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Daily news - 11th July 2024 |
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UK news
First UK university to train all student nurses to use drug overdose kits
All student nurses at a university in Yorkshire are to receive training on how to use naloxone, the life-saving medication that can reverse overdoses caused by opiates | Nursing Times, UK
People in Newcastle twice as likely to be hospitalised due to alcohol than in Leeds or Sheffield
The number of alcohol-specific hospital admissions in Newcastle increased from 2,050 in 2016/17 to 2,968 in 2022/23 | Chronicle, UK
Volunteering in a tranquil natural setting provides fertile ground for challenging stigma, says Jon Hall
Stigma creates barriers that marginalise and breed discrimination and prejudice. It causes exclusion, limits opportunities, and negatively impacts health and wellbeing. People who use substances know inequality well and the shame that accompanies reaching out for support in a stigmatising society. The marginalisation of people affected by drug and alcohol use is also perpetuated by the media and exploited by politicians for political gain. Yet, amidst the tranquil backdrop of green leafy spaces and lush vegetables carefully planted in neat rows lies a powerful antidote | Phoenix Futures, UK
LGBTQI+ People's Experiences of the Harm Caused by Alcohol - video
Featuring expert panellists, Dr Dave Whiteley, Dr Elena Dimova and Beth Meadows discussing LGBTQI+ experiences of alcohol treatment; how Big Alcohol targets the community; and solutions to the health inequalities LGBTQI+ people experience around alcohol, including alcohol free night life | Alcohol Focus Scotland, UK
Dyer recalls theatre fail after night on drugs
Danny Dyer has spoken about having a "major panic attack" after forgetting his lines on stage following a night taking drugs | BBC, UK
Council boss resigns after drug and driving charges
Bayo Dosunmu, chief executive of Lambeth council, was arrested in the Westminster area on 23 June after allegedly failing to stop at the scene of an accident. The 46-year-old has also been charged with possession of a class A controlled drug, driving over the alcohol limit, and driving without insurance | BBC, UK
Police dismantle £6m drugs operation
A drugs operation in Scunthorpe, which could have netted criminals £6m, has been shut down following a four-year investigation, police said | BBC, UK
International news
The Five Big Drug Trends Defining Summer 2024
We’ve rounded up this summer’s dominant global drug trends—from the inexorable rise of ketamine, to a new nightmarish synthetic opioid. Stay safe | VICE, UK
Fighting for the right with Lynn Jefferys - video
In this episode, we are joined by Lynn Jefferys. Lynn is the Operations Manager for the European Network for People who Use Drugs (EuroNPUD) and discuss how harm reduction has changed over the years, how its perceived and implemented across continents and the invaluable work of EuroNPUD | Barod, UK
Tackling the challenge of coca plant ID: wild vs cultivated for cocaine
Ever wondered how scientists tell apart coca plants grown for different human uses (sometimes illegal) from those that grow wild? | University of Portsmouth, UK
South Africa’s heroin users are finding release from withdrawal in cannabis
Durban is South Africa's third largest city, and also its heroin capital. For those dealing with the withdrawal effects of the addictive opioid cannabis is providing relief, casting doubt on the gateway drug theory | Leafie, UK
Cannabis still most popular illicit drug in Australia but meth and cocaine use at near-record highs
A wastewater monitoring program report found a site in Sydney had the highest mean cocaine consumption in the nation | Guardian, UK
Blackpink's Jennie 'regrets' vaping indoors
The K-pop star exhaled a puff of smoke - and triggered a barrage of criticism because it blew into the face of her make-up artist | BBC, UK
Integrative review on place-based and other geographically defined responses to drug-related threats in communities
On behalf of the Department of Health, the Health Research Board commissioned this report to systematically review and synthesise the international evidence on place-based and other geographically defined responses to drug-related threats in communities | HRB, Ireland
Trained peers are as effective as clinical social workers in reducing opioid overdose, new trial finds
In Rhode Island, over one in four emergency department (ED) patients at high risk of overdose has a non-fatal opioid overdose in the 18 months after discharge. A parallel, two-arm, randomized controlled trial conducted of over 600 ED patients at high risk of opioid overdose found that support from a peer recovery support specialist (a trained support worker with lived experience of addiction) is as effective in reducing opioid overdose as support from a licensed clinical social worker. In other words, interviewing and intervention techniques informed by lived experience are as effective as those informed by social work theory and practice | Medical Xpress, USA
Disease-Tailored Brief Intervention for Alcohol Use Among Youths With Chronic Medical Conditions
This secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial used data from 451 youths with a CMC. Among youths reporting high-risk alcohol use at baseline, there was a 40% relative reduction in alcohol use frequency among youths who received the intervention vs treatment as usual; no difference was observed among youths reporting no or low-risk use at baseline | JAMA Network Open, USA
Few US adults use nicotine pouches, nationally representative study finds
A new study found that the prevalence of nicotine pouch use was low in U.S. adults despite a 641% increase in sales of the products between 2019 and 2022. Researchers say the findings raise questions about who is using the millions of nicotine pouches sold in the U.S. and why | Medical Xpress, USA
The Evidence is Clear: Bans on Flavored Vaping Products Are Harming Public Health
Despite a growing body of evidence indicating that flavor bans on vaping products may lead to increased cigarette smoking, policymakers persist in their pursuit of such prohibitions. This approach is not only counterproductive but also detrimental to public health because it undermines the potential benefits of vaping as a harm reduction tool | Real Clear Health, USA
Alcohol, tobacco & other drugs in Australia
Alcohol, tobacco and other drug use is a major cause of preventable disease, illness and death in Australia. This report consolidates recent information on the availability and consumption of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs in Australia, and related impacts, harms and treatment | AIHW, Australia
Exposure to preference-matched alcohol advertisements from national sports broadcasts increases short-term alcohol consumption inclinations in risky drinkers
In Australia, sports broadcasting is afforded special alcohol advertising rights during daytime hours, which raises public health concerns, including short-term increases in alcohol consumption among the broad viewership of national sporting codes | Health Promotion Journal of Australia, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Duterte Rising: How the Philippines’ Drug War Came to Be
The Philippines’ drug war remains one of the most brutal cases of state-sanctioned violence on people who use drugs globally. A rampant vigilante culture, coupled with Presidential encouragement and admitted participation in extra-judicial killings, has meant that anyone associated (or assumed to be) with the drug trade could be murdered by anyone on the street | Talking Drugs, UK
Compassion in Conflict: Harm Reduction for Prisoners in Ukraine
A groundbreaking Needle and Syringe Programme has been introduced in Ukraine. Will other European countries follow? Tony Duffin and Oleksii Zagrebelnyi report... | HotPress, Ireland
Making the wine duty ‘easement’ permanent would negate the public health objective of the duty reform
Americans are suffering from a national PTSD crisis, and those who are suffering the most are our veterans. Thirteen million Americans suffer from PTSD, the majority of whom are veterans or survivors of sexual or domestic abuse. PTSD is one of the few psychiatric disorders that accurately predicts the transition from thinking about suicide to making a suicide attempt, killing up to 16,000 veterans each year. Yet there have been no new FDA-approved PTSD treatments for nearly 25 years | The Hill opinion, USA