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Weekly news - 13th September 2024

In date order, Monday to Friday

Two years on: a progress review of ‘From harm to hope': A 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives’

Public Sector Access, in collaboration with the LGA, has engaged with nine councils across the country to review the progress of ‘From harm to hope’. This provides a snapshot of the strides made, challenges faced and opportunities uncovered in the pursuit of creating healthier, safer communities | LGA, UK

Steroids found in Scottish prisons increase from 1% to 10% in four years

Researchers at the University’s Leverhulme Research Centre of Forensic Science (LRCFS), part of the School of Science and Engineering, made the discovery while working in collaboration with Scottish Prison Service | University of Dundee, UK

Vaping damages young people’s lungs as much as smoking, study suggests

Research challenges idea that vaping could be a healthier alternative to smoking, say authors of research | Guardian, UK

Treatment engagement in comorbid alcohol use disorder and alcohol-related liver disease: A qualitative exploration of barriers and facilitators with service users

[Open access] At a hospital in London patients being treated for liver disease caused by heavy drinking were interviewed to find out what helped or hindered engagement in what could be life-saving treatment for their drinking. Among the considerable hindrances were a “lack of a structured approach” to organising treatment continuity and a shortage of specialist detoxification beds | ACER, UK

[Open access] Study based in Sweden but with online interventions in English explored the impact of telling contacts seeking help to reduce drinking that they had to wait four weeks versus immediate intervention. In reality, both sets were offered the same online feedback and advice. Over the four weeks those told to wait tended to drink more than the others and engaged less with the intervention | DAD, UK

Baby vests 'show NHS failings' on foetal alcohol disorder

Baby vests have been hung on a bridge by a charity that says most NHS boards and trusts are failing to take action to prevent fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) | BBC, UK

Not Commissioned: Systemic confusion in NHS services for alcohol, pregnancy and FASD

The report shows that the majority of NHS Integrated Care Boards and NHS Trusts are missing a golden opportunity to protect baby’s brains and futures with their slow, non-strategic and uncoordinated responses to the 2022 NICE Quality Standard 204 on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) | The National Organisation for FASD, UK

Alcohol free? An analysis of UK and Scottish Government obesity policies’ engagement with alcohol 1999–2023

[Open access] Alcoholic beverages can be highly calorific yet remain largely absent from obesity policy debates. This article seeks to identify how Scottish and English obesity policies have engaged with the issue of alcohol consumption since devolution | BMC Public Health, UK

Exploring the Impact of Stigma on Health and Wellbeing: Insights from Mothers with Lived Experience Accessing Recovery Services

[Open access] The aim of this paper is to show how social harms can occur and how stigma is damaging to the health and wellbeing of a person in recovery. To do so, we focus on the harms that arise from the internalisation of labels that mothers who use drugs encounter in a treatment and recovery setting whilst in active recovery, and how this stigmatisation can manifest negative self-beliefs | Environmental Research and Public Health, UK

Alcohol-specific deaths

This statistical report details information on the number of deaths that were registered in Scotland in 2023 which are classified as alcohol-specific. It also includes breakdowns by sex, age, cause of death and deprivation. Alcohol-specific deaths have generally risen since 2012. Before this point, deaths fell sharply from the peak of 1,417 in 2006 to 968 in 2012. Last year, there was one more death than in 2022 | National Records of Scotland, UK

Alcohol deaths in Scotland reach 15-year high

Alcohol deaths have sharply risen across Britain post-Covid - with Scotland remaining the worst-affected country | STV News, UK

Irish cabinet to approve ban on disposable vapes

Under the proposed laws there will be a complete ban on the sale, manufacture or import of single-use or disposable vapes in Ireland. The legislation will also introduce a ban on a multitude of flavours that the government believe often appeal to children – it is estimated that as many as 15,000 flavour combinations exist | BBC, UK

Rising deaths linked to pregabalin misuse sparks review

A sharp rise in deaths linked to the misuse of a widely prescribed drug has prompted a government review, the BBC has learned. Pregabalin, dispensed more than nine million times in England last year, has the fastest-rising mortality rate of any prescription medicine in the UK and is cited in a third of drug-related deaths, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) | BBC, UK

Prescription drug's misuse 'ravaging' city's homeless

Illicitly obtained pregabalin pills - typically costing just £1 each - have overtaken Spice as the "drug of choice" within Manchester's homeless population, the BBC has been told. We spent the day listening to just some of those affected | BBC, UK

Challenging stigma - EDM (Early Day Motion)162: tabled on 10 September 2024

Motion text: That this House recognises that people affected by drug and alcohol use should be treated fairly, justly and with dignity; further recognises that they are, however, frequently dehumanised, marginalised and discriminated against; acknowledges that stigma is a major barrier to treatment and wider healthcare, preventing people getting the support they need to get better and lead healthy lives; welcomes the work of the Anti-Stigma Network, whose mission is to improve understanding of the stigma and discrimination experienced by many people affected by drug and alcohol use... | UK Parliament, UK

Stigmatised and stressed: UK cannabis patients living in the context of prohibition (PDF)

[Open access] Our article draws on qualitative interviews from the first UK sociological study of cannabis patient experiences. The legalisation of cannabis prescribing in 2018 has neither been widely publicised nor fully implemented in terms of making cannabis medicines available and affordable. This is resulting in health inequalities. Our findings demonstrate that, despite their legal prescription, cannabis patients remain stigmatised, both directly and indirectly due to the ongoing criminalisation of the drug. We share the stories of patients feeling, experiencing and navigating this stigma in their everyday lives | Critical Social Policy, UK

Detection and quantification of synthetic cannabinoids in seven illicitly sourced disposable vapes submitted by an individual presenting to a UK drug and alcohol service

[Open access] In the United Kingdom and internationally, synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) are a common adulterant in illicitly sourced vaping products. Recently, their use is increasingly being linked to severe health effects, particularly among children. Here, we aimed to conduct the first detection and quantification of SCs in illicit disposable vaping products | Addiction, UK

Queen’s adopts new evidence-based approach to support students around drug and alcohol use

Queen’s University Belfast and Queen’s Students’ Union have signed up to a UK-wide programme aimed at prioritising student wellbeing around drug and alcohol use | Queen's University Belfast, UK

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