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Daily news - 19th January 2024 |
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UK news
Press Partnership: Drugs and Alcohol (PDF)
The Press Partnership is an innovative collaboration between DHSC and the news publishing industry, comprising over 350 national, regional, local and multicultural publications in England, reaching 17.7m adults (34%) daily. These insertions aim to raise awareness of drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services with family members and friends of individuals that are dependent on, or having problems with, drugs and alcohol, as well among people who may be experiencing problems themselves, particularly those using alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine | DHSC, UK
Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
The Department launched its drug and alcohol treatment press partnership campaign on 18 January 2024. The content in the campaign will aim to build awareness of the effectiveness of drug and alcohol treatment, how it can help and how to access it | They work for you, UK
Alcoholic Drinks: Children
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data her Department holds on levels of alcohol use by people aged under 18 | They work for you, UK
Seizures of drugs in England and Wales, financial year ending 2023
This publication provides an overview of drug seizures made by the police (including the British Transport Police) and Border Force in the year ending 31 March 2023 in England and Wales. Police forces and Border Force made a total of 191,623 drug seizures in England and Wales in the year ending March 2023, a 1% increase compared with the previous year (188,929) | Home Office, UK
Removing large wine measures cuts drinking by 7.6% in study
Removing the largest glass of wine from sale cuts the total amount people drink by 7.6%, a four-week trial in 21 pubs, bars and restaurants suggest | BBC, UK
Funding cuts to blame for ketamine use increase - council leader
A Labour council leader has blamed government funding cuts for a rise in drug use and crime in the area. St Helens Council leader David Baines was reacting to reports of an increase in the number of young people taking ketamine in the last two years | BBC, UK
Kenward Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation Centre in Kenward Road, Yalding, in Maidstone introduces new scheme to prevent relapse
A recovering alcoholic has stressed the need to “keep that connection” as a rehab centre announces a groundbreaking new programme aimed at preventing relapses | Kent Online, UK
Experience of drug use and treatment services amongst minority ethnic groups - webinar
Feb 6, 2024 12:30 PM in London. In 2023, the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee reported that those from minority ethnic communities face additional barriers in gaining support or treatment for drug use, whilst also being negatively impacted by legislation. Join us at this upcoming webinar to hear the project team outline the study design, discuss research findings, and present recommendations from the above research | National Centre for Social Research, UK
SSA PhD studentships
Every year, the SSA funds PhDs in addiction science. Apply by 12 March 2024 to begin your studies in the academic year 2024–2025 | SSA, UK
Drug baron John Haase who tricked home secretary jailed for arson
A notorious gangster who once tricked the home secretary into early prison release torched a £70,000 Range Rover in a row over debt, a court was told | BBC, UK
Bristol corner shop wins back alcohol licence after ban
Police found evidence in 2021 that New Whitehall Stores, on Whitehall Road, was illegally selling nitrous oxide and Viagra | BBC, UK
Oldham raids: £20k worth of vapes, a gun and car 'chop shop' found
Vapes and illegal cigarettes with a street value of about £20,000 have been seized in raids which also uncovered a stolen car "chop shop" | BBC, UK
Stockton house at centre of suspected drug drops boarded up
The court heard a bottle would be lowered from a first-floor window using a rope, with drug payment put inside | BBC, UK
International news
Evidence briefs for tobacco harm reduction
Clive Bates has produced a series of new evidence briefs on the scientific and policy considerations for e-cigarettes or vapes and other smoke-free products that support tobacco harm reduction. The series has started with four evidence briefs to coincide with the COP-10 meeting of the WHO FCTC starting 5th February 2024 | Clive Bates, UK
Mexico’s cannabis ‘nuns’ work to take plant back from narcos – in pictures
Sisters of the Valley is a non-religious group founded in 2014 that has pledged to spread the gospel of the healing powers of cannabis. The Sisters argue that the fight against drugs in Latin America has been a failure, leading to widespread violence and mass incarceration | Guardian, UK
How do users compare the costs between nicotine vaping products and cigarettes? Findings from the 2016–2020 International Tobacco Control United States surveys
[Open access] Nicotine vaping products (NVPs) can potentially help adult tobacco users quit smoking. This study evaluated how adult consumers compare the costs between NVPs and cigarettes | Addiction, USA
Cannabis and Driving in Older Adults
In this cohort study, 31 regular users of cannabis aged 65 to 79 years chose on average high potency (18.74% THC) THC-dominant cannabis. Weaving was increased and speed was decreased at 30 minutes after smoking, which was not correlated with blood THC concentrations; subjective experience and self-reports of impaired driving persisted for 3 hours | JAMA Network, USA
Study examines substance use in first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic
Considerable attention has focused on burnout and mental health of physicians and nurses on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic. First responders—law enforcement personnel, firefighters, and emergency medical service (EMS) providers, also experienced increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression due to job-related pressures associated with the pandemic | Medical Xpress, USA
LGBTQ+ individuals recommend strategies to promote affirming substance use treatment care
A new study by doctoral alumna Dr. Margaret Paschen-Wolff and colleagues, published in Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, offers concrete recommendations for delivering LGBTQ+-affirming care for substance use and disorders, which could reduce disparities and drug overdose mortality overall | Medical Xpress, USA
Mathematical Model Illuminates Potential of Safe Consumption Sites
New research aims to put numbers on how safe consumption sites (also known as overdose prevention sites, or OPS) can reduce overdose deaths in different cities across the United States | Filter Magazine, USA
Sri Lanka’s Devastating Drug-War Crackdown on Poor Communities
Sri Lanka is several weeks into a devastating crackdown on the nation’s poor communities, supposedly to target people who sell and use drugs. International funding to the Sri Lankan government continues despite mounting evidence of its human rights violations | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Collective Voice Forums – harnessing the sector’s knowledge and expertise to improve the system
Collective Voice Forums will facilitate experts across the field to come together to share information and expertise, forge strong and lasting connections and foster a culture of innovation | Collective Voice, UK
Partner blog: The importance of 12 Step Recovery programmes (Visible Recovery)
It's January, and many of our followers, advocates, and supporters have embarked on the first tentative steps towards recovery – each person's journey is unique to their circumstances. While some find success in abstaining and navigating recovery independently, others benefit from a more holistic and deep-rooted approach, such as the 12-Step Recovery | Action on Addiction blog, UK
Why are brits so opposed to cannabis?
Cannabis use is a contentious topic and although public opinion around the drug is changing, there is still significant opposition to it. Drug reform is a morally charged topic, so the public tends to have a strong opinion on either side of the spectrum, leading to a lot of polarisation | Volteface, UK
Dear Jacinta Allan, ‘just say no’ glosses over reality. If it helps, think of drug checking like seatbelts
People are more than the things they ingest or do for fun on the weekend. I expect a higher level of leadership than ‘just say no’ from our new premier | Guardian opinion, UK