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Daily news - 19th March 2024

UK news

MSPs urged to increase minimum alcohol pricing to 65p per unit

Over 80 organisations across Scotland and beyond are calling upon the Scottish Government to increase the minimum pricing for alcohol ahead of a Holyrood vote. The Scottish Parliament must vote as a whole by the end of April to pass the new regulations on minimum pricing or the policy will come to an end | STV News, UK

Sunak braces for backlash as smoking ban bill to be introduced in Commons

Libertarian faction of Conservatives expected to stage a rebellion but measure has widespread support | Guardian, UK

Non-cigarette tobacco smoking soared over last decade

There are around five times more people smoking non-cigarette tobacco in England now than there were a decade ago, according to a new study led by UCL researchers | UCL, UK

Reduced sentences for pregnant women and new mothers convicted of most crimes - video

Pregnant women and new mothers who are convicted of most types of crime will be considered for reduced sentences. The new rules mean judges will be able to treat pregnancy and postnatal care as a mitigating factor when deciding a sentence. Campaigners said the change – in England and Wales – was long overdue. In this video, Channel 4 talks to mothers at Phoenix Future's Drug and Alcohol Rehab Centre in Sheffield | Channel 4, UK

[Open access] This exploratory study highlights the potential for innovative harm reduction interventions such as HAT (Heroin Assisted Treatment), co-located with primary care services, to improve healthcare access and engagement for a high-risk population. Increased uptake of primary healthcare services translated to reductions in emergency healthcare use and associated costs. Although costs of HAT provision are substantial, the notable cost-savings in health care should be an important consideration in service implementation planning | IJDP, UK

Cornwall university warns students over drugs after rise in overdoses

A university has issued an urgent message to students following a rise in drug overdoses. The University of Exeter's Cornwall campus, has warned students against taking "contaminated" heroin. The university put out the warning on Friday and urged drug users to always carry at least two doses of an anti-overdose medication with them | Cornwall Live, UK

Jobs advertised at UK's first official drug consumption room

The £2.3m facility - the first of its kind in the UK - is expected to be completed in six months | STV News, UK

NHS Lothian Launches Striking Campaign to Stub Out Smoking on Hospital Sites

Staff members across NHS Lothian hospitals have teamed up to urge patients, visitors and other members of staff not to light-up near hospitals. They aim to create a healthier environment for patients, visitors, and employees and help protect those most at risk as they receive urgent care in hospitals across Lothian | NHS Lothian, UK

Hidden issues in rural social work and communities

Thu, 9 May 2024 09:30 - 13:00 BST. Exploring hidden issues and injustices in rural communities and the role of rural social work to inform future policy and practice | Iriss, UK

Sheffield gambling clinic opens amid record demand for help

A new gambling clinic has opened in Sheffield city centre amid "record demand" for help | BBC, UK

Men jailed for smuggling drugs inside Strongbow cans into Creamfields festival

Two men have been jailed after attempting to smuggle drugs into Creamfields music festival inside cans of cider. James Jones and Andrew Rankin, both 25, and from Scotland, were each sentenced to three years in prison for possession with intent to supply MDMA and ketamine | ITV, UK

International news

Morocco celebrates huge cannabis harvest – legally for the first time

Nearly a million people live in areas of northern Morocco where cannabis is the main economic activity | Independent, UK

A Reckoning with Drugs in Oregon - audio

Four years ago, one of America’s most progressive states passed the country’s boldest approach to drug policy reform yet. Measure 110 came after a spirited campaign targeting the country’s failed war on drugs. The new law decriminalised possession of all illicit substances, including heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine . The reformers accurately predicted that the new law would result in fewer people of colour being locked up, but it also coincided with the new spread of the deadly drug fentanyl, and a tidal wave of homelessness | BBC Sounds, UK

Nationals and Greens criticise vaping ‘prohibition’ as battle looms for Labor

David Littleproud says the ‘genie’s out of the bottle’ while Adam Bandt says Greens don’t support ‘prohibition model’ for other drugs | Guardian, UK

One in five vapers would return to smoking habit if flavours banned, survey says

More than 75pc of vapers say a ban of flavouring could lead to more young people smoking, with one in five ex-smokers saying they would also pick the habit back up if flavours were banned | Independent, Ireland

Lack of naval resources means 'we have handed the keys of the country over to the drug cartels'

Navy response times “make or break” drug operations, meaning Ireland is at a “serious operational disadvantage”, with just a quarter of the patrol vessels it had just a few years ago, the former head of EU’s maritime drug agency has said | Irish Examiner, Ireland

Laws that punish drug use during pregnancy likely lead to worse health outcomes for families: Study

Contrary to some claims, laws that criminalize or otherwise punish drug use during pregnancy are more likely to worsen rather than improve health outcomes, according to a paper by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The study is the first to systematically review the literature on punitive prenatal drug laws—an increasingly common state policy strategy for addressing rising rates of prenatal drug use | Medical Xpress, USA

Lower grades for students who use both tobacco and cannabis, California survey reveals

Several reports have raised the issue of increasing absenteeism and lower grades in American public schools after they reopened following the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. These predict higher rates of mental illness and dropout from high school. Substance use is also linked to poor outcomes, including vaping, tobacco, and cannabis, perhaps because of their effects on the developing brain | News Medical, USA

Prison Buprenorphine Implementation and Postrelease Opioid Use Disorder Outcomes

Did trends in postrelease treatment and outcomes for opioid use disorder change after Massachusetts prison system implemented buprenorphine treatment during incarceration? | JAMA Network Open, USA

Psychedelics are about to become a casualty of Oregon’s opioid crisis

Four years ago, the state decriminalized all drugs. Now it’s trying to course-correct — and might make a mistake in the process | Vox, USA

Digital Alcohol Studies Archives

Welcome to the Digital Alcohol Studies Archives! This site hosts the digitized collections formerly held by the Rutgers Center of Alcohol and Substance Use Studies (CAS). Also available is the Alcohol Studies Database containing over 80,000 citations from 1956 to 2007 for journal articles, books, book chapters, dissertations, conference papers, and audio-visual materials | Rutgers University Libraries, USA

Elon Musk Defends Ketamine Use: From Investor Standpoint, ‘If There’s Something I’m Taking, I Should Keep Taking It’

The billionaire denied ever abusing the drug, saying that doing so would prevent him from being able to accomplish his work | The Wrap, USA

[Open access] This study evaluated the efficacy of the selective personality‐targeted PreVenture program in reducing cannabis and stimulant use over a 7‐year period spanning adolescence and early adulthood | DAD, Australia

Wastewater testing reveals New Zealand’s biggest-drinking regions

A first-of-its-kind study has revealed small-town New Zealanders are bigger boozers than city dwellers. The just-published study used wastewater testing to measure alcohol use around the country, a technique that has previously yielded rich insights about Covid-19 and cocaine use | NZ Herald, New Zealand

Blogs, comment and opinion

Drug Use, Human Freedom, and the Question of Harm to Society

“The right to swing my fist ends where the other man’s nose begins.” ― Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. The quote above has been attributed to historical figures including Oliver Wendell Holmes and Abraham Lincoln. While its origins are uncertain, it has links to prohibition | Recovery Review blog, USA

Cheers to health? Uncovering myths around the health benefits of moderate drinking

The notion that enjoying a casual beer or sipping on your favourite wine could not only be harmless but actually beneficial to one’s health is a tantalizing proposition for many. This belief, often backed by claims of research findings, has seeped into social conversations and media headlines, painting moderate alcohol consumption in a positive light | Conversation, Canada

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