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Daily news - 27th November 2024

UK news

MPs back plans for phased smoking ban

MPs have backed plans to make it illegal for anyone currently aged 15 or younger to ever buy cigarettes in the UK. The idea was originally proposed by Rishi Sunak's Conservative government but was taken forward by Labour after previous legislation ran out of time to pass before July's general election | BBC, UK

Drug-related homeless deaths increase in Scotland

A report from National Records of Scotland (NRS) said the number of homeless deaths in 2023 was slightly down on the previous year but remained higher than pre-pandemic levels. However, drug-misuse deaths increased from 89 to 100 and now account for two-fifths of all estimated homeless fatalities in Scotland | BBC, UK

242 people died while homeless in 2023

The number who died from drug misuse deaths whilst experiencing homelessness increased from 89 to 100. Drug misuse accounted for 41% of all estimated deaths while homeless last year | National Records of Scotland, UK

Saving the last residential rehab for families in England

We were recently forced to announce that despite significant investment in drug treatment in recent years none of this funding had reached residential treatment services. Combined with short-term and sporadic funding processes this left the National Specialist Family Service based in Sheffield, the last residential family treatment service in England, on the brink of imminent closure. We are delighted to announce that the future of the service has now been secured. Closure plans have been cancelled and we are looking forward to a future we had thought was disappearing from sight | Phoenix Futures, UK

NHS and life sciences industry partnerships: collaborating to improve care

This report examines how the NHS can collaborate with industry partners in the life sciences sector by exploring four case studies of collaborative working projects between NHS organisations and pharmaceutical companies. Between February and August 2024, we interviewed 18 people involved in these projects and reviewed relevant documents to understand the experience and impact of the partnerships. One such project looked at eliminating hepatitis C among people in contact with drug and alcohol services across the NHS Addictions Provider Alliance (with Gilead Sciences) | Kings Fund, UK

The rise of ketamine addiction in the UK - podcast

Journalist Elle Hunt and recovered addict Jack Curran talk about the rise of ketamine use in Britain and its sometimes devastating impact | Guardian, UK

How long ring fingers can point to a love of alcohol

There is evidence that alcohol consumption is influenced by prenatal sex steroids so experts from Swansea University and colleagues from the Medical University of Lodz decided to use a sample of students for their research into the subject | Swansea University, UK

Autumn Budget Analysis 2024

In the Autumn Budget 2024 there were three key announcements: 1) Most alcohol duty rates will go up by RPI inflation in February 2025. 2) Draught Relief – part of the Reform of Alcohol Duty – will be increased and 3) Confirmation that the temporary wine duty ‘easement’ will end | IAS, UK

Alcoholism and Drugs: Rehabilitation

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to announce (a) whether Drug Strategy funding for drug and alcohol treatment providers will be renewed and at what levels and (b) the length of the funding cycle; and if he will take steps to ensure that local authorities have adequate notice of alcohol and drug treatment funding | They work for you, UK

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's policy is on legalising medicinal cannabis | They work for you, UK

Drugs: Slough

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce levels of drug offences in Slough constituency | They work for you, UK

Micro-Elimination of Hepatitis C in Bristol

Our journey to micro-elimination began four years ago and continued through the pandemic. While this was challenging, we persevered and evolved as a service to get to where we are now. We completely remodelled Blood-Borne Virus (BBV) testing, allowing us to send test kits to people’s homes, which was a first for our service. This flexibility not only enabled testing to continue but also provided testing to people who may have otherwise had to wait years to be tested face-to-face | BDP, UK

Inside Sunderland's medical cannabis boom

Six years ago, medical cannabis became legal in the UK. The drug, which has to be prescribed by specialist doctors, is used to treat conditions including OCD and chronic pain. While the NHS says more "evidence" is needed for a wider rollout, the industry is said to be booming. The BBC followed one production line from Portugal to Sunderland to see the process up close | BBC, UK

Episode 1: Their World - audio

When children become drug dealers. An investigation into Britain's county lines crisis, where criminal gangs systematically groom young people to traffic drugs across the country | BBC Radio 4, UK

PPI survey - Comparing the best interventions for quitting smoking - survey

Are you interested in research on smoking and/or vaping? We would like to hear your views to help us shape our research on what is more important to you. This short anonymous survey should take less than 5 minutes to complete. All questions are optional. We will not collect any personal information in this survey | Oxford Tobacco Addiction Group, UK

Aberdeen FC withdraws fan zone alcohol scheme

Aberdeen Football Club's bid for a temporary alcohol licence for a trial pre-match fan zone outside Pittodrie Stadium has been withdrawn, BBC Scotland News has learned | BBC, UK

