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Daily news - 14th March 2025 |
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UK news
NHS England to be brought under government control
NHS England will be abolished and brought under "democratic control" in an attempt to cut bureaucracy and duplication, Sir Keir Starmer has announced | BBC, UK
After the high: Chemsex, beyond the myths - video
ITV News investigates a 'silent' crisis of drug deaths shaking parts of the gay community across the UK. Police, charities and the NHS are warning without wider action around 'chemsex' and its related drugs, many more will spiral into addiction | ITV, UK
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
Pioneering census sheds light on the hidden reality of women’s homelessness
Change Grow Live has taken part in a ground-breaking project to address the unique challenges faced by women experiencing homelessness | DDN, UK
People in recovery help shape new action plan to tackle drug and alcohol harm in Leeds
A dad-of-three who turned his life around with the help of Leeds’s drug treatment programmes is among those who have helped shape a major new five-year plan to tackle substance use harm in the city | PSE, UK
Joint submission to prison drugs inquiry highlights systemic issues in current regime
A joint response to the government’s inquiry into tackling drugs in prisons has underlined the harms in current drugs policy, including the use of mandatory testing. It also highlights that despite attention paid to drones taking illicit items over prison walls, staff and new prisoners remain the primary method of drugs entering the prison estate | Justice Gap, UK
Thousands of smokers ignoring health warnings
About 60,000 people in Cornwall are ignoring health warnings by smoking cigarettes, a health practitioner said | BBC, UK
Thousands quit smoking with BCP vaping scheme swap
The Swap 2 Stop initiative, launched by Public Health Dorset in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, encourages smokers to switch to vaping | Bournemouth Echo, UK
125. The 5-HT hypothesis of depression with Prof Philip Cowen and Dr Sameer Jauhar - podcast
In this episode of the Drug Science Podcast, David Nutt meets with psychopharmacologist Phil Cowen and Psychiatrist Sameer Jauhar to discuss the neuroscience behind and treatments for depression. Within the episode they touch on various neurotransmitters involved in depression as well as research studies into each of their impact, stigma around antidepressants and the role of psychedelics in treatment | Drug Science, UK
Alleged police informants and drug dealers named online
Residents in a north Wales town have said they are concerned about community tensions after alleged police informants and drug dealers were named in online posts | BBC, UK
Sniffer dog helps find illegal tobacco and vapes
Three shops were raided in Meir, Stoke-on-Trent, after the sales to children as young as 12, the city council said | BBC, UK
International news
Study reveals how cannabis triggers psychosis
Cannabis is a known risk factor for developing psychosis that can progress to schizophrenia | Independent, UK
Stuart MacGill: Australian cricket great found guilty of cocaine supply
The 54-year-old was cleared by the jury of a more serious charge involving the commercial supply of the drug | Independent, UK
Methanol: Poisoning
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to update travel advice for British nationals to include stronger warnings about the risks of methanol poisoning in high-risk destinations | They work for you, UK
Trump threatens 200% tariff on alcohol from EU
US President Donald Trump has threatened a 200% tariff on any alcohol coming to the US from the European Union (EU) in the latest twist of an escalating trade war | BBC, UK
Breaking the cycle: addressing mental health and homelessness through integrated care
This report from Depaul and Mental Health Reform highlights the severe mental health crisis among Ireland’s homeless population. While 1 in 5 Irish individuals experience mental health challenges, this figure dramatically increases for those experiencing homelessness. The report reveals that at least 1 in 2 residents in Depaul services are struggling with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts – a crisis hidden in plain sight. The report’s findings are based on Depaul’s administrative data of 4,504 individuals and self-reported experiences, but given the barriers to self-reporting and the limitations of data collection, the actual figure is likely even higher | Depaul and Mental Health Ireland, Ireland
The criminalization of the coca leaf: a denial of rights
It is time to right the historical wrongs that led to the policy of subjecting the coca plant to absurd international controls | Global Commission on Drug Policy, Switzerland
Federal addiction and mental health agency faces major staff cuts
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which has a $7.2 billion budget, oversees vital services such as the 988 National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, opioid addiction treatment programs and mental health grant funding. Last month, SAMHSA lost about 10% of its staff, and employees recently received offers of $25,000 for voluntary departures | SAMHSA, USA
GOP Plans to Slash Medicaid Would Worsen Overdose Crisis
Republicans, in control of the White House and both chambers of Congress, aim to cut trillions of dollars in federal spending. Despite promises from President Donald Trump and other GOP leaders not to cut widely popular entitlement programs, Medicaid—providing health care to many millions of people on low incomes—is certain to be slashed if cuts are made on anything like that scale. Among those who depend on Medicaid, millions of people who use drugs rely on it for access to treatment, medication and overdose-prevention resources | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
The opioid crisis as a disease of despair?
I’m sharing this to supplement yesterday’s post on retiring the concept of deaths of despair. A version of this post was originally published in 2018 and is part of an ongoing review of past posts about the conceptual boundaries of addiction, the disease model, and recovery | Recovery Review blog, USA