Home | Archive | Weekly | Reports
Daily news - 2nd September 2024 |
 |
A BIG thank you to Phoenix Futures for generously renewing their sponsorship to DrugWise Daily!
UK news
UK MPs urged to give up freebies from tobacco, alcohol and junk food firms
Health groups challenge Starmer to ban ‘unhealthy products’ firms from lobbying MPs by giving them gifts | Guardian, UK
Will Labour resist the ‘killer tactics’ of industry’s enemies of public health?
A new report lays down a challenge to Keir Starmer to take on vested interests of food, drink and tobacco companies | Guardian, UK
Call for crackdown on illegal youth vaping sales
Public health officials from across the East Midlands have called for a regional crackdown on the “concerning” and “inappropriate” illegal sale and marketing of vapes to under 18s | BBC, UK
'I hid my alcoholism for so many years'
A recovering alcoholic says drinking is part of working-class culture, as a charity warns many people are consuming dangerous amounts | BBC, UK
Is it time for a drug consumption room in Dundee?
Walk through Dundee city centre and the stark reality of drug addiction is often impossible to ignore | Courier, UK
Would you support or oppose banning smoking in pub gardens and outdoor restaurants?
Question asked to respondents, sorted by age, gender, region and politics | YouGov, UK
Cumbria Addiction Services Pre-Commissioning Market Engagement Sessions
Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council currently operate a single provider substance misuse treatment model across Cumbria. The Councils are currently planning their approach to recommissioning Substance Misuse services that will become effective from 1st April 2026. To assist with this work, the two Councils are keen to hear from potential providers of service(s) who currently deliver substance misuse services within the UK, as well as providers who don’t currently deliver in this sector but who would be interested in doing so in future | DDN, UK
Man charged after 'bad' drugs leave four in hospital
Nottinghamshire Police said officers came across a man who had collapsed in Barker Gate, in the Lace Market area, at 09:45 BST on Wednesday. Three others were also taken ill nearby, said the force | BBC, UK
Cannabis site ordered to remove unauthorised kit
A medical cannabis farm has been given six months to remove unauthorised equipment from its site in Jersey | BBC, UK
International news
Doctor charged in Matthew Perry death appears in court after reaching plea deal
Mark Chavez, 54, to turn over medical license as lawyer says client is ‘incredibly remorseful’ for role in star’s death | Guardian, UK
Oregon: drug possession to be a crime again as decriminalization law expires
First-in-nation trial comes to an end, as new law gives those caught with hard drugs option of charges or treatment | Guardian, UK
Trump signals backing for Florida marijuana legalisation
Donald Trump has signalled that he will vote in favour of legalising marijuana for personal use in his home state of Florida, ahead of a ballot on the issue in November | BBC, UK
The wellness drink for sober people that some say they can’t stop drinking
Kratom drinks like Feel Free Classic are becoming more popular in the US, but studies show a risk of dependency | Guardian, UK
Mapping consumptions and market size of cocaine, amphetamine and MDMA through wastewater analysis: A Dutch case study
[Open access] Illicit drug consumption is associated with public health effects and criminal activities. This study aimed to estimate Illicit drug consumption and annual market in the Netherlands from wastewater analysis of drug residues | Addiction, UK
Drug to reverse opioid overdoses should be given to every addict, Cork conference hears
A drug to reverse opioid overdoses could save lives if given with methadone in every pharmacy to people battling addiction, a conference on drug death bereavement in Cork has heard | Irish Examiner, Ireland
International Overdose Awareness Day: EUDA answers key questions on overdose deaths
What are the emerging concerns and threats in relation to overdose deaths? Where have the numbers of drug-induced deaths increased over the last 10 years? How can these deaths be prevented? These are among the questions explored in the EUDA’s ‘Frequently asked questions (FAQs): drug overdose deaths in Europe’, | EUDA, Portugal
Deadly drug nitazene found in the Netherlands for the first time
Police have found the deadly drug nitazene for the first time in the Netherlands. This was confirmed by a police spokeswoman, according to a report in Nieuwsuur. The pills were found in a package in a mail sorting company in Delft | NL Times, The Netherlands
National Recovery Month 2024
National Recovery Month (Recovery Month), which started in 1989, is a national observance held every September to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the nation’s strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and communities who make recovery in all its forms possible | SAMHSA, USA
Marijuana Is Too Strong Now
As weed has become easier to obtain, it has become harder to smoke | The Atlantic, USA
Buying smokes? Everyone under 30 now must show ID
