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Daily news - 4th September 2024 |
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UK news
DDN Magazine September 2024 - out now
‘We already knew what works.’ This statement referred to peers mobilising with urgency around nitazenes – but it came up again and again throughout the DDN Conference. As each individual or team stepped forward we heard the passion, the evidence and the impact of people with lived/living experience being the lifeblood of services | DDN, UK
Estimated numbers of people prescribed opioid substitution therapy in Scotland
These figures estimate the number of individuals prescribed Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) drugs for the treatment of opioid dependence from legacy British National Formulary (BNF) subsection 04.10.03. This includes methadone hydrochloride, buprenorphine, buprenorphine & naloxone and long-acting buprenorphine (including Buvidal© slow-release formulations) | PHS, UK
Extra cash for mental health would help UK more than new roads, study says
LSE researchers assessed the gains made by individual spending decisions relative to their returns in terms of cash savings and wellbeing benefits in terms of their money equivalent. They calculated that targeted spending on mental health and addiction services would not only help those affected, but also reduce the overall cost of health and welfare services while returning money to the exchequer as people returned to the workplace | Guardian, UK
How Keir Starmer’s pub garden smoking ban would work
Everything you need to know as Labour refuses to rule out major new smoking laws | Independent, UK
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill... | They work for you, UK
House of Lords debate on Vaping Products: Usage by Children
On 2nd September, Lord Storey led a short debate on the question: to ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to address the number of children using vaping products... | UK Hansard, UK
Anti-social Behaviour and Drugs: Urban Areas
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle a) anti-social behaviour and b) illegal drug use in town centres | They work for you, UK
Drug Science and University College London Collaboration: Advancing MDMA-Assisted Therapy
Drug Science and University College London are pleased to announce their strategic collaboration aimed at advancing our understanding of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. This partnership seeks to address concerns that the ‘psychotherapy’ aspect of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy – which expert opinion considers to be crucial to long-term success involving MDMA as a psychotherapeutic agent – is not yet well understood and may be suboptimal | Drug Science, UK
Addiction Mission Priority Setting Partnership survey: What questions about addiction would you like to see answered by research?
Your questions could be about what might cause addiction, support services, treatment, rehabilitation, mental or physical health, or anything else that is important to you. We want to hear your questions, no matter how big or small. Please answer based on your own personal or professional experience of addiction | Office for Life Sciences / James Lind Alliance, UK
Improving Emergency Mental Health care: the EmPATH Concept
Monday, September 30 · 3:30 - 4:30pm GMT+1. EmPATH stands for “Emergency Psychiatry Assessment, Treatment and Healing." EmPATH Units deliver acute interventions for behavioral healthcare patients by moving them out of hectic emergency departments into a calm, therapeutic setting. As a result, patient agitation and aggression is dramatically reduced and the need for coercive interventions like involuntary medications and physical restraints drops to nearly zero | DRNS et al, UK
Thames Path Challenge
14/15 September 2024. Follow the famous Thames Towpath on this trekking challenge starting in the heart of London | Forward Trust, UK
Recovery Street Film Festival 2024 Award Ceremony & Screening
Fri, 27 Sep 2024 10:30 - 13:00 BST. Join us in Sheffield for the award ceremony of this year's festival, with a special screening of the shortlisted films and guest speakers | RSFF, UK
Man arrested in Thailand after UK drug supply probe
A man has been arrested in Thailand after an investigation into the wholesale supply of cocaine across the south-east of England | BBC, UK
International news
Making sense of drug use and dependence—A scoping review of mass media interventions intended to reduce stigma towards people who use drugs
[Open access] This scoping review maps literature on the development and/or evaluation of mass media interventions intended to reduce stigma towards people who use drugs. We systematically searched seven databases for reports about: (i) people who use drugs, (ii) stigma, (iii) mass media. We charted data about intervention (i) subjects and recipients, (ii) format, (iii) authors, (iv) content; and (v) conceptualisation and measurement of stigma. We narratively synthesised findings with qualitative content analyses | IJDP, UK
‘Crime doesn’t pay’: drug gangsters turned podcasters send message to Rio’s youth
A group of Brazilian ex-criminals with many grisly stories have made life lessons into a startling listen | Guardian, UK
Antidepressant-linked overdose deaths in US have climbed for two decades
Number of US deaths involving antidepressants (5,863) in a year on par with those involving heroin (5,871) | Guardian, UK
Focus Ireland annual report 2023 (PDF)
Focus Ireland’s prevention services aim to move people from a situation of crisis to stability by supporting people who are in danger of losing their accommodation. Focus Ireland provides support and advice in relation to issues like rising rent payments, breakdown in family relations, overcrowded or unsuitable existing accommodation, substance misuse, domestic abuse, or where a young person is leaving the care of the State and requires housing and support to make the transition to independent living | Focus Ireland, Ireland
Long-term effects of an alcohol prevention program at licensed premises: a Swedish 20-year follow-up study
[Open access] How do you sustain the responsible serving of alcohol in pubs and bars signalled by refusal to serve drunk customers? The answer in the Swedish context was to "institutionalise" a strategy engaging stakeholders in designing and supporting the widespread training of bar staff and enforcement by police and licensing boards | Frontiers in Public Health, USA
Ketamine clinics show inconsistent practices on pregnancy and contraception
More hospitals and clinics now offer patients ketamine therapy for severe depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions that haven't responded to other treatments | News Medical, USA
Young people returning to alcohol and other drug services as incremental treatment
[Open access] From interviews with the young clients of intensive treatment services in Australia, a very different picture of relapse and service reentry emerged: not as serial failure, but "part of a longer-term process of recovery" involving "a form of 'incremental treatment', wherein young people could focus on different goals and make important gains in various areas of their lives." | SSM, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Cranstoun Response to Scottish Drug Deaths: Evidence Must Prevail to Prevent Tragedy
National Record for Scotland’s latest data revealed that drug deaths in Scotland are tragically on the rise once again, after two years of decline. The increase of 12% represents a shocking 1,172 lives lost to drugs last year. Each one of these deaths may have been preventable, and Scotland retains the shameful tag of being the drug death capital of Europe by rate – around three times higher than the next country on the list | Cranstoun, UK
Trump’s New Strategy on Cannabis: A Political Game-Changer?
Former President Donald Trump’s recent support for the legalisation of adult-use cannabis in Florida, via Amendment 3, marks a significant shift in both his political strategy and the Republican Party’s approach to drug policy. As Amendment 3 polls above the required 60% threshold for passage, Trump’s endorsement could have far-reaching implications for the GOP and beyond | Volteface, UK
Vapes are addictive and should only be sold on prescription
Prof Anthony Milton says people who vape should be regarded as drug addicts and doctors should do all they can to wean their patients off them | Guardian letters, UK