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Daily news - 23rd September 2024 |
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UK news
Press release: Public wants higher alcohol duties to save the NHS
As the Government nods to alcohol as part of its public health drive, a new poll finds support for action to address the harm it causes | Alcohol Change UK, UK
Questions to the First Minister
Q: What is the Welsh Government doing to tackle opioid related deaths in Wales? - A: We invest over £67m in our substance misuse agenda. This includes a range of services to support those using opioids. We also continue with the rollout of Naloxone and Buvidal and the national WEDINOS programme analyses drugs so harm reduction advice can be given to individuals | They work for you, UK
'Liver scan made me a changed man'
A man who struggled with alcohol and drug addiction said a liver scan motivated him to start making healthier choices | BBC, UK
ACMD members' register of interests
Newly updated. Occupations, career history and interests of the members of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) | ACMD, UK
Police urge public to help tackle drug crime
Officers in Bodmin said people in the area can help identify possible victims of cuckooing, a practise where criminals take over a person's house and exploit them | BBC, UK
Rewrite ‘victim-blaming’ drink-spiking campaign, UK civil servants told
Minister tells Labour conference delegates that Whitehall should focus on stopping perpetrators | Guardian, UK
Heat of cannabis farm detected by police aircraft
Northumbria Police raided an address in Birtley in Gateshead after reviewing aerial thermal images of "suspicious activity" taken by the National Police Air Service | BBC, UK
International news
Children vaping and alcohol warning labels: takeaways from the World Cancer Congress
Event heard findings of research on advertising for tobacco products and estimates of economic cost of ovarian cancer | Guardian, UK
Where Are Germany’s Planned Cannabis Model Projects?
Germany’s long-anticipated ‘Pillar 2’ is in danger of being abandoned by the government amid ongoing political roadblocks both domestically and from the EU | Business of Cannabis, UK
Supreme court’s Chevron decision adds ambiguity to cannabis law: ‘It’s a mess’
Decision that weakened power of government regulatory agencies sows confusion to already chaotic cannabis law | Guardian, UK
Australian demand for overdose drug naloxone more than doubles after spike in synthetic opioid deaths
Take Home Naloxone program, which allows access without a prescription, sees rise in use after multiple reports of people who unknowingly used laced drugs and died | Guardian, UK
Should cocaine and MDMA users carry naloxone, the medicine that prevents fatal opioid overdoses?
As contaminants in the drug supply raise the risk of fatal overdoses, experts say more people – and public venues – should carry the antidote | Guardian, UK
GPs and pharmacists support removal of criminal sanctions for drug users
The country’s GPs and pharmacists favour keeping the possession of drugs illegal — but strongly support the removal of criminal sanctions for drug users, an Oireachtas committee has heard | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Drug overdose found to be more likely in patients who leave hospital against medical advice
People who initiate a premature or "before medically advised" (BMA) hospital discharge have a 10-fold increase in the risk of drug overdose in the following month, according to new research in Canadian Medical Association Journal | Medical Xpress, USA
Study shows alcohol-dependent men and women have different biochemistries, so may need different treatments
Scientists have known that men and women have different risks related to alcohol misuse and related problems and that alcohol treatments may need to be tailored differently to men and women. However, the biological mechanisms underlying those differences are not well understood | Medical Xpress, USA
FDA says drug makers will stop producing fentanyl 'lollipops'
Controversial fentanyl lollipops and similar products will no longer be made by drug makers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced | Medical Xpress, USA
Study shows psilocybin gives comparable long-term antidepressant effects to standard antidepressants
A direct comparison between the experimental psychedelic drug psilocybin and a standard SSRI antidepressant shows similar improvement of depressive symptoms, but that psilocybin offers additional longer-term benefits | Medical Xpress, USA
The Underworld Podcast
Journalists Danny Gold and Sean Williams bring their experience reporting on dangerous people and organizations to take listeners on a global tour of mobsters, warlords and crooks - from Brooklyn to Beijing, from the streets to the boardrooms - and everywhere in between. Underworld is a show about heroes, villains, and the barely visible mafias that affect all our lives, whether we know it or not | Underworld, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Initial reflections on the Darzi Report
Big set piece reports often capture the headlines for a day or two, then fade from view when the next story comes along. But a report like Lord Darzi’s from last week deserves more attention and influence. So over the past few days I’ve been thinking about what this report might mean for the treatment and recovery sector | Collective Voice blog, UK
What should councils take from the Lord Darzi report on the NHS?
It’s no surprise that ‘fixing the NHS’ has come at the top of the government’s bewilderingly long to do list. It probably shouldn’t be a surprise that social care hasn’t, after so many governments have parked what is in some ways an even thornier challenge, and certainly one which the public is less likely to reward with votes. It is disappointing though, and apparently the sector’s disappointment has been heard within the Dept of Health and Social Care | IMPOWER blog, UK
Do treatment orders work?
MoJ study finds alcohol, drug & mental health treatment requirements reduce reoffending compared with those given short custodial sentences | Russell Webster, UK
Sally Benton’s response to the government’s early release scheme
Last week, the long-awaited early prison release scheme began. It was accompanied, of course, by media fanfare | Forward Trust, UK
Cheers! Here’s to the end of the pint
Peter Burke welcomes an opportunity to finally end the sale of beer in imperial units | Guardian letters, UK
Overdoses in Decline – Progress on a One-Dimensional Measure
The other day, I saw this media clip, CDC: Opioid overdose deaths decline nationwide from PBS. It notes that according to provisional data, we have the lowest rate of national overdose related deaths in three years. It describes a 10.6% decline in overdose deaths from April 2023 to April 2024 | Recovery Review blog, USA
Are sports stars who are caught using illegal drugs unfairly vilified?
With the Paris Olympics and Paralympics wrapped up, and leading Australian sports codes coming to an end of their 2024 seasons, many athletes will be celebrating well-earned wins and commiserating losses | Conversation, Australia