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Daily news - 14th November 2024 |
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UK news
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill 2024
Information relating to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill which was introduced in the House of Commons on 5 November 2024. Newly published information includes a factsheet and an Impact Assessment | DHSC, UK
The Scottish Health Survey 2023 - volume 1: main report
This report presents results for the Scottish Health Survey 2023, providing information on the health and factors relating to health of people living in Scotland. Includes chapters on smoking, alcohol and other drugs | Scottish Government, UK
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 | DDN, UK
Barney’s Story: A Heartbreaking Look at Ketamine’s Impact on Young Lives
In Britain, addiction to ketamine has more than quadrupled since 2016, and use is estimated to have more than doubled — tripling in those under 25. There has been an increase in adults entering treatment with ketamine problems, from 1,551 in 2021-22 to 2,211 in 2022-23 | Action on Addiction, UK
Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve uptake of community alcohol services | They work for you, UK
Smoking: Health Services
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to (a) maintain and (b) increase funding for local authority smoking cessation services; and if he will take steps to raise public awareness of those services | They work for you, UK
Ketamine - A Deep Dive III
Thu, 21 Nov 2024 18:00 - 21:30 GMT. This training will explore ketamine in depth; it's prevalence / purity, cultural history, medical uses, current trends and harm reduction. This course is above an 'entry' level course, as it explores ketamine in depth. It assumes participants have basic knowledge of ketamine and the effects of dissociative drugs | The Loop, UK
Jailed dealer made ecstasy pills in grandma's shed
Frankie Lee Watkinson's operation was found in his relative's garden in Thurrock in Essex, along with thousands of pounds worth of cocaine in a safe hidden in the loft in her house | BBC, UK
Woman sentenced for theft from alcoholics' charity
A woman has been given a 10-month suspended prison sentence for stealing £10,500 from Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) | BBC, UK
International news
Study confirms what cannabis users have long known
Study may lead to new treatment for sleep disorders like insomnia, researchers say | Independent, UK
Breaking Klad
There has been a groundbreaking shift in the global drug trade, pioneered in Russia and now spreading globally. Unlike traditional drug trafficking models, this system leverages darknet markets and cryptocurrency for anonymous transactions, allowing buyers to retrieve drugs from hidden physical locations, or “dead drops,” rather than direct exchanges. Driven by large platforms such as Kraken, Mega, and Blacksprut, Russian darknet markets control 93% of the global share, generating approximately $1.5 billion in revenue in 2023 alone. This dominance marks a new era for organized crime, with Russia’s digital drug economy vastly surpassing traditional Western darknet markets in scope and influence | Global Initiative, Switzerland
After the Pandemic, Alcohol Use Remains Elevated
U.S. alcohol use increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and has stayed elevated post-pandemic, posing serious health risks. Heavy drinking rose by 20% during the pandemic, and the increase continued in 2022. This trend spanned across most demographics, with the highest rise among adults aged 40-49 | Neuroscience News, USA
Repurposing Semaglutide and Liraglutide for Alcohol Use Disorder
[Open access] This cohort study with a median follow-up time of more than 8 years indicates that individuals are at markedly lower risk of alcohol-related hospitalizations and hospitalizations due to somatic reasons when using GLP-1 agonists, especially semaglutide, as compared with times they are not using them | JAMA Psychiatry, USA
Psychedelic use linked to increased risk of schizophrenia, study finds
Individuals with emergency department visits involving hallucinogen use are at high risk of developing schizophrenia, according to a new study from researchers at ICES, The Ottawa Hospital, University of Ottawa's Department of Family Medicine, and Bruyère Health Research Institute | Medical Xpress, USA
Study finds online e-cigarette retailers fail to comply with sale restrictions for minors
Online e-cigarette retailers are not consistently adhering to laws aimed at preventing the sale of vaping products to minors, including regulations on age verification, shipping methods and flavor restrictions, report researchers at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California San Diego | Medical Xpress, USA
The solution to death from a fentanyl overdose could lie in its chemical structure
Over the past few decades, the opioid epidemic has gripped the United States, fueled in large part by the over-prescription of pain-relieving drugs like oxycodone. As those pharmaceuticals were made more difficult to obtain, opioids such as heroin and fentanyl began new waves of the epidemic and more deaths from overdose | Medical Xpress, USA
Beer-only drinkers' diets are worse than wine drinkers, study finds
Beer drinkers have lower-quality diets, are less active, and are more likely to smoke cigarettes than people who drink wine, liquor, or a combination, according to a study scheduled for presentation at The Liver Meeting, held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases | Medical Xpress, USA
Big Pharma’s $1.06 Billion Bribe to Reviewers at Top Medical Journals
Payments to peer reviewers for The BMJ, JAMA, The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine included $1 billion to individuals or their institutions for research and $64.18 million in general payments, including travel and meals | Principia Scientific, USA
Overdose Prevention in Prisons Means Giving Prisoners Access to Naloxone
In the free world, bystanders who call EMS to an active overdose receive legal immunity according to state-level Good Samaritan laws. The idea behind these laws is many people at the scene of an overdose were using drugs themselves, and hesitate to call 911 knowing cops will probably follow. If people can be punished for intervening in an overdose, they often won’t and the victim will die | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Expert reaction to paper on cannabis use causing chromosomal damage, increasing cancer risk, and harming offspring
A commentary paper published in Addiction Biology looks at cannabis use causing chromosomal damage and increasing cancer risk. Prof Wayne Hall, Emeritus Professor, National Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research, University of Queensland gives his reaction to the paper | Science Media Centre, UK
Rise in NICs will endanger public health services
While the NHS has been given an exemption to the NIC increase, health services commissioned outside the health service have not, says Greg Fell | Guardian letters, UK
1 Year In, Egypt’s Opioid Agonist Treatment Programme Keeps Growing
In 2023, Egypt celebrated one year of initiating Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT, also known as Substitution Therapy) services for the first time in the country. The Middle East Harm Reduction Association (MENAHRA) shared in this celebration by organising the first Training of Trainers (TOT) for OAT providers to build on these successes, as well as the second ever training session for OAT service providers in the country | Talking Drugs, UK