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Daily news - 18th September 2024

UK news

Cross-party Commission concludes three-year enquiry with bold plan for 21st century health

A comprehensive plan for a modern 21st century health creation system has been unveiled in a major report aimed at kick starting a once-in-a-generation rethink of national health policy, to revitalise both wellbeing and the UK economy | IPPR, UK

Tackling UK ill health is vital to economic growth, says IPPR

Government must invest £15bn a year on a changes to improve wellbeing and prosperity, says thinktank | Guardian, UK

Pint of no return? Two-thirds measure could boost English health – study

Scientists reach conclusion after trial in which pints were scrapped in a dozen pubs, bars and restaurants [See also: Impact on beer sales of removing the pint serving size: An A-B-A reversal trial in pubs, bars, and restaurants in England | PLOS Medicine]

[Open access] Increasing the amount of alcohol taxation is among the most effective measures for addressing the rising global burden of alcohol harm. However, less is known about the effect of changing alcohol tax structures | Lancet Public Health, UK

The acceptability of alcohol screening and brief intervention for older adults in community venues

[Open access] The Glasgow arm of a national trial asked people aged 50 or more how they felt after approaching a project stall, being screened for risky drinking, and offered brief advice. Generally, the 16 who participated felt this was acceptable, but all were white British; it was difficult to engage people from other ethnic backgrounds in conversations about drinking | DAR, UK

Hospitality Industry: Smoking

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department has taken to facilitate (a) restaurants and (b) pubs to offer outdoor smoking facilities since 2010 | They work for you, UK

Former drug addict gets 'dream job' helping others

Charlie Poole, 34, was at Jericho House, an addiction rehab centre in Derby, when exercise and football sessions held by Derby County Community Trust became the "highlight of his week" and turned into a career he wanted to pursue | BBC, UK

It’s only LSD but I like it: the play telling the untold story about the Rolling Stones drugs bust

Keith Richards and Mick Jagger’s 1967 raid and trial caused a national storm, seeming to pitch old against young, Establishment against counterculture. But was the real story overlooked? We return to the 60s at their most swinging | Guardian, UK

Drug dealing woman jailed after 16 months on run

A woman who went on the run for 16 months after being convicted for her part in a drug dealing operation has now been jailed | BBC, UK

International news

Drug trafficking route dismantled and €6m cocaine seized

RTÉ's crime correspondent Paul Reynolds told BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme that gardaí had been targeting an organised crime group called "the Family" in west Dublin | BBC, UK

Exclusive: EU wants to ban smoking and vaping in outdoor areas, leaked draft says

The European Commission will recommend smoking bans in cafe terraces, bus stops, and zoos, and plans also cover nicotine-free products, according to a leaked document obtained by Euronews | Euronews, UK

[Open access] Reviews studies of campaigns to reduce stigma towards people who use illegal drugs. Ironically found many campaigns stress addiction is a ‘disease’, risking further ‘othering’ of and distancing from drug users: “not necessarily … the best framing for anti-stigma messaging” | IJDP, UK

Drug addicts waiting months for place in detox units due to lack of space

Just under a fifth of referrals made this year to a detox unit operated by Merchants Quay Ireland have been able to secure a place in the facility | Irish Examiner, Ireland

HHC and your mental health: information about Hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) and how it might affect your mental health

Hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) is a new semi synthetic cannabinoid that is designed to imitate the effects of THC, the main psychoactive substance found in cannabis. HHC has been available on the Irish market since 2022. It is currently available to buy in different forms in high-street shops and online but is not considered safe to consume by health professionals | College of Psychiatrists of Ireland, Ireland

Inequalities in Smoking and E-Cigarette Use in Young Adults With Mental Ill-Health, 20 years After Ireland’s Smoking Ban

Inequalities in smoking and e-cigarette use in young adults with mental ill-health are evident 20 years after Ireland’s National Smoking Ban. Despite extensive Tobacco Control interventions in the past 20 years, there is still a need in Ireland for new targeted interventions to reduce health inequalities for left-behind young smokers with mental ill-health | Sage, Ireland

An industrial chemical is showing up in fentanyl in the US, troubling scientists

An industrial chemical used in plastic products has been cropping up in illegal drugs from California to Maine, a sudden and puzzling shift in the drug supply that has alarmed health researchers | Medical Xpress, USA