A new, tougher rule on the sale of tobacco products will require retailers to check the IDs of any buyers under the age of 30, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday | Medical Xpress, USA
Reported Non–Substance-Related Mental Health Disorders Among Persons Who Died of Drug Overdose — United States, 2022
In 2022, 22% of persons who died of drug overdose had a non–substance-related mental health disorder. The most common disorders were depressive (13%) and anxiety (9%). Approximately one quarter of decedents with a non–substance-related mental health disorder had at least one recent potential opportunity for intervention (e.g., current treatment for substance use disorders or recent emergency department visit) | CDC, USA
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Take-Home Methadone Use for Medicare Beneficiaries With Opioid Use Disorder
Previous research indicates that Black and Hispanic patients are less likely to receive medication for OUD than White patients. It is not known whether similar disparities in take-home methadone use existed among Medicare beneficiaries following the program’s coverage of methadone and SAMHSA’s expansion of treatment flexibilities for OUD. We examined racial and ethnic disparities in take-home methadone use among beneficiaries with OUD following the implementation of these policies | JAMA Network Open, USA
New report shows NZ loses three people a week to preventable overdose
Drug overdoses in Aotearoa, released by the NZ Drug Foundation Te Puna Whakaiti Pāmamae Kai Whakapiri on International Overdose Awareness Day, shows 1,179 people have died of accidental overdose between 2016 and 2023 | NZDF, New Zealand
Blogs, comment and opinion
SDF CEO Kirsten Horsburgh reflects on International Overdose Awareness Day
This International Overdose Awareness Day I’m finally getting a chance to sit and reflect on the last couple of weeks following the release of the National Records of Scotland publication and the devastating reality that a further 1,172 people died from a preventable drug-related death in 2023; – a toll that is just so utterly horrific when you consider that, since this monitoring began in 1996 when 244 people sadly lost their lives, a shocking total of 17,678 people now feature in those harsh statistics | SDF, UK
If Labour is serious about prevention it needs to commit to the continuation of the drug strategy
This piece is written by Clare Taylor, our Chief Operating Officer, which focuses on the need for continued government support for the 10-year drug strategy and the role of the sector in supporting an NHS fit for the future | Turning Point blog, UK
Counting the true cost of changes to alcohol duty
As the new government at Westminster begins to set out its agenda, the alcohol industry has been quick off the mark to persuade new ministers to maintain historically low levels of alcohol duty. While this boosts their profits, it comes at a substantial cost to our health and wellbeing | Herald opinion, UK
Statement from FPH President Professor Kevin Fenton on Government measures to reduce smoking
“Every year around 76,000 people in the UK die from smoking, with many more living with debilitating smoking-related illness. The cost of smoking to the NHS and our economy is estimated at £17 billion a year..." | Faculty of Public Health, UK
UK Medical Cannabis: The Challenges of Reaching 300,000 Patients by 2028
When the UK’s medical cannabis market was launched in 2018, I remember the palpable sense of optimism. We were confident that this would lead to a rapid and transformative impact on healthcare. However, as we stand in 2024, the journey has proven to be far more challenging than many of us anticipated. The market currently serves around 45,000 patients—a figure that falls short of the early expectations | Volteface, UK
Collective Voice joins Agenda Alliance
Collective Voice is proud to have joined Agenda Alliance, which exists to make a difference to the lives of women and girls at the sharpest edge of inequality | Collective Voice, UK
I love the nanny state, but let’s leave outdoor smokers to puff away in peace
There are plenty of laws against the habit, but the ban-it-harder brigade don’t know when to stop | Guardian, UK
Under the Radar: Are Nitazenes More Prevalent Than Known?
Nitazenes, a class of synthetic opioids, are increasingly found everywhere. While (still) relatively obscure, detections of these opioids have been reported in Europe, Canada, Australia, Brazil, and the United States as early as 2019. Nitazenes have now been found on every continent according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). However, the absence of routine testing for nitazenes, as well as lacking drug checking infrastructure worldwide, could suggest that nitazenes are much more prevalent across the globe than currently known | Talking Drugs, UK
Illegal Drug Use Increasing Problem among Russian Troops in Ukraine and among Veterans Suffering from PTSD, ‘Dovod’ Says
Illegal drug use is an increasing problem among Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine both because the military is taking in men already identified as drug addicts or convicted for related crimes and because soldiers are turning to drugs after joining the Russian military, the Dovod portal says | Window on Eurasia, USA