Home | Archive | Weekly | Reports

Daily news - 25th September 2024

UK news

Over 10 percent of deaths in Wales due to smoking

New analysis from Public Health Wales shows that were an average of 3,845 deaths in Wales in 2022 were due to smoking in Wales every year between 2020 and 2022: more than one in ten of all deaths amongst those over 35 | Public Health Wales, UK

National drug and alcohol treatment waiting times

10,688 referrals were made to community-based specialist drug and alcohol treatment services: 5,432 (50.8%) were for problematic use of alcohol, 3,770 (35.3%) for problematic use of drugs, and 1,486 (13.9%) for co-dependency | Public Health Scotland, UK

NHS stop smoking services quarterly

This release presents information on NHS Stop Smoking Services in Scotland and their progress towards their annual Local Delivery Plan (LDP) Standard. The LDP Standard for NHS Scotland in 2023/24 is to achieve at least 7,026 self-reported successful twelve-week quits through smoking cessation services in the 40% most deprived areas (60% in NHS Island Boards) | Public Health Scotland, UK

Alcohol Injustice: position paper on people with an alcohol disorder in the Justice system

This paper sets out why and how people with alcohol use disorders who come into contact with the justice system should have the best opportunities to access treatment and support. This approach would reduce reoffending and tackle inequalities – improving the health and lives of the people concerned and the lives of their families and wider communities, as well as alleviating pressure on the justice system | IAS, UK

64% of operators would install a non-alcoholic draught beer

Three in five operators would install a non-alcoholic draught beer at their pub, new data has revealed | Morning Advertiser, UK

Brixton prison ‘fundamentally failing’ as inspection reveals overcrowding and drug abuse

In the most crowded category C prison in the country men are turning to drugs because they have ‘nothing constructive to do’ | Justice Gap, UK

Fit for purpose? An Update on Drugs Law, Sentencing and Policy

1 October 2024. Crypt on the Green, Clerkenwell Close, London EC1R 0EA. Conviction levels for those using and supplying drugs in the UK remains stubbornly high and accounts for a significant proportion of our growing prison population. But are our drugs laws fit for purpose? | 25 Bedford Row, UK

'Disgusting' drug dealing in hospital condemned

Criminals using the waiting room in a busy hospital emergency department (ED) to deal drugs have been branded as "disgusting" | BBC, UK

'Scooby Doo' cocaine dealer jailed for 16 years

A drug dealer given the nickname of a Scooby Doo character has been jailed for his role in a major cocaine and cannabis supply ring | BBC, UK

Man caught with £5m drugs haul in car jailed

A debt-ridden businessman caught with "an incredibly high purity" haul of cocaine worth more than £5.7m has been jailed for 10 years | BBC, UK

International news

[Open access] Review amalgamating findings from studies reporting first-person accounts from homeless substance users. What was it about service providers which aided their recovery: “empathy, person-centredness, humility, acceptance, and respect for service users’ autonomy” | IJDP, UK

Joint statement to General Debate with the UN Secretary-General on the Death Penalty

Harm Reduction International, jointly with Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS), Dianova International, Hayat and International Drug Policy Con sortium(IDPC) delivered a statement to the General Debate with the UN Secretary-General on his report on the question of the death penalty, sharing his concern about the alarming increase in drug-related execution and calling all Member States and international community for stronger and more coordinated actions towards the abolition of the death penalty | HRI, UK

A mixed bag | Godfrey updates us on the latest events in the THR [tobacco harm reduction] - video

Glimmers of good news despite the general drift towards harsher restrictions for tobacco harm reduction | GFN, UK

Ireland imposes new €2,000 fine for selling vapes at children’s events

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has signed a law that applies the fine to the offence of ‘selling tobacco products or nicotine-inhaling products at events aimed at children, or where the majority of the participants or audience are children’ | Clearing the air, UK

There are way more smoke and vape shops than there used to be. Has the government crackdown had any effect?

