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Daily news - 28th November 2024

UK news

Drug and alcohol information system (DAISy) - Overview of Initial Assessments for Specialist Drug and Alcohol Treatment 2023/24

This release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) reports on people presenting for initial assessment at specialist drug and alcohol treatment services in Scotland in 2023/24. These data were extracted from the Drug and Alcohol Information System (DAISy) | Public Health Scotland, UK

Cocaine overtakes heroin as most used drug by those starting rehab

A total of 16,507 people were recorded on the Drug and Alcohol Information System accessing specialist treatment | STV News, UK

Alcohol-Related Harms: A Health Service Response

The Medical Council on Alcohol, together with health professionals and other experts working in the alcohol and health fields, are calling for a National Strategy focusing on the treatment and secondary prevention of alcohol dependence, and alcohol-related harm, in clinical populations across the health system. This includes urgent actions across and at all levels of the health services which will result in long needed improvements in the care of this much neglected group of people | MCA, UK

Intimidation tactics against researchers in tobacco, ultra-processed food and alcohol sectors

New research reveals public discreditation is the most common tactic used across all three sectors to intimidate researchers | University of Bath, UK

Tobacco and Vapes Bill

I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time.Today, across the UK, 350 young people aged 25 and under will take up smoking. It is a decision that the vast majority will later regret. They will try to quit again and again, but most will not be able to break their addiction. They will suffer strokes, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, stillbirth, dementia or asthma as a direct result of smoking. For two in three of those young people, the habit they are beginning today will eventually kill them... | They work for you, UK

Drug-related Deaths in England and Wales - Question

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of data published by the Office for National Statistics on 23 October indicating that the number of drug-related deaths in England and Wales was higher in 2023 than in any other year since records began in 1993, and what steps they are taking to reduce the number of such deaths | They work for you, UK

Football group offers addiction support

Charlie Barker, 32, set up the Addicted to Football group in Cambridge after going through his own addiction struggles | BBC, UK

Eòrpa - Series 32: 9. Recovery - video

BBC journalist Ruairidh Maciver marks 10 years of sobriety. Ruairidh reflects on the effect alcohol and drugs have had on his life, as well as his journey through recovery | BBC, UK

Words Matter: A Knowledge Exchange Event with Turning Point Scotland & DRNS

Thu, 5 Dec 2024 10:30 - 12:30 GMT. Online. Join us for a knowledge exchange event on the importance of language when communicating about alcohol and other drugs | DRNS, UK

Cannabis farm reported to police 'weeks' before fire

Residents on a Nottinghamshire street have said they reported a suspected cannabis farm to police weeks before it sparked a fire which spread to a neighbouring home | BBC, UK

International news

Laos tourist deaths: How dangerous is fake alcohol? - audio

The town of Van Vieng in Laos is a popular stop for backpackers traveling through Southeast Asia. But after six tourists died earlier this month following suspected methanol poisoning, many tourists are re-thinking their itineraries and how they drink. We hear from some of them | BBC, UK

A quick guide to smoking bans across the world

The UK is not the only place that is aiming to expand its "smoke-free" spaces as many other countries are getting ever tougher on tobacco. Here's what you need to know about measures around the world to clamp down on smoking | BBC, UK

Colombia-led operation seizes world record 225 tonnes of cocaine, and uncovers new Australia trafficking route

Operation Orion, a cooperative operation between 62 countries, finds some of the record haul on a new drug route being used by a ‘narco submarine’ | Guardian, UK

Afghanistan: opium production remains 93 per cent below pre-drug ban levels, says UNODC

Opium production in Afghanistan remains low for the second consecutive year, with production at 433 tons in 2024, confirmed new estimates from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Although this figure represents a 30 per cent increase from 2023, production still remains 93 per cent below 2022 levels, when the de facto authorities began enforcing a country-wide drug ban | UNODC, Austria

Call to action on drug-related violence — #BreakTheCycle

The first European Conference on Drug-Related Violence drew to a close today, culminating in a powerful Call to action delivered by EUDA Executive Director Alexis Goosdeel. Over two days, leading experts and policymakers engaged in dynamic discussions, addressing the multifaceted challenges of this phenomenon. The issues explored ranged from public safety and health implications, to responses and innovative strategies and interventions. The focus of the event was how to break the cycle of drug-related violence and build a better future | EUDA, Portugal

[Open access] A European exemplar of strict anti-drug polices, Sweden’s criminalisation of drug use in 1988 and increase in penalties in 1993 cannot be shown to have achieved their objectives in the form of reduced use and harm: “Most of the indicators instead show the opposite.” | IJDP, USA

The impact of an integrated alcohol policy: The example of Lithuania

[Open access] World Health Organization ‘best buy’ policies for limiting population-wide drinking did reduce consumption in Lithuania, probably driven largely by tax hikes which reduced affordability and restricted opening hours | DAR, USA

[Open access] What does recovery from substance use problems mean to children and young adults? Not necessarily abstinence finds this review, but often “More holistic pursuits of well-being linked to broader health, social (including financial), material, and spiritual goals” | IJDP, USA

In a first-of-its-kind meeting, doctors discuss how to treat addicts' tranq wounds

Patients addicted to opioids are arriving at ERs with deep wounds that expose their bones. Some have lost multiple limbs. And many ultimately are leaving hospitals against medical advice, with severe, untreated skin lesions, insisting they can't bear the withdrawal from tranq—the drug that caused their wounds in the first place | Medical Xpress, USA

Extended-release buprenorphine for opioid use disorder could save lives in correctional settings

Opioid use disorder (OUD), which contributes to the ongoing overdose crisis claiming over 21 lives across Canada a day, is even more severe within correctional settings. In North America, OUD is a critical public health concern among incarcerated populations, with individuals being up to 129 times more likely to die from an overdose within the first two weeks of release from custody than the general population | Medical Xpress, USA

How Social Media Promotion of Vaping Targets Teens

Gone are the days of Joe Camel, the mascot of tobacco marketers, which was retired in 1997 following heavy criticism that the cartoon animal appealed to youth. But ads promoting vaping products (also known as e-cigarettes or vapes) are aggressively targeting teens via their smart phones | Yale School of Medicine, USA

“May Launch a Substitution War”—Trump’s China Tariffs and Fentanyl

In what feels like a rerun of an old episode, President-elect Donald Trump has promised to impose new trade tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada in a late-night social media post. He explicitly linked this with the arrival of fentanyl in the United States, and reiterated his call for China to execute people for trafficking fentanyl | Filter Magazine, USA

Blogs, comment and opinion

In Memoriam: Professor Dave Bewley-Taylor

September 24, 1968 – November 20, 2024. It is with great sadness that we share the news that Dave Bewley-Taylor, the co-founder of IDPC, passed away on 20th November 2024 after a valiant and long battle with cancer | IDPC, UK

What Does a Trump Presidency Mean for the American Opioid Crisis?

Ian Hamilton argues that by focussing on the illegal supply of Fentanyl and other opioids instead of on harm reduction measures, President-elect Trump is wilfully missing the point | Byline Times, USA

Has the Overdose Death Rate Peaked? Insights from an Arizona Harm Reduction Organization

In a September blog post, I discussed the encouraging news from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) that drug overdose fatalities decreased from approximately 112,000 to approximately 97,000 during the 12 months ending on April 30, 2024 | CATO Institute blog, USA

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