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Daily news - 24th February 2025 |
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UK news
Briefing packs and outcomes for the drugs consumption room at the Thistle facility: FOI release
Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. Information requested: 1. Briefing packs on drugs consumption rooms in reference to the opening of the Thistle facility on 13 January 2025. 2. What specific outcomes (KPIs) will be measured to determine the success of the Thistle DCR? How will these be measured in particular? and 3. How will data be collected, when will the data first be evaluated and who will be collecting and evaluating the data? | Scottish Government, UK
Child exploitation and cuckooing to be criminal offences
Cuckooing is when the home of a vulnerable person is taken over by criminals who use it as a base for illegal activities, such as drug dealing | BBC, UK
‘It’s not ethical and it’s not medical’: how UK rehab clinics are cashing in on NAD+
They are beloved by A-listers and surging in popularity. But claims that NAD+ infusions are a fix for addiction are unproven, risky – and possibly illegal, an Observer investigation reveals | Guardian, UK
“Everything is fear based”: Mothers with experience of addiction, child removal and support services
[Open access] Mothers in substance use treatment Scotland with experience of having their children removed from the home by child welfare services tell researchers about the circumstances and how the removal impacted on them | Children and Youth Services Review, UK
Ozempic being ‘sold by drug dealers alongside class As’
Weight-loss drugs and prescription medications for ADHD are among the latest items being offered for sale by dealers, an investigation found | Independent, UK
Why does Sunderland have such high alcohol deaths?
A city's high rate of alcohol-specific deaths is due to a "perfect storm" of factors, researchers have said. The latest ONS figures, external, released earlier this month, showed Sunderland had the highest rate of alcohol deaths per 100,000 people across England in 2023 | BBC, UK
Alcohol sale rules in NI 'risk stifling innovation'
The rules for licensing the sale of alcohol in Northern Ireland are allowing established businesses to restrict competition and risk stifling innovation, a major independent review has concluded | BBC, UK
Kitchen Table Café: A recipe for recovery
As you walk into the café you can tell something special is happening. A low hum of laughter and chatter builds, amid a smell of home-cooked food. Every table is full of people eating, laughing and talking | Change Grow Live, UK
Drug Education Forum Event Spring 2025
Wednesday, March 5 · 3:30 - 5pm GMT. Online. The spring Drug Education Forum event will provide an opportunity for drug education providers, practitioners and policy makers across the UK to come together with a focus on the provision of excellent, evidence-based, age-appropriate drug education and harm reduction for young people. The keynote speaker is Dr. Karenza Moore, Newcastle University: 'Why Ketamine? Emerging trends, motivations, and harm reduction challenges.'The event programme will also feature three short spotlights featuring Emma Crawshaw, Dr. Cassie Ogden, Steve Duffy MBE & Dr Karen Corteen. Presentations will be followed byQ&A and a panel discussion | Drug Education Forum, UK
NHS Futures COMHAD webinar (Microsoft Teams link)
Tuesday 25 March 2025. 10am-11.30am. Online. You’re invited to NHS Futures Co-occurring Mental Health Alcohol and Drugs (COMHAD) webinar. Find out more about the launch of a shared collaborative platform, with guest speaker Dame Carol Black and Pete Burkinshaw, and others. There’ll be an opportunity for you to ask questions and interact in the Q&A | Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, UK
Police dogs to sniff out drugs used to spike drinks
Thames Valley Police said its pilot scheme would involve dogs that can already track down cash, explosives and sim cards | BBC, UK
Glenmorangie A Tale of Ice Cream - Complaint not upheld
The company stated that the packaging had been created to appeal to discerning adults. The design was inspired by a traditional luxury ice cream parlour and used muted pastels and gold accents to evoke an adult aesthetic rather than a childlike one | Portman Group, UK
International news
Identifying barriers and facilitators to psychosocial care for people living with HIV in Ireland: a mixed methods study
[Open access] The effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy means that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can now be defined as a manageable chronic illness. It is the facilitation of psychosocial care that has increasingly become a priority, as people living with HIV (PLWH) are disproportionately impacted by psychosocial stressors compared to the general population. The aim of this study was to identify barriers and facilitators to psychosocial care for PLWH in Ireland | BMC Public Health, UK
Use of semaglutide in a 54-year-old patient with cocaine abuse and weight loss: a case report
[Open access] This case report is interesting because it highlights a direction for the treatment of comorbid obesity and cocaine use disorder, which is an increasing clinical condition from an epidemiological point of view, and allows us to identify the possibility of a new strategy to address the problem of substance craving, particularly for cocaine | Journal of Medical Case Reports, UK
Motivational strategies reduce recidivism and enhance treatment adherence in intimate partner violence perpetrators with substance use problems
Already known was that adding elements derived from motivational interviewing to an anti-domestic violence programme in Spain reduced the risk of further violence. This new analysis shows the additions also evened out the heightened risk posed by perpetrators with substance use problems | Frontiers in Psychiatry, UK
India bans two opioids behind crisis in West Africa
Indian authorities have banned two highly-addictive opioids in response to a BBC investigation which found they were fuelling a public health crisis in parts of West Africa | BBC, UK
India’s Opioid Kings - BBC Africa Eye Documentary
Who is flooding West Africa with dangerous opioids? The BBC goes undercover to find out | BBC News Africa, UK
The clinical and demographic profile of inpatient psychosis admissions in Ireland
[Open access] Understanding the clinical and demographic profile of psychosis related inpatient psychiatric admissions in Ireland provides insights that can inform effective service planning and care delivery. The findings of this study have particular relevance for the implementation and evolution of the Health Service Executive Early Intervention in Psychosis Clinical Programme | Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, Ireland
New York sues vape distributors for fueling teen epidemic
New York sued several large e-cigarette manufacturers, distributors and retailers on Thursday, saying they fueled a youth vaping epidemic by selling products with cartoonish packaging and flavors such as Baja Slushie, Strawberry Cereal Donut Milk and OMG Blow Pop | Reuters, USA
Unlicensed retailers provide youths with easy access to cannabis in New York City, study reveals
A new study, led by researchers at Columbia University, suggests it is easy for youths to purchase cannabis from unlicensed dispensaries in New York City, despite state laws that bar access to recreational cannabis to those under age 21 | Medical Xpress, USA
A 'twin epidemic': Co-prescribed stimulants and opioids linked to higher opioid doses
The combination of prescribed central nervous system stimulants, such as drugs that relieve ADHD symptoms, with prescribed opioid medications is associated with a pattern of escalating opioid intake, a new study has found | Medical Xpress, USA
2022 to 2023 saw decrease in rate of drug overdose deaths in United States: Report
From 2022 to 2023, there was a decrease in the age-adjusted rate of drug overdose death in the United States, according to a report published in the February Health E-Stats, a publication of the National Center for Health Statistics | Medical Xpress, USA
Doctors can do more to aid recovery from substance use disorder, study suggests
The vast majority of people who have a substance use disorder (SUD) never seek treatment. At most, 10% of adults with a drug or alcohol use disorder have entered any type of inpatient or outpatient treatment program, as reported by SAMHSA | Medical Xpress, USA
Making long-acting treatment work: Tracing connections with extended-release buprenorphine depot through time
[Open access] Interviews in Australia with patients prescribed monthly injections of long-acting buprenorphine reveal that what to the service may seem non-compliance with the regimen can be ‘compliant’ with the patient’s own priorities and aims or forced by circumstances | DAR, USA
Solutions Not Stigma – Community Voices on Drug Law Reform
This survey is a collaborative effort between three allied organisations Harm Reduction Australia (HRA), Family Drug Support (FDS), and Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) Australia. This report presents data from an ongoing research initiative, including a series of national surveys conducted over the past 5 years. The findings from the 2024 Drug Policy Survey underscore a growing demand for drug policy reform in Australia, particularly in the areas of harm reduction, decriminalisation, and service accessibility | Harm Reduction Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
National Insurance and charities are back in the news
Our Director, Will Haydock, reflects on imminent changes in employer National Insurance contributions, the effect on charities and the specific relevance to the treatment and recovery field | Collective Voice, UK