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Weekly news - 10th February 2023

In date order, Monday to Friday

Synthetic opioids will be banned as government acts to stop drug deaths

Eleven more lethal substances to be made Class A drugs, following a recommendation by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs | Home Office, UK

ACMD advice on 2-benzyl benzimidazole and piperidine benzimidazolone opioids

A review of the evidence on the use and harms of 2-benzyl benzimidazole (nitazene) and piperidine benzimidazolone (brorphine-like) opioids | ACMD, UK

Hospital admissions for vaping kids quadruple in a year, as calls grow for more regulation

Figures obtained by LBC from NHS Digital show 32 admissions of patients under the age of 18 were recorded as being linked to a vaping-related disorder in England last year. There were just eight in 2021 | LBC, UK

Impact of minimum unit pricing on alcohol-related hospital outcomes: systematic review

[Open access] Natural studies were consistent with minimum pricing modelling studies and showed that this policy could reduce alcohol-related hospitalisation and health inequalities | BMJ Open, UK

DDN February 2023 - out now

Dry January is firmly established as a popular campaign, with millions of people taking part. But we have a problem. As our cover story discusses (p6), a very small proportion of these were over 55 – the very age range found most likely to be drinking more than the weekly guidelines, with ingrained habits and a peer supported drinking social life. There’s no doubt that a new alcohol strategy is well overdue – but it must go beyond a focus on young people and have absolute relevance to the self-defined ‘moderate drinkers’ of an older generation who are routinely consuming more than 50 units a week | DDN, UK

New survey shows Councils welcome growth in NHS support to smokers

The annual Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) survey of local government public health teams, funded by Cancer Research UK, finds NHS investment in new inpatient treatment for smokers strongly supported by local government | ASH, UK

Drinks firms make plea over advertising to Scottish ministers

The letter marks the firms’ opposition to new restrictions that the Scottish Government is currently consulting on | STV News, UK

The clustering of physical health conditions and associations with co-occurring mental health problems and problematic alcohol use: a cross-sectional study

[Open access] There is strong evidence for the co-occurrence of mental health conditions and alcohol problems, yet physical health outcomes among this group are not well characterised. This study aimed to identify clusters of physical health conditions and their associations with mental health and problematic alcohol use in England’s general population | BMC Psychiatry, UK

Warning over tainted ketamine on Isle of Man after users fall ill

The alert comes after at least six suspected users of the class B drug received medical attention | BBC, UK

Nitrous Oxide: Home Secretary's letter to the ACMD

Information updated with a supplementary letter from Rt Hon Chris Philp MP, the Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire about the ACMD’s updated harms assessment | ACMD, UK

The hostel that gives wine or beer to alcoholics

In the first project of its kind in Scotland, a hostel in Glasgow aims to stabilise alcoholics by giving them alcohol | BBC, UK

Study: Cannabis has same effect on adolescents and adults, and CBD doesn't dampen effects

The short-term effects of vaporized cannabis do not differ between adolescents and adults, while cannabidiol (CBD) does not dampen the effects of the drug, finds a new study led by UCL and King's College London researchers | Medical Express, UK

Correspondence: ACMD Nitrous Oxide: public call for evidence

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) Nitrous Oxide working group has issued a call for evidence to help in their formulation of advice to government. The deadline to submit written feedback is Tuesday 21 February 2023 | ACMD, UK

Getting in the spirit? Alcohol and the Scottish economy

While Scotland has a well-established reputation as a producer of whisky, a report today reveals that as a nation we are much more likely to drink wine, beer and vodka. The research from the Social Market Foundation think tank report shows that the alcohol industry costs the economy – in terms of impact on public services, productivity and the value of lives lost to alcohol – roughly the same amount as it generates for the economy | SHAAP, UK

Rehab row as official figures show drop in users starting treatment

Ministers say more places were approved and at least 1,000 a year will be funded by 2026 | 1919Magazine, UK

Supermarkets stop selling Elf Bar vape flavour after illegal nicotine levels found

Watermelon flavoured ELFBAR 600s were found to have at least 50% more than the legal limit for nicotine e-liquid. Across the country, the vape product has been removed from Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsbury's stores. Morrisons has gone a step further and has stopped the sale of the whole ELFBAR 600 range | ITV, UK