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Daily news - 19th June 2025 |
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Thank you to the Association of Police Controlled Drug Liaison Officers - APCDLO for renewing their sponsorship to DrugWise Daily - their long term support is much appreciated.
UK news
Cannabis withdrawal associated with increased risk of transfer to psychiatric intensive care following admission to hospital
Cannabis users with acute mental illness admitted to psychiatric hospitals are at increased risk of being transferred to a psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU) as a result of cannabis withdrawal syndrome (CWS) | KCL, UK
SARG showcases research at School of Medicine and Population Health event
Researchers from SARG are set to showcase their work at the University of Sheffield's School of Medicine and Population Health Research and Innovation Meeting 2025 | University of Sheffield, UK
A partnership to save lives
A partnership between Turning Point, Leicester City Council and Leicestershire Police that trains officers to administer a lifesaving antidote to opiate drugs won a national award on Wednesday | DDN, UK
Daily drinks diary - Your guide and record to success
This diary helps people who are cutting down their drinking to focus on what they are trying to achieve. The diary runs over seven weeks. This means it will let people see if their drinking follows any patterns. They can then think of ways to break these habits. People can also note what their mood was like before they started drinking. They can then see what any consequences of their drinking were | Public Health Scotland, UK
How to Be in Love - Richard Coles: On losing the love of his life and casual roadside encounters
Rylan is joined by the writer and broadcaster Reverend Richard Coles who shares how his life, and his faith, have shaped his understanding of love. Richard discusses how he turned his back on the sex, drugs and rock and roll lifestyle and anonymous roadside romances, to follow the calling of Christ to become a vicar | BBC Sounds, UK
Exploring Experiences of Substance Use Stigma in LGBTQIA+ Communities - part two
Friday 27th June 2025. We have chosen to split the webinar into two parts. Stigma related to drug and alcohol use within LGBTQIA+ communities involves deeply layered and interconnected social, cultural, and structural issues. We recognise the diversity of identity, thought, experience, and opinion within LGBTQIA+ communities | AntiStigma Network, UK
Psychedelics and Trauma Recovery In Elite Athletes
Wed, 2 Jul 2025 14:00 - 18:00 BST. Join us for a deep dive into how psychedelics can support elite athletes in healing from trauma and reaching their full potential! | Drug Science, UK
DRNS 2025 Conference Support Fund Application Form
Drugs Research Network for Scotland has bursaries up to £300 available to support PhD students and early career researchers presenting at or attending conferences related to drugs research. The funds are intended to contribute toward the the costs of travel, accommodation, and registration for conferences | DRNS, UK
Share your thoughts on making referrals to residential rehab and post-rehab support
IFF Research is conducting research on behalf of Public Health Scotland (PHS) to understand how the landscape has changed since early 2023 for professionals referring individuals experiencing difficulties with drugs and/or alcohol to residential rehabilitation and for providers of post-rehabilitation support. We conducted some baseline research in 2023 to assess the organisation, accessibility, and effectiveness of residential rehabilitation services for individuals with substance use issues across Scotland. We are now seeking to find out how organisations involved in the referral to residential rehabilitation and the delivery of post-rehab support have changed, to identify any evidence of improvements, successes and challenges faced | IFF Research, UK
Can you be addicted to technology?
When someone gets a new phone or video game that they can’t get enough of, it’s not uncommon to hear them say they’re addicted to it.
But what do we really mean when we say we’re addicted to something? | BBC, UK
Gambling centres 'failing to protect' addicts
Schemes to stop problem gamblers using slot machines offering the hope of quick cash are often not being properly enforced, a BBC investigation has found | BBC, UK
International news
New Zealand approves use of ‘magic mushrooms’ to treat depression but only one psychiatrist is allowed to prescribe it
New Zealand approves restricted medicinal use of psilocybin, a hallucinogen found in ‘magic mushrooms’ for patients with treatment-resistant depression | Independent, UK
The dangers of ketamine - audio
Listen to HSE emerging drug trends project manager Nicki Killeen talk to Claire Byrne on the risks around ketamine | Rte, Ireland
Sale of vapes to be restricted in same way as cigarettes under new legislation
Restrictions on the sale and marketing of tobacco products will be extended to vapes as part of legislation to be introduced by Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill | Irish Times, Ireland
EUDA Management Board appoints new Executive Director — Dr Lorraine Nolan (Ireland)
The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) Management Board is underway in Lisbon this week where it is addressing a range of strategic topics shaping the future of the agency. A key result of the meeting today was the appointment of a new EUDA Executive Director, which took place during a restricted session. Dr Lorraine Nolan (Ireland) was elected by a two-thirds majority in a secret ballot | EUDA, Portugal
Exclusive: US to drop guidance to limit alcohol to one or two drinks per day, sources say
U.S. Dietary Guidelines are expected to eliminate the long-standing recommendation that adults limit alcohol consumption to one or two drinks per day, according to three sources familiar with the matter, in what could be a major win for an industry threatened by heightened scrutiny of alcohol's health effects | Reuters, USA
Scaling up low barrier wound care for people who use drugs: a mixed methods study
People who use drugs (PWUD) have long required wound care—a need that has become more urgent with the rise of xylazine, an animal tranquilizer in the street opioid supply associated with necrotic wounds. When PWUD visit the hospital for wound care, they often face discrimination and leave the hospital before treatment completion. Low barrier wound care, community-based wound care that is grounded in harm reduction, is promising for meeting PWUD where they are and providing trustworthy, high quality care. Yet, access to low barrier wound care remains limited. This study explored determinants of and strategies for scaling up low barrier wound care for PWUD | Harm Reduction Journal, USA
Study finds treatment among women with drug use disorder increases with access to social safety net programs
Women with drug use disorder (DUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD) are more likely to receive treatment when enrolled in Medicaid alongside other government assistance programs such as childcare, employment services, and SNAP benefits | Medical Xpress, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Double-Edged Swords: Motivation and “alcoholic” identity in alcohol-related cirrhosis
Liver damage is one of the most well-known and common health problems associated with drinking too much alcohol. The most severe type of alcohol-related liver damage is called alcohol-related cirrhosis. This is when the liver becomes scarred to a point when the scarring cannot be repaired. Patients with alcohol-related cirrhosis are at risk of liver failure, liver cancer and death. Fortunately, even for patients with cirrhosis, becoming abstinent from alcohol dramatically improves their chances of long term survival | IAS blog, UK
Harm reduction as a form of resistance
This is a transcript of the closing plenary speech by Michelle Wazan at the HRI25 conference in Bogota in May. Good afternoon everyone, My name is Michelle Wazan and I work for Skoun, a harm reduction center operating in Lebanon | Transform blog, UK
Advancing Recovery Research
In a recent commentary in The New England Journal of Medicine, my colleagues John Kelly, Howard Koh, and I likened the addicted brain to a house on fire—a crisis requiring urgent efforts to contain the damage and preserve life. The drug crisis in America has demanded a sustained focus to extinguish those fires by expanding treatment access and overdose prevention and reversal strategies—and encouragingly, data show that overdose fatalities have been declining since 2023 | NIDA blog, USA