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Weekly news - 25th October 2024

In date order, Monday to Friday

NIHR and OLS fund innovative research to help tackle drug deaths

NIHR has awarded funding to four innovative new projects focused on reducing harm from illegal drugs. The projects are being funded through the Addiction Healthcare Goals programme, led by the Office for Life Science (OLS). The new research into improved opioid substitution approaches, novel psychotherapy approaches, artificial intelligence and wearable technology could help to save thousands of lives by improving treatment and reducing harms and the risk of drug-related deaths | NIHR, UK

Scientology-linked UK rehab centre falls foul of charity regulator

Charity Commission finds ‘range of shortfalls’ at Narconon facility after Observer investigation | Guardian, UK

Innovative trial will use psilocybin to target relapse in opioid addiction

Imperial researchers will explore the potential for psilocybin therapy in drug recovery as part of a landmark trial | Imperial College London, UK

Stop smoking intervention in emergency departments helps people quit - video

Researchers explored whether an opportunistic stop smoking intervention (advice, a vape starter pack and a referral to stop smoking services), was effective for people attending the emergency department (A&E). Participants describe their experiences with the stop smoking intervention | NIHR, UK

Review into the operational effectiveness of the Care Quality Commission: full report

Final findings and recommendations of the review into the operational effectiveness of the Care Quality Commission | DHSC, UK

Dr Rob Calder to become CEO in the New Year

The Society for the Study of Addiction is delighted to announce that Dr Rob Calder will become the charity’s Chief Executive Officer from 1 January 2025 | SSA, UK

Warning over high-strength pills following "multiple" hospitalisations across London

The Loop, fabric and the NTIA are among organisations who have issued warnings due to a string of reports of people becoming unwell last weekend | MixMag, UK

The inside story of nitazenes and the drug deaths crisis rocking Britain: 'No one is talking about it'

Across the UK, a deadly new drug has been linked to 284 fatalities. In Birmingham alone, it killed 21 people last summer. Yet few outside the city noticed. Big Issue investigates a shocking and hidden tragedy | Big Issue, UK

[Open access] Psychedelic drugs are increasingly visible in society once more, but their risks and adverse effects have received less attention than perhaps they should. While fatalities associated with psychedelics appear rare, a systematic approach to characterising their aetiology is required to inform harm minimisation efforts. This study aimed to analyse prevalence and characteristics of psychedelic-related deaths in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, between 1997 and 2022 | Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, UK

What is pink cocaine? The party drug reportedly taken by Liam Payne

The drug cocktail that can contain ketamine, ecstasy, meth and crack has grown in popularity in recent years | Guardian, UK

Suicide in people prescribed opioid-agonist therapy in Scotland, United Kingdom, 2011–2020: A national retrospective cohort study

[Open access] Opioid dependence is associated with an increased risk of suicide. Drug-related mortality among people with opioid dependence in Scotland has more than tripled since 2010; less is known about changes in suicide risk. We aimed to determine if opioid agonist therapy (OAT) in Scotland is protective against suicide and to measure trends in suicide rates in those with opioid dependence over time | Addiction, UK

National naloxone programme Scotland - Quarterly monitoring bulletin

This release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) presents information on the number of take-home naloxone kits issued by the National Naloxone Programme (NNP) in Scotland. Figures are presented separately for kits issued from community outlets, kits issued in prisons at the point of liberation, kits dispensed via community prescription, and kits issued by Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) | Public Health Scotland, UK

Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales: 2023 registrations

Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales from 1993 to 2023, by cause of death, sex, age and substances involved in the death. In England and Wales, 5,448 deaths related to drug poisoning were registered in 2023, the equivalent of 93.0 deaths per million people, and higher than the rate recorded in 2022 (84.4 deaths per million, 4,907 deaths); the age-standardised mortality rate for deaths related to drug poisoning has risen every year since 2012 | ONS, UK

Cocaine use fuels record high in drug deaths

Drug-poisoning deaths in England and Wales have hit the highest level in 30 years, fuelled by a 30% rise in fatalities involving cocaine | BBC, UK

Nitazenes: Use of life-saving overdose drug surges by 50% amid synthetic opioid crisis

Ambulance crews’ use of naloxone – an emergency drug used to reverse opioid overdoses – rose by 50% in 18 months amid widespread concerns over synthetic drugs such as nitazenes on the UK’s streets, the Big Issue has found | Big Issue, UK

Disposable vapes to be banned from June, says government

Similar bans are expected to be introduced by the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland | BBC, UK

Drug-related deaths have risen by record numbers in England and Wales – latest data

Deaths from drug use in England and Wales have risen by 11%, according to the latest annual data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). In 2023, there were 5,448 fatalities (93 deaths per million people) – the highest number of drug-related deaths since records began in 1993 | Conversation, UK

Estimating Young Adult Uptake of Smoking by Area Across the United Kingdom

[Open access] There is majority support in parliament and across the United Kingdom to implement a “smoke-free generation” policy which would mean people born on or after January 1, 2009, could never legally be sold tobacco. To explore the potential impact this policy could have, we estimated the number of young adults (18–25 years) currently taking up smoking each year by area across the United Kingdom | Nicotine & Tobacco Research, UK

Trends in non-daily cigarette smoking in England, 2006–2024

[Open access] Cigarette smoking is incredibly harmful, even for people who do not smoke every day. This study aimed to estimate trends in non-daily smoking in England between 2006 and 2024, how these differed across population subgroups, and to explore changes in the profile of non-daily smokers in terms of their sociodemographic and smoking characteristics and vaping and alcohol consumption | BMC Medicine, UK

No 10 blocking outdoor smoking ban amid hospitality opposition

Exclusive: Government ‘spooked’ by warnings of job losses and pub closures if it added ban to tobacco and vapes bill | Guardian, UK

The Hidden Dangers of Illicit Cannabis (PDF)

This report uncovers the potential harm caused by unregulated cannabis, including contamination from mould, yeasts, bacteria, heavy metals, and chemical residues. These contaminants may pose significant health risks, particularly to vulnerable populations using cannabis for medical reasons | Curaleaf, UK

MPs on all sides call for action on nitazenes after Big Issue exposes Britain's drug deaths crisis

MPs from Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens have called for urgent action after Big Issue’s investigation into the stark human toll of nitazenes, a powerful synthetic opioid claiming lives in the UK | Big Issue, UK

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