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Weekly news - 28th April 2023

In date order, Monday to Friday

Deprivation and the impact on smoking prevalence, England and Wales: 2017 to 2021

Statistics on cigarette smoking prevalence among adults in England and Wales by the Index of Multiple Deprivation, including proportions and distribution of smokers within each decile | ONS, UK

Tolerance breaks: how much weed is too much weed?

Daily cannabis use is not without its consequences, and tolerance plays a big role in this. Taking a t-break can reset your relationship with weed while allowing you to enjoy it like you used to | Dazed Digital, UK

Carmarthenshire care home serves alcohol to let residents feel normal

William James, of Gwernllwyn Care Home in Cross Hands, Carmarthenshire, applied for a licence to serve alcohol until midnight, seven days a week | BBC, UK

SNP warned US opioid epidemic 'pales in comparison' to Scotland's drug deaths crisis

A campaigner and university lecturer said he has serious doubts about the SNP's commitment to addressing the scandal and said the Nats will have to take a big hit if they are to support the Scottish Conservatives' Right to Recovery Bill | Scottish Daily Express, UK

Reporting about alcohol: a guide for journalists

This guide aims to support understanding and reporting on the harm to individuals, families and societies caused by alcohol consumption. Media reporting on alcohol can help people to understand the unacceptably high burden alcohol has on health and societies, as well as the root causes of the problem and how it can be largely prevented. This guide presents ways for journalists to cover and think about alcohol consumption and its harms more broadly, as well as the proven solutions to this problem | WHO, Switzerland

Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) quarterly report

The Drugs Team at Public Health Scotland (PHS) has compiled this report of drug-related indicators in order to inform action to prevent drug harms and deaths. The objectives of this report are to: 1) monitor changes in drug trends, harms and use of services to inform immediate and short-term actions that reduce drug harms. 2)detect potential clusters of harms and recommend appropriate responses | Public Health Scotland, UK

Holding our own: a guide to non-policing solutions to serious youth violence

Authored by nine organisations working across human rights, youth services, racial justice, mental health and policing, ‘Holding Our Own: A guide to non-policing solutions to serious youth violence (PDF)’ provides a vital blueprint for how we can undo the harm currently being done to our communities, and instead build a society where all children are given the chance to thrive | Liberty, UK

Tangaraju Suppiah: Singapore executes man for supplying cannabis

Singapore has executed a man for conspiring to traffic cannabis despite pleas for clemency from his family, activists and the United Nations | BBC, UK

Report: What we found at drug checking in 2022

Drug checking is a free and legal process that helps people find out what’s really in their drugs, so they can make informed decisions about if, when and how they take those drugs. 2022 was our first full year as a licensed drug checking provider. We ran 73 clinics and checked 1720 samples | NZ Drug Foundation, New Zealand

Making a change booklets

Guidance on helping people make positive choices about the amount they drink. Available in Polish, Russian and Large Print formats | Public Health Scotland, UK

Alcohol Advertising in Outdoor and Public Spaces (PDF)

Restricting alcohol marketing is one of the most effective ways of reducing consumption and related problems, with outdoor and public space advertising a key form of alcohol marketing | Alcohol Focus Scotland, UK

Smoking and Surgery

This briefing is designed for health professionals and commissioners, to provide clear advice and examples of good practice in relation to smoking and surgery. It is endorsed by the Royal College of Surgeons of England and Edinburgh, the Royal College of Physicians, The Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Centre for Perioperative Care | ASH, UK

[Open access] The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted mental health, health-related behaviours such as drinking and illicit drug use and the accessibility of health and social care services. How these pandemic shocks affected ‘despair’-related mortality in different countries is less clear. This study uses public data to compare deaths from alcohol, drugs and suicide in the United States and the United Kingdom to identify similarities or differences in the impact of the pandemic on important non-COVID causes of death across countries and to consider the public health implications of these trends | Public Health, UK

New Psychoactive Substances in the Homeless Population: A Cross-Sectional Study in the United Kingdom

[Open access] The last few years have seen the emergence of new psychoactive substance among the homeless population, specifically synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists. The purpose of this study is to investigate the knowledge and experiences of new psychoactive substances amongst users from the homeless population | International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, UK

Overhaul of UK online gambling laws could see £2 slot machine limit for under-25s

Delayed white paper expected to put most controversial proposals, including affordability checks, out to further consultation | Guardian, UK

Wastewater samples reveal new psychoactive drugs

More than a dozen new psychoactive drugs have been detected in 16 countries by an international wastewater surveillance program. The University of Queensland-led team analysed samples in 47 cities in Europe, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, China, Brazil and the Republic of Korea over three consecutive new year periods | University of Queensland, Australia

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