Home | Archive | Weekly | Reports
Daily news - 11th March 2024 |
 |
UK news
Every day 350 young adults aged 18-25 start smoking regularly
New analysis for Action on Smoking Health by UCL researchers suggests that each day in the United Kingdom approximately 350 young adults aged between 18 and 25 start smoking regularly. That amounts to 42,500 since the King’s speech announced legislation would be tabled to raise the age of sale from 18 by one year every year from 2027 onwards, making an annual total of 127,500 | ASH, UK
Revealed: New super-strength opioids have already claimed lives behind bars, as prisons ‘not ready’ for influx
‘Something potentially very dangerous is happening’ and ‘past experience suggests we’ve moved too slow,’ warns major treatment service | Independent, UK
Scotland & Alcohol: Find the full list of articles here
[Subscription of £1 required to read all articles] Across five days of in-depth coverage, The Herald delved into Scotland's relationship with alcohol to make sense of where we are, how we got here, and where we could be headed | Herald, UK
Life-saving overdose app which sends alerts to Naloxone carriers set to be launched in Scotland
NaloFly uses GPS technology to call 999 while searching for the nearest registered naloxone carrier in the event of a suspected opioid overdose | Daily Record, UK
Prescription Nation: Britain's hidden drug dependency - video
One in four drugs that are prescribed to adults in England are dependency-forming drugs. And while prescriptions for opioids have fallen following the epidemic in the US, two dependency-forming drug groups have seen prescriptions rise: pregabalin and antidepressants. Do we really understand how these drugs are affecting patients? Or are we sleep-walking into a new addiction crisis? | Times Radio, UK
Open consultation: Vaping Products Duty consultation
We welcome views on proposals for the design and implementation of a new UK-wide Vaping Products Duty. This consultation closes at 11:59pm on 29 May 2024 | HM Treasury, UK
Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the number of babies who have developed foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in each of the last ten years | They work for you, UK
Vaping (Action to Minimise Harm)
To ask the Scottish Government what public health measures are being taken to minimise harm from vaping, prior to the introduction of the proposed ban on single-use vapes | They work for you, UK
Drug Education Forum Spring 2024 Launch Event
Wed, 20 Mar 2024 15:30 - 17:00 GMT. The Drug Education Forum is a new national community of drug education professionals from across the UK | Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation, UK
Medicinal Uses of Psychedelics
Thu, 25 Apr 2024 10:00 - 12:00 BST. The Drugs Research Network for Scotland (DRNS) is holding an in-person event to discuss medicinal uses of psychedelic substances | DRNS, UK
Peter McCann (1940 – 2024) – a tribute to the Clouds House founder
The Forward Trust is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Clouds House founder, Peter McCann | Forward Trust, UK
Two Scottish charities recognised for keeping people experiencing homelessness and their dogs together
Two Scottish charities have been recognised by Together Through Homelessness for going above and beyond to help keep people experiencing homelessness and their dogs together | Dogs Trust, UK
Special bins installed in smoking hotspots
New bins specifically for cigarettes have been installed in a town in Kent. Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council said more than 3,000 fixed penalty notices had been issued for smoking-related litter in the borough in the past year | BBC, UK
International news
‘Profound’ threat of lethal synthetic opioids is growing in Europe, officials warn
Nitazenes – now being identified in UK supplies of heroin and illicit sedatives – caused rapid rises in drug deaths when they became prevalent in Baltic countries, warns EU drugs agency | Independent, UK
£200,000 of cocaine found hidden in lining of children’s books shipped to UK
Two hundred thousand pounds of cocaine and methamphetamine have been found hidden in children’s books and board games after it was shipped to Lincoln from Australia and New Zealand | Independent, UK
Ex-president of Honduras found guilty of drug crimes
Juan Orlando Hernández, the ex-president of Honduras, has been found guilty of drug trafficking charges in a federal US court | BBC, UK
The Jude Byrne Emerging Female Leader Award
The Jude Byrne Emerging Female Leader Award was developed by INHSU and INPUD (The International Network of People Who Use Drugs) in remembrance of Jude Byrne, a globally recognised, powerful advocate who fought to advance the health and human rights of people who use drugs. Applications now open and close 5:00pm PDT 5th of April 2024 | INHSU, Switzerland
International Women's Day: Exploring gender-sensitive approaches to drug-related issues
Women make up approximately a quarter of all people with serious drug problems in Europe and around one-fifth of all entrants to drug treatment. Yet much still needs to be done to provide interventions tailored to their needs, with many drug services remaining male-oriented | EMCDDA, Portugal
Regular e-cigarette use could lead to premature vascular dysfunction, study finds
Regular electronic cigarette use has been linked with signs of premature vascular dysfunction, raising concerns about potential long-term health effects, according to a study by Virginia Commonwealth University researchers | Medical Xpress, USA
Stricter blood-alcohol concentration limits may lead to more hit-and-run fatalities, finds study
Stricter laws on blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits while driving might have an unintended consequence on hit-and-run fatalities, according to a study from researchers at Florida Atlantic University and the University of Miami | Medical Xpress, USA
Online Briefing: Supervised Consumption Site Closures in Ontario - video
An informative online briefing discussing the recent closures of supervised consumption sites in Ontario due to funding issues from the Ministry of Health. Learn about the impact of these closures in diverse communities across Ontario and what actions can be taken to address this critical issue | Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, Canada
Blogs, comment and opinion
Anxiety drug pregabalin linked to rising number of deaths – here’s what you should know
There has been a significant rise in deaths linked to the commonly prescribed anxiety drug, pregabalin. While in 2018 there were 187 deaths linked to pregabalin in England and Wales, this number was more than double in 2022 – with 441 deaths linked to the drug | Conversation, UK
Commentary on Manthey et al.: No more missed opportunities—We need to address the absence of robust and comprehensive evaluations about the real-world impact of statutory restrictions on alcohol marketing
In a 2014 Cochrane Review, Siegfried and colleagues concluded there was an absence of robust evidence for or against statutory restrictions on alcohol advertising. Ten years on, Manthey and colleagues find this situation largely unchanged | Addiction commentary, UK
German cannabis legalisation explained
Germany has voted to decriminalise cannabis possession and home growing for personal use, and also legally regulate supply in the form of non-profit membership based associations. This significant step builds upon the growing momentum across Europe and globally to move away from the failings of prohibition | Transform blog, UK
Backpedaling on progress: Understanding Oregon’s U-turn on drug decriminalisation
Measure 110, which made Oregon the first state in the United States to remove criminal penalties for possession of a small amount of any drug, was and remains a historic turning point for the decriminalization movement. Sadly, the Oregon legislature has partially repealed the measure, creating new “drug enforcement misdemeanors” punishable by a term of supervised probation or up to 180 days in jail | IDPC blog, UK