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Daily news - 7th March 2025

UK news

Glasgow drugs facility 'keen' to add inhalation room

The Scottish government says it will work with Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership to "explore" ways for the new room to work, after health experts involved with the Thistle said they were "keen" on the idea | BBC, UK

Problem drug use in Scotland follow-up: Glasgow’s Safer Drug Consumption Facility - Committees - UK Parliament

Transcript of the meeting with witnesses from the field, held on Wednesday 12 February 2025 | UK Parliament, UK

Pregabalin named most in NI drug-related deaths

Pregabalin was the drug which was most mentioned in drug-related deaths across Northern Ireland in 2023, according to official statistics. It was mentioned in 67 of 169 drug-related deaths | BBC, UK

More than 30 ill after taking fake heroin - Met

At least 33 people have been unwell after they took a substance they thought was heroin, the Met Police has said, adding that 17 have needed hospital care | BBC, UK

Boys treated in hospital after smoking illegal vape

Two schoolboys have been treated in hospital after inhaling an illegal vape laced with an unknown substance at a Midlothian school | BBC, UK

‘Why don’t we just build it in a square hole?’: developing a multi-component drug outreach service for young people aged 16–25 in England

[Open access] In England, the rise in young people/adults’ drug use coincides with a decline in specialist outreach and support services. Current substance use provision particularly neglects young adults. This paper traces the origins of the multi-component ‘1625 Outreach’ model and how it was developed and refined by utilizing community engagement and co-production approaches | DEPP, UK

The price of a drink

Northern Ireland may be the next UK country to set a minimum unit price for alcohol - a measure which has been shown to save lives and reduce harm | The Doctor, UK

Bright Minds

Hear from Sheffield's best and brightest minds as they share their PhD research in bitesize talks accessible to all | University of Sheffield, UK

National Careers Week 2025: ‘Forward are partnering, mentoring, upskilling, and empowering younger people to have a better future’

In support of National Careers Week 2025, The Forward Trust are taking proactive steps to address youth unemployment, especially in light of the concerning statistics reported in February 2025. The rise in the youth unemployment rate for 16-24 year olds from 11.9% to 14.8% highlights a significant challenge that needs urgent attention | DDN, UK

Electronic Cigarettes: Children

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of under 16's who vape | They work for you, UK

Buprenorphine

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the availability of Buvidal | They work for you, UK

Alcoholic Drinks: Labelling

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will introduce mandatory labelling on alcoholic drinks with information for consumers on (a) ingredients, (b) calories and (c) sugar content | They work for you, UK

Treatment and Recovery Centre in the North-west [Northern Ireland]

I beg to move That this Assembly recognises the growing crisis of substance misuse and addiction in the north-west; notes that the north-west experiences some of the highest rates of drug and alcohol dependency in Northern Ireland; acknowledges the significant economic and social cost of untreated addiction, including its impact on healthcare, policing and the economy; calls on the Minister of Health to prioritise the delivery of a fully funded, purpose-built addiction treatment and recovery centre in the north-west | They work for you, UK

Expert appears on the ‘Big Drink Rethink’ podcast

Glasgow Caledonian University Professor Carol Emslie appeared on the 'Big Drink Rethink' podcast, which explores how and why alcohol culture is changing in the UK | GCU, UK

Less than Three Months to Go Until Disposable Vape Ban Comes Into Force

The Association of Convenience Stores, Chartered Trading Standards Institute and the Local Government Association are calling on retailers who sell vape products to ensure that they will comply with the introduction of a ban on disposable vaping products, coming into force on June 1st 2025 | ACS, UK

Unhealthy commodities / substance abuse policy (Public Health Intervention) specialists

Closing date: 27 May 2025. Our Public Health Research Programme is looking for experts in evaluating public health interventions, to join its Funding Committee. This opportunity is for professionals currently active in: unhealthy commodities or substance abuse - particularly in relation to public health interventions and policy | NIHR, UK

Smugglers prevented from bringing 27 tonnes of cannabis into the UK in 2024

Almost 27 tonnes of cannabis was seized from smugglers flying into UK airports last year - around five times more than in 2023 | NCA, UK

International news

Recommendations for future research exploring e-cigarette use and later cigarette smoking in young people: Results from a consultation exercise

[Open access] Exploring the relationship between vaping and smoking in young people is a key area of research that can inform e-cigarette policy. Rigorous evidence mapping and synthesis have highlighted gaps and methodological concerns in the evidence base. This study provides recommendations for the conduct and reporting of future quantitative primary research exploring e-cigarette use and later cigarette smoking in young people (≤29 years) | Addiction, UK

Do internalising or externalising behaviours in adolescence mediate the child maltreatment-alcohol substance use relationship?

[Open access] Child maltreatment (CM) is associated with several negative mental health outcomes in later life, including alcohol and substance use (AU and SU). Internalising (e.g. anxiety and depression) and externalising (e.g. delinquency and anti-social behaviour) behaviours have also been associated with CM, and with AU and SU. This study measured whether externalising or internalising behaviours in adolescence mediate the relationship between agency-reported CM and hospital admissions for AU or SU | Addiction, UK

Quantifying the impact of a large-scale opioid agonist treatment program on suicide prevention in New South Wales, Australia: A data-modeling study

Prescribing medications like methadone and buprenorphine to patients dependent on opioid drugs was associated with a 35% reduction in suicide mortality among this population | Addiction, UK

Switzerland Could Become Europe’s First Fully Fledged Adult-Use Market ‘by 2026’

Switzerland has approved a draft proposal to establish a fully commercial adult-use cannabis market, putting the country in pole position to be the first in Europe to do so | Business of Cannabis, UK

FBI offers $10m reward for ex-Olympic snowboarder turned drug kingpin

Ryan Wedding, 43, wanted for role in billion-dollar cross-border drug trafficking operation and several homicides | Guardian, UK

[Open access] This systematic review examined differences in the way women and men have been studied in alcohol research over the past decade. In particular, it explored differences in methodology, discipline, country, subpopulation and age focus, to understand who is being studied and how | IJDP, USA

Maternal cannabis use triples risk of disruptive behavior in children, study finds

Children exposed to their mother's cannabis use during pregnancy and after birth are three times more likely to develop behavioral problems, new Curtin University research has found | Medical Xpress, USA

18-year study shows a rapid rise in alcohol-related organ damage in young Canadian population

Kingston Health Sciences Center and Queen's University researchers analyzed trends in alcohol-related organ damage among adolescents and young adults, identifying a significant rise in cases over the past two decades. Researchers found an increasing incidence of alcohol-associated pancreatitis and liver disease, with higher rates of growth among young females | Medical Xpress, USA

Blogs, comment and opinion

Why Are There So Many Drug Deaths in Scotland?

In January, the UK’s first safer drug consumption facility opened in Glasgow. At The Thistle – as it’s been christened – people can now come and inject their drugs in safer conditions, and under clinical supervision. The centre also provides access to a range of treatment and support | Novaro Media, UK

AFS response to renewed discussion on alcohol in football stadiums

It has been reported in the media this week that Police Scotland are ‘open to discussions’ on lifting the ban on alcohol being sold in football stadiums in Scotland. Minutes from a roundtable meeting with representatives from Scottish football showed that discussions had taken place on the topic. These alongside briefings to the First Minister indicated that of a small number of pilot projects had been proposed by the SPFL to gather evidence on the impact this could have | Alcohol Focus Scotland, UK

To all the women at The Forward Trust, and to our male allies making this a reality, thank you for the changes you are making

The Forward Trust proudly joins the global community in celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD) 2025. This year’s theme, “For All Women and Girls: Rights, Equality, Empowerment,” resonates deeply with me and with the work we do every day | Forward Trust, UK

Philly’s street fentanyl contains an industrial chemical called BTMPS that’s an ingredient in plastic

As much as half of the fentanyl sold on Philly’s streets contains an industrial chemical used in plastics manufacturing. That’s according to our November 2024 testing of fentanyl samples collected in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood, regarded as the largest open-air drug market on the East Coast | Conversation, USA

Vaping hits alarming levels among South African teens – new study of fee-paying schools

We are public health researchers who have studied the phenomenon in South Africa. Our latest study, published in The Lancet’s eClinical Medicine, found that vaping among South African pupils is sky high. We surveyed over 25,000 South African high school students across 52 schools in eight of South Africa’s nine provinces. An estimated 16.8% of the sampled learners currently use e-cigarettes | Conversation, South Africa

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