Daily news - 26th September 2016 |
 |
Today is World Environmental Health Day
UK news
Young people – substance misuse JSNA support pack 2017-18: commissioning prompts (PDF)
This document outlines four key principles and useful prompts that local areas might consider when commissioning universal and targeted drug, alcohol and tobacco prevention interventions, and specialist interventions for young people already experiencing harms. It also directs local areas to national data sources on the use of alcohol, drugs and tobacco by young people | PHE, UK
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman Nigel Newcomen CBE’s speech to the NOMS learning day on New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) (PDF)
...However, I am clear that NPS have been a game-changer in terms of reducing safety in prison, with troubling links to our rising numbers of suicides, as well as to other types of death, including deaths from drug toxicity, apparent natural causes and even homicides | Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, UK
Legal high deaths triple in prisons
Prisons Ombudsman says inmates are dying in legal high-related murders, and because of psychotic episodes and suicides triggered by the drugs | Independent, UK
Illnesses associated with lifestyle cost the NHS £11bn
Health problems related to poor diet, drinking and smoking are costing the NHS in England more than £11bn each year, officials say | BBC, UK
Tackling drugs and alcohol a priority in new crime strategy
The Home Office Modern Crime Prevention Strategy presents a vision for
crime prevention in 2016, including greater partnership-working between
government, the police, business and industry to prevent and tackle drug
and alcohol-related crime and disorder, and greater personal
responsibility for substance use and recovery | Drug and Alcohol
Findings, UK
Environmental health officers call for smoking ban in playgrounds
Zoos and anywhere children play should become no-smoking zones, says Chartered Institute of Environmental Health | Guardian, UK
Guidance on domestic abuse and change resistant drinkers
AVA and Alcohol Concern have released joint research and guidance on Domestic abuse and change resistant drinkers: preventing and reducing the harm. The guidance is based on lessons learnt from a review of Domestic Homicide Reviews where alcohol was involved. It highlights how domestic violence should be better understood and explored as a reason why individuals may not engage with alcohol treatment | AVA, Alcohol Concern, UK
'Hangover-free alcohol’ could replace all regular alcohol by 2050, says David Nutt
The new drink, known as 'alcosynth', is designed to mimic the positive effects of alcohol but doesn’t cause a dry mouth, nausea and a throbbing head | Independent, UK
Will "alcosynth" make hangovers a thing of the past? - BBC iPLayer radio
British scientist Professor David Nutt says he's developed an artificial drink that allows people to enjoy all the pleasurable effects of alcohol without any of the toxic side effects, including hangovers. He also believes that alcosynth will help people avoid serious long term conditions such as liver disease. But he's concerned that the government regulators will try to block its licensing | BBC, UK
Nursing Drug Policy back to Health
The human rights implications of drug policy and drug use are many and varied. In the latest instalment of their exclusive series of articles for VolteFace, Kate Thompson and Petr Kudêlka explore the interface between the two, and, in particular, how drug policy impacts on the right to health | Volte Face, UK
Opioid drug maker Indivior faces lawsuit in the US
Indivior, the British opioid drug maker spun off from Reckitt Benckiser two years ago, faces legal action after 35 US states and Washington DC filed a lawsuit against the UK-listed company, alleging it tried to keep generic versions of a drug off the market | Telegraph, UK
Let Swansea Club MTV concert-goers take drugs - charity
A charity has said concert-goers should be allowed to take drugs, providing they have been tested for safety | BBC, UK
Licensed trade says Old Firm match on Hogmanay 'is senseless'
The Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA) has said the decision to play the next Rangers v Celtic league game on Hogmanay is "senseless" | BBC, UK
Family Voices 2016 competition open for entries
The competition, part of our annual Carol Concert, allows friends and family members who have lived through someone else’s substance use to express their thoughts and feelings in a creative and constructive way. While it is often difficult to talk about this subject, it can be helpful to write about it, and entries are of a consistently high standard | Adfam, UK
2016 Stop Smoking Service staff and views on electronic cigarettes
Thank you for taking the time to complete this short survey on electronic cigarettes. It is designed to gauge the thoughts of health professionals working in smoking cessation in England | NCSCT, UK
Chemsex Workshop is a groupwork session for gay and bisexual men who have chemsex
This one day groupwork session is designed specifically to help you address questions, concerns or possible issues around your chems use and the type of sex you have. All in a friendly, safe non-judgemental environment | Antidote and GMFA, UK
Russell Brand donates Trew Era Cafe to RAPt
RAPt are delighted to announce that our Patron Russell Brand has donated the Trew Era Cafe to us. After launching the Trew Era Café, and supporting it for a year, Russell Brand is donating the social enterprise in North London to RAPt, the charity that provides recovery and employment opportunities to ex-prisoners and people struggling with addiction | RAPt, UK
'Fake Sheikh' says he felt confused by Tulisa drugs trial questioning
Mazher Mahmood and driver accused of altering statement made to police that suggested singer disapproved of drugs | Guardian, UK
Nitrous oxide cylinders stolen from Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy
Thieves stole four gas cylinders containing nitrous oxide during a break-in at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy | BBC, UK
Man arrested after £1.2m cocaine seized in Belfast
A 28-year-old man has been arrested after suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of £1.2m was seized in north Belfast | BBC, UK
International news
World Environmental Health Day: 26 September 2016
Theme for the 2016 World Environmental Health Day: Tobacco Control… a response to the global tobacco pandemic | IFEH, USA
The Opiate Epidemic - Free Access Article Collection
Taylor & Francis presents a FREE ACCESS article collection centered on the growing epidemic of opiate use | Taylor & Francis, UK
High Hitler: how Nazi drug abuse steered the course of history
German writer Norman Ohler’s astonishing account of methamphetamine addiction in the Third Reich changes what we know about the second world war | Guardian, UK
Paradise lost: does Copenhagen’s Christiania commune still have a future?
For 45 years, Christiania has stood as a community-led utopia, its cannabis trade central to a liberal culture. But the shooting of a police officer has forced residents to take radical action. As the smoke clears, will it ever be the same again? | Guardian, UK
Where Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump stand on the opioid epidemic
Over the past decade, the US has undergone an opioid epidemic. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has called it a “tremendous problem,” while Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has called it a “quiet epidemic.” | Business Insider, UK
Cleveland area sees seven drug overdose deaths in one day, officials say
Officials believe either heroin or fentanyl were involved | Guardian, UK
EDM's 'summer of death' reporting is more than just tabloid raving
In 2010, around the time of the last raves held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, former venue officials made the argument the parties there were no different than beer-fueled American football games held there | Guardian, UK
Marijuana holidays in the US: The rise and rise of 'canna-tourism'
With five more states set to vote on legalising marijuana for recreational use, we take a look at the growing movement of weed tourism in the US | Independent, UK
Independent Advisory Panel on characterising flavours in tobacco products
The European Commission is looking for experts in sensory analysis, chemical analysis and statistics to join a newly established independent advisory panel assisting Member States and the Commission in determining whether tobacco products have a characterising flavour | European Parliament, Belgium
European survey on drugs
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), which monitors drug use, harms and the drug market in Europe, is currently collecting information to gain a better understanding of the quantities of substances used by different groups of people. The survey results will improve the data available on drugs in the UK and Europe as a whole | EMCDDA, Portugal
Secret trove reveals bold ‘crusade’ to make OxyContin a blockbuster
The pharmaceutical sales representatives from health care giant Abbott Laboratories had a problem. No matter what they tried, they couldn’t get the attention of an orthopedic surgeon to convince him to prescribe the potent painkiller OxyContin | StatNews, USA
This is America on drugs: A visual guide
CