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Weekly news - 29th November 2024 |
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In date order, Monday to Friday
Smoking could cause 300,000 cancer cases in UK by 2029, study finds
Cancer Research urges MPs to back tobacco and vapes bill, saying damage caused by cigarettes cannot be ignored | Guardian, UK
Press release: MPs to vote on landmark smoking ban to stop cycle of addiction
MPs will today (26 November) vote on the world-leading Tobacco and Vapes Bill, moving the UK one step closer to protecting future generations from the harms of smoking and vaping |
Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, Andrew Gwynne MP and The Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP, UK
PM pledges joint action to keep women and girls safe at night
Reiterating his personal commitment to halve violence against women and girls, the Prime Minister will also confirm that his government will make spiking a new criminal offence. This will send a clear signal that this is a crime, and perpetrators should feel the full force of the law, empowering victims to report offences and giving them confidence the justice system will support them | Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street, Home Office, The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP and The Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, UK
Drink Spiking Report
Drink spiking, the act of introducing drugs or substances, including alcohol, into beverages or food to incapacitate individuals for various malicious purposes, including sexual assaults, theft, pranks, or abuse, has become a concerning societal issue. In the UK, reports of increased incidents of drink spiking, particularly in house parties, as well as cases of 'needling,' a relatively new phenomenon emerging since 2021, have gained attention | Drinkaware, UK
Full Fact’s rolling blog of fact checks, commentary and analysis
We’ve seen some confusion online following Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s claim today that “spiking will be made a criminal offence”, with some commentators saying this is already the case or accusing him of “sloppy and misleading” wording | FullFact, UK
‘I had no idea being a social drinker would damage my liver by 31’
At 31 years old, I was told by doctors that if I didn’t stop drinking alcohol, I could die. I was shocked because I didn’t drink every day, I never drank alone and I drank because I enjoyed it as a social activity, not because I felt alcohol-dependent | BBC, UK
County Lines becoming more localised
County Lines are changing to become more localised, reveals new County Lines Strategic Threat Risk Assessment | NPCC, UK
Dave Bewley-Taylor
Dave was our dear friend and colleague. He left us much too soon. He was a colossal intellect. He was generous with his time and his guidance. He was a leading light in the global drug policy reform movement and inspired many others through his ideas, his advocacy and his academic enquiry | Remembr.com, UK
'This will save lives' - Ireland's first supervised drug injection centre to open this December
Merchants Quay Ireland said the facility will host medical staff who can “intervene when overdoses happen”. | Journal, Ireland
MPs back plans for phased smoking ban
MPs have backed plans to make it illegal for anyone currently aged 15 or younger to ever buy cigarettes in the UK. The idea was originally proposed by Rishi Sunak's Conservative government but was taken forward by Labour after previous legislation ran out of time to pass before July's general election | BBC, UK
Drug-related homeless deaths increase in Scotland
A report from National Records of Scotland (NRS) said the number of homeless deaths in 2023 was slightly down on the previous year but remained higher than pre-pandemic levels. However, drug-misuse deaths increased from 89 to 100 and now account for two-fifths of all estimated homeless fatalities in Scotland | BBC, UK
242 people died while homeless in 2023
The number who died from drug misuse deaths whilst experiencing homelessness increased from 89 to 100. Drug misuse accounted for 41% of all estimated deaths while homeless last year | National Records of Scotland, UK
Saving the last residential rehab for families in England
We were recently forced to announce that despite significant investment in drug treatment in recent years none of this funding had reached residential treatment services. Combined with short-term and sporadic funding processes this left the National Specialist Family Service based in Sheffield, the last residential family treatment service in England, on the brink of imminent closure. We are delighted to announce that the future of the service has now been secured. Closure plans have been cancelled and we are looking forward to a future we had thought was disappearing from sight | Phoenix Futures, UK
NHS and life sciences industry partnerships: collaborating to improve care
This report examines how the NHS can collaborate with industry partners in the life sciences sector by exploring four case studies of collaborative working projects between NHS organisations and pharmaceutical companies. Between February and August 2024, we interviewed 18 people involved in these projects and reviewed relevant documents to understand the experience and impact of the partnerships. One such project looked at eliminating hepatitis C among people in contact with drug and alcohol services across the NHS Addictions Provider Alliance (with Gilead Sciences) | Kings Fund, UK
The rise of ketamine addiction in the UK - podcast
Journalist Elle Hunt and recovered addict Jack Curran talk about the rise of ketamine use in Britain and its sometimes devastating impact | Guardian, UK
Drug and alcohol information system (DAISy) - Overview of Initial Assessments for Specialist Drug and Alcohol Treatment 2023/24
This release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) reports on people presenting for initial assessment at specialist drug and alcohol treatment services in Scotland in 2023/24. These data were extracted from the Drug and Alcohol Information System (DAISy) | Public Health Scotland, UK
Alcohol-Related Harms: A Health Service Response
The Medical Council on Alcohol, together with health professionals and other experts working in the alcohol and health fields, are calling for a National Strategy focusing on the treatment and secondary prevention of alcohol dependence, and alcohol-related harm, in clinical populations across the health system. This includes urgent actions across and at all levels of the health services which will result in long needed improvements in the care of this much neglected group of people | MCA, UK
Accredited official statistics: Adult substance misuse treatment statistics 2023 to 2024: report
Statistics on alcohol and drug misuse treatment for adults from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS). There were 310,863 adults aged 18 and over in contact with drug and alcohol treatment services between April 2023 and March 2024. This is a 7% rise compared to the previous year (290,635), the largest rise in adults in treatment since 2008 to 2009, and the highest number of adults in treatment since 2009 to 2010 | OHID, UK
Accredited official statistics: Substance misuse treatment for young people: 2023 to 2024
Alcohol and drug treatment data for children and young people aged 17 and under, from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS). There were 14,352 children and young people (aged 17 and under) in alcohol and drug treatment between April 2023 and March 2024. This is a 16% increase from the previous year (12,418). However, the number in treatment is 41% lower than the peak of 24,494 in 2008 to 2009 | OHID, UK
Drug education: Lessons and knowledge organisers for KS1-5, developed for the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities
Updated for 2024. These lessons update and extend our previous suite of lessons. We’ve worked closely with experts at the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and other leading academics to ensure that all of the supporting evidence, information and statistical data is accurate and up to date. We’ve also included additional content on important areas of increasing concern, including vaping and synthetic drugs | PSHE, UK
Taking Action On Addiction - #AAW24
30th November - 7th December. Addiction Awareness Week is the cornerstone of the Taking Action on Addiction campaign. Now in its fouth year it provides a period of intense focus on addiction and recovery, its impact on people, families and society in the media, social media and public debate. By spotlighting real stories through new research, events and emotional, compelling storytelling, we are able to change misunderstanding and enable more people to speak openly about their experiences | Forward Trust, UK