Home | Archive | Weekly | Reports
Daily news - 29th May 2024 |
 |
UK news
Evaluation of the National Mission on Drug Deaths-Frontline staff survey 2023
This report presents findings from a 2023 survey of staff working in frontline alcohol and drug services in Scotland. The survey findings highlight some positive aspects about working in alcohol and drug services. More than eight in ten (82%) reported that they enjoy working in the sector a lot or all of the time. Seven in ten agreed that they get the support (70%) and the training (75%) they need to do their job a lot or all of the time. However, the findings highlight several less positive aspects. More than half (56%) of respondents felt under pressure a lot or all of the time | PHS, UK
Five Years After Medical Cannabis Was Legalised, Almost a Third of Police Officers Still Don’t Know and Patients Get ‘Penalised For Our Prescriptions’
Medical cannabis has been legal on prescription in the UK since November 2018, and an estimated 30,000 people use it, yet patients are being ‘discriminated’ against and even arrested and charged | Byline Times, UK
Press release: George Freeman MP Leads New Taskforce to Establish the UK as a Global Leader in Cannabinoid Science
Two of the leading figures in the UK’s medical science field have today announced the creation of a new research strategy group led by academics, researchers, clinicians, patients and industry. The group will develop and execute a strategy to establish the UK as a global leader in R&D in cannabinoid science | CRDG, UK
100 people supported by North Yorkshire Horizons Telephone Recovery Service
The North Yorkshire Horizons ‘Telephone Recovery Service’ is a supportive system within North Yorkshire’s drug and alcohol support service which allows people who have issues with substance use to talk with someone, over the phone, who has been through similar experiences in the past | Humankind, UK
D-Day trek after military family's alcohol battles
A man whose father and grandfather became homeless alcoholics after leaving the armed forces is taking on a fundraising trek across D-Day beaches in France. WithYou said that between April 2022 and March 2024, the number of veterans supported across their services increased by 18% | BBC, UK
Addiction Family Support : An Overview of Why Our Charity Is Re-Branding From DrugFAM To Addiction Family Support(PDF)
After nearly two decades of dedicated service as DrugFAM, we’re thrilled to unveil our new identity as Addiction Family Support. Our journey began 18 years ago with a mission to support people affected or bereaved by a loved one’s addiction. This rebrand represents an exciting chapter, providing a clearer representation of our services. While our name may have changed, our commitment to delivering the same high-quality support remains resolute | Addiction Family Support, UK
More officers will be trained to carry drug overdose antidote
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Simon Foster, has announced 280 beat officers across the force will be shown how to use Naloxone after the first phase of the scheme saw officers save four lives | Coventry Observer, UK
Isle of Man bans sale of vapes to under-18s
The new rules, which bring the island into line with laws introduced in the UK in 2016, also makes it illegal for a person over the age of 18 to buy a minor any vaping product | BBC, UK
Oxfordshire County Council warns against illegal disposable vapes
Oxfordshire County Council has issued guidance to help people spot breaches of the law after total seizures across the county reached 10,000 | BBC, UK
Cable Live: Will drugs ever be legalised in the UK and how do we get there?
Drug policy experts David Nutt, Neil Woods and Shoba Ram talked about what can be done in Bristol to push for change | Bristol Cable, UK
TikTok doctor warns truth about vaping danger won’t be seen ‘for 20 or 30 years’
An NHS doctor and content creator is warning young people on TikTok that “history is repeating itself” with vaping and, just like smoking, the truth about the dangers will “take decades to come through” | Independent, UK
Nicki Minaj fans fume as gig is axed after drugs arrest
Nicki Minaj fans were left angry after the American rapper's gig at Manchester's Co-op Live arena was called off at the last minute, following her arrest at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport | BBC, UK
Prisoner's death may be linked to drug-soaked socks
Jamie Tate, 33, was found at HMP Manchester in 2021 with a vape under his face, a homemade pipe and burnt remnants of material | BBC, UK
Semi-pro footballers jailed for £260m drug plot
Cocaine, with an estimated street value of up to £260m, was seized from storage units in west London, along with a substantial amount of ketamine | BBC, UK
Drill rapper Digga D admits drugs charges after Instagram Live arrest
Digga D - real name Rhys Herbert - appeared at Lincoln Crown Court via video link from HMP Wormwood Scrubs, where he was remanded in custody | BBC, UK
International news
Scientists develop gel that can intercept alcohol and prevent hangovers
Gel could be of interest to people who want to reduce harmful impacts without giving up alcohol completely, researchers suggest | Independent, UK
Australians coming off antidepressants are relying on social media due to lack of clinical support
Researchers find many patients do not feel included in treatment decisions and have concerns about side-effects | Guardian, UK
Potent drugs such as nitazenes could appear at Irish festivals this summer, HSE expert warns
Nitazine, a powerful synthetic opioid, caused dozens of overdoses in Dublin and Cork late last year | Journal, Ireland
HSE concerned over use of HHC drug among young people
"Adolescent services are telling us that about 20% of the people they are seeing are presenting with problems after using HHC," HSE Clinical Lead for Addiction Services Professor Eamon Keenan said | RTe, Ireland
Researchers urge immediate alcohol regulation to curb violence against women, kids
A review study published this month in Global Health Action on the impact on women from men's alcohol use, led by Dr. Ingrid Wilson, will be the focus of a roundtable discussion hosted by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) in Perth on Wednesday 29 May | Medical Xpress, USA
Drug Czar Overstates Cannabis Rescheduling Impact on Criminalization and Race
The White House drug czar says the Biden administration’s move to reschedule marijuana will have “historic and long-lasting impact” that could also make banks more willing to work with state-licensed cannabis businesses via “legitimate interstate commerce.” But for the second time in a week, he seemed to overstate what the reform would accomplish—this time by suggesting it would address the “racial disparity” in cannabis enforcement | Filter Magazine, USA
A dose-response meta-analysis on the relationship between average amount of alcohol consumed and death by suicide
[Open access] To determine whether sub-clinical levels of drinking may contribute to suicide risk, and whether the risk differs by sex, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between average amount of alcohol consumed per day and death by suicide | DAD, Canada
National Illicit Drug Indicators Project (NIDIP) Reports: Trends in overdose and other drug-induced deaths in Australia, 2003-2022
This report presents the most recent and in-depth data on overdose and drug-induced deaths in Australia, covering the period 2003 to 2022. It is the most recent output in a series of annual publications on trends in drug overdose deaths issued by Drug Trends for over 20 years | NDARC, Australia
Long-term prescription opioid use after hospital declining: study
A large, linked data study has detailed the scale of prescription opioid use – such as oxycodone, morphine, or tramadol – after a hospital or emergency department (ED) visit, while giving insight into how often people then go onto long-term and potentially problematic use of these medicines in NSW | UNSW, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Young Adults Reduced Drinking During and After Pandemic
Heavy-drinking young adults in the United States significantly reduced their alcohol intake during the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes persisted even as the pandemic began to wane. Published in the journal Nature Mental Health, our research provides fresh insights into how the pandemic influenced drinking behaviors among young adults | IAS blog, UK
Abandoning the Tobacco and Vapes Bill would betray a generation
Iwrite this as I’m waiting for my son to get home from school. He’s 15 in a few months, about to make the decisions some teenagers makes about the future – exam prep, A-levels, university. And as a parent, I have the constant mixture of excitement, pride and worry you always have for your children when guiding them through big decisions | Politics.co.uk, UK