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Daily news - 19th February 2025 |
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UK news
Evaluation of the National Drug Deaths Mission: Alcohol and Drug Partnership coordinator survey 2024
This publication presents findings from an anonymous online survey of Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) coordinators, undertaken as part of the PHS evaluation of the National Drug Deaths Mission. The survey covered four main topics:1) ADP interaction with the national level, 2) local partnership dynamics, 3) ADP coordinator wellbeing and 4) the perceived impact of the National Mission to date. The key objective was to understand the suitability of current governance and accountability arrangements for supporting implementation of the National Mission | Public Health Scotland, UK
Influencers to urge young people to not vape as part of UK government campaign
Big Manny and Bodalia will join forces in initiative after numbers of under-18s trying or using vapes soar | Guardian, UK
Psychedelic-assisted therapy for mental health: Policy considerations
Research into the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs took place in the 1950s and 1960s. Almost all research stopped in the 1970s, mostly due to tightening drugs legislation. Since the 2000s there has been a resurgence of interest in investigating how psychedelic drugs can treat mental health conditions using modern scientific methods. This briefing focuses on the risks and benefits of supervised therapy using psychedelic drugs in controlled clinical settings | UK Parliament, UK
New analysis shows spending to reduce smoking is a good deal for the Chancellor
A new analysis shows that an additional £97 million investment in smoking cessation interventions, in addition to ~£280 million currently spent by government, can further accelerate reductions in smoking. This is estimated to be worth £894 million in 2030 in reduced burden on public finances – delivering a ninefold return on investment | ASH, UK
Study sheds light on the genetics of stopping smoking
The effectiveness of a common drug to quit smoking could be down to people’s genes, according to a study from the University of Leicester. Varenicline is widely recognised as the most effective medication for helping people stop smoking, but unfortunately it does not work for everyone | University of Leicester, UK
Solitary Drinkers in Great Britain: How Do Their Sociodemographic Characteristics, Consumption Patterns, and Drinking Occasions Differ From Those Who Drink With Others?
[Open access] Inequalities in alcohol-related harm may arise partly from differences in drinking practices between population groups. One underresearched practice associated with harm is consuming alcohol alone. We identify sociodemographic characteristics associated with drinking alone and the occasion-level characteristics associated with occasions when people drink alone | JSAT, UK
Physical activity may prevent adolescents from smoking
Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in childhood may prevent 60% of 13-year-olds from smoking their first cigarette, according to a new study | Dentistry, UK
NHS expands HIV opt-out testing to 30 more A&Es
Under a new expansion plan, 30 more A&Es will start testing for the infectious disease in hospital emergency departments (ED) via the revolutionary NHS Blood Borne Virus Opt-out Testing programme (BBV) | NHS, UK
New smoke-free spaces to protect children
Thanet District Council (TDC) and Kent County Council (KCC) have teamed up as part of the "Smokefree Spaces" campaign, which aims to deter people from smoking in public places and from vaping around children and young people | BBC, UK
Council to Launch a New Support Service to Help Keep Families Together
Liverpool City Council and its partner agencies are set to introduce a transformative way of working to help families recovering from drug and alcohol addiction and who are receiving specialist care | Liverpool Express, UK
Alcoholic Drinks: Measurement
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has received representations from health professionals have they received on shrinking the default size of the pint glass in licensed premises | They work for you, UK
Concerns over plan to cut homeless services by £2m
Concerns have been raised about plans by Norfolk County Council to cut support for homelessness services by £2m | BBC, UK
Independent Sentencing Review: History and trends in sentencing
The Independent Sentencing Review has published Part 1 of its final report. This report: 1) Provides a comprehensive explanation of why and how prison population has sharply increased in recent decades and is expected to continue to grow, including research spotlights and case studies, and outlines the prison population challenge in figures. 2) Advocates for an approach to sentencing that is rooted in the principles of sentencing and public service reform, where resources could be more effectively deployed to reduce crime and the number of victims | MoJ, UK
Local multi-agency collaboration and PCC oversight are key to cutting crime says new APCC report
