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In date order, Monday to Friday
No one chooses to become an addict, says Catherine
The Princess of Wales has given her personal support to people struggling with addictions, telling them shame should not stop them getting help. Launching the Taking Action on Addiction campaign, the princess called for a more compassionate public attitude towards addicts | BBC, UK
Call to ban nicotine pouch sale to under-18s
Health campaigners are calling for a loophole to be closed that allows a nicotine product to be sold over the counter and online to under-18s | BBC, UK
Wales' drinking habits: how much has changed since minimum pricing for alcohol?
Wales’ legislation on minimum pricing for alcohol came into effect in March 2020, just a few weeks before lockdown. It sets a baseline price for the sale and supply of alcohol in Wales, and makes it an offence for alcohol to be sold below that price | Welsh Parliament, UK
Diamorphine: Middlesbrough
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect on patients of the closure of the Diamorphine Assisted Treatment (DAT) clinic in Middlesbrough given that Project ADDER, in part, covers enhanced treatment and recovery services | They work for you, UK
Northumberland sees rise in cocaine use during pregnancy
There has been a significant rise in the number of women in Northumberland using cocaine in pregnancy | ITV, UK
Glastonbury Festival may have to review drug testing policy
Glastonbury Festival might have to change its drug testing policy as part of a review of its licence | BBC, UK
Cutting the head off the snake: Addressing the role technology plays in the county lines model
The National Crime Agency published their first intelligence assessment of county lines in 2015. Ever since, there has been a growing interest in county lines from the media, public policy and the world of research. Crest Advisory has published research which has contributed to the body of evidence, among other things, on the socio-economic determinants of individual vulnerability to exploitation, shining light on ways to mitigate those risks. This project, however, takes a different approach, by honing in on the specific role played by technology in county lines | Crest Advisory, UK
Analysis of the UK Government’s 10-Year Drugs Strategy—a resource for practitioners and policymakers
In 2021, during a drug-related death crisis in the UK, the Government published its ten-year drugs strategy. This article, written in collaboration with the Faculty of Public Health and the Association of Directors of Public Health, assesses whether this Strategy is evidence-based and consistent with international calls to promote public health approaches to drugs, which put ‘people, health and human rights at the centre’ | Journal of Public Health, UK
Drug addiction: Princess of Wales' work hailed by ex-user
A former heroin addict turned podcaster has welcomed the Princess of Wales' campaign to help drug abusers | BBC, UK
Investigating recovery from problem substance use using digital photovoice
This study investigates the complex process of recovery from problem substance use using a visual research method known as ‘Photovoice’. Seven service users from a harm reduction drug service were given digital cameras and asked to photograph ‘people, places, and things’ meaningful to them in their recovery. These photographs were then used as a catalyst for discussion during two in-depth interviews. This study demonstrates the nuanced experiences of recovery as some participants expressed feeling isolated while others reflected upon their access to various forms of social capital | Journal of Community Psychology, UK
An introduction to the alcohol and drug Commissioning Quality Standard(CQS)
Thu, 24 November 2022, 15:00 – 16:00 GMT. Following the publication in August 2022 of the CQS, OHID is offering a webinar to alcohol and drug treatment commissioners and local partners which will provide an overview of the CQS, what it aims to achieve, how it can be used, and how it fits with other drug strategy tools (like the outcomes framework) | DHSC, UK
Research Briefing: The Smokefree 2030 ambition for England
In 2019, the government set out an ambition for England to become "smokefree" by 2030, but the 2022 Khan review found that England is on course to miss this target. This briefing provides discussion on the government's associated policy | House of Commons Library, UK
Regulation is not a dirty word: Local retailers’ views of proposals for new tobacco laws
This briefing presents the results of a survey of local retailers in the United Kingdom, focusing on the findings for England. The survey explored retailers’ attitudes to selling tobacco and to proposals for new measures to further reduce the harm of tobacco, including measures that would directly affect their business. It also investigates retailers’ views of e-cigarettes and vaping products | ASH, UK
The Global State of Harm Reduction 2022
The Global State of Harm Reduction is the only report that provides an independent analysis of harm reduction in the world. Now in its the eighth edition, the Global State of Harm Reduction 2022 is the most comprehensive global mapping of harm reduction responses to drug use, HIV and viral hepatitis | HRI, UK
MPs call for funding for axed Middlesbrough heroin addiction clinic
A ground-breaking clinic for people with heroin addiction should be funded for the rest of the financial year, a prominent committee of MPs has said | BBC, UK
Magic-mushroom drug can treat severe depression, trial suggests
A 25mg tablet of psilocybin puts patients in a dreamlike state, making psychological therapy more likely to succeed | BBC, UK
[See also: Single-Dose Psilocybin for a Treatment-Resistant Episode of Major Depression [Free registration required for full article] In this phase 2 trial involving participants with treatment-resistant depression, psilocybin at a single dose of 25 mg, but not 10 mg, reduced depression scores significantly more than a 1-mg dose over a period of 3 weeks but was associated with adverse effects | NEJM, USA
MPs, Lords and over 50 organisations and experts write to the Prime Minister calling for an independent review on alcohol harm
Coordinated by the Alcohol Health Alliance and Chair of Drugs Alcohol & Justice APPG Dan Carden MP, Liverpool Walton, Parliamentarians and experts write to the Prime Minister calling for an independent review of alcohol harm | AHA, UK
Alcohol use and its association with suicide attempt, suicidal thoughts and non-suicidal self-harm in two successive, nationally representative English household samples
Alcohol use is a risk factor for suicidal behaviour, yet the nature of the relationship is unclear. Most research on the topic is conducted in clinical populations, with few studies exploring this association across the general population | BJPsych Open, UK
Nitrous Oxide: A briefing for professionals
Prevalence, pharmacology and effects of Nitrous Oxide | DrugWatch, UK
Forward Trust's YouGov Addiction Poll 2022 Results
A national YouGov poll commissioned by The Forward Trust to coincide with Addiction Awareness Week 2022 has revealed a sharp increase in addiction in the past eight months, since the start of the deepening cost of living crisis | Forward Trust, UK
Men’s Health Awareness Month: 3 men share the moments that shaped their approach to self-care
Tom Gozney, 37, lives in Hampshire with wife Laura, son Ty, four, and daughter Eden, two. His pizza oven business, Gozney (gozney.com), recently released a Signature Edition Roccbox, with £40 from each sale being donated to charities supporting people with drug and alcohol dependencies, including With You in the UK | Independent, UK
Edinburgh drug consumption room study underway after deaths hit record high
Whilst Glasgow's council continues to make the legal case for consumption rooms, Edinburgh is looking at the cost and possible location of such a facility in the capital | Edinburgh Live, UK
Extension to Edinburgh recovery service
Additional residential rehabilitation and detox capacity has been created at a life-saving drugs service in Lothian with almost £3.3 million of Scottish Government funding | Scottish Government, UK
Drugs: Rehabilitation
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to protect the £780 million of funding for rebuilding the drug treatment system announced as part of the Government’s 10-Year Drug Strategy | They work for you, UK
File on Four: High Anxiety: The Deadly Trade in Street Valium - audio
They’re cheap – but they’re also deadly. Illegal pills costing as little as 50p each are contributing to the deaths of hundreds of people each year in Scotland. Now an expert is warning benzodiazepines, or street Valium, could pose a growing threat elsewhere | BBC Sounds, UK