Telehealth boosts retention of people on buprenorphine in addiction treatment

Patients who initiated treatment for opioid use disorder through a telehealth mobile app stayed with treatment at a greater rate over six months than those who started treatment in a physical clinic, a new study led by Oregon Health & Science University has found | Medical Xpress, USA

Medical marijuana users see short-term gains in health-related quality of life, study finds

A study of hundreds of people using medical marijuana reported "rapid and significant improvements" in health-related quality of life over the first three months, according to new research led by Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) | Medical Xpress, USA

A Psychologist Shares 2 Mind-Bending Effects Of DMT—The ‘Spirit Molecule’

DMT (N, N-Dimethyltryptamine) is a powerful psychedelic compound found in various plants and animals. It’s known for inducing intense hallucinations and altered states of consciousness. Often referred to as the “spirit molecule,” DMT is known for the profound, mystical experiences associated with its use | Forbes, USA

How the ICD-11 and the CDDR address the public health dimensions of substance use

Explains how and why the World Health Organization adopted a public health approach in the latest revision of its classification of disorders due to substance use, one widely used for diagnostic purposes, including in the UK. Major innovations spread the ambit of intervention to single episodes of harmful use and potentially, but not yet actually, harmful use | World Psychiatry, USA

Ultra-low-dose ketamine can curb opioid withdrawal

Many people who use fentanyl become trapped in their addiction out of fear and a low tolerance for the withdrawal symptoms, which include muscle cramps, nausea, chills, sweats and intense cravings. Research findings published in Addiction Science & Clinical Practice may offer hope. A pilot study showed that a small amount of ketamine can reduce or eliminate the withdrawal symptoms associated with quitting fentanyl | Medical Xpress, USA

Bulletin No. 32. Unrecorded treatment: Estimating the number of people who receive treatment for alcohol and other drugs in Australia

Treatment for alcohol and other drug use is primary provided in specialist treatment settings, and recorded in the official datasets (AODTS-NMDS and NOPSAD). However, there are a wide range of other settings where treatment is provided that are not included in these two datasets. The number of people who receive treatment in these other settings is unknown. This bulletin explores the extent to which the two main datasets represent comprehensive coverage of alcohol and other drug treatment provision in Australia, and estimates the number of people who may be receiving treatment across all settings | UNSW, Australia

Enhancing our understanding of meaningful change

A new research paper led by Dr Katrin Oliver, Education and Training Lead at the Hamilton Centre, analyses a range of factors to challenge the idea that people are solely responsible for their own recovery from alcohol and other drugs. The study identified common tendencies and trajectories that can significantly influence and support recovery | Hamilton Centre, Australia

Blogs, comment and opinion

Can alcohol control policies reduce family and domestic violence?

Family and domestic violence accounts for nearly half of all assaults in Australia. In New South Wales, the most populous state in Australia, reported rates of family and domestic violence have steadily increased since 2019. Successive Commonwealth and State governments across the country have launched plans and strategies, funded media and sports campaigns, and supported the work of foundations, all with the goal of preventing this kind of violence in particular | IAS blog, UK

Unlocking Potential: The Case for Hiring Ex-Offenders in the Horticulture Industry

Since early 2020, I have been the Head of Enterprise at Forward. I lead our two wholly-owned horticulture-based social enterprises, Blue Sky Services and Amenity Landscaping. Our mission is to provide high-class grounds maintenance, car park maintenance, and garden landscaping services by employing individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, with a particular emphasis on ex-offenders | Forward Trust blog, UK

The kids are all right when they don’t drink

Doran Lamb says it is not safe for young adults to drink any alcohol, while Tim Bennett-Goodman supports sensible drinking, in response to an article on the benefits of serving teenagers in pubs | Guardian letters, UK

What all parents should know about ketamine and young people

It's found in university halls, music festivals, houseshares and even chat-up lines on dating apps - ket has spread through Gen Z | i news opinion, UK

Reducing harm with psychedelics

I have for years been a vocal and public critic of the failed war on drugs. As a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, I favour approaches that reduce harm and suffering, end the needless criminalisation of millions, and make communities everywhere safer | Richard Branson blog, UK

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