Reports: July |
A Caring, Compassionate and Human Rights Informed Drug Policy for Scotland
This paper outlines what a progressive, evidence-based drugs policy would look like with public health and the reduction of harm as its underlying principles | Scottish Government, UK
Report 19 of the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program
Report 19 of the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program covered sampling in December 2022 and February 2023. In December, 57 wastewater sites were monitored nationally, covering a population of 13.9 million Australians. This report found that Australians are the sixth largest consumers of illicit stimulants out of 28 countries monitored between March and May 2022 | ACIC, Australia
New multi-city syringe analysis uncovers latest patterns of injecting drug use
The latest patterns of injecting drug use in a selection of European cities are presented today in a new analysis from the EMCDDA. The findings are from the agency’s ESCAPE project, which investigates the substances used by people who inject drugs (PWID) by chemically analysing the content of used syringes. In the latest ESCAPE data-collection round (2022), the contents of 1 845 used syringes were analysed via a sentinel network of harm-reduction sites in 10 EU cities, plus Oslo, Odessa and Tunis. The results show that the drugs being injected in Europe are highly diverse, with a total of 54 psychoactive substances identified | EMCDDA, Portugal
Co-involvement of Opioids in Drug Overdose Deaths Involving Cocaine and Psychostimulants, 2011–2021
Drug overdose deaths involving cocaine and psychostimulants with abuse potential (that is, drugs such as methamphetamine, amphetamine, and methylphenidate) have risen in the past several years. A recent report highlighted that drug overdose deaths involving cocaine rose 22% and drug overdose deaths involving psychostimulants rose 33% from 2020 through 2021. By the end of 2021, the report counted 24,486 drug overdose deaths involving cocaine and 32,537 drug overdose deaths involving psychostimulants. This report presents trends from 2011 through 2021 in death rates involving cocaine and psychostimulants, with and without opioid co-involvement | CDC, USA
Impose heavier restrictions on disposable vapes to limit child use, urges Committee
The Committee believes that the Government can maintain a public health message on the potential value of vapes as a tool to help smokers to quit while ensuring that its messaging and education, enforcement and regulatory approach keeps them out of sight and reach of children | UK Government, Health and Social Care Committee, UK [Letter sent to Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP here]
Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) quarterly report
The Drugs Team at Public Health Scotland has compiled this report of drug-related indicators in order to inform action to prevent drug harms and deaths. Benzodiazepines were the most prevalent drug type detected in the Scottish Prisons Non-Judicial Drug Monitoring Project between January and March 2023, detected in 21% of samples, with bromazolam being the most prevalent benzodiazepine detected. Synthetic cannabinoids were the second most prevalent, detected in 19% of samples | Public Health Scotland, UK
Medical experts call for new service to save lives of alcohol frequent hospital attenders
New research with people who are repeatedly hospitalised due to alcohol (Alcohol Frequent Attenders – AFAs) highlights the need for improved services. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of the West of Scotland alongside medical colleagues at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Renfrewshire and was commissioned by expert alcohol medical group, Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) | SHAAP, UK
Transformation to children's social care to put families first
The first local areas have been selected to test an initial set of transformational programmes within children’s social care, supporting families through early help. The programme aims to ensure early help and intervention is available for families with challenges such as addiction, domestic abuse or poor mental health, to help them overcome adversity and stay together where possible, and to identify when to intervene to protect a vulnerable child when needed |
Department for Education and Claire Coutinho MP, UK
National statistics: reported road casualties in great britain, involving illegal alcohol levels: 2021
Estimates of casualties in collisions involving at least one driver or rider over the drink-drive limit in Great Britain for 2021 show that: between 240 and 280 people were killed in drink-drive collisions, with a central estimate of 260 fatalities. The estimate of fatalities for 2021 is the highest since 2009 and represents a statistically significant increase from 2020 the central estimate of the number of killed or seriously injured drink-drive casualties in 2021 is 1,880, an increase of 23% on 2020 an estimated 6,740 people were killed or injured in drink-drive collisions, an increase of 4% from 2020 | Department for Transport, UK