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Weekly news - 2nd June 2023 |
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In date order, Monday to Friday
No more free vapes for kids
A loophole that allows retailers to give free samples of vapes to children in England is set to be closed under new plans announced by the Prime Minister today to clamp down on youth vaping | Department of Health and Social Care, The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP, and Neil O'Brien MP, UK
Alcohol harms by local area (Scotland)
The local area profiles highlight the number of people drinking over the recommended low-risk guidelines, the number of hospital admissions and deaths as a result of alcohol, and the cost of alcohol harm to the public purse, among other key facts | Alcohol Focus Scotland, UK
Seaham: 'Heroin treatment let me continue recovery journey'
When he was 11, James Fowler tried drugs for the first time. By 20, he was using heroin and crack cocaine. His story from that point is grimly familiar to many struggling with addiction - he became estranged from his family, robbed and begged from people and spent time in prison. However, in 2019, his story took an unusual turn as he became one of the first and only people in England to receive free medical-grade heroin | BBC, UK
Chief Medical Officer for England on vaping
Professor Sir Chris Whitty writes for The Times that marketing vapes to children is unacceptable - they should only have a role in helping smokers quit | DHSC, UK
UK ministers may take ‘further steps’ on vaping to deter sales to children
Tighter rules could demand plain packaging and ban colourful branding and sweet names | Guardian, UK
Young people harmed by nitrous oxide use most likely to be Asian men – study
Study of patients in England with neurological damage related to laughing gas finds group overrepresented | Guardian, UK
Estimated numbers of people prescribed opioid substitution therapy in Scotland
In the 12 month period ending 31 December 2022 (the end of 2022/23 Q3), Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) was prescribed to an estimated minimum of 29,305 people in Scotland. In the 12 month period to the end of the previous financial year quarter (2022/23 Q2) an estimated minimum of 29,405 people were prescribed OST | Public Health Scotland, UK
What’s in the bottle: Ireland leads the way as the first country in the EU to introduce comprehensive health labelling of alcohol products
Health information on alcohol products allows consumers to make informed choices about the risks of consuming alcohol. Ireland is the first country in the European Union (EU) to ensure that, from 2026, all alcohol products will have comprehensive labelling about health risks from consumption, including warnings about the risks of developing cancers | WHO, Switzerland
Xylazine is creeping into the British drug supply. But what is it?
If you’re a drug user, you might be aware of this substance. But it won’t turn you into a “zombie” or “eat your flesh”, as the papers are claiming | The Face, UK
‘One guy uses us like a larder’: the British shoplifting crisis – as seen from the tills
"Typically, people are stealing to fund their drug or alcohol habits, and organised crime groups are often involved, too.” | Guardian, UK
Helping kids and families living with alcohol-dependent parents
Independent evaluation finds scheme helped improve wellbeing, relationships and life satisfaction of children affected by parental alcohol use and conflict | Department of Health and Social Care, Department for Work and Pensions, and Neil O'Brien MP, UK
Evaluation of the Children of Alcohol Dependent Parents programme innovation fund
This report presents the findings from the national evaluation of the Children of Alcohol Dependent Parents (CADeP) programme innovation fund (IF) in England. The programme was evaluated by the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations, in partnership with IFF Research, between October 2018 and March 2022 | Department of Health and Social Care, UK
Drug deaths: digital hub launched
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (the “College”) has launched a digital drug deaths hub which provides resources and further information for clinicians and allied health professionals who interact with people who use drugs. The hub, which is the first to be launched by a Medical Royal College in the UK, is completely free to use and it includes video introductions and contributions from health experts in the drug deaths field, including experts in substance use and addiction medicine | RCPE, UK
Drugs minister hails ‘real change’ as funding for support projects announced
Scotland’s drugs minister has insisted the Government is delivering “real change on the ground”, as more than £15 million of support for projects was confirmed | Press and Journal, UK
Every Canadian cigarette will soon carry a health warning
Canada will soon print warning labels directly on cigarettes in a world-first, the country's health agency announced | BBC, UK