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Weekly news - 24th May 2024 |
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In date order, Monday to Friday
Revealed: Deadly epidemic of super-strength Chinese opioids gripping Britain’s streets
Six people in the UK are dying each week from super-strength street drugs made in China which are up to 500 stronger than morphine, The Independent can reveal, in a terrifying escalation in fatalities | Independent, UK
Alcohol abuse costing £27bn a year in England
Exclusive: Experts call for higher taxes and tougher regulation as research shows cost to NHS, other public services and economy | Guardian, UK
Smoking and mental health: a framework for action in Wales
Smoking contributes to poor mental health and increases inequalities in physical health and premature mortality. Smoking is a leading contributor to the 7–23-year lower life expectancy among people with severe mental illness (SMI) compared to the general population | RCPsych, UK
Right to Addiction Recovery (Scotland) Bill
Douglas Ross MSP has introduced this Member’s Bill. It will establish a right in law to treatment for addiction for anyone in Scotland who is addicted to either alcohol, or drugs or both | Scottish Parliament, UK
Incident psychotic experiences following self-reported use of high-potency cannabis: Results from a longitudinal cohort study
[Open access] High-potency cannabis has been associated with increased risk of psychosis, but a lack of prospective data hinders understanding of causality in this relationship. This study aimed to combine prospective report of cannabis use with retrospective report of potency to infer the potency of cannabis used in adolescence and explore whether use of cannabis, and the use of high-potency cannabis, in adolescence is associated with incident psychotic experiences | Addiction, UK
Needle exchanges help stop the spread of infection
New figures from the Public Health Agency (PHA) show a total of 31,851 transactions were made by the Needle and Syringe Exchange Service (NSES) across Northern Ireland in 2023. Helping to stop the spread of infection from potential drug-related litter and sharing of injecting equipment, the NSES also provides those who use the service with direct contact with a health professional who can help them engage with additional services they may require | Public Health Agency, UK
Nitazenes: The ‘New Fentanyl’ Killing Drug Users in Europe
Up to 300 times more potent than heroin, these synthetic opioids are increasingly showing up in the continent’s drug supply. [See also a video of the report here] | VICE, UK
Open call for evidence: Synthetic cathinones
The Novel Psychoactive Substances Committee (NPSC) is seeking evidence for its review of the evidence of the misuse and harms of synthetic cathinones in the UK. This call for evidence closes at 11:59pm on 31 May 2024 | ACMD, UK
'Deadly heroin batch is putting lives at risk here'
A deadly batch of heroin cut with synthetic opioids is putting lives at risk in a city, a drug support worker claimed. Ellie Harris said drug dealers in Colchester were contaminating the Class A drug to make it last longer amid a shortage of supply to the UK | BBC, UK
Northern Ireland on course to join UK smoking ban
Stormont has backed Northern Ireland becoming part of a new Westminster law that would stop young people born since 2009 from ever smoking | BBC, UK
EMCDDA launches 2024 European Web Survey on Drugs to assess patterns of drug use in over 30 countries
Do you use drugs? How many? Why? These are among the questions posed in the latest European Web Survey on Drugs, launched on Tuesday by the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA). Targeted at people, aged 18 and over, who have used drugs, the survey aims to improve understanding of patterns of drug use in Europe and help shape future drug policies and interventions | EMCDDA, Portugal
New funding to tackle drug death crisis in Scotland
Residential rehabilitation projects are among the initiatives to tackle Scotland’s drug death crisis which will receive a share of £3.6 million from the Scottish Government | Herald, UK
SDF commentary on The Right to Addiction Recovery Bill published
SDF has published its commentary on the draft Right To Addiction Recovery Bill published by the Scottish Parliament a week ago. The Bill is a member’s bill proposed by Douglas Ross MSP. The commentary is intended to promote discussion of the draft Bill and the implications of the proposals it contains | SDF, UK
Clarified Response to SDF’s Concerns on the Right to Recovery Bill
The Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF) has raised several reservations about the Right to Recovery Bill. While some concerns reflect genuine caution, many appear to stem from misunderstandings or misinterpretations of the Bill’s intent and function & PROVISIONS. [Here we present] an overview of these concerns along with counter-arguments that clarify the Bill’s true intent and potential impact | FAVOR, UK
Innovation and adaptation: The rise of a fentanyl smoking culture in San Francisco
[Open access] Illicitly manufactured fentanyls and stimulants are implicated in the escalating US mortality from drug overdose. San Francisco, California (SF) has seen declining fentanyl injection while smoking has increased. Beliefs and behaviors surrounding this development are not well understood | PLOS ONE, USA
Daily cannabis use overtakes drinking in US first
The number of Americans who smoke cannabis on a daily or near-daily basis now exceeds those who drink alcohol as often, a study has found | BBC, UK
Rishi Sunak's smoking ban bill set to be shelved due to election
Rishi Sunak's flagship bill to eventually ban smoking looks set to be shelved after he called a surprise July general election. The prime minister would not guarantee the law would pass before Parliament shuts down for the election on Friday | BBC, UK
Children targeted with vapes spiked with nitazenes
A child has been treated for an opiate overdose after using a "potentially fatal" black market vape, health officials have said. Vapes laced with illegal drugs like Spice and nitazenes have led to children in Teesside needing urgent medical attention, Middlesbrough Council warned | BBC, UK
Psychedelic-assisted therapy in the treatment of addiction
Researchers are exploring the role of psychedelic drugs as a treatment for addictions. How are addiction disorders currently treated and what does the latest research on psychedelic drugs show? | UK Parliament, UK