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Daily news - 26th June 2024 |
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UK news
Warning issued over super-strength ecstasy pills ahead of Glastonbury festival
Drug charity The Loop says young festivalgoers are particularly at risk as potency of pills returns to pre-pandemic levels | Guardian, UK
National drug and alcohol treatment waiting times
This release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) reports on waiting times for people accessing specialist drug and alcohol treatment services between 1 January and 31 March 2024. In 2011, the Scottish Government set a Standard that 90% of people referred for help with problematic drug or alcohol use will wait no longer than three weeks for specialist treatment that supports their recovery | PHS, UK
Developing a coordinated response to chemsex across health, justice and social care settings: expert consensus statement
Chemsex occurs primarily among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, and there is evidence of a subgroup of users who carry out chemsex-related criminal offences and experience harm. Challenges with chemsex can present to various settings; there are concerns that harm is increasing, including at interfaces between health, social care and criminal justice systems. The UK response to date has lacked a coordinated approach. An expert reference group was convened to share chemsex knowledge, articulate priorities for research and pathway development, and foster collaborative working | Cambridge University Press, UK
UK anti-smoking policies ‘comparable with sanitation reform in 19th century’
Health expert cautions against normalisation of tobacco deaths 70 years since direct link between smoking and cancer uncovered | Guardian, UK
More pharmacies to dispense medicinal cannabis [Isle of Man]
The Isle of Man's medicinal cannabis dispensing service is set to expand to more pharmacies after a trial "built confidence in governance", the health minister has said | BBC, UK
International news
2024 Global Day of Action: Expanding our ecosystems of change
26th June 2024. For over a decade, the Support. Don’t Punishcampaign has resourced a global, decentralised network of change-makers in drug policy reform and harm reduction to reduce stigma, end violent and neglectful policies and practices against our communities, and ensure redress for all | IDPC, UK
The cost of complacency: A harm reduction funding crisis
Since 2020, the world has experienced several acute crises which have tested the resilience of harm reduction services. Economic, political, humanitarian and environmental crises have also put harm reduction at risk. Harm reduction services, particularly those led by the community of people who use drugs and civil society have shown their ability to reach those most in need and adapt to changing circumstances in times of crises | HRI, UK
Nicotine pouch use by sex, school type and tobacco product use among Finnish adolescents during the 2023 change in regulatory scheme with deregulated sales
In Finland, nicotine pouches entered the national market abruptly in 2023, following a change in April 2023 from medicinal product classification into less regulated tobacco surrogate status. This study aimed to measure adolescent nicotine pouch use and associated characteristics | Addiction, UK
Australia’s new vaping laws explained: where will vapes be sold and when do the changes come into force?
Labor’s Mark Butler announced a deal with the Greens that represented a watering down of the proposed new rules | Guardian, UK
National Drug Treatment Reporting System: 2023 drug treatment demand (PDF)
The Health Research Board has reported the highest figures in drug treatment to date with a continued increase in cocaine use evident, especially among females. In 2023, 13,104 cases were treated for problem drug use. This is the highest annual number recorded and an increase of more than one thousand cases compared to 2022. Almost four-in-ten cases had never been treated before. Cocaine was the most common drug reported, followed by opioids (mainly heroin), cannabis and benzodiazepines | HRB, Ireland
Government approves legislation to increase the minimum legal age of sale of tobacco products to 21
The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has announced that the government has approved legislation to increase the minimum legal age of sale of tobacco products to 21. The Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024 will now be brought forward for enactment | DoH, Ireland
International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
26th June 2024. This year’s World Drug Day campaign recognizes that effective drug policies must be rooted in science, research, full respect for human rights, compassion, and a deep understanding of the social, economic, and health implications of drug use | UNODC, Austria
CND Chair's Special Event to commemorate the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking and to launch the 2024 UNODC World Drug Report
On 26 June 2024, at 1pm Vienna time, the Chair of the 67th session of the CND will hold an event [with live webcast] to mark World Drug Day and to launch the 2024 World Drug Report. The 2024 World Drug Report presents the latest global, regional, and subregional estimates and trends in drug demand and drug supply in a user-friendly, interactive online format with a view to enhance and simplify access to the wealth of information made available | UNODC, Austria
Over 3 million annual deaths due to alcohol and drug use, majority among men
A new report from the World Health Organization highlights that 2.6 million deaths per year were attributable to alcohol consumption, accounting for 4.7% of all deaths, and 0.6 million deaths to psychoactive drug use. WHO’s Global status report on alcohol and health and treatment of substance use disorders provides a comprehensive update based on 2019 data on the public health impact of alcohol and drug use and situation with alcohol consumption and treatment of substance use disorders worldwide. The report shows an estimated 400 million people lived with alcohol and drug use disorders globally. Of this, 209 million people lived with alcohol dependence | WHO, USA
Kentucky's newest resource in combating the opioid crisis
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the NET Device, a Kentucky-based opioid use disorder treatment that reduces symptoms in 24 hours without the use of medication | Spectrum News, USA
New MDMA variants identified for potentially safer psychotherapeutic use
An international research team led by MedUni Vienna has now identified three new variants of MDMA as promising alternatives for safer use in a controlled psychotherapeutic setting as part of a study. The results were recently published in the Journal of Neurochemistry | Medical Xpress, USA
Ketamine vs Electroconvulsive Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression
In this secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial, 365 adults with nonpsychotic treatment-resistant major depression, moderately severe or severe pretreatment depression severity and initiating treatment as an outpatient were associated with greater improvement with ketamine vs ECT | JAMA Network Open, USA
Support, Don’t Punish—But Why Do People Who Use Drugs Need Support?
June 26 is the annual “Support. Don’t Punish.” day—an impressive global initiative to promote harm reduction and drug policies that prioritize public health and human rights. The slogan rightly asserts that people who use drugs shouldn’t be punished and should instead receive support. But at second glance, it raises some telling questions | Filter Magazine, USA
Do Drugs Contain What We Think They Contain? Results from CUSP: The Community Urinalysis and Self-Report Project - Infographic
Drugs from the unregulated market often contain added substances that people who use drugs do not know are there or do not intend to use. This is a key driver of unintentional drug poisoning and the drug poisoning crisis | CCSA, Canada
Blogs, comment and opinion
“SIZE MATTERS”: High strength ecstasy pills are back, so harm reduction communications need to adapt
Summary: Average pill strength has increased in 2024, back to pre-pandemic levels (>180mg MDMA); The proportion of stronger pills has increased to pre-pandemic levels (>1 in 10 are 250mg+); Total pill weight can be a simple indicator of high strength pills and flag up the need for extra caution; Timely and context-specific harm reduction communications are extremely important this summer, especially given wider concerns about drug market adulteration | Drug Science, UK
UK Elections Cheat Sheet: What Does Each Party Say About Drug Policy?
With just a week to go until the UK’s General Election on 4 July, political parties have rolled out plans and visions for how to deal with drugs. This article will dive into each party’s drug policy plans, focussing on related pledges and statements, as well as how they would deal with crimes and individuals associated with the drug trade | Talking Drugs, UK
Alcohol labelling must be part of a ‘manifesto for cancer prevention’
The World Health Organisation classes alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen and all deaths from cancer caused by alcohol can be considered preventable. In fact, the evidence suggests that modifiable risk factors such as alcohol (as well as others such as smoking and obesity) are responsible for an incredible 40% of all cancer cases. Given this, CancerWatch believes the charity sector as a whole could be punching below its weight on this hugely important aspect of tackling cancer | IAS blog, UK
The Guardian view on smoking and public health: the fight against big tobacco continues
Seventy years after research linked cigarettes with cancer, tighter controls have been delayed once again | Guardian opinion, UK
Ending easy access to harmful vapes will prevent another generation of Australians becoming addicted
In a win for public health, a unique bill will close the loophole and end the selling of illegal vapes, as the tobacco industry looks on | Guardian opinion, UK
FDA authorized the sale of menthol-flavored e-cigarettes – a health policy expert explains how the benefits may outweigh the risks
On June 21, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the marketing of the first electronic cigarette products in flavors other than tobacco in the U.S. Of the four new authorized products, two are sealed, prefilled pods with menthol flavored nicotine liquid that can be used in certain types of e-cigarettes. The other two are disposable nicotine e-cigarettes – meaning once the prefilled menthol liquid is used, the device cannot be used again | Conversation, USA
Victoria will begin pill testing this summer. Evidence shows it reduces harm (and won’t increase drug use)
This week Victorian premier Jacinta Allan announced the state will trial a drug checking service beginning this summer festival season, describing it as a “simple and commonsense way to save lives”. | Conversation, Australia