for you, UK

Increased use of performance-enhancing drugs in Guernsey

There has been an increase in people using performance-enhancing drugs in Guernsey, an addiction charity has said | BBC, UK

Drug "harm reduction" centre to replace old Mace store at Belfast's Royal Avenue

A former Mace shop on Belfast City Centre’s main thoroughfare is to become a drug addiction community facility until the Belfast Stories project is finished | Belfast Live, UK

Belfast: Needles and cocaine found near youth centre, parents warned

A senior youth worker in west Belfast has warned children are being put at risk after needles, tablets and other substances were found near its centre | BBC, UK

Co-occurring mental health and substance use: policy and practice summit

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 09:30 - 15:00 GMT. We will present the RECO study key findings and discuss implications for future commissioning, workforce development and service delivery | Mental Elf, UK

The Fred Yates Prize for Early Career Researchers

The SSA is now accepting nominations for the 2024 Fred Yates Prize for Early Career Researchers. Read about the origins and purpose of the prize, and how to nominate someone for this prestigious award. The deadline is 23 February 2024 | SSA, UK

What happened to Westminster's famous pub division bell?

The clanging of the division bell used to be a familiar sound in the pubs and restaurants of Westminster | BBC, UK

Reading nightclub licence suspended after cocaine discovery

Gun Street Garden in Reading will not be allowed to sell alcohol or play late-night music for two months following a council licensing meeting | BBC, UK

Grantham: Men jailed for dealing heroin and £1m-worth of cocaine

Six men who were involved in bringing £1m-worth of cocaine to the streets of Lincolnshire have been jailed | BBC, UK

Cannabis farm worth £2.5m found in empty warehouse

The plants were discovered in Newport, Telford, after West Mercia Police received a report of a possible break-in at an industrial unit | BBC, UK

Aberdeen drug dealer jailed for throwing cocaine at police officers

Michael Beaton hit an officer in the face with a block of the drug after he entered his home and then punched him on the head | BBC, UK

International news

Synthetic drugs worth €32.8m seized at Cork port

Two men have been arrested after drugs with an estimated value of €32.8m (£28m) were seized at the Port of Cork in the Republic of Ireland | BBC, UK

Scientists find another use for weight loss drug as opioid rehab substitute

Researchers say much more research is needed to confirm results of a trial but describe their findings about a drug in the same class as Ozempic as 'very encouraging' | i news, UK

Participants at retreat where man died after ayahuasca ceremony allegedly told not to talk, NSW inquest hears

Jarrad Antonovich died after drinking plant-based psychedelic and having frog toxin extract ‘kambo’ dabbed into burns | Guardian, UK

Health minister accuses vaping lobby of targeting children after industry ad campaign against ban

Industry claims vapes should be regulated like alcohol but Mark Butler says companies want to create a ‘new generation addicted to nicotine’ | Guardian, UK

Barnaby Joyce says he has given up alcohol for Lent as Perin Davey admits having two drinks before Senate hearing

New England MP accuses opponents of exploiting issue for political gain, while footage emerges of deputy Nationals leader appearing to slur her words | Guardian. UK

Safeguarding Irish Communities Against Nitazenes

Feb 22, 2024 12:00 PM in London. In November 2023, Ireland experienced its first overdose outbreak in Dublin City Centre following the emergence of N-Pyrrolidino protonitazene on the market. As part of responses, the HSE National Social Inclusion Office will host an educational webinar for front-line service providers. The aim of this event is to increase knowledge among front-line service providers on the emergence of synthetic opioids in Europe and locally, raise awareness of the types of products appearing on the EU market and provide advice on the recommended guidance provided by the HSE including on harm reduction and risk communications | HSE, Ireland

High Level Taskforce on Mental Health and Addiction – 1 st Annual Progress Report (September 2022-2023) (PDF)

The first annual progress report on the High Level Taskforce on mental health and addiction provides a timely opportunity to highlight the work that is being carried out across Government Departments and their agencies to deliver on the recommendations set out in the 2022 Report. The function of the Steering Committee over the last year has been to ensure on-going work to deliver on the recommendations across a number of key agencies, against the backdrop of on-going policy implementation across both Departments | Department of Justice, Ireland

MUP - a half-baked policy which has failed to deliver, but will go on regardless

Scotland introduced Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) in 2018. Although it was suggested that MUP would render many benefits, such as reducing the amount of people drinking at harmful levels, real-life evidence to support these claims is thin, and no beneficial impact on harmful drinkers and the most vulnerable groups was found | Brussels Times, Belgium

Synthetic opioids, particularly the nitazene analogues class, have become a public health concern due to their high potency. Wastewater-based epidemiology can detect community use of these compounds. The objective of this work was to detect nitazene analogues in wastewater from samples collected from eight sites in the United States | Science of The Total Environment, USA

Research shows lasting effects of smoking after quitting

Researchers are still discovering how smoking continues to harm people's health even years after they quit, with a new study on Wednesday revealing tobacco's lasting effect on the immune system | Medical Xpress, USA

A 19-Year-Old Died After Taking ‘Gas Station Heroin’. His Mom Wonders Why It’s Still Being Sold Legally

Johnathon Morrison's mother helped get tianeptine banned in Alabama. But she says it makes her “sick” it is still being sold in stores across the U.S | VICE, USA

Blogs, comment and opinion

Any UK city can open overdose prevention centres

Glasgow, where the UK’s drug death crisis is worst, has overcome opposition from Westminster to open a potentially life-saving overdose prevention centre. What does this mean for other cities across the UK wanting to tackle drug-related harms? | Talking Drugs, UK

Restructuring of the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is a further step in the wrong direction for tackling health inequalities

Last week, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) made big staff reductions at the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) as part of an internal restructuring. According to reports, this includes the loss of several senior and experienced officials—and some reports claim that OHID has been “decimated,” with up to 50% of the central workforce now cut | BMJ opinion, UK

Peter Doherty: Stranger In My Own Skin review – the moments of honesty are utterly arresting

Doherty’s wife’s intimate, up-close-and-personal film about the star’s messy relationship with hard drugs might be lacking in analysis – but the genuine soul-baring is captivating | Guardian, UK

The Addiction Recovery Story We Don’t Hear Enough

[Free registration may be needed] Twenty women with felony records and a history of drug use are standing on the stage in a crowded auditorium in Tulsa, and the audience is rising in a standing ovation. The women are teary as they see the cops who arrested them, applauding wildly. It’s the happiest of graduations, and through the raucous cheering one glimpses a better way of dealing with drug and alcohol abuse | NYTimes opinion, USA

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