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Daily news - 3rd February 2025 |
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UK news
First patients seen at NHS clinic in Liverpool tackling teenage vaping
Alder Hey children’s hospital opens its vaping cessation service for nicotine-dependent 11- to 15-year-olds | Guardian, UK
Top supermarkets running 'prohibited' tobacco ads
Sainsbury's and Morrisons are displaying adverts for tobacco products in their stores which Trading Standards says are against the law | BBC, UK
Urgent action needed to tackle alcohol emergency, ministers warned
In a letter to the Health Secretary, Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) and Alcohol Focus Scotland accused the Government of lacking ambition in its plans to cut the number of deaths caused by alcohol | STV News, UK
Wine-lovers left to drown sorrows as tax hike hits cost of a bottle - but it's not all bad news for drinkers
In some relief to drinkers, duty on draught products - or pints pulled in pubs - will be cut by 1.7%, meaning a penny off a pint in the pub | Sky News, UK
Data Insight: Enforced alcohol abstinence: does it reduce reoffending?
Faced with a crime related to the offender’s drinking, courts in England and Wales can impose treatment or require the wearing of a tag to enforce abstinence. Evidence for reduced reoffending emerged only for tags, not for treatment. Formal report here, researcher’s comments here and here | ADR UK, UK
The power of community in recovery: exploring Alcoholics Anonymous - podcast
In this episode, we dive into the history, structure, and impact of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Our guests, Tim, a long-standing member and trustee on the General Service Board, and Dr Kieran Moriarty, founder of Alcohol Care Teams and AA trustee, share their insights into the organisation’s role in supporting individuals struggling with alcohol dependence | IAS, UK
The Forward Trust - audio
Beneficiary Melissa Rice makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of The Forward Trust. The charity runs two rehabilitation centres in England and offered Melissa a bursary for a residential stay to help her tackle her alcoholism | BBC, UK
Ruth Wyner obituary
Charity worker with the homeless whose imprisonment under the Misuse of Drugs Act caused an international outcry | Guardian, UK
Air ambulance grounded after drugs licence mix-up
East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS), which deploys the helicopter, told its staff on Friday the aircraft had been stood down, stating it had "identified a higher risk to patient safety... without supply of these specialist medications" | BBC, UK
Drug dealer given county's first anti-slavery order
A drug dealer who was jailed for six years has now been handed Hertfordshire's first slavery and trafficking prevention order (STPO) | BBC, UK
International news
Psychedelic-assisted treatment for substance use disorder: A narrative systematic review
[Open access] Interest in the possible therapeutic value of psychedelics for mental health has extended to treatment of addictions. According to this review, “Psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol use disorder appears to have the best evidence of efficacy,” but a concern was that most studies did not report on safety | Addiction, UK
Extended-release pharmacotherapies for substance use disorders in incarcerated populations: A systematic review
[Open access] In the difficult settings of prison and subsequent release, long-acting medications ought to offer considerable advantages over those requiring daily administration, potentially saving lives. How has that played out in (researched) practice? | Addiction, UK
DrugNet Europe January 2025
Latest monthly news round-up published by the European Union Drugs Agency | EUDA, Portugal
FDA approves first new non-opioid pain pill in decades
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Journavx, a new pain reliever without the risks of addiction or overdose linked to drugs like Vicodin and OxyContin | Medical Xpress, USA
Under Trump, Future Of Harm Reduction Policies To Curb Drug Overdoses Is Unclear
A Commonwealth Fund study on drug overdoses in the United States reported last month that more than 100,000 lives were lost in 2023—a more than 50% jump since 2019. By a substantial margin, the U.S. has the highest rate of overdose deaths in the world at 324 deaths per one million people. However, there are signs that harm reduction policies put in place by the Biden administration to address the crisis may be helping, with fatal overdoses dropping 14.5% between 2022 and 2023. The future of these policies is unclear under the new Trump administration | Forbes, USA
Does drinking alcohol really take away the blues? It's not what you think
A new study from the University of Chicago Medicine reveals that people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and depression experience high levels of stimulation and pleasure when intoxicated, similar to drinkers who do not have depression | Medical Xpress, USA
Reducing alcohol-related harm among high-risk college drinkers: Researchers rethink strategies
A new study from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health explores a theoretical framework for implementing an alcohol reduction strategy to support U.S. college students at high risk for alcohol misuse. The research is published in the American Journal of Health Education | Medical Xpress, USA
High rate of underage tobacco sales found in New Jersey
A recent study from researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Rutgers University shows a high rate of underage tobacco sales despite federal legislation that prohibits the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21 | Medical Xpress, USA
Legal Weed Didn’t Deliver on Its Promises
Advocates touted a host of benefits and no real costs. That’s proved to be a fantasy | The Atlantic, USA
VA Lawmakers Advance Three Marijuana, Psychedelics Reform Bills
Virginia lawmakers have advanced a handful of drug policy bills—including measures to legalize commercial cannabis sales in the commonwealth, seal records related to marijuana and begin planning access to psychedelic-assisted therapy for veterans | Filter Magazine, USA
Mortality and hospitalizations fully attributable to alcohol use before versus during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
Alcohol-related deaths increased 18% during the pandemic, as did hospitalizations related to alcohol use, according to new research | CMAJ, Canada
Blogs, comment and opinion
Collective Voice responds to Justice Committee inquiry into drugs in prisons
Our Director, Will Haydock, talks about our response to a recent Parliamentary Committee inquiry | Collective Voice, UK
Alcohol labelling and cancer: a way to empower consumers despite industry opposition
Advice from the US surgeon general is consistent with the evidence but repeatedly opposed by commercial actors, says Nason Maani | BMJ opinion, UK
The Dry January® challenge - what next?
If you’ve taken part in the Dry January® challenge, you may have already noticed some changes in the way you feel both physically and mentally. This month will have also made you consider your drinking, so where do you go from here? | Alcohol Change UK blog, UK
Trump: Look at the Slow-Moving FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent approval of a product known as Zyn is a leap forward for the cause of tobacco harm reduction, which encourages smokers to switch from dangerous combustible cigarettes to less dangerous products. However, the agency’s inexplicable delay in doing so raises serious questions about the FDA’s bureaucratic and unaccountable approval process | R Street Op Ed, USA