Weekly news - 10th December 2021 |
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In date order, Monday to Friday
County lines: Government pledges to dismantle 2,000 gangs in drug policy overhaul
The government is pledging to dismantle 2,000 county lines gangs as part of a drugs policy overhaul. The £300m commitment is one proposal in the new 10-year drug strategy for England and Wales | BBC, UK
'Stop saying junkie' plea to end addiction stigma
A national campaign calling for drug and alcohol problems to be treated as a health condition has been launched | BBC, UK
Parliament drug use claims to be raised with police this week
House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has promised to raise allegations of drug use in Parliament with the Metropolitan Police this week | BBC, UK
Press release: Largest ever increase in funding for drug treatment
The government's ten year Drug Strategy aims to tackle drugs and prevent crime, backed by the largest ever increase in funding for drug treatment | Department of Health and Social Care and Home Office, UK
From harm to hope: A 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives
The drug strategy sets out how the government and its partners will take action to tackle drug misuse and the harms it causes | Home Office, UK
Drug strategy to tackle 300,000 problem users, says PM
The government will aim to provide rehab for 300,000 drug users who carry out half of all thefts, robberies and burglaries, Boris Johnson has said | BBC, UK
Drug targets for prisons in England and Wales
Jails in England and Wales will be set targets for the first time to keep out drugs under prison reform proposals | BBC, UK
Letter to ACMD on drug misuse prevention review (PDF)
As you know, tackling drug misuse and the harms that it causes remains a priority for this Government. Today our ten-year Strategy for tackling drugs, was published. The Strategy will present our whole-of-government response to drive down drug supply and demand. This includes delivering a world-class treatment and recovery system, and an even tougher response to criminal supply chains and the demand that fuels these illegal markets | ACMD, UK
DDN December/January 2021
It’s been a while since we got together for ‘live’ debate, so what a treat to be given DDN sessions at HRI’s online Constellations event. We chose to focus on naloxone action, peer-led initiatives on hepatitis C, and two issues that have fired up our pages for many years – ensuring people are on the dose that suits them, and the all-important dialogue that moves way beyond the ‘harm reduction v recovery’ days and focuses on our collective assets and interests. Our reports on pages 10, 12, 16 and 21 give a flavour of the will – and urgent need – to unite on these vital issues | DDN, UK
Does the stigma around drugs and the people who use them cost lives?
Evidence demonstrates that many who could benefit from treatment can be discouraged from doing so by language, attitudes and behaviours that appear judgmental, even if these are displayed unwittingly. Stigma can negatively impact the morale of those providing support services, and friends and families of those at risk can often feel the effects of stigma by association, at a time when they too deserve support | Drug Deaths Taskforce, UK
Alcohol-specific deaths in the UK: registered in 2020
Deaths caused by diseases known to be a direct consequence of alcohol misuse by sex, age, region and deprivation | ONS, UK
Local Alcohol Profiles for England: short statistical commentary, December 2021
There were 6,985 alcohol-specific deaths in England in 2020, an increase in the rate to 13.0 per 100,000 population from 10.9 in 2019. The number of alcohol-specific deaths has increased by 20.0% between 2020 (6,985) and 2019 (5,820). This increase has been confirmed in previously published reports from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) (formerly as Public Health England) in the Alcohol consumption and harm during the COVID-19 pandemic report and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the Quarterly alcohol specific deaths report | OHID, UK
Britain’s drinking deaths rose at record rate in pandemic
Official figures show deaths increased nearly 19% in 2020 as Public Health England notes changing consumption patterns | Guardian, UK
Scotland has highest alcohol death rate in UK
Scotland's alcohol death rate has risen for the second year running as the country takes the UK’s top spot in the latest statistics of alcohol related fatalities | Herald, UK
Local tobacco control profiles for England: short statistical commentary, December 2021
The current adult smoking prevalence in England for 2020 (April to December) was 12.1%. As explained in the ‘Background’ section below, due to a change in survey mode it is not appropriate to compare the 2020 prevalence figure to the previously published trend | OHID, UK
Drug and alcohol services - improving holistic family support
This paper seeks to provide a framework, in line with the national drug/alcohol strategy Rights, Respect and Recovery (RRR) and linked policy initiatives for the development of a consistent approach for families affected by substance use | Scottish Government, UK
New Zealand to ban smoking for next generation in bid to outlaw habit by 2025
Legislation will mean people currently aged 14 and under will never be able to legally purchase tobacco | Guardian, UK
Drugs Policy - video
The statement in the House of Lords on the government's ten year drugs strategy plan, from Thursday 9 December | BBC, UK
Middlesbrough heroin addiction clinic extension a 'no brainer'
Extending a scheme which allows addicts to self-administer drugs and has been shown to reduce crime is a "no brainer", a councillor has said | BBC, UK
As festivities begin, one in five are worried about their drinking habits
Drugs, alcohol and mental health charity With You publishes poll results and offers advice for people trying to avoid or cut back on alcohol over the festive season | With You, UK
Labour MP aims to open up medicinal cannabis access on the NHS for thousands of families
On Friday, Jeff Smith will introduce a Private Member’s Bill he said will tackle the two main issues that are blocking families from accessing the treatment three years after it became legal | i news, UK
Preventing underage alcohol purchasing online using payment card details (PDF)
With the increasing reliance on digital services for purchasing physical goods, there is a growing need to uphold the legislative requirements for age assurance online, in addition to a responsibility on businesses to only provide products to those who are of an appropriate age | IAS, UK
Home Affairs Committee launches inquiry into spiking
The Home Affairs Committee has launched a new inquiry to understand better the prevalence of spiking and the effectiveness of the police response to it | UK Parliament, UK