The crucial role of effective cross-sector work in reducing crime and making communities safer, overseen and coordinated by locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners, are highlighted in a new report by the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC). Towards better local partnerships systems in England and Wales finds that in an ever-more complex landscape, the streamlining of groups and Boards along with improvements in the use of data and information are critical to reducing crime and making communities safer | APCC, UK
Our Message Our Voice
Tue, 1 Apr 2025 13:00 - 14:30 BST. Online. The Our Message Our Voice Project is a collaborative film-making project with people who have lived experience of alcohol addiction. We are delighted to invite you to our online film-launch and discussion event | Our Message Our Voice, UK
Diana Melly obituary
In 1971 she began what was to turn into nearly a decade-long stint working at Release, a progressive charity set up by the radical feminist and political activist Caroline Coon and her partner Rufus Harris. Its aim was to help addicts and lobby for the decriminalisation of drugs | Guardian, UK
Crackdown on fake vapes sees 68 shops shut down
Lincolnshire County Council's Trading Standards team partnered with Lincolnshire Police to close businesses selling counterfeit stock | BBC, UK
Teacher collects 300 nitrous oxide cans in three months
A school teacher who has been collecting discarded nitrous oxide canisters blighting the verges of his local roads said he had amassed almost 300 in just three months | BBC, UK
International news
58th Human Rights Council: Drug Policy Opportunities
The upcoming 58th Session of the Human Rights Council, to be held between 24 February and 4 April, presents critical opportunities for reflecting on the impacts of drug control policies on human rights worldwide and on States’ obligations to promote and protect people’s rights, while discussing pathways for reform. Here we present some key moments where drug policy will or can be addressed, and suggestions for mainstreaming drug policy in the session | HRI, UK
123. Memory, Movies and Psychedelics with Prof Ravi Das - podcast
Prof Ravi Das is a leading expert in psychopharmacology and cognitive neuroscience, with a career dedicated to understanding and developing innovative treatments for addiction and anxiety disorders. His research takes a translational and experimental medicine approach, focusing on the mechanisms of memory plasticity and their role in the development of addictive and anxiety disorders | Drug Science, UK
Russia frees US national held on drug charges
Russian authorities have released an American national who was arrested at a Moscow airport this month for cannabis possession, the US state department has confirmed | BBC, UK
Researchers look for the best ways to help people with HIV quit smoking
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment has gotten so good that people can take a pill once a day to achieve viral suppression that lets them live much longer than anyone could have imagined just a few decades ago | Medical Xpress, USA
Stigmatizing language related to substance use in grants shows notable drop
The use of stigmatizing terminology in National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded grant abstracts has decreased by over half since 2013 according to a new paper by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. However, one in four abstracts still contained a stigmatizing term in 2023 | Medical Xpress, USA
Police “Support” for Harm Reduction in Canada Soon Evaporated
Amid a policy shift away from harm reduction, senior police officials in Canada have been signalling their approval, though some of them ostensibly supported harm reduction and drug decriminalization before | Filter Magazine, USA
Memories of Silk Road, the Drug Marketplace We Used for Safer Supply
In a somewhat unexpected move by President Donald Trump, on January 21 he issued a full pardon to Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht. After a decade of incarceration, Ulbricht was released that same day from the Arizona federal Bureau of Prisons facility where he’d been serving his two life sentences, plus 40 years | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Minimum alcohol pricing: what we found in Wales after five years
Almost five years ago, a new law came into force in Wales making it illegal to sell alcohol for less than 50p per unit. Since its introduction, we have been evaluating the effects of minimum alcohol pricing and our findings have recently been published. These will help Welsh Government ministers decide on the future of the policy beyond its six-year trial period | Conversation, UK
Abolish SAMHSA? On advocacy and criticism
I’ve seen this article shared several times recently. Here’s the premise: The incoming Trump administration wants to improve public safety, push back on progressive cultural politics, and cut wasteful federal spending. One way to do all three? Abolish the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the federal mental-health agency. The article was published in early January but has taken on new salience with the first wave of SAMHSA staff terminations this weekend, including the Office of Recovery | Recovery Review blog, USA