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Weekly news - 15th March 2024 |
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In date order, Monday to Friday
Every day 350 young adults aged 18-25 start smoking regularly
New analysis for Action on Smoking Health by UCL researchers suggests that each day in the United Kingdom approximately 350 young adults aged between 18 and 25 start smoking regularly. That amounts to 42,500 since the King’s speech announced legislation would be tabled to raise the age of sale from 18 by one year every year from 2027 onwards, making an annual total of 127,500 | ASH, UK
Revealed: New super-strength opioids have already claimed lives behind bars, as prisons ‘not ready’ for influx
‘Something potentially very dangerous is happening’ and ‘past experience suggests we’ve moved too slow,’ warns major treatment service | Independent, UK
Scotland & Alcohol: Find the full list of articles here
[Subscription of £1 required to read all articles] Across five days of in-depth coverage, The Herald delved into Scotland's relationship with alcohol to make sense of where we are, how we got here, and where we could be headed | Herald, UK
Health bosses push for smoking law change
Health leaders have called for new smoking laws to be passed before a general election is called. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill was announced by King Charles in his first King's Speech as monarch. It would see the legal age at which people can buy tobacco products increase each year meaning those turning 15 this year would never be able to buy one. Julia Weldon, the director of public health in Hull, said the bill is the "the most important change to public health in our lifetime" | BBC, UK
Work starts on Glasgow's safer drug consumption facility
Work has started on converting the premises in the east end into space for eight injection booths and an aftercare/recovery area for another 12. Construction is scheduled to last 24 weeks but it is hoped that can be brought forward and the service in operation this summer | Glasgow Times, UK
MEAM support: "A massive how-to guide with emotional support attached"
We recently commissioned Cordis Bright to evaluate the support we provided to the MEAM Approach network during 2022-2024. The Cordis Bright team, including a team of peer researchers, interviewed ten MEAM Approach areas and held a focus group with MEAM staff. Today, we are pleased to share the findings from this research, which we will be using to shape our support offer for future years | MEAM, UK
Suspected drug deaths in Scotland: October to December 2023
This quarterly report presents Police Scotland management information to provide an indication of current trends in suspected drug deaths in Scotland. There were 1,197 suspected drug deaths, 10% (105) more than during 2022 | Scottish Government, UK
Scotland’s Public Health Emergency Continues
Figures provided to the Scottish Government by Police Scotland show that there were 1197 suspected drug-related deaths in Scotland in 2023. In 2022 there were 1092 suspected deaths and 1051 were confirmed as being drug-related. This suggests that the number of deaths confirmed to be drug-related to be published this summer will show that drug-related deaths have risen and that Scotland’s public health emergency continues | SDF, UK
Press release: Urgent call to smokers to make a quit attempt for No Smoking Day
Smokers in England are being urged to make a quit attempt this No Smoking Day to improve their health and wealth. Leading charities, including ASH, Cancer Research UK and Asthma + Lung UK, are joining forces with the government to encourage the nation’s 5.3 million smokers to make a quit attempt this No Smoking Day, 13 March | Department of Health and Social Care and The Rt Hon Andrea Leadsom MP, UK
Early Day Motions: Public Accounts Committee report entitled Reducing the harm from illegal drugs
Motion text: That this House welcomes the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report, Reducing the harm from illegal drugs, published in February 2024; notes that this acknowledges recent progress in workforce recruitment and countering county lines; heeds and highlights the PAC’s warning that, should the Joint Combating Drugs Unit, the Department of Health and Social Care and other Government departments fail to develop a compelling case for the sustained investment needed to reduce the growing harms from illegal drugs, then such progress will be wasted... | UK Parliament, UK
Australia’s drug use goes under the microscope in new wastewater report
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) has released the latest findings from its National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program, revealing that during the year ended August 2023, methylamphetamine, cocaine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethylamphetamine (MDMA) consumption increased tangibly | ACIC, Australia
Hindley: A prison holding 600 men, where more than half are using drugs
The Howard League for Penal Reform has responded to HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ report on Hindley prison, published on Tuesday 12 March. Inspectors visited the prison, in Greater Manchester, in November and December of 2023. It was holding almost 600 young men aged 18 to 25. Mandatory drug testing revealed a positive test rate of 52%, meaning that well over half the men were actively using drugs at the time of the inspection | Howard League for Penal Reform, UK
Jail-seeking drug offender backs support sentences
A drug user who used to “purposefully” get sent to prison says a new scheme being tested by the courts is turning his life around. Teesside is one of three places in England piloting intensive supervision courts (ISCs) which help criminals to "face up to the root causes" of their offending | BBC, UK
Smoking prevalence and purchasing of menthol cigarettes since the menthol flavour ban in Great Britain: a population-based survey between 2020 and 2023
[Open access] Menthol cigarettes have been banned in Great Britain since May 2020. Still, menthol accessories and unlabelled cigarettes perceived as mentholated are available, and people can buy menthol cigarettes overseas or illicitly. This study assessed: trends in smoking menthol cigarettes among all adults and 18–24-year-olds between October 2020 and March 2023; trends in and differences between England, Scotland and Wales during the same period and purchase sources among people smoking menthol versus non-flavoured cigarettes | BMJ Tobacco Control, UK
Early warning system will detect opioids to help prevent US-style fentanyl crisis in Britain
An early warning system to spot synthetic opioids and other drugs is being developed by ministers, in an attempt to prevent a US-style fentanyl crisis. It will test waste water and spikes of overdoses being reported by the emergency services to track the presence and strength of synthetic drugs across the UK in real time. Chris Philp, the crime and policing minister, will announce details in his speech at the annual conference of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, in Vienna on Friday | Yahoo News, UK
Yousaf 'not complacent' over drug death figures
The suspected rise in drugs deaths dominated FMQs. It follows the release of estimated figures from the police - which suggest deaths are up 10% on the previous year. Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross, said the problem was Scotland's national shame and the SNP's plan was not working. Humza Yousaf said the government was committed to a range of measures to try and tackle "this insidious problem in our society". However, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said there was "no sense of urgency" from the government and accused the SNP of having "broken every promise" on the issue | BBC, UK
Alcohol dependence prevalence in England
Estimates of the number of alcohol dependent adults in each local authority in England. The statistics have been updated with alcohol dependence estimates for 2019 to 2020 and a section called 'Estimates of alcohol dependent adults in England: summary'. has also been added | OHID, UK
Parents warned over vapes 'laced with additional substances'
A head teacher has warned children are at risk of "serious harm" from vapes that could be laced with additional substances | BBC, UK
Fentanyl: War on Drugs 2.0? - audio
Fentanyl is a pharmaceutical drug that can be prescribed by a doctor to treat severe pain. But like its predecessors, that drug has been illegally manufactured and sold by criminal gangs. The president has called the crisis an “American tragedy” but many angles to the epidemic lie elsewhere in China and Mexico. Ben Westhoff was the first journalist to enter a Chinese fentanyl lab posing as a buyer. He spoke with us about the origins of the epidemic, the scale of the problem for US towns and cities and the hope that exists for solutions to the crisis | BBC Sounds, UK
UN chief calls for people-centered approach to combat drug stigma
The UN Secretary-General on Thursday called for “putting people first” by ending the stigma and discrimination around those who use drugs and the expansion of prevention and treatment programmes. In his message to the opening of the 67th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Secretary-General António Guterres said the proliferation of powerful street drugs and pharmaceutical misuse needs to be addressed through balanced responses and collective action | UN News, Austria