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Daily news - 29th January 2024 |
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UK news
Press release: Disposable vapes banned to protect children's health
Disposable vapes will be banned in the UK as part of ambitious government plans to tackle the rise in youth vaping and protect children’s health | DHSC et al, UK
Disposable vapes to be banned for children's health, government says
Disposable vapes are set to be banned as part of plans to tackle the rising number of young people taking up vaping, the government says | BBC, UK
Drug Alert – Crack Cocaine
We have been made aware of a suspected contaminated batch of crack cocaine in the Midlands. People have reported difference in colour, with it being yellowish and only having to use a very small amount before having seizures and being rendered unconscious and then breathing has stopped. Hospital treatment has been needed and people reported being violent and not having recollection of the time between using and waking up in hospital | Cranstoun, UK
Drugs Policy
To ask the First Minister, in light of the Scottish Government’s plans to open the first safe drug consumption room in Glasgow later this year, what assurances he can provide that other areas of drugs policy, including spaces for residential rehabilitation, will not be deprioritised | They work for you, UK
Cocaine user's warning as drugs deaths soar
Cheaper and purer street drugs are contributing to a stark rise in cocaine deaths in the north-east of England, experts say | BBC, UK
Safe inhalation pipe provision (SIPP): protocol for a mixed-method evaluation of an intervention to improve health outcomes and service engagement among people who use crack cocaine in England
[Open access] Over 180,000 people use crack cocaine in England, yet provision of smoking equipment to support safer crack use is prohibited under UK law. Pipes used for crack cocaine smoking are often homemade and/or in short supply, leading to pipe sharing and injuries from use of unsafe materials. In this paper, we introduce the protocol for the NIHR-funded SIPP (Safe inhalation pipe provision) project and discuss implications for impact | Harm Reduction Journal, UK
Open consultation: Impact assessment (accessible)
Current wording of the Licensing Act 2003 does not allow technology to play a part in the age verification process for alcohol sales; a person must make the decision whether an individual is old enough to purchase alcohol, using physical identification. There is a need to consider the secure and appropriate use of age assurance technologies which can help to establish if an individual is old enough to purchase age restricted products | Home Office, UK
‘Hard month’ for pubs as UK’s dry January set to be driest ever
Almost as many people said they had attempted to go teetotal at the start of this year as in any of the previous 10 years | Guardian, UK
Britons switching to smaller, higher-quality alcoholic drinks, experts say
Increasing preference said to be driven by desire to be healthier and is fuelling trend for 100ml taster bottles | Guardian, UK
Smoking - Question
To ask His Majesty’s Government what progress they have made towards the ambition of creating a “smokefree” generation by 2030 | They work for you, UK
Birmingham drug and alcohol charity Changes UK goes out of business
A leading drug and alcohol treatment centre that has helped more than 1,000 people in Birmingham has ceased trading after failing to secure new funding | BBC, UK
Helping people in alcohol and drug treatment services into work
Updated summary to include a reference to the journal article, removed detailed results of the secondary outcomes measures and added link to an external IPS-AD evaluation | OHID, UK
Peaky Blinders actor Paul Anderson fined for possession of drugs
Arthur Shelby actor found with crack cocaine, amphetamines and prescription drugs on Boxing Day | Guardian, UK
Aberdeen man admits holding £1m cocaine haul 'for a friend'
A man has admitted his role in a haul of cocaine worth more than £1m which was seized in Aberdeen | BBC, UK
Tenth man guilty of 'truly massive' cocaine plot
A man has been found guilty of taking part in a cocaine supply plot which saw up up to £53m-worth of drugs trafficked across the UK | BBC, UK
Drug dealers who targeted Newcastle students jailed
David Knowles and his associates were caught selling cocaine to undercover police after three student deaths, Newcastle Crown Court heard | BBC, UK
Brothers ran cannabis farms on epic scale - judge
Two brothers have been jailed for running a network of cannabis farms across Yorkshire and the East Midlands | BBC, UK
International news
Drugs and Alcohol Work Sector Report on Work Sector Activity 2021 - 2024 (PDF)
This paper summarises the activities of the British Irish Council (BIC) Drugs and Alcohol Work Sector in delivering its agreed Forward Work Plan for 2021-2024 | British Irish Council, UK
Cruise passengers accused of bringing 100 bags of marijuana on board ship from Miami
