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Daily news - 25th July 2024 |
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UK news
Vapes in schools: The scale of the issue revealed with kids as young as five vaping
Teaching union NASUWT commissioned a survey of 4,000 teachers - and more than 85% of them warned vaping on school premises is causing problems | ITV, UK
‘We’re going to see a death’ - stark warning as vapes spiked with Spice in England's schools
Professor Chris Pudney, a Professor of Applied Biochemistry at the University of Bath, has been testing vapes taken from young people across the country. He warned it is now a “struggle” to find a school in England where vapes containing Spice were not present, claiming it was almost “endemic” and saying we needed to start “being honest about it” | ITV, UK
Still no opening date set for UK's first drug consumption room
The facility was approved in September 2023, but work is ongoing despite hopes for an April start | Big Issue, UK
Inventive new campaign to encourage people to get help
The campaign, from the city’s alcohol and drug support service, aims to break down barriers, reduce stigma and help people realise that there is effective expert help available on their doorstep | Forward Leeds, UK
Diageo partners with UKMSA to support men’s wellbeing and encourage alcohol moderation
Diageo, maker of Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, and Guinness, has today announced an 18-month pilot partnership with the UK Men’s Sheds Association, an organisation that supports men’s wellbeing by providing a network of social and creative community spaces | Biggleswade Today, UK
'I didn't know it was legal... now the difference in me is truly remarkable'
A Manchester mum-of-one who receives medical cannabis in the post says the treatment has completely transformed her life | Manchester Evening News, UK
Theme park licence review after drugs overdose gig
Dreamland in Margate will have to meet a series of safety conditions after concerns were raised following the death of a teenager during a drum and bass event | BBC, UK
International news
Moderate drinking not better for health than abstaining, analysis suggests
Scientists say flaws in previous research mean health benefits from alcohol were exaggerated | Guardian, UK [See study here]
Pill testing to be introduced by Queensland government at Gold Coast schoolies
Move is welcomed by drug and alcohol services, but the LNP opposition vows to scrap it if it wins government | Guardian, UK
Women in Psychedelic Science: Part 5 - video
This is the full recording of our 5th Women in Psychedelic Science event, hosted in June. Featuring experts working at the cutting edge of psychedelic science and in related fieldwork | Drug Science, UK
Minister Burke highlights impact of investment in alcohol treatment services
Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing, and the National Drugs Strategy, Colm Burke has highlighted the impact of investment in drug and alcohol services as new figures show a 10% rise in the number of alcohol treatment cases in 2023 | Gov.ie, Ireland
‘It’s frightening people’ – 70% of Dubliners have witnessed open drug dealing
Open drug dealing is now a major issue in Dublin city centre – and it is “frightening” people living and working in the capital, a former Garda inspector has warned | NewsTalk, Ireland
Here are the options the government is considering for how to tax vapes
The decision on what rate to apply will fall to Finance Minister Jack Chambers to decide in October’s Budget | Journal, Ireland
Fentanyl: central europe sees pockets of rising synthetic opioid usea
Concerns in Central Europe are mounting over the increased availability of opioids and an associated rise in deaths. Better monitoring is key to preventing a US-style epidemic, say experts | Balkan Insight, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Why Do Only Some Cohort Studies Find Health Benefits From Low-Volume Alcohol Use? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Study Characteristics That May Bias Mortality Risk Estimates
[Open access] Assumptions about alcohol's health benefits profoundly influence global disease burden estimates and drinking guidelines. Using theory and evidence, we identify and test study characteristics that may bias estimates of all-cause mortality risk associated with low-volume drinking | JSAD, USA
Improving care for opioid use disorder through research into injection-related infections
Deaths from injection-related infections like endocarditis have increased among young people, likely due to the growth of injection drug use and stronger, shorter-acting fentanyl. While medications for opioid use disorder reduce the risk of death, initiating and retaining patients on these life-saving treatments is difficult | Medical Xpress, USA
Big drop in US kids, teens misusing prescription meds
The percentage of seniors who say they've misused prescription drugs in the past year has dropped to 2% in 2022, down from 11% back in 2009, researchers reported July 24 in the JAMA | Medical Xpress, USA
Social vulnerability linked with mental health and substance use disorders
A study published in JAMA Psychiatry uncovers significant associations between social vulnerability—a measurement that aggregates social determinants of health like socioeconomic status, housing type, education and insurance coverage—and the prevalence and treatment of mental health and substance use disorders in the United States. The results have the potential to reshape public health policies to better serve systemically disadvantaged populations | Medical Xpress, USA
Reported Increase in Substance Use Following Mass Terrorism and the Role of Psychosocial Factors
In this cross-sectional study of a partially representative sample of 968 Jewish adults conducted 1 month after October 7, 2023, reporting ISU was higher among those exposed to events directly, indirectly, or via the media. Psychological distress partially mediated the association between indirect and media exposure and reporting ISU, whether or not experiencing mental health difficulties before the event was reported | JAMA Network Open, USA
Exploring diverse pathways to alcohol use disorder recovery
Alcohol use disorder causes many harms for individuals, families, and communities, though most eventually resolve their alcohol problem through many types of recovery pathways. This study examined recovery processes among individuals who never attended addiction treatment | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Drug checking resources may increase safety, but ultimate impact is uncertain
Drug checking services equip people who use drugs with valuable information about what is in the drugs that they use. Researchers in this qualitative study explored client and provider attitudes toward drug checking services and how they use them | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Xylazine wounds are a growing crisis among drug users in Philly − a nurse explains potential causes and proper treatment
Xylazine or “tranq” wounds – characterized by deep pockets of dead tissue – have become increasingly visible in Philadelphia among people who use drugs. That’s because xylazine, an animal tranquilizer with no FDA-approved use in humans, is now pervasive in Philadelphia’s street fentanyl supply. Forensic testing has revealed xylazine’s presence in over 90% of street heroin and fentanyl samples, and Pennsylvania is considered the epicenter of the xylazine crisis | Conversation, USA