If you live in a major city in Australia, you have probably noticed there are a lot more tobacconists around than there used to be. Every week it seems like a new shop has popped up, sometimes in an unlikely spot | Guardian, UK

Drug Poisoning Deaths in Ireland in 2021: Data from the National Drug-Related Deaths Index (NDRDI) (PDF)

In 2021, 354 drug poisoning deaths were recorded in Ireland. This equates to seven deaths per 100,000 of the population in that year. The deceased were 227 (64.1%) males and 127 (35.9%) females. Opioids (68.9%), benzodiazepines (52.8%), and antidepressants (35.0%) were the three mostcommon drug groups implicated in poisoning deaths overall. The main specific drugs implicated were methadone (36.4%), diazepam (31.6%), alprazolam (30.2%), cocaine (30.2%), alcohol (25.7%), and pregabalin (23.4%) | HRB, Ireland

Fall in number of drug overdose deaths may be 'a phenomenon of the covid pandemic'

There was a 19% fall in the number of fatal drug overdoses in 2021, but health authorities have cautioned this could reflect the impact of covid-19 rather than a true change in trends | Irish Examiner, Ireland

EUDA webinar: Preventing substance-related crime in the community - video

In response to growing concerns about substance-related crime in communities across Europe, the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) hosted 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 looked at how local environmental prevention strategies can provide safer and healthier environments, particularly for young people | EUDA, Portugal

Factors Associated With the Availability of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in US Jails

In this survey study of 1028 jails, less than half of jails (43.8%) offered medications for opioid use disorder to at least some individuals and 12.8% offered these medications to anyone with an opioid use disorder who requested them. These findings suggest that many individuals with an opioid use disorder are not receiving necessary treatment while in jail | JAMA Network Open, USA [See also Invited commentary]

Hospital Readmissions Among Infants With Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome [NOWS]

In this cohort study of 13 855 246 newborns, infants with NOWS had a 90-day readmission rate of 4.2% compared with 3.0% for infants without NOWS. After risk adjustment, infants with NOWS were more likely to be readmitted for serious injuries and confirmed neglect but not physical abuse | JAMA Network Open, USA

New Report: Increasing Health Taxes Could Raise US$3.7 Trillion Over The Next Five Years

Raising taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugary beverages is a simple, yet neglected policy that will prevent millions of premature deaths globally and generate additional government revenue | Bloomberg Philanthropies, USA

New guideline could enhance treatment access for opioid use disorder in community pharmacies

Pharmacists now have more guidance for combating the opioid crisis and providing treatment to patients, thanks to new national guidelines developed at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy. The Pharmacy Access to Resources and Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Guideline, released today, addresses critical barriers in the treatment of Opioid Use Disorder across the nation's community pharmacies | Medical Xpress, USA

States, hospital systems try less punitive drug testing of pregnant women and newborns

Some states and hospital systems have updated their policies on drug testing for pregnant women and newborns, aiming to better support patients' treatment and recovery from substance use disorder and combat racial disparities in testing and reporting | Medical Xpress, USA

Psychedelic drug psilocybin may rewire brain connectivity to treat body dysmorphic disorder, research suggests

A study led by researchers at Columbia University and published in Psychedelics provides hope by revealing how the psychedelic drug psilocybin, the active ingredient in "magic mushrooms," may rewire connectivity of brain circuitry, potentially aiding in the treatment of this debilitating disorder | Medical Xpress, USA

Steep rise in GHB-related deaths since 2016

Gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB)-related deaths in Australia have risen sharply in the last decade with use of the ‘party drug’ extending beyond the clubbing scene to a broader population, according to new research from the National Drug and Alcohol Centre (NDARC), UNSW Sydney. The study, published in Drug and Alcohol Review, shows that the rate of death related to GHB use increased by an average of 44% each year from 2016 onwards | Scimex, Australia

Alcohol and other drug treatment waitlists up 93% in Victoria, survey shows - audio

The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association runs the annual survey, and CEO Chris Christoforou says "unmanageable demand" means people are being denied service when they need it most | abc.net.au, Australia

Blogs, comment and opinion

Alcohol and Homicide: A Sobering Look at Violence in Latin America and the Caribbean

The urgency for studying Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is underscored by its alarmingly high violence rates, which surpass other world regions. Despite representing only 8% of the global population, LAC accounts for approximately one-third of global homicides. In a recent publication in The British Journal of Criminology, we studied the relationship between national-level alcohol consumption and homicide rates in the region, unveiling important insights that require immediate attention by policy makers | IAS blog, UK

Extend Studio