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Daily news - 11th September 2024

UK news

Alcohol-specific deaths

This statistical report details information on the number of deaths that were registered in Scotland in 2023 which are classified as alcohol-specific. It also includes breakdowns by sex, age, cause of death and deprivation. Alcohol-specific deaths have generally risen since 2012. Before this point, deaths fell sharply from the peak of 1,417 in 2006 to 968 in 2012. Last year, there was one more death than in 2022 | National Records of Scotland, UK

Alcohol deaths in Scotland reach 15-year high

Alcohol deaths have sharply risen across Britain post-Covid - with Scotland remaining the worst-affected country | STV News, UK

Charity: Tax alcohol retailers for the harm they cause

Scotland’s alcohol deaths at a 15-year high have prompted renewed calls for an alcohol retailer levy to tackle the public health crisis | Health and Care Scotland, UK

'Nobody asked me about alcohol when I was pregnant'

There are calls for more awareness education and support into those with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) | BBC, UK

Effects of interventions to combat tobacco addiction: Cochrane update of 2021 to 2023 reviews

Nicotine replacement therapy (especially patches combined with fast acting forms), varenicline, cytisine, bupropion, nicotine e-cigarettes, behavioural counselling, and financial incentives are all effective ways to help people quit smoking | Addiction, UK

Experimenting with different vapes could be crucial to help people quit smoking

The University of East Anglia led a study which found that giving out free e-cigarette starter packs in hospital emergency departments to people who smoke helped one in four people quit | UEA, UK

Addiction Charity Issues Ketamine Warning

Motiv8, an Isle of Man charity specialising in addiction support, has issued a warning about the rising use of ketamine on the island. The charity, which has provided addiction counseling since 1978, reports an increase in people becoming addicted to ketamine and experiencing severe health issues as a result | Gef, UK

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the Institute of Alcohol Studies' article entitled £27.4 billion cost of alcohol harm in England every year, published on 20 May 2024 | They work for you, UK

Smoking

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that areas which ban smoking are supported by information about smoking cessation programmes | They work for you, UK

Early release prisoners say jail rife with drugs

Offenders released early to ease overcrowding in prisons have spoken of dire conditions in a jail they described as "disgusting" and riddled with drugs and violence | BBC, UK

Ban on smoking in cars with children inches closer [Guernsey]

Guernsey deputies have published a new law that would ban people from smoking in cars carrying children | BBC, UK

International news

Irish cabinet to approve ban on disposable vapes

Under the proposed laws there will be a complete ban on the sale, manufacture or import of single-use or disposable vapes in Ireland. The legislation will also introduce a ban on a multitude of flavours that the government believe often appeal to children – it is estimated that as many as 15,000 flavour combinations exist | BBC, UK

Addiction Treatment Services - interactive map

Search for drug and alcohol treatment services area using our interactive map. Services cover a range of user needs and requirements, from adults to adolescents. You can select specific services using an interactive form to show the services you are interested in, use the map filters or simply zoom in to view an area. Click on the map markers (coloured dots) to see information (phone number, address etc) about the service | HRB National Library, Ireland

EUDA webinar: Preventing substance-related crime in the community — how can we provide safer and healthier environments?

13 Sep 2024. In response to growing concerns about substance-related crime in communities across Europe, the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) is hosting this webinar to explore the availability and effectiveness of interventions aimed at preventing and reducing violence and crime related to substance use. In this webinar, we will look at how local environmental prevention strategies can provide safer and healthier environments, particularly for young people | EUDA, Portugal

Focusing on non-pharmacological interventions within the competence of nurses, this review of recent studies highlighted the impact of personalised aftercare in sustaining treatment gains | Enfermería Clínica (English Edition), Spain

Nearly 1 in 4 Americans know someone addicted to opioids, survey finds

A 50-state survey led by Northeastern University's David Lazer reveals that one in four Americans say they know someone who struggles with opioid addiction, while one in seven knows multiple people | Medical Xpress, USA

Cannabis Research Institute opens in Chicago, looking to dig deep into marijuana

Nearly a year and a half after it was announced, the Cannabis Research Institute is getting operations underway in Chicago, with the goal of studying, among other things, how marijuana could help or harm people | Medical Xpress, USA

Smoking before the age of 18 increases the risk of developing respiratory symptoms in your 20s, study finds

People who started smoking under the age of 18 are more likely to experience respiratory symptoms, such as wheezing and phlegm, in their 20s, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Vienna, Austria | Medical Xpress, USA

Teens with disposable income most likely to vape

Teens who have disposable income, live in a lower-income home or are gender diverse are more likely to use e-cigarettes, according to a new study at the University of Waterloo | Medical Xpress, USA

Obituaries Experiment Highlights Stigma Against Overdose Victims

Stigma is a powerful force working against the health and safety of people who use drugs. It reduces medical care quality, dissuades people from seeking help and resources, pervades interactions with police, and haunts even people who quit drugs. Harm reductionists are intimately familiar with these issues and have worked hard to decrease stigma. But have public attitudes caught up? | Filter Magazine

Alaska Requiring Naloxone in All Schools Amid Overdose Surge

Alaska is implementing a new law that requires all schools to have naloxone on hand, in response to the severity of the state’s opioid-involved overdose crisis | Filter Magazine, USA

Blogs, comment and opinion

WithYou responds to the National Records of Scotland report on alcohol-specific deaths

Louise Stewart, Director of Service Delivery at WithYou, says: “The Scottish Government must pursue alcohol-specific deaths with much greater urgency, determination and innovation. “Minimum unit pricing is often held up as an example of forward-thinking policy-making because we were the first country in the world to introduce this measure. But it could and should work much harder... | WithYou, UK

Teenagers will always get drunk – so why don’t we just serve them in pubs?

Is insisting on ID really about safeguarding or just a habit we’ve fallen into after watching too much American TV? | Guardian opinion, UK

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