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Daily news - 25th January 2024 |
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UK news
Guidance: Community pharmacy: delivering substance misuse services
This guidance is for community pharmacies in England that deliver services to people who use drugs and alcohol. It aims to: 1) assist the commissioning and delivery of high quality, safe and effective care that can engage more people in drug and alcohol treatment, and 2) reduce harms associated with the use of drugs and alcohol, including deaths from accidental overdose | OHID, UK
Research and analysis: Helping people in alcohol and drug treatment services into work
This is a summary of the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and qualitative findings from the Individual Placement and Support - Alcohol and Drug (IPS-AD) study. [IPS is an intervention that helps people with health conditions to get paid employment] | OHID, UK
Open consultation: Proposals to expand access to take-home naloxone supplies
This consultation closes at 11:59pm on 6 March 2024. This consultation is the government’s official response to the 2021 consultation Expanding access to naloxone. That initial consultation sought to expand the list of named services and individuals that can distribute naloxone without a prescription or other written instruction. Following significant engagement across the devolved administrations, we are now seeking views on legislative proposals that go further than those consulted on in 2021... | Department of Health and Social Care, Department of Health (Northern Ireland), The Scottish Government, and Welsh Government, UK
National statistics announcement: Substance misuse treatment for young people: statistics 2022 to 2023
These statistics will be released today, 25 January 2024, at 9:30am | OHID, UK
Who would be affected by a ban on disposable vapes? A population study in Great Britain
[Open access] The UK government is consulting on banning disposable e-cigarettes. This study aimed to describe trends in disposable e-cigarette use among adults in Great Britain since 2021 and establish who would currently be affected by a ban on disposables | Public Health, UK
Cornwall records highest number of drug-related deaths in one year
Cornwall Council's neighbourhood committee heard in 2022 an increased use of synthetic opioids was a big factor in the number of deaths | BBC, UK
Adult smokers in Kent urged to swap to vapes as part of scheme to make UK smoke-free
Kent County Council (KCC) is receiving £1.9million to help residents who smoke kick the killer habit | ITV, UK
Dispelling six alcohol industry myths about alcohol taxation
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK has experienced year-on-year increases in deaths from alcohol. Between 2019 and 2021 there was a 27.4% increase in alcohol-specific deaths, reaching the highest number on record. Policies to reduce the affordability of alcohol – such as increasing alcohol duty in real terms – are among the most effective and cost-effective ways to reduce harm. It is therefore a particularly bad time to allow alcohol duty to decrease in real terms | IAS, UK
Drugs: Internet
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help tackle the sale of unlicensed drugs online | They work for you, UK
New episode of Going Beyond podcast discuses the importance of adopting harm-reduction approaches to support - audio
In Episode 2 of Series 4 of the Going Beyond podcast, we speak to Chris Rintoul, Harm Reduction Lead for the charity Cranstoun. We speak about the importance of adopting harm-reduction approaches to support, how this differs to purely abstinence-based recovery support and discuss best practice in how frontline workers can approach conversations about harm reduction for people using substances | Homeless Link, UK
Choosing a journal with Prof. Bill Stoops - podcast
In this episode of Publishing Addiction Science, Dr Casy Calver talks to Prof. Bill Stoops about how to choose a journal in which to publish. Casy and Bill talk about how to define your audience so you can publish in a journal where your audience will find your research. Bill talks about his experiences as an author in addition to his views as a journal editor. He gives advice on how to approach journals to check whether an article is likely to be a good fit and therefore a good home for your hard won research paper | SSA, UK
New Deputy Chair of Independent Complaints Panel appointed
The Portman Group is delighted to announce the appointment of David Macdonald as the new Deputy Chair of the Independent Complaints Panel (ICP), following six years as a serving member | Portman Group, UK
A tribute to the late Erwin James, Forward Patron (1957 – 2024)
We are devastated to learn of the passing of our wonderful Patron, Erwin James | Forward Trust, UK
Merseyside Police vows zero tolerance on drink and drug driving
A police force is pledging a zero tolerance approach to drink and drug driving as it aims to to reduce the number of the offences | BBC, UK
Four arrested over £40k drugs haul
Officers made the discovery as they raided properties in Burslem, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Norton Heights on Tuesday morning | BBC, UK
International news
Oregon Democrats move to undo key part of drug decriminalization law
New bill would recriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs as a low-level misdemeanor in the state | Guardian, UK
Analysis of the World Drug Report 2023: The promise and peril of going green
With a format including not only the continued use of separate booklets, but also a new complementary online web-based element, the World Drug Report 2023 presents – as ever – an impressive array of largely accessible and user-friendly data and analysis of what the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC or Office) continues to refer to as the ‘world drug problem’. | IDPC, UK
Wine is a gift from God, Pope Francis tells Italian producers
Pope tells industry leaders at the Vatican the drink is a ‘source of joy’, but encourages healthy habits | Guardian, UK
Saudi Arabia to get first alcohol shop in more than 70 years
Saudi Arabia has said it will open a shop in Riyadh selling alcohol to a select band of non-Muslim expats, the first to open in more than 70 years | BBC, UK
Taoiseach to meet Chair of Citizens' Assembly on Drug Use as forum publishes report
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will [Today] meet Paul Reid, the Chairman of the Citizens' Assembly on Drug Use, when the forum is set to publish its final report | RTe, Ireland
North Dublin Regional DATF alcohol research 2023: an exploration of the nature and extent of alcohol use within North County Dublin
The North Dublin Regional Drug & Alcohol Task Force was established in 2003 under the National Drug Strategy. It is one of 10 regional Task Forces in the country. It brings key stakeholders together to coordinate an evidence informed and health led drug and alcohol strategy in the North Dublin Region. In the last decade the Task Force ramped up its efforts to reduce alcohol related harm | North Dublin Regional Drug & Alcohol Task Force, Ireland
New report — Heroin and other opioids pose substantial threat to health and security in Europe
What are the latest changes in the EU opioids market? How are global geopolitical developments impacting supply? Are heroin trafficking routes changing? To what extent do synthetic opioids pose a threat to Europe? These are among the issues explored in a new analysis — EU Drug Market: Heroin and other opioids | EMCDDA, Portugal
Study finds women farm owners more apt to binge drink
A study from the University of Georgia reveals a concerning pattern of binge drinking among women who own or manage farms | Medical Xpress, USA
Bill Seeks to Ring-Fence States’ Spending of Opioid Settlement Cash
State governments shouldn’t be stashing opioid settlement money in their general funds, say the lawmakers behind a bill in Congress. They want to mandate that the billions of dollars be used for specific purposes, including for programs and services helping people impacted by substance use disorder or overdose risk | Filter Magazine, USA
Record Cocaine Seizure Blow to Ecuador’s Gangs
The seizure of almost 22 tons of cocaine and the capture of a top Colombian drug trafficker have given the new Ecuadorian president a major boost in his war on organized crime. But these successes have also revealed how difficult it will be to overpower the country’s sophisticated gangs | Insight Crime, Colombia
Blogs, comment and opinion
BC safer supply associated with an increase in hospitalizations (but not deaths)
The study compared British Columbia to two other provinces without the safer supply program, comparing overdose rates before and after the implementation of the program | Recovery Review blog, USA