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Daily news - 6th November 2024 |
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UK news
County Lines are changing to become more localised, reveals new County Lines Strategic Threat Risk Assessment
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) County Lines and Gangs alongside the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) have released the County Lines Strategic Threat Risk Assessment. Key findings reveal that: 1)The County Lines threat has become more localised, with fewer lines running outside force boundaries and fewer children recorded by the police as involved in any capacity. 2) County Lines is a higher risk enterprise for those criminals’ intent on controlling lines and 3) External lines (cross a force boundary) have reduced by 12.2%, whilst internal lines (start and end within a force boundary) have increased by 232%, year-on-year. This represents the shift from a traditional County Lines Business Model to one that is more local | NPCC and NCLCC, UK
Pub garden smoking ban dropped from government plans
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he didn't want to cause further harm to the hospitality industry, adding that "people don't want to see their high streets going down the pan" | BBC, UK
Consultation outcome: Mandating quit information messages inside tobacco packs
We sought your views on mandating pack inserts for all tobacco products to help more smokers quit and complement the existing regulations on tobacco packaging. After considering the responses, the UK government and devolved governments will work together to mandate pack inserts for cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco. We will consider later extending this to all tobacco products, tobacco related devices, cigarette papers and herbal smoking products where possible, after we have explored uniform packaging for these product types | OHID, UK
Open call for evidence: Standardised packaging for all tobacco products
A call for evidence on standardised packaging for all tobacco products, cigarette papers and herbal smoking products and potentially introducing pack inserts. This call for evidence closes at 11:59pm on 28 January 2025 | DHSC, UK
‘Jeni died after taking drugs – we need to be more frank about them’
In October 2020, Sandra Larmour's daughter Jeni died hours after arriving at Newcastle University to begin her degree. The 18-year-old from County Armagh died after taking ketamine given to her by one of her new flatmates. Now Sandra and the mother of a schoolboy from London who died after taking ecstasy have come together to call for more drug education in Northern Ireland's schools | BBC, UK
Psilocybin to be used as a treatment for opioid addiction in government backed study
A study led by Imperial College London will investigate if there is a role for psilocybin in the treatment of opioid addiction. It is reportedly the first time research involving psilocybin-assisted therapy to treat substance addiction will be financially backed by the UK Government | Leafie, UK
Opioids: Misuse
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent the (a) distribution and (b) use of synthetic opioids | They work for you, UK
Drugs: Misuse
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the levels of non-fatal drug overdoses | They work for you, UK
Driving under Influence
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to lowering the legal alcohol limit for drivers as tested by a breathalyser | They work for you, UK
Cocaine: What's the appeal? - video
Rob and Jamie discuss all things cocaine, from the latest drug related deaths associated to the substance, the difference between powder cocaine and crack, and why we are seeing more people enter services seeking support for the use of the stimulant | Barod, UK
People loitering on Rochdale estate face arrest in first-of-its-kind police order
Officers restrict access to Freehold estate for non-residents after reports of ‘incessant drug dealing’ and intimidation | Guardian, UK
Men caught during £10m cocaine deal jailed
Adam Vorster, Mohamoud Mahamoud and Benjamin Holt, were likely involved in "one of the top-end cocaine supplies operating across the UK", police said | BBC, UK
Man charged over £17m cannabis import plot
A man has been charged with conspiracy to import cannabis worth £17m into the UK from the USA | BBC, UK
How cigarettes and chocolates helped to tackle a TB epidemic
In 1957, the city had the highest death rate from tuberculosis (TB) in Europe and health officials embarked on an ambitious "X-ray now" mass-screening campaign that saw more than 700,000 people in five weeks | BBC, UK
International news
Post-legalization shifts in cannabis use among young adults in Georgia—A nationally representative study
[Open access] In 2018, the country of Georgia legalized cannabis for recreational use and decriminalized limited possession. This study aimed to assess whether cannabis use increased among young adults (ages 18–29 years) in Georgia after national policy changes and to evaluate whether perceived access became easier after legalization and current risk factors of young adult cannabis use | Addiction, UK
National Psychiatric Inpatient Reporting System (NPIRS) annual report on the activities of Irish psychiatric units and hospitals, 2023
There were 15,631 admissions to adult psychiatric units and hospitals in 2023, a decrease of 159 admissions, from 15,790 in 2022. The rate of admissions decreased from 331.6 in 2022 to 303.6 per 100,000 total population in 2023. First admissions accounted for 37% of all admissions and increased by 426 (8%), from 5,412 in 2022 to 5,838 in 2023. The rate of first admissions remained largely unchanged from 113.7 in 2022 to 113.4 per 100,000 in 2023. Re-admissions accounted of 63% of all admissions (9,793), a rate of 190.2 per 100,000, down from 217.9 in 2022 | HRB, Ireland
Irish workers struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, and depression, survey finds
One in five workers in Ireland are struggling with illegal substance use, according to a healthcare survey. Some 16% of employees in Ireland said they were addicted to or have an unhealthy relationship with Class A or illicit drugs, while two in five workers reported having an addiction or an unhealthy relationship with at least one substance. Of those, 29% of workers reported having an unhealthy relationship or addiction to nicotine, while 21% said the same with alcohol | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Afghanistan: opium cultivation increased by 19 per cent in second year of drugs ban, according to UNODC
Opium cultivation in Afghanistan in 2024 increased by an estimated 19 per cent year-on-year to cover 12,800 hectares, according to a new survey released by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) today. The increase follows on a 95 per cent decrease in cultivation during the 2023 crop season, when the de-facto Authorities of Afghanistan enforced a ban that virtually eliminated poppy cultivation across much of the country. Despite the increase in 2024, opium poppy cultivation remains far below 2022, when an estimated 232,000 hectares were cultivated | UNODC, Austria
Alzheimer’s and alcohol use disorder share similar gene expression patterns
By examining RNA in hundreds of thousands of individual brain cells, Scripps Research scientists further support that alcohol use disorder could accelerate Alzheimer’s disease progression, paving the way for future targeted treatments | Scripps Research, USA
The Overdose Crisis Was Ignored in This Election Cycle
The overdose crisis claims over 100,000 lives each year in the United States, but has received very little attention from leading candidates Kamala Harris (D) and Donald Trump (R) during the presidential election campaign | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Building Bridges to Recovery: Success of The Bridge Programme at HMP Rye Hill
With the project having launched earlier this year, staff at HMP Rye Hill have been delivering a new specialist drug and alcohol support service for people currently in prison with addiction issues. Drug and Alcohol Recovery Team (DART) Service Manager, Joanne Steele, reflects on the successes of the programme to date | Forward Trust blog, UK