Investigators said the packaging and quantity of marijuana found was consistent with drug trafficking and distribution | Independent, UK
Distributions of alcohol use and alcohol-caused death and disability in Canada: Defining alcohol harm density functions and new perspectives on the prevention paradox
[Open access] The aims of this study were to examine the distribution of alcohol use and to define ‘harm density functions’ representing distributions of alcohol-caused health harm in Canada, by sex, towards better understanding which groups of drinkers experience the highest aggregate harms | Addiction, UK
Higher education project ‘breaking cycle’ of addiction
Some 92 people have taken part in a “transformational” education programme targeted towards those living with addiction | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Minister McEntee extends Greentown Programme for further three years
The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD, and the Minister of State for Youth Justice, James Browne TD, have announced a three year extension to the Greentown Programme. The Programme has been working on a trial basis for the past two years aiming to reduce and disrupt the influence of criminal networks on children, as well as to provide support for the positive development of the affected children | Department of Justice, Ireland
Drug Consumption Rooms Are Coming to Slovenia – An Interview with Katja Krajnc
After decades of advocacy by civil society, the government finally approved the opening of the first drug consumption room in Slovenia. On this occasion we interviewed Katja Krajnc from the NGO Stigma, a leading harm reduction organisation in the country | Drug Reporter, Hungary
FDA Report Reveals 300% Increase In Cannabis Research Over The Last Decade—Key Findings
The last decade has seen a “dramatic increase” in investigational new drug (IND) applications for cannabis-derived products, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration | Forbes, USA
Signs of accelerated aging found in brains of individuals with alcohol use disorder
The brains and blood of people with a history of excessive drinking show cellular evidence of premature aging. In a new study published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research, DNA taken from people with alcohol use disorder showed signs of changes in genetic regions indicative of increased biological age | Medical Xpress, USA
Targeted anti-smoking messages for LGBTQ+ young women
In the U.S., young women who identify as LGBTQ+ are up 4.8 times more likely to smoke cigarettes than their heterosexual peers | Medical Xpress, USA
Monitoring and Evaluation of the Kava Pilot Program
On 11 October 2019, the Prime Minister, the Hon Scott Morrison MP, announced the Australian Government was stepping up its commitment to the Pacific by launching the kava pilot program. The pilot involves the relaxation of kava-related prohibited import regulations to allow Australians more access to kava and its benefits. The pilot also supports broader efforts under the Pacific Step-up strategy to increase stronger cultural and economic ties between Australia and Pacific Island nations | NDARC, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
New report shows Phoenix’s residential family service creates up to £23.5 million of social value
Phoenix’s National Specialist Family Service in England is one of only two residential treatment services in England that enable parents to benefit from residential drug and alcohol treatment whilst caring for their children | Phoenix Futures blog, UK
Prison treatment trends
The Office for Health Improvement & Disparities has just (26 January 2024) published its annual “Alcohol and drug treatment in secure settings” report, covering the financial year 2022/23. The report contains information on both adults and young people in contact with treatment services in prisons, youth custody and immigration removal centre settings. This blog post covers the headline findings and main trends | Russell Webster, UK
75,000 people die from smoking related diseases each year in the UK
The fact that millions in this country have quit is a remarkable public health achievement, but we should not forget how we got here, and what more there is to do | The Parliament Politics, UK
Ukraine approves monumental cannabis legislation
In December 2023, Ukrainian Parliament officially approved a bill originally drafted in Feb 2022 legalising the medicinal use of cannabis. 248 MPs voted in favour of the bill, a result that was expected given the early approval of the first reading back in July 2023 | Volteface, UK
Cannabis social clubs in Barcelona: A model worth defending
More than 20 years ago, a groundbreaking approach to cannabis regulation and consumption emerged in Barcelona with the creation of Cannabis Social Clubs (CSCs). CSCs operate as non-profit organizations, providing safe spaces for adults to responsibly consume cannabis and create a safer alternative to the unregulated market | IDPC blog, UK