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Daily news - 29th November 2024

UK news

Accredited official statistics: Adult substance misuse treatment statistics 2023 to 2024: report

Statistics on alcohol and drug misuse treatment for adults from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS). There were 310,863 adults aged 18 and over in contact with drug and alcohol treatment services between April 2023 and March 2024. This is a 7% rise compared to the previous year (290,635), the largest rise in adults in treatment since 2008 to 2009, and the highest number of adults in treatment since 2009 to 2010 | OHID, UK

Accredited official statistics: Substance misuse treatment for young people: 2023 to 2024

Alcohol and drug treatment data for children and young people aged 17 and under, from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS). There were 14,352 children and young people (aged 17 and under) in alcohol and drug treatment between April 2023 and March 2024. This is a 16% increase from the previous year (12,418). However, the number in treatment is 41% lower than the peak of 24,494 in 2008 to 2009 | OHID, UK

Drug education: Lessons and knowledge organisers for KS1-5, developed for the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities

Updated for 2024. These lessons update and extend our previous suite of lessons. We’ve worked closely with experts at the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and other leading academics to ensure that all of the supporting evidence, information and statistical data is accurate and up to date. We’ve also included additional content on important areas of increasing concern, including vaping and synthetic drugs | PSHE, UK

What is the UK smoking ban and how many people still smoke?

It will be illegal for anyone currently aged 15 or under to ever buy cigarettes in the UK, under new laws proposed by the government | BBC, UK

Taking Action On Addiction - #AAW24

30th November - 7th December. Addiction Awareness Week is the cornerstone of the Taking Action on Addiction campaign. Now in its fouth year it provides a period of intense focus on addiction and recovery, its impact on people, families and society in the media, social media and public debate. By spotlighting real stories through new research, events and emotional, compelling storytelling, we are able to change misunderstanding and enable more people to speak openly about their experiences | Forward Trust, UK

'Addiction is not a choice': Princess Kate urges public to change attitude towards those dependent on drink or drugs

Kate highlighted how every addict is a "human being, with a story of their own" and "it is not our place to judge or criticise" in a written message to mark Addiction Awareness Week | LBC, UK

Tony Adams appointed as new chair of national addiction and recovery charity The Forward Trust

Football legend Tony Adams has been appointed as the new Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Forward Trust, a national charity that supports people to break the cycle of addiction and crime | Forward Trust, UK

The Bids are in for 2025 UK Recovery Walk – Vote now

The power to shape the future of the UK Recovery Walk is in your hands! This year, we have two incredible bids from Wolverhampton and Solihull, each passionate about hosting the next UK Recovery Walk. We invite you to take part in this democratic process by reading the bids and casting your vote | FAVOR, UK

Council funding to be overhauled to deliver better outcomes

Funding reform kickstarted to fix the foundations of local government and better use taxpayer cash | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and The Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP, UK

Advice on how to help people sleeping rough and most the vulnerable during cold weather

The cold weather can be dangerous if you don’t have access to warm clothes or shelter. This page will tell you how to keep yourself and others safe during low temperatures | Change Grow Live, UK

Calls for urgent action after prison drugs deaths

More prisoners could die unless "urgent" action is taken, after four suspected drug deaths in a prison in six months, said an ombudsman | BBC, UK

Heroin and spice seized in city drug raids

Nine people have been arrested and charged with drug offences after heroin and spice were seized during a series of raids | BBC, UK

Drugs worth £90m smuggled in banana shipment - court

An organised crime gang behind a plot to smuggle £90m worth of cocaine into the UK were assisted by a port security guard who acted as an “inside man”, a court has heard | BBC, UK

International news

Cocaine worth €2.6m 'destined for Christmas social scene'

A man and a woman have been arrested after Gardaí (Irish police) seized cocaine with an estimated street value of €2.6m (£2.2m) in north Dublin | BBC, UK

Patients with Opioid Use Disorder Choosing Treatment with Extended-Release Naltrexone: A 6-Month Naturalistic Study

308 patients on Norway’s opioid substitute prescribing programme applied to transition to monthly injections of the opioid-blocker naltrexone, offering a route out of continued reliance on legal or illegal opioids. Just 84 completed the study’s course of six injections, but they and some of the early drop-outs substantially reduced their opioid use | European Addiction Research, Switzerland

Survey: Seven out of ten European homes are now smoke-free

Seven out of ten homes in Europe are smoke-free, according to a major survey published today (Thursday) in ERJ Open Research. However, some countries have come further than others in protecting children and adults from second-hand tobacco smoke in the home | News Medical, USA

[Open access] For the services in Canada which prescribe it, the heroin-like opioid hydromorphone is a way to reduce harm among patients dependent on illegal opioids, but the patients actually use it for a variety of other benefits such as pain-relief, aiding sleep, and managing anxiety | IJDP, USA

Cannabis in Australia 2024

The third report in our Cannabis in Australia series highlights the persistently high demand for both medicinal and personal use cannabis in Australia – and the growing public support for effective regulation | Penington Institute, Australia

Blogs, comment and opinion

Addiction affects everyone, but so does recovery: Seye Adelekan on the ‘blast radius’ of addiction

Born in Nigeria and raised in London, Holland and Ecuador, Seye is a London-based multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, best known for being the live bass player in the animated, multi-media band Gorillaz. Seye is five years sober and is proud to use his platform to raise awareness, break down barriers, and inspire others. Here, he shares his thoughts on this year’s Addiction Awareness Week campaign on behalf of Music Support | Forward Trust, UK

Russian Soldiers Increasingly Use Drugs on the Frontlines

Since the beginning of the war, the Russian military command has deployed around 700,000 soldiers on Ukrainian territory. The invasion has not only brought great instability to the region, but it has also fuelled criminal activities on and around the frontlines, with unique implications for drug use | Talking Drugs, UK

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