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Daily news - 20th May 2025 |
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UK news
UK mortality trends and international comparisons
While in the 2010s alcohol-related mortality rates for people aged 25–49 plateaued or declined and mortality rates for suicide slightly increased, the rate of drug-related deaths rose sharply. In contrast, rates of drug-related deaths continued to decline for peer countries. As a result, the drug-related mortality rate in the UK was more than three times higher in 2019 than the median of peer countries. Geographic inequalities in drug-related deaths are stark among people aged 25–49. In 2019, the drug-related mortality rate in Scotland was around 4 times higher than in England. Within England, the drug-related mortality rate in the North East was 3.5 times higher for men and almost 4 times higher for women than in London | Health Foundation, UK
Traveller who survived alcohol poisoning in Laos campaigns to get issue added to school curriculum
A woman who survived alcohol poisoning in Laos which killed six backpackers, including her friend, said travellers heading abroad this Summer should be aware of the dangers as she campaigned to get issue added to the school curriculum | ITV, UK
Statistics on Local Stop Smoking Services in England, April 2024 to December 2024 (Q3)
This report includes information on the number of people setting a quit date and the number who successfully quit at the 4 week follow-up. It also presents in-depth analyses of the key measures of the service including breakdowns by age, ethnic group, socio-economic classification, type of stop-smoking aids used in the quit attempt, as well as spend on services. The results are provided at national, regional, and local authority levels | NHS Digital, UK
Behavioural insights into youth vaping in Northern Ireland (PDF)
This report provides detailed information on the use of e-cigarettes and perceptions of vaping among young people, as well as insights into tobacco use, and will help inform the future design of targeted interventions and communications on vape use by young people | Public Health Agency, UK
Ben Stokes quits alcohol to help hamstring injury rehabilitation
Ben Stokes has stopped drinking alcohol during his latest injury rehabilitation in an effort to be firing on all cylinders for England this summer | Guardian, UK
Litter-pickers collect 105 drug syringes in a day
Peterborough Litter Wombles and Cadent Gas organised a pick in and around the fields off Thorpe Lea Road last week | BBC, UK
There’s one month left to register for the Summer Drug Education Forum event – if you haven’t already!
Thursday 19th June 2025 15:30 - 17:00, Online. Free. Keynote speaker, Prof Owen Bowden-Jones, will present findings and recommendations from the ACMD Prevention Report, which is shortly to be published. Owen has a wealth of experience and expertise, as consultant addiction psychiatrist at CNWL NHS Foundation Trust, Honorary Professor at University College London, and Chair of the ACMD. As usual, the event will also feature three short spotlights, featuring Prof Chris Pudney from Bath University sharing research on the prevalence of Spice in vapes, Morgan Moore from Winning Scotland speaking about the implementation of the Icelandic prevention model in Scotland, and Aimee O’Neill who will outline funding and research opportunities through NIHR | DEF, UK
The 5th Adolescent Alcohol and Drugs Education Conference
18th June 2024. Bournemouth University. Prices start from £25 for event recording. There will be a range of expert speakers including Dr Louise Parkin from RespectED on substance use and consent, Lisa Hooper from Escape Line on County Lines, Jane Keyworth from Face2Face on substance risk and the neurodiverse and Dr David Regis on trends and teen use from the School Health Education Unit. The morning will finish off with Q and A featuring an expert panel. The afternoon will consist of a range of exciting and hands-on workshops - including a full drugs alcohol and nicotine accredited CPD option! | Talk about Trust, UK
Independent Advisor to the UK Government on drugs
36 days per annum. Closing date 11pm on 16 June 2025. The Independent Advisor to Government on Drugs is charged with advising all of government on its approach to, and delivery of, drug-related initiatives. This spans local drugs partnerships and government departments, including assessing impact. The role is remunerated at £500 per day, and the Home Office will reimburse all reasonable expenses | Home Office, UK
Drugs and mouldy cells at prison, says report
Drugs, along with "dilapidated and dirty" accommodation, mean inmates at a prison in Nottinghamshire lead a "pretty bleak existence", inspectors have found | BBC, UK
Young British woman held on drug charges in Sri Lanka could be linked to Culley case
Charlotte May Lee, 21, from south London, flew from the same Bangkok airport as Bella May Culley, who was arrested a day earlier | Guardian, UK
International news
The role of prejudice and prior contact in support for evidence-based interventions to reduce drug-related deaths: A mixed methods study
Stigmatised attitudes, opinions on opioid use, and prior contact with People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) contribute to what policies are publicly supported and implemented to reduce drug-related deaths. This study examined how these variables relate to policy support for the implementation of supervised injection sites, laws protecting bystanders at the scene of an overdose, and over-the-counter naloxone | Drug Science, UK
Revealed: Oregon spent funds meant for addiction services on prosecutors and police gadgets
As the state abandons decriminalization, treatment grants are going to sheriffs and district attorneys: ‘that might be two or three case managers’ | Guardian, UK
The Art of the Ecstasy Pill
To artists Adam Fierman and Peter Andrew Lusztyk, pills are more than just a way to make a distinctly average midweek club night worth the entry price—they are cultural artifacts that encapsulate moments in time. For an ongoing project called Dutch Candy (now being released as a book), the pair have been collecting ecstasy pills and documenting the stamps printed onto them, gradually revealing the strange ways in which the illusive world of pinger production closely mirrors that of popular culture | VICE, UK
Watch: Cat caught smuggling drugs into Costa Rica prison - video
Officers at Pococi Penitentiary in Costa Rica have caught a cat carrying two packages of drugs attached to its body | BBC, UK
EU Drug Policy Campaign 2025: A Call to Invest in a European Health-Based Drug Policy
In 2025, the European Union will adopt a new EU Drug Strategy that will define priorities for 2026–2030. As this critical moment approaches, we call for a shift towards a balanced, health-focused, and human rights-based approach to drug policy. To support this effort, we are launching the EU Drug Policy Campaign 2025, coordinated by C-EHRN in collaboration with the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association, International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC), and Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (HFHR). The campaign is accompanied by the publication of a new policy paper, a communication and advocacy toolkit, and a webinar on June 26, 2025, organised on the Support Don’t Punish Global Day of Action | C-EHRN, The Netherlands
Restricting alcohol availability in practice: evidence from selected countries
Alcoholic beverages contain ethanol, an established carcinogen and psychoactive and toxic substance that can cause dependence, and they are associated with public health challenges. Policy measures that restrict alcohol availability have proven effective in reducing alcohol consumption, shaping consumption patterns and mitigating harm. This brief zooms into the policy measures applied in 30 countries | WHO, USA
Majority of youth overdose deaths from 2018 to 2022 were driven by fentanyl alone, study reveals
Fatal drug overdoses among youth aged 15 to 24 in the United States involving synthetic opioids alone—not mixed with other substances—soared by 168% over the five-year time period from 2018 to 2022, a study shows. Published online in the journal Pediatrics, the work also found that youth overdose rates and drug combinations varied significantly across age, sex and race/ethnicity | Medical Xpress, USA
Vaping increases dependency more than nicotine gum, study finds
A paper published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research finds that pod-style electronic cigarette devices are more addictive than nicotine gum, indicating that such devices have a very high potential for abuse | Medical Xpress, USA
Study explores mentions of substance use, mental health in pop music since 2013
New research presented May 17 at the American Psychiatric Association's Annual Meeting examines trends in the way popular music reflects national trends in substance use and mental health. Because of their cultural impact, pop songs shape how substance use is discussed and can potentially serve as an important public health tool to help reduce stigma and promote healthy habits | Medical Xpress, USA
Changing age profile and incidence of injecting drug use initiation among people in Australia who inject drugs: evidence from two national repeated cross-sectional studies
The age of people who inject drugs appears to be increasing in some high-income countries. We aimed to explore trends in the age of people injecting and recently starting to inject drugs in Australia, and to model incidence of initiation over time | Lancet Western Pacific, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Profit Over People: The public doesn’t trust big business with their health
In this blog, Caroline Cerny, Deputy Chief Executive at Action on Smoking and Health, discusses how the public has lost trust in industry’s that harm our health and the broad support for government action on the three biggest killers to create healthier communities and a stronger NHS | AHA UK blog, UK
Regulating Cannabis Vapes in Brazil: A Matter of Health and Coherence
The regulation of cannabis in Brazil is progressing rapidly. In a country where over 7.7% of the population has reported cannabis use, a growing network of patients, doctors, lawyers, and activists is shaping new health policies. Legal victories, including cultivation authorizations and a Supreme Court ruling decriminalising possession and personal cultivation, is a signal of progress. But for a country that is making strides in adopting a harm reduction approach to drug use, Brazil still lacks regulation for a critical therapeutic tool: cannabis vapourisers | Talking Drugs, UK
The rise of psychedelic capitalism: Work harder and be happy about it?
Once stigmatized and outlawed, psychedelics are moving from the counterculture to the mainstream. From Prince Harry’s use of psilocybin to National Football League quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ adventures with ayahuasca, our media is awash with accounts of their professed benefits | Conversation, Canada