Gang steals 9,000 'laughing gas' canisters

Three men broke into an industrial estate and stole a trailer containing 9,000 canisters of nitrous oxide gas | BBC, UK

International news

Breaking barriers: a qualitative exploration of healthcare access for crack cocaine users in Limerick

Crack cocaine use in Ireland began to emerge as a significant problem in the early 2000s, with prevalence increasing from 2016 onwards. Services such as harm reduction, treatment/rehabilitation, primary healthcare and social services are available to crack cocaine users in Ireland. However, research addressing specific barriers to accessing these services remains limited. This paper uses a dual-perspective approach to investigate access challenges from both service user and service provider viewpoints | BMC Health Services, UK

Smoking has dropped substantially over time while alcohol consumption has increased. Understanding how smoking and drinking relate to age, time-period or birth cohorts may improve public health measures | Social Science & Medicine, UK

Exclusive: Inside the Ukrainian ketamine clinic treating soldiers suffering with PTSD

In a private clinic on the top floor of a dreary children's hospital in Northern Kyiv, 31-year-old Taras lies with a needle in his arm, delivering a clear fluid into his veins, as a therapist armed with paper and pen talks to him in the softest of tones | Forces News, UK

Implementing culturally appropriate recovery approaches in mental health services: perspectives from the Irish Traveller community

This study explores the perspectives of Irish Travellers, an ethnic minority group in Ireland, on the service improvements needed to implement culturally appropriate recovery approaches in mental health services | Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, Ireland

Spain asks for public’s views on flavoured vapes ban

The ban is part of the new ‘Anti-Tobacco Plan,’ which aims to limit products that cause a risk to young people’s health and are a ‘gateway’ to smoking | Clearing the air, UK

Cannabis Use During Early Pregnancy Following Recreational Cannabis Legalization

Universal screening for cannabis use at the start of prenatal care enabled a Californian health system to assess whether use by mothers-to-be had become more common after legalisation. It had, but only where retail sale to adults was allowed, and there the effect might have been transient | JAMA Health Forum, USA

California's Recovery Incentives Program: Implementation strategies

Contingency management programmes systematically and materially reward patients for not using drugs or for other recovery-promoting achievements, or impose sanctions for the reverse. California was the first US state to fund this through health insurance, accompanied by training and support for treatment services | JSAT, USA

Despite Everything, More People Than Ever Choose Safer Nicotine Options

“People talk about a war on smoking, a war on nicotine or a war on vapes,” Harry Shapiro told Filter. “But you don’t conduct a war against inanimate objects. This is a war against people.” | Filter Magazine, USA

Why Would the Temporary Class-Wide Fentanyl Bans Ever Expire?

Six years after the Drug Enforcement Administration issued a two-year temporary order placing fentanyl-related substances (FRS) under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, that order is about to expire again. It never has before, and there’s no reason it would now | Filter Magazine, USA

Nitazenes causing overdose in people who have taken fake oxycodone tablets

Two people have been hospitalised in NSW with severe opioid overdose caused by isotonitazepyne (also known as N-pyrrolidino isotonitazene) | The Know, Australia

Blogs, comment and opinion

Why I Support the Assisted Dying Bill: A Perspective on Harm Reduction and Individual Choice

This Government has a real opportunity to make a difference to ordinary people. At the heart of their decision making has to be the right to choose the life one wants to live. In the recent past we have Governments who want to make the decisions for people rather than ensuring people are supported to make informed choices. If I look at the field of drug use I am amazed how Governments feel they have a right to decide rather than provide quality information with regulation to encourage choice | Kaleidoscope blog, UK

Breaking the Silence: Supporting Children of Alcoholic Parents

I’m Amy and I am the adult child of an alcoholic. I’m also a Trustee and Outreach Programme Manager for the charity Nacoa UK – the national charity for everyone affected by a parent’s drinking | Action on Addiction blog, UK

France has the highest cannabis consumption in Europe. It’s high time to tax it

With the nation’s finances in a parlous state, decriminalisation could raise millions of euros – as well as cut crime | Guardian opinion, UK

Nora's Blog: Syringe services for people who inject drugs are enormously effective, but remain underused

Nearly 30 years of research show that providing testing, counseling, and sterile injection supplies to people who inject opioids and other drugs helps prevent transmission of infectious diseases, without increasing drug-related or other crimes in the vicinity. Contrary to worries that syringe services programs (SSPs) will encourage or promote drug use, evidence shows that they more often do the opposite, linking people with addiction to effective treatment and even helping prevent overdose deaths | NIDA, USA

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