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Daily news - 27th January 2025

UK news

Smokers unlikely to quit with just willpower, say researchers

Those using e-cigarettes, medication or heated tobacco products are more likely to successfully give up smoking | Guardian, UK

Smoking at work: the law

Newly published guidance on smoking in any enclosed workplace, public building or on public transport in the UK | DHSC, UK

Channel Islanders concerned over antisocial behaviour due to alcohol in new survey

More than 85% of islanders in Jersey and Guernsey are concerned about antisocial behaviour due to alcohol, a new survey has revealed. Over 2,600 residents from the Bailiwicks responded to a new Island Global Research survey on alcohol consumption | ITV, UK

Police Scotland reports 18 Highland drug deaths amid rise in dealing offences as Chief Superintendent Robert Shepherd says the numbers are of ‘significant concern’

Police Scotland have reported a rise in drug deaths as well as drug dealing in new figures that are due to be reported to Highland Council with 18 fatalities – up three on the previous year | Inverness Courier, UK

Addictions: Health Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to fund provisions for addiction support services in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) other rural areas | They work for you, UK

Tobacco: Reviews

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will be resuming the annual evidence reviews on tobacco-based products previously undertaken by Public Health England | They work for you, UK

Alcohol and the pleasure of intoxication with James Nicholls - podcast

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr James Nicholls from the University of Stirling about an opinion paper he co-authored with Professor Geoffrey Hunt on whether pleasure should receive more attention in public health-oriented alcohol research | SSA, UK

Petition launched to keep city's detox unit open

A campaign has been launched to save the West's only NHS inpatient drug and alcohol detox unit. The Acer Unit, based in the grounds of Southmead Hospital in Bristol, is due to close on 31 March | BBC, UK

Forward’s rough sleeper breakfast clubs: empowering lives through community

As a previous frontline drug and alcohol worker, I tend to think I know what to expect from ground-level projects. As I was heading to the inaugural Forward Trust Dinner Club, I imagined something akin to what you might expect at a school canteen: an echoey space, plastic chairs and heaps of well-intended, but ultimately unidentifiable, pasta bake. How wrong I was | DDN, UK

Channel 4 to explore the truth behind alcohol-free booze in one-off doc hosted by Denise Van Outen

With the festive season firmly in the past and “Dry January” shortly coming to an end, the uptake in alcohol free booze has never been trendier and uptake is rising higher than ever before. But with consumers opting to continue their newly-found hangover free life for a healthier lifestyle, are they really getting what they believe they are buying into? | Channel 4, UK

‘Skinny jabs’ are turning slimmers teetotal – and drinks companies are feeling the loss

As the public rejoice at shedding weight, the likes of Wegovy seem to be controlling other bad habits – in particular drinking to excess | Guardian, UK

Councils ‘haemorrhaging funds’ as costs of housing homeless surge

Booming use of temporary accommodation to house homeless families has led to ‘crisis situation’ for England’s councils | Independent, UK

'Shame' illegal tobacco sellers - councillors told

West Yorkshire Joint Services, which runs Trading Standards, told members of Bradford Council's Corporate Scrutiny Committee that court fines were often limited and not a deterrent | BBC, UK

Drivers on laughing gas 'hard for police to catch'

Catching drivers at the wheel under the influence of nitrous oxide can be a "greater challenge" than those using other substances, West Midlands' police and crime commissioner has said | BBC, UK

Dog helps sniff out drugs in police operation

Police have carried out a week of concerted action in a Devon seaside town to try to deal with drug problems and antisocial behaviour | BBC, UK

International news

Bacteria and pesticides found in cannabis sold in Dutch coffee shops

‘Baseline’ contamination study to inform Netherlands trial in which shops will sell drug produced by licensed growers | Guardian, UK

Wanted Dutch drug-smuggler 'is in Sierra Leone'

Jos Leijdekkers, 33, was sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison on 25 June last year by a Rotterdam court for smuggling more than seven tonnes of cocaine | BBC, UK

EUDA Scientific Committee holds first meeting and elects new Chair and Deputy

The EUDA Scientific Committee concluded its first meeting in Lisbon today, electing Marieke Liem to the position of Chairperson and Fernando Rodrigues de Fonseca to the position of Deputy Chairperson | EUDA, Portugal

What the EU drugs agency chief is most worried about in 2025

The EUDA director said people using multiple drugs at once, violence, and political polarisation are key challenges for 2025 | Euronews, Belgium

[Open access] In response to the recent and growing shift from injecting heroin to smoking fentanyl, an increasing number of syringe services programs (SSPs) in the United States are distributing safer smoking supplies. There is a lack of research on whether safer smoking supply distribution is associated with increased SSP engagement and naloxone distribution from SSPs | DADR, USA

Medical use of cannabis tied to higher prevalence of cannabis use disorder

Adults aged 18 to 49 years reporting medical-only or medical-nonmedical cannabis use may have a higher prevalence of cannabis use disorder (CUD) than those reporting nonmedical only, according to a research letter published online Jan. 22 in JAMA Psychiatry | Medical Xpress, USA

Doctors test a new way to help people quit fentanyl

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when fentanyl overdoses surged, doctors were desperate to find ways of helping their patients. They knew that buprenorphine could help people stop using opioids, but it was much harder to start the treatment for those who used fentanyl, which lasts longer in the body. Taking buprenorphine while fentanyl is still active can push someone abruptly into withdrawal | Medical Xpress, USA

UNM research shows a higher alcohol tax could lead to fewer drunk driving fatalities

It’s no secret drunk driving is a problem in New Mexico. According to Alcohol.org in 2023, New Mexico ranks within the top 5 states in the country with the most drunken driving fatalities. So how do we fix it? While it wouldn't end drunk driving, University of New Mexico Economics Professor Brady Horn says a higher alcohol tax is a step in the right direction | UNM, USA

Clinical toxicity of nitazene detections in two Australian emergency department toxicosurveillance systems

Brief Report. Nitazenes are a group of potent synthetic opioids that have had increasing prominence as novel psychoactive drugs in the last 5 years. We describe emergency department nitazene-related presentations | DAR, USA

Blogs, comment and opinio

“Another Talkfest”: Disappointment with Results of Australian Drug Summit

The New South Wales (NSW) Drug Summit, held in the first week of November and December in the state of NSW, Australia, promised to be an opportunity for state-level discussions on necessary drug policy changes to keep communities safe. The Summit, which had been an election commitment from the governing Labor Party, brought together policymakers, experts and people impacted by drug-related harms, focusing on improving health and justice outcomes, emphasising equity, inclusion and respect, as well as keeping young people and families safe | Talking Drugs, UK

‘Dry January’ is more than just a resolution: it’s a tool to fight cancer

An estimated one in five adults of drinking age in the U.S. have been abstaining from alcohol for “Dry January.” Motivations for participating might range from a desire to avoid hangovers, lose weight or simply to try something new. But what few of those millions of people realize is that, by drinking less alcohol, they are also reducing their risk of developing cancer | The Hill opinion, USA

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