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Daily news - 3rd May 2024 |
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UK news
Trends in Daily Cigarette Consumption Among Smokers: A Population Study in England, 2008–2023
[Open access] Over the last 15 years, the average number of cigarettes consumed each day by smokers in England has fallen by almost a quarter, but has plateaued since October 2019. There has been a sharp decline in the number of manufactured cigarettes consumed and an increase in the number of hand-rolled cigarettes consumed, as smokers have increasingly shifted towards using hand-rolled tobacco | Nicotine & Tobacco Research, UK
Alcohol and Other Drug Harm in Rural Scotland: Addiction Looks Different Here
[Open access] There is an unprecedented level of deaths from alcohol and other drugs in Scotland, and rural areas are not immune to the devastation that addiction can bring on individuals, their families, and their communities. But addiction looks different in rural Scotland in comparison to its urban counterparts, where the vast majority of recovery services are based. This chapter will look at why this is | Rural Social Work in the UK, UK
Vaping: Northern Ireland to ban single use vapes in 2025
The sale and supply of single use vapes will be banned in Northern Ireland by April 2025. Environment Minister Andrew Muir said while the timeline was "extremely ambitious", he recognised "strong support" for a ban. Across the UK, an estimated five million single use vapes are thrown away or incorrectly disposed of weekly | BBC, UK
How to stop smoking and stay stopped
This booklet is for smokers who are seriously thinking about stopping smoking. Reading this booklet will help smokers decide if they are ready to stop and then how to go about it | Public Health Scotland, UK
Magic mushrooms effective for treating depression - study
Magic mushrooms were more effective for treating depression in older people and those who had used psychedelics before, according to a new study in the BMJ | Sky News, UK
GP prescribing opioids in 'high amounts' needs to improve
A GP surgery that has "one of the highest "opioid prescription rates in England has been put into special measures. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said it investigated Parson Drove Surgery in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, to follow up escalated patient safety concerns. Inspectors said “a lack of safe prescribing and monitoring left service users at risk of harm” | BBC, UK
New pathways to change – how our Southwest Prisons service is improving access for neurodivergent people
At our Southwest Prisons service, Elaine Wilcock is leading an innovative project to make support more accessible to neurodivergent people. Here, she explains how this will help us empower more people into life-changing support | Change Grow Live, UK
Prime minister questioned over vapes advertising on sports kits
Kirsten Oswald, the MP for East Renfrewshire in Scotland, believes that having vape companies on sports kits "sends entirely the wrong message to young people" and may encourage underage smoking and vaping | CBBC, UK
Electronic Cigarettes and Smoking
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she is taking steps to ensure that family hubs provide advice on smoking and vaping harm reduction | They work for you, UK
Pharmacy: Electronic Cigarettes and Smoking
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with community pharmacists on supporting people with (a) smoking and (b) vaping (i) addiction and (ii) dependency | They work for you, UK
The Nuances of Psychedelics and How to Regulate Their Non-Medical Use
Thursday, May 16 · 2 - 5pm GMT+1. Manchester Metropolitan University - Manchester School of Art - Benzie Building. This half-day workshop in collaboration with the Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research (CADR), Aarhus, Denmark, Transform UK, the Department of Sociology, Manchester Metropolitan University and the Department of Criminology, University of Manchester, will explore the nuances of the non-medical use of psychedelics and how they can be regulated to reduce harm and the negative impacts of criminalisation | MetroPolis, UK
Mum says easy drug access caused son's prison death
A prison where seven inmates died in just over two months will see more deaths if more is not done to stop drugs getting in, a bereaved mother has said | BBC, UK
Large cannabis farm uncovered in town centre
About 1,300 cannabis plants were discovered growing in an abandoned building off Market Street, Longton on Wednesday | BBC, UK
Police spot 'drug deal attempt' near primary school
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) neighbourhood officers said they saw an incident outside a primary school in Scholes, Wigan on Wednesday | BBC, UK
International news
Smoking and abdominal obesity with Germán Carrasquilla - podcast
In this episode Rob Calder talks to Dr Germán Carrasquilla about his study assessing whether smoking cased increases in abdominal obesity or belly fat. They discuss the implications of this kind of fat and note the importance of the findings for people who struggle to quit smoking. Germán talks about using Mendelian randomisation to identify a causal association between smoking and abdominal obesity. The findings, that 'smoking initiation and higher lifetime smoking may lead to increased abdominal fat', add evidence and important detail to the known health benefits of quitting smoking | SSA, UK
Anne Hathaway reveals she’s five years sober: ‘Feels like a milestone’
The actor has previously spoken about not enjoying alcohol and knowing ‘deep down it wasn’t for me’ | Independent, UK
Parents of children as young as 10 calling national helpline over vaping concerns
More parents have called in the past four months about vapes and e-cigarettes than they did in the past year, Parentline said. It says that of the more than 2,000 calls the charity received from parents between January and April this year, 76 were from parents concerned about their children — some as young as 10 — vaping | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Critical More Than $1.5 Billion State and Tribal Opioid Response Funding Opportunities
Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), announced the 2024 State Opioid Response (SOR) and Tribal Opioid Response (TOR) Notices of Funding Opportunity, providing up to $1.48 billion to states, territories, and the District of Columbia and $63 million to Tribes to address the overdose crisis in fiscal year 2024 | SAMHSA, USA
Study finds young adults reduced drinking during and after pandemic
A new study examined the drinking levels and patterns of young adults before, during and after the pandemic. The researchers found alcohol use and alcohol-related problems substantially decreased in heavy-drinking young adults during the pandemic, and these decreases were still evident as the pandemic began to wane. The results are available in the May 2 issue of the journal Nature Mental Health | Medical Xpress, USA
As federal menthol ban languishes, Black smokers are left to the mercy of marketers: Study
After decades of deception, Black adults who smoke menthol cigarettes are often unaware of the deceitful ways tobacco companies market their products to them, according to a Rutgers study | Medical Xpress, USA
At least 9 dead, dozens treated in Texas capital after unusual spike in overdoses
Authorities in Texas are investigating at least nine deaths this week in connection with an unusual spike of opioid overdoses in Austin that health officials are calling the city's worst overdose outbreak in nearly a decade | Medical Xpress, USA
The Delaware Mass Overdose Drugs Aren’t “Naloxone-Resistant”
On April 30, Delaware State Police (DSP) and the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) issued what was essentially a bad batch alert for Sussex County. According to emerging reports, health care workers have responded to more than 30 overdoses since April 26. At least one person has died, and at least 11 are on ventilators | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
“The patient’s unknown goal”
Recently, while doing some reading, I came across the phrase, “…the patient’s unknown goal…” To me, that phrase is splendid for a number of reasons. And it’s sent me reeling in my thinking across a variety of topics | Recovery Review blog, USA
He Helped Create Silk Road — But Ross Ulbricht Should Be Freed
The physics grad was sentenced to two life terms plus 40 years, but there's no reason he should die in prison | Rolling Stone, USA
To tackle gendered violence, we also need to look at drugs, trauma and mental health
After several highly publicised alleged murders of women in Australia, the Albanese government this week pledged more than A$925 million over five years to address men’s violence towards women. This includes up to $5,000 to support those escaping violent relationships. However, to reduce and prevent gender-based and intimate partner violence we also need to address the root causes and contributors. These include alcohol and other drugs, trauma and mental health issues | Conversation, Australia