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Daily news - 30th January 2024 |
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UK news
Consultation outcome - Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping consultation: government response
On 4 October 2023 we published Stopping the start: our new plan to create a smokefree generation which also included our proposals to tackle youth vaping and enforce our rules. Following this we published a UK-wide consultation on 12 October and received nearly 28,000 responses. This document sets out the consultation outcomes and the subsequent measures that we will now be taking forward | DHSC et al, UK
Policy paper: Stubbing out the problem: A new strategy to tackle illicit tobacco
‘Stubbing out the problem: A new strategy to tackle illicit tobacco` sets out our commitment to reduce demand for illicit tobacco, and to tackle and disrupt the organised crime gangs behind the illicit tobacco market | HM Revenue & Customs and Border Force, UK
ASH response to government announcement on smoking and vaping
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said,
“Today’s announcements are a vital stepping stone on the path to ending the smoking epidemic once and for all. The Government’s strategy is the right one: stop smoking initiation, support smokers to quit by using the most effective methods, while protecting children by curbing youth vaping... | ASH, UK
'Children shouldn't be vaping': Rishi Sunak explains UK disposable vapes ban – video
The prime minister has explained the UK government's plan to ban disposable vapes to try to curb youth vaping. The changes are expected to come into effect towards the end of this year or early 2025. 'Children shouldn't be vaping. We don't want them to get addicted. We still don't understand the full long-term health impacts of vaping. So, it's right that we take strong action to stamp this out,' Rishi Sunak said. The government is also attempting to make vaping less appealing by restricting fruity flavours and introducing plain packaging | Guardian, UK
Disposable vape ban: 'It can't be strong enough or come soon enough'
Stashing vapes behind a sink and hiding them in roof tiles - these are the extreme lengths two teenage boys went to keep their habit secret | BBC, UK
Smoking-related illnesses put 35,000 in hospital a year, report says
Almost 35,000 people are hospitalised each year due to smoking-related illnesses, an NI Audit Office report has said | BBC, UK
UK bowel cancer death rates forecast to rise by third among under-50s
More than half of bowel cancer cases in the UK (54%) are preventable, according to Cancer Research UK. More than a quarter of cases (28%) are caused by eating too little fibre, 13% are caused by eating processed meat, 11% are caused by obesity, 6% are caused by drinking alcohol and 5% are caused by too little physical activity | Guardian, UK
Rotherham in-hospital service supports recovery for alcohol and drug-related admissions
“If it wasn’t for Bob, I don’t think I would have had the help before Christmas. I think I would have still been drinking.” ROADS provided by WithYou’s in-hospital liaison service supports people in Rotherham who are admitted to hospital for alcohol or drug-related conditions, to find the right support and help prevent further admissions | With You, UK
Benefits of family support to people using drugs or alcohol - survey
This survey is designed for people who have themselves experienced problems with their drinking and/or drug use use, and are now in recovery or are recovered. We would like to hear about the role that your family played in your recovery | Adfam, UK
Rulings + Decisions: Yonder ‘Pink Lemonade’
“This afternoon my 13 year old daughter chose a can of drink from the chiller cabinet at Gloucester Services northbound service station. Attached photo, Yonder pink lemonade. She gave it to me, I bought it and gave it back to her to drink. When she opened the can, thankfully she thought it smelt a bit odd so asked me about it, it was only then I realised it was alcohol..." | Portman Group, UK
County lines: 'I was nine when drug dealers recruited me'
A former gang member was forced to traffic guns and drugs for more than 10 years before he was identified as a victim of child criminal exploitation | BBC, UK
Police take £11.2m of illegal drugs off streets
Cumbria Constabulary said they seized substances including heroin, cocaine and amphetamine, along with suspected criminal money worth more than £4m | BBC, UK
Cousins jailed over £20m cocaine hidden in van
The vehicle had been fitted with a sophisticated system which opened five hidden compartments, said West Midlands Police | BBC, UK
Police seize £3m worth of cannabis after stopping car on M6
Officers stopped a white BMW on the M6 in Forton near Lancaster on Sunday, Lancashire Police said | BBC, UK
International news
Australian Border Force seizes 13 tonnes of disposable vapes in Adelaide
The 250,000-vape haul is the first large-scale seizure since import ban was introduced in the new year and have a street value of $4.5m | Guardian, UK
COPOLAD III: EMCDDA embarks on week of events with Jamaican partners
This week, the EMCDDA is co-organising, with the Jamaican National Council on Drug Abuse, a series of technical meetings under the COPOLAD III programme. Taking place in Kingston, the events will focus on three topics | EMCDDA, Portugal
Asthma rates climb for high school students as cannabis use increases
Asthma is more common among high school students who use cannabis, relative to those who do not and the prevalence of asthma increases with the frequency of its use among the students, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the City University of New York. The findings are published in the journal Pediatric Pulmonology | Medical Xpress, USA
Psychology research: Women more sensitive to cocaine
Previous studies focused on cocaine use have found that women are more likely than men to develop an addiction, try cocaine at a younger age, use larger amounts of the drug, and suffer from overdose | Medical Xpress, USA
Ecological Momentary Assessment of Self-Reported Kratom Use, Effects, and Motivations Among US Adults
Among the 357 kratom consumers surveyed using ecological momentary assessment in this cross-sectional study, most reported using kratom daily to relieve pain, improve mood, or increase productivity, and some used it as an opioid substitute. Most participants reported improvements in daily living and productivity; more frequent use was associated with tolerance, withdrawal, and craving but not with social or functional impairment | JAMA Network Open, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Conflicts of interest in alcohol policy: What do UK policy actors think about industry involvement?
Alcohol industry interference has been identified as a major barrier to reducing alcohol-related harm. Public health actors have consistently argued that alcohol industry involvement in policymaking represents a conflict of interest (COI) because of private companies’ fiduciary responsibility to maximise shareholder value, and thus to prioritise profits over public health | IAS blog, UK
Ketamine in the UK
The significant increase in ketamine use among young people, particularly those aged 16 to 24, highlights a growing public health concern. Over the past five years, there has been a threefold rise in ketamine use within this age group in the UK | Tony D'agostino, UK
My Friend Lanre review – loving portrait of a sensitive, self-destructive photographer
Leo Regan presents more than 25 years of footage of Lanre Fehintola, who documented addicts in Bradford so closely that he became one himself | Guardian, UK