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Daily news - 19th March 2025 |
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UK news
Smoking rates in parts of England rise for first time since 2006, study shows
South-west sees biggest jump, up 17% between 2020 and 2024, while rate in southern England increases by 10% | Guardian, UK [See study below]
Trends in smoking prevalence and socio-economic inequalities across regions in England: A population study, 2006 to 2024
[Open access] In addition to national policies and interventions, certain regions in England (particularly in the North) coordinate regional tobacco control programmes. This study aimed to (i) examine trends in tobacco smoking prevalence and socioeconomic inequalities in smoking across regions and (ii) explore how trends in smoking prevalence have differed between regions with and without dedicated regional tobacco control activity | Addiction, UK
Scots living with liver disease set to rise by 54%
Doctors and a national alcohol charity are calling for the Scottish government to implement take action to prevent alcohol harms as new analysis estimates there will be a 54% rise in people living with chronic liver disease by 2044. [Report below] | HealthandCare.Scot, UK
Scottish Burden of Disease Future prevalence and burden of chronic liver disease (PDF)
Cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases are long-term conditions. The consequences from chronic liver disease can vary from person to person and can include an increased risk of early death. The prevalence of chronic liver disease is therefore influenced through two main pathways: the incidence of chronic liver disease, and the survival rate of prevalent cases. If improvements in mortality are not met by equivalent improvements in disease prevention, the number of prevalent cases will grow. Preventing and reducing exposure to risk factors such as alcohol use, obesity and hepatitis C and B is key | Public Health Scotland, UK
UK pharmacies could cut hours unless NHS provides ‘new and sufficient’ funding
The National Pharmacy Association has recommended collective action for the first time in its history | Guardian, UK
The hidden crisis of mums struggling with cocaine addiction
ITV News' Reporter Chlöe Oliver has been speaking to a mother about her struggles with addiction and motherhood after she turned to cocaine to cope | ITV, UK
Blackburn with Darwen Council awards drug/booze rehab deals
Its executive board has chosen eight providers across 13 locations for the key service to wean residents of their dangerous addictions. The contract is for fours years | Lancashire Telegraph, UK
Former drug addict says lockdown saved her life
Cars whizz past on a busy Birmingham road as Chanel Walsh points out a shelter in a pub garden. It's an unremarkable if shabby structure, there to protect smokers from the elements. For Ms Walsh, it is the exact spot she used to sleep rough while battling a drug addiction | BBC, UK
Rachel Fantarrow – I am a…
Rachel Fantarrow is national senior medicine management pharmacy technician at WithYou. We asked her about her career path and role | DDN, UK
Alcoholic Drinks: Labelling
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has any plans to introduce legislation requiring alcoholic beverages to display (a) full ingredient lists and (b) nutritional information in line with the labelling requirements for other food and drink products | They work for you, UK
Cannabis: Taxation
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of directing tax revenue from regulated cannabis into NHS mental health services | They work for you, UK
Illegal tobacco products seized during raids
Thousands of illegal cigarettes have been taken off Devon and Somerset's streets as part of a major operation | BBC, UK
Three men jailed for importing cocaine into Jersey
Shahiukh Syed Gilani was sentenced to six years and 10 months in prison, Terence O'Hagan to five years and Reece McLaren to seven years in the Royal Court on Monday | BBC, UK
Nitrous oxide canisters dumped in national park
Volunteers have cleared up 60 boxes of nitrous oxide gas which had been fly-tipped on a mountain in Conwy county | BBC, UK
International news
Harry's US visa records unsealed after drug claims
A US court had ordered the release of the documents based on a freedom of information request by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative US think tank in Washington DC. The foundation alleges that the prince concealed his past use of drugs, which should have disqualified him from obtaining a US visa | BBC, UK
Barred from America: The transgressions that could get you blocked from visiting the US
Drug use is a no-no – unless you are a global rock star | Independent, UK
Deadly synthetic opioids 40 times stronger than fentanyl detected in Australian wastewater for first time
Researchers think detected nitazenes may have been directly disposed of in wastewater, rather than consumed | Guardian, UK
Launch: EU Drug Markets – MDMA (EUDA-Europol webinar)
27 Mar 2025. Online. This webinar provides an overview of the European MDMA market, from production and trafficking, to distribution and use. The speakers will discuss the materials, processes and players involved at different stages and levels of the market, as well as the products present on the market and how they have evolved over the last few years. Key issues will be defined and recommendations for action at EU and Member State level will be provided | EUDA, Portugal
Cannabis use found to raise heart attack risk among younger adults
Marijuana is now legal in many places, but is it safe? Two new studies add to mounting evidence that people who use cannabis are more likely to suffer a heart attack than people who do not use the drug, even among younger and otherwise healthy adults. The findings are from a retrospective study of over 4.6 million people published in JACC Advances and a meta-analysis of 12 previously published studies being presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session | News Medical, USA
Young adults in pain start using cannabis earlier and are more likely to mix it with alcohol, research finds
Contrary to popular belief, young adults can experience significant acute and even chronic pain—which can motivate them to use cannabis | Medical Xpress, USA
Some nicotine pouch flavors are much more addictive than others, research suggests
A paper in Nicotine & Tobacco Research indicates that different nicotine pouches, which have become very popular in recent years, particularly among young people, may influence user preferences very differently. An investigation using rats finds some flavors lead to much more nicotine consumption than others | Medical Xpress, USA
How using cigars, pipes or smokeless tobacco can harm your heart
The data on the health effects from smoking cigarettes has been clear for decades. Today, tobacco use causes nearly 1 in 5 deaths each year in the U.S. While many of these deaths are cancer-related, researchers have found that people who smoke are more likely to die from heart disease than lung cancer | Medical Xpress, USA
Addressing the mental health of patients’ family and friends
Alcohol use disorder conveys direct harms to individual sufferers, but also to family and friends. This study examined alcohol use disorder patients’, and their concerned others’, characteristics and behaviors that were associated with better mental health among family and friends in the year following treatment | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Can gabapentin help people with alcohol use disorder by improving sleep?
Gabapentin is a commonly prescribed medication for alcohol use disorder, though it is not FDA approved to treat the disorder and its therapeutic mechanisms of action remain unclear. Heavy alcohol use is known to radically affect the nature, duration, and quality of sleep. Therefore, this study examined how gabapentin affected sleep in people seeking alcohol use disorder treatment, with the idea that this medication may be indirectly improving alcohol use outcomes by improving sleep | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Hospital Security Searches Among Patients With Substance-Related Encounters
In this cohort study of 576 hospital room search requests, 79% occurred during substance-related encounters, 44% resulted in nothing confiscated, 29% resulted in confiscation of syringes and unspecified paraphernalia, and 23% in confiscation of illicit drugs or alcohol. Searches were associated with increased odds of patient-directed discharges | JAMA Network Open, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Supporting employees through hidden struggles: Why addiction awareness in the workplace matters
Steve McCann, Director of MCG Consulting, brings over 20 years of experience in the legal industry and professional development to open up the conversation on addiction in the workplace and what practical changes every business can make to ensure colleagues feel safe and supported | Law Society of Scotland, UK
While Australia is aggressively taxing tobacco, the black market flourishes
The relationship between cigarette prices and smoking rates appears far more complex than the simplistic models on which tax policy is based | Guardian opinion, UK
Medicaid Cuts Kick Down on People Caught in the Opioid Epidemic
Proposed cuts to Medicaid could undo advances in treatment for opioid use disorders, risking more overdoses, deaths and stress on the U.S. health system | Scientific American opinion, USA