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Daily news - 21st March 2024 |
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UK news
News story: More synthetic opioids banned to protect communities
Fifteen additional synthetic opioids are now under the strictest controls to prevent drug related deaths and ensure anyone caught supplying them faces tough penalties | Home Office, Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, The Rt Hon James Cleverly MP, and The Rt Hon Chris Philp MP, UK
Press release: Smokefree generation one step closer as bill introduced
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will deliver on the Prime Minister's commitment to create a smokefree generation, saving thousands of lives and billions for the NHS | Department of Health and Social Care, The Rt Hon Victoria Atkins MP, and The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP, UK
News story: Smoking and vaping - the need for action
All current and former living UK Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) and current Deputy CMOs write for The Times on the introduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill | DHSC, UK
Impact assessment: Tobacco and Vapes Bill: impact assessment
Impact assessments relating to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill introduced in the House of Commons on 20 March 2024 | DHSC, UK
Tobacco and Vapes Bill: factsheets
These factsheets provide more information about the Tobacco and Vapes Bill which was introduced in the House of Commons on 20 March 2024 | DHSC, UK
How to save a life: emergency response to an overdose
RADAR (Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response) and the Simon Community Scotland worked together to create this resource on how to respond to a drug overdose, and how to reduce the harm from drugs | Public Health Scotland, UK
Study shows people will choose low-alcohol options
Making alcohol-free beer more available on draught in pubs and bars may help people switch from alcoholic beer, a study has shown. A group of 14 pubs and bars across Bristol temporarily changed the drinks they offered. The study was carried out by Bristol City Council and the Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group (TARG) of the University of Bristol | BBC, UK
'Our past does not define us as a person': Paul’s journey back to work (PDF)
“One of the most defining moments of my life was joining the Individual Placement and Support scheme. It gave me support with my alcohol dependency, and it made me look at things in a totally different way.” WithYou in Cornwall’s Individual Placement and Support (IPS) service is an innovative approach that offers intensive, individually tailored support to help individuals in drug and alcohol recovery find - and retain - the right job | With You, UK
Strength in numbers – how Manchester’s Street Engagement Hub is meeting people’s complex needs
Our Manchester RISE service is part of an innovative partnership model that is helping people access the support that is right for them. Head of Services Jackie McVann explains how the Street Engagement Hub is meeting people's complex needs | Change Grow Live, UK
Health Education: Children and Young People
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that public health education is delivered to children and young people who are (a) not in school and (b) at particular risk from harm from (i) use of (A) nitrous oxide, (B) drugs and (C) alcohol and (ii) other public health concerns | They work for you, UK
Protect children from crime gangs, expert urges
Tens of thousands of children are at risk of being groomed and coerced into crime by organised gangs, according to a leading child-protection expert | BBC, UK
Jordan North: The Truth About Vaping - video
Jordan North sets out to decide, once and for all, if it's time he quit vaping | BBC, UK
Alcohol brief interventions for people with cognitive decline webinar - video
On Tuesday 12 March, IAS hosted a webinar as part of its Small Grants Scheme, with Dr Philippa Case presenting her systematic review of 'Alcohol brief interventions for people with cognitive decline'. The number of older at-risk drinkers experiencing cognitive decline is likely to increase as a consequence of an ageing population and increased prevalence of at-risk drinking among older adults. This is likely to have a significant impact upon the individual, their family and community, and health and care services | IAS, UK
Medical cannabis clinic spotlight: releaf
Releaf is the newest medical cannabis clinic in the UK, entering the space with a refreshing perspective on how to address stigma, raise awareness and make the process for becoming a patient as easy as possible. We spoke to Releaf about their fresh approach and how they differ to the rest of the clinics across the UK | Volteface, UK
Drug-carrying volunteers help train sniffer dogs in Wisbech
A private security firm is appealing for more volunteers to be sniffed and searched by trainee detection dogs | BBC, UK
Prisons: Smuggling
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to help prevent drones being used to bring drugs and other illicit goods into prisons | They work for you, UK
No- and low-alcohol drinks: Potential and pitfalls for public health
Wed, 24 Apr 2024 12:45 - 14:00 BST. Prof John Holmes and Prof Niamh Fitzgerald will discuss the implications of no- and low-alcohol products for public health | SHAAP, UK
Son of notorious Liverpool drug trafficker admits heroin plot
The son of a notorious Liverpool drug trafficker has admitted conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine | BBC, UK
Slavery order for man who used child drug runner
A man who used a teenager as a drug runner has been issued with the first modern slavery order in Shropshire | BBC, UK
Illegal vapes with street value of £420k seized
Blackburn with Darwen's trading standards officers were given support by Lancashire Police in an "intelligence-led" operation. The vapes, destined for the shop shelf, were found at a wholesaler in the Whitebirk area of Blackburn in November | BBC, UK
International news
A Reckoning with Drugs in Oregon - audio
In A Reckoning with Drugs in Oregon, local journalist Winston Ross explores the complex issues behind Portland’s fentanyl crisis, speaking across the political divide and to many of those in the eye of the storm | BBC Sounds, UK
Is Saudi Arabia softening its alcohol ban? - audio
An alcohol shop for diplomats has opened in Saudi Arabia. It’s a significant move in a country that has banned alcohol for over 70 years. Some believe in order to transform the tourism economy it is a sign of things to come. In the meantime, Riyadh has become known for making some of the best non-alcohol cocktails in the world. Is this a small policy change, or does it signal a wider relaxation of the rules? We hear from young Saudis about the generational divide in a country trying to change its image | BBC Sounds, UK
Doctors urge politicians not to be swayed by ‘misleading’ comments on vaping ban from industry-funded lobbyists
Public health experts say reforms will not affect prescription vapes after Greens and Nationals raise concerns of ‘prohibition’ approach | Guardian, UK
Vapes to be available only via prescription as 'therapeutic pathway' under new bill – video
The health minister, Mark Butler, has announced he will put forward a bill that would outlaw the sale, supply, commercial possession, advertising and manufacture of vapes in Australia. Penalties in relation to the supply, manufacturer and import of vapes would include terms of imprisonment of 7 years and fine of up to $2.2m | Guardian, UK
Drugs in municipal wastewater in Europe: source data
Analysing communal wastewaters for drugs and their metabolic products in order to estimate their consumption in the community is a developing field, involving scientists working in different research areas, including analytical chemistry, physiology and biochemistry, sewage engineering, spatial epidemiology and statistics, and conventional drug epidemiology. This data is collected by scientitistand experts in a Europe-wide network (Sewage analysis CORe group — Europe (SCORE)). Data from a range of cities is available and has been collected since 2011 | EMCDDA, Portugal
Position paper on decriminalisation
Several actors in the field of drug policy have indicated that a punitive approach is counterproductive to achieving the health and welfare of humankind. The 2016 UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the World Drug Problem (2) confirmed that this is an important step towards active drug policies that are based on human rights and health approaches | Civil Society Forum on Drugs in the EU, The Netherlands
ZuriCan: Legal Cannabis Experiment
Last August, the city of Zürich launched a pilot program that enables its citizens to legally purchase cannabis. We interviewed Dominique Schori from the Drug Information Center about the developments so far | Drug Reporter, Hungary
Record number of people executed for drug offences in 2023
In its annual report, Harm Reduction International says at least 467 drug-related executions took place last year | Aljazeera, Qatar
The irony of smoking to stay thin: Smoking may increase belly fat
The worry of gaining weight is a common excuse for smokers not to quit. A new study published today in the journal Addiction has found that both starting smoking and lifetime smoking may increase abdominal fat, especially visceral fat, the unhealthy fat deep inside the abdomen that is linked to a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and dementia | Medical Xpress, USA
Second-hand vape smoke linked to more asthma symptoms in kids
In a recent study published in the journal Children, researchers retrospectively investigated the impacts of second-hand e-cigarette smoke exposure on childhood asthma, especially in home environments. They carried out a pilot, monocenter, observational study of 54 young asthma patients, half of whom experienced second-hand exposure (SHE) to second-hand aerosols (SHAs) | News Medical, USA
Identifying risk of poor pain outcomes to steer patients to early interventions and avoid opioid overuse
For most people, recovering from an injury or surgery might require a short round of painkillers, but for about 1 in 10 people, pain can trigger protracted and escalating mental, physical and behavioral health problems | Medical Xpress, USA
State attorneys general urge Congress to address risks posed by intoxicating hemp products
Congress legalized hemp under the 2018 farm bill, touting it as a boon for struggling farmers. But the market has become increasingly dominated by intoxicating products that are largely unregulated | Politico, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
In Canada, The Fight for Compassion Clubs Rages On in Court
An upcoming ruling from Canada’s Federal Court could have a radical impact on the country’s drug laws | Talking Drugs, UK
The allegory of the lake: The implications of an Inclusive Recovery Cities model for prevention and early intervention
Rationale and background: The inclusive cities model was originally conceptualised by Best and Colman (2018) based on the idea that recovery is an achievement that should be celebrated in order to: 1) Challenge stigma and exclusion and 2) Increase visibility of recovery and access to community resources. In the course of 2023 and 2024 there has been an explosion of interest in this topic and there are now around 30 Inclusive Recovery Cities across the UK, Ireland, the Balkan region, Belgium, Sweden and South Africa | Recovery Review blog, USA
Elon Musk says ketamine can get you out of a ‘negative frame of mind’. What does the research say?
X owner Elon Musk recently described using small amounts of ketamine “once every other week” to manage the “chemical tides” that cause his depression. He says it’s helpful to get out of a “negative frame of mind”. This has caused a range of reactions in the media, including on X (formerly Twitter), from strong support for Musk’s choice of treatment, to allegations he has a drug problem | Conversation, Australia