Reports: February |
Alcohol Education Trust Progress on Strategic Goals and Impact Report 2023 (PDF)
It is with immense pride that we reflect on the work of our small charity over the last 14 years in ensuring children and young people are equipped with the knowledge, resilience and life skills to make safer life choices around alcohol and other substances | Alcohol Education Trust, UK
Levy on supermarkets could raise £57 million a year
New research (PDF) from the Fraser of Allander Institute at the University of Strathclyde shows that a levy on shops and supermarkets that sell alcohol could raise £57 million a year. Scotland’s national alcohol charity, Alcohol Focus Scotland, who commissioned the research, say this could provide much-needed additional funding for local alcohol treatment, recovery support and prevention | Alcohol Focus Scotland, UK
ASSAD 2022–2023: Australian secondary school students’ use of alcohol and other substances (PDF)
This report presents national secondary student alcohol and other substance use data from the 2022/2023 Australian Secondary Students’ Alcohol and Drug (ASSAD) survey. The ASSAD survey is the largest national survey of adolescent substance use in Australia, and is administered on school premises. The report examines students’ prevalence of drinking and other substance use in 2022/2023 and over time. We further present data on students’ behaviours relating to the use of alcohol, over-the-counter drugs (for non-medical reasons) and cannabis | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, Australia
Official Statistics: Alcohol Profiles for England: short statistical commentary, February 2024
In 2022, there were 7,912 alcohol-specific deaths (wholly due to alcohol) in England which was an increase of 56.7% from 5,050 deaths in 2006 and a 4.7% increase since 2021. The trends in alcohol-related deaths (deaths wholly or partly due to alcohol) and deaths from chronic liver disease are similar | OHID, UK
Illegal drugs: Progress mixed on Government harm reduction efforts, PAC report finds [Reducing the harm from illegal drugs]
Government’s efforts to reduce the harm from illegal drugs are seeing mixed progress. In a report published today, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), while welcoming achievements including drug worker recruitment and disruption to supply, finds less clear progress in reducing drug use and related harms. Particularly concerning is that drug use is rising fastest in younger people as the number of under-18s in treatment has fallen sharply | Public Accounts Committee, UK
Characteristics of Alcohol, Marijuana, and Other Drug Use Among Persons Aged 13–18 Years Being Assessed for Substance Use Disorder Treatment — United States, 2014–2022
Among adolescents being assessed for substance use disorder treatment, the most commonly reported reasons for substance use included seeking to feel mellow or calm, experimentation, and other stress-related motivations. Most reported using substances with friends; however, approximately one half of respondents who reported past–30-day prescription drug misuse reported using alone | CDC, USA
Suicide by people in contact with drug and alcohol services: a national study 2021 to 2022
This report describes findings from a study linking national databases to examine the factors related to suicide by people under the care of drug and alcohol services. We linked mortality data on people who died by suicide (including probable suicide) to drug and alcohol treatment databases in England and Wales to establish the number of people who died by suicide within recent (12 month) contact with drug and alcohol services. We compared this group to people who had been in contact with drug and alcohol services in the previous year but did not die, to establish risk factors for suicide | University of Manchester, UK
Needs assessment and feasibility study for a safer drug consumption facility in Edinburgh (PDF)
[Recently made available online.] In January 2023 the Edinburgh Alcohol and Drug Partnership commissioned an independent needs assessment and feasibility study for a safer drug consumption facility (SDCF) in Edinburgh. This report presents the findings from these four work packages, with recommendation for next steps. See also Executive Summary here | City of Edinburgh Council, UK
Assessing the need for, and views on, drug checking services in Edinburgh (PDF)
[Recently made available online.] Previous research has been conducted on the feasibility, acceptability, and barriers and facilitators to implementation of Drug Checking Services (DCS) in Aberdeen, Dundee, and Glasgow, highlighting a range of important considerations. The current study, commissioned by the Edinburgh ADP, aims to assess the need for, and views on the potential of, DCS in Edinburgh, as part of a wider study on safer drug consumption facilities (SDCF). See also Executive Summary here | City of Edinburgh Council, UK
First evaluation report of residential rehab in Scotland published
The first report of Public Health Scotland’s (PHS) evaluation of a Scottish Government programme relating to residential rehabilitation provision for people with substance use problems in Scotland has been published. The release presents findings from a baseline phase of the evaluation of the Scottish Government Residential Rehabilitation programme, a five-year programme launched in 2021 to help improve access to residential rehab for individuals who use alcohol or drugs | Public Health Scotland, UK
Perceptions of residential rehabilitation among referrers (PDF)
The National Drug Deaths Mission was launched in January 2021 to reduce drug-related deaths and harms. One aspect of this is the increased capacity and use of residential rehabilitation to ensure this is available for everyone who wants it and for whom it is deemed to be clinically appropriate | Public Health Scotland, UK
Drug and alcohol treatment services for women: A guide to commissioning
This briefing offers guidance to commissioners for developing drug and alcohol treatment services for women. It intends to help commissioners utilise much-needed additional funding under the Government’s 10-year drugs strategy, From Harm to Hope, to create a legacy of partnership working that supports knowledge sharing and lived experience involvement within drug and alcohol treatment to ensure that treatment services can meet women’s gendered needs | Centre for Justice Innovation, UK
Naloxone: Legal Challenges and Opportunities for Life Saving Intervention (PDF)
Emerging reports indicate that the UK’s illicit opioid supply is increasingly being contaminated with highly potent synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and nitazenes which have been linked to clusters of overdoses. Naloxone is a life-saving medication, administered to reverse an opioid overdose. The benefits of naloxone administration strongly outweigh the risks, it is used to treat a readily identifiable condition, it has no potential for misuse and its administration is straightforward and safe following a brief training | Centre for Evidence Based Drug Policy, UK
Use and harms of xylazine, medetomidine and detomidine
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) was commissioned to give advice on the appropriate classification and scheduling of xylazine under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. This followed an ACMD self-commissioned review of its harms. This report reviews the evidence of use and the harms of xylazine in the UK and considers whether it should be controlled by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Evidence of Illicit use in the UK of the related compounds medetomidine and detomidine was also sought, as this has been reported in other countries. The report provides recommendations for the classification and scheduling of xylazine, following a thorough review of the evidence available | ACMD, UK
Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) Continuation and future pricing: Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment
Scottish Government developed a Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment to analyse the costs and benefits of the continuation and uprating of Minimum Unit Price (MUP) on businesses | Scottish Government, UK
High Level Taskforce on Mental Health and Addiction – 1 st Annual Progress Report (September 2022-2023) (PDF)
The first annual progress report on the High Level Taskforce on mental health and addiction provides a timely opportunity to highlight the work that is being carried out across Government Departments and their agencies to deliver on the recommendations set out in the 2022 Report. The function of the Steering Committee over the last year has been to ensure on-going work to deliver on the recommendations across a number of key agencies, against the backdrop of on-going policy implementation across both Departments | Department of Justice, Ireland
National naloxone programme Scotland: annual
This release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) presents information on the number of take-home naloxone (THN) kits issued by the National Naloxone Programme in Scotland | PHS, UK
Out in the open: Alcohol use and harm in LGBTQ+ communities
This report explores alcohol consumption, drinking behaviour, and experiences among gender and sexual minority individuals in the UK | Drinkaware, UK
National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2022–2023
Drug use affects individuals, families and the community. Every 3 years, people in Australia are asked about their use and opinions of licit and illicit drugs, including alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, e-cigarettes and vapes. More than 21,000 people across the country took part in the latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey, held in 2022 and 2023. This report presents findings from the survey and looks at what has changed over the past 20 years | AIHW, Australia