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Daily news - 23rd February 2024 |
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UK news
Raising the alarm on synthetic opioids – why the UK should not be complacent
This week Forward put out a national alert to our staff on synthetic opiates. We didn’t do this lightly. We know a national alert might cause alarm, but it was necessary | Forward Trust, UK
With You. Removing barriers to employment for local people in alcohol and drug recovery (PDF)
A national drug and alcohol recovery charity’s employment programme helps remove barriers for people recovering from issues with drugs and alcohol. WithYou’s Individual Placement and Support (IPS) programme offers intensive, individually tailored support to help people across North and North East Lincolnshire recovering from issues with drugs and alcohol, to find and maintain a job | With You, UK
Alcoholism and Drugs: Veterans
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of existing treatment services for veterans with alcohol and drug dependency | They work for you, UK
Alcoholic Drinks: Electronic Tagging
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish data on the gender of people ordered to wear an alcohol monitoring device in each year since 2020 | They work for you, UK
David Nutt: 'denying access to psychedelics is like denying access to the Covid vaccine
Neuropsychopharmacologist and ex-government drug czar Professor David Nutt has become one of the leading scientists in the fight for psychedelic mental healthcare. He tells Alexandra Jones why the time to legalise is now | Standard, UK
Open Access publishing with Leila Moore - audio
In this episode, Casy and Rob talk to Leila Moore, the Director of Open Access policy at Wiley. Leila covers the history, principles and processes relating to open access as well as describing the mechanisms by which research is made freely available for people who want to access it. Leila explains how open access publishing can increase accessibility and ensure research reaches a more diverse readership meaning that people who previously could not access research findings now can | SSA, UK
Drugs, Stigma and Emergency Services
Thursday, March 7 · 10am - 12pm GMT. The Drugs Research Network for Scotland (DRNS) is holding an online event to discuss drugs, stigma and emergency services in Scotland | DRNS, UK
Cocaine worth £450m found in cargo of bananas at Southampton Port
The largest ever seizure of Class A drugs in the UK, with an estimated street value of £450m, has been uncovered in a shipment of bananas | BBC, UK
INLA probe: Police seize suspected cocaine in west Belfast search
Suspected cocaine with an estimated street value £100,000 has been seized after a property was searched in west Belfast, police have said | BBC, UK
Prison employee held in drug supply probe
A prison worker has been arrested on suspicion of supplying drugs at HMP Northumberland | BBC, UK
International news
How much do Europeans know about the link between alcohol use and cancer? Results from an online survey in 14 countries
[Open access] In the EU, which has the highest drinking levels worldwide, cancer is the primary cause of alcohol-attributable deaths. Existing studies show gaps in public knowledge, but there is lack of systematic appraisal. The report presents original data from a cross-sectional survey conducted within the framework of an online experimental study in 14 European countries, which among other things assessed baseline knowledge of the alcohol-NCD link, particularly cancer | BMC Public Health, UK
Is 'dry tripping' taking over Spring Break? Inside the new trend
More Gen Zers are aiming for "dry tripping" this Spring Break. And no, it doesn't involve psychedelics | BBC, UK
Germany on track to partly legalise cannabis for personal use after heated debate
Politicians hope to reclaim market from drug dealers but doctors say it risks young people’s health | Guardian, UK
NSW Health warns of opioid risk after people took heroin thinking it was cocaine or methamphetamine
Authorities say in eight overdose cases where drug samples were available, heroin was the opioid identified | Guardian, UK
Natasha Lechner inquest: ‘kambo’ proponents underestimate its ‘clear and identified risks’ , NSW coroner says
The 39-year-old died suddenly and violently after a ritual involving Amazonian frog poison in Mullumbimby in 2019 | Guardian, UK
Adolescent Addiction Service Report 2024 (PDF)
In 2023, the Adolescent Addiction Service worked with 60 young people and their families, with a mean age of 15 years. In comparison to 2022, referrals were up by 13%, reflecting an annual increase in referrals over the past four years | HSE, Ireland
Police interventions fall by half after Polish city bans alcohol sales at night
The decision by Kraków, Poland’s second-largest city, to ban alcohol sales in shops at night saw police interventions fall by almost half during the first six months it was in place | NFP, Poland
Alcohol and the Brain
This report on alcohol and the brain reaches across earlier reports in the series. Many of the effects of alcohol relate to the brain including youth, violence, education, work-life, old age, and pregnancy. A great number of diseases are impacted by alcohol through its toxic effects on tissues and organs of the human body including the brain. Many pervasive social effects can be traced to physiological and psychological effects of alcohol on human behavior | CERA, Sweden
Patient and Staff Perspectives on the Impacts and Challenges of Hospital-Based Harm Reduction
In this qualitative study that included semistructured interviews with 20 hospitalized patients receiving harm reduction services and 20 staff serving such patients, major themes included expanded access to harm reduction services for structurally marginalized patients, improved trust between patients and staff, and decreased staff stigma toward patients who use substances. Challenges included staff hesitancy regarding regulations and limited prior substance use education among staff | JAMA Network Open, USA
New technique can quickly detect fentanyl and other opioids
The method, the latest effort by Waterloo researchers and entrepreneurs to lead health innovation in Canada, can simultaneously analyze 96 blood samples that could contain opioids such as fentanyl in under three minutes—twice as quickly as other techniques | Medical Xpress, USA
'Fourth wave' of opioid epidemic crashes ashore, propelled by fentanyl and meth
The United States is knee-deep in what some experts call the opioid epidemic's "fourth wave," which is not only placing drug users at greater risk but is also complicating efforts to address the nation's drug problem | Medical Xpress, USA
Law enforcement leaders urge Biden to reclassify marijuana to lesser status
A group of law enforcement leaders urged President Biden to reclassify marijuana to a lesser status in a Thursday letter | The Hill, USA
Ketamine variant shows promise in treating social impairments
Well-being is important for everyone, especially when we feel lonely or isolated. Depression is a serious challenge for many people and finding an effective solution is key. In a recent study published in Molecular Psychiatry, researchers from Osaka University used a mouse model of depression to reveal that one form of ketamine (a common anesthetic) in low doses can improve social impairments by restoring functioning in a specific brain region called the anterior insular cortex | News Medical, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Drug trends in young people: what does it suggest about their changing lifestyles?
Drug trends have changed significantly among young people in the UK over the last few years. However, if you were to judge young people’s relationships with drugs through the lens of recent news and government press releases you would assume that they are caught up in turmoil as they’ve always apparently been. Disposable vape bans, nitrous oxide crackdowns, and endless police busts would seem to indicate that substance abuse is rampant among young people. But what does the data suggest? | Volteface, UK
Discrimination, dysphoria and drinking: hazardous alcohol use in UK trans and non-binary people
Minority stress theory poses that minoritised individuals experience unique and hostile stressors due to their minority status, such as their sexuality and gender identity (Meyer, 2003). These individuals are at higher risk for mental health difficulties, in part due to gender dysphoria. This is the intense psychological discomfort that is associated with the incongruence between sex at birth and gender. Consequently, coping strategies may be used, including (excessive) alcohol consumption | Mental Elf blog, UK
Creating a ‘smoke-free generation’ is a unique chance to lead the world in tackling tobacco
[Possible paywall] The strategy has the potential to prevent death and disease for generations to come – MPs should grasp this opportunity with both hands | Telegraph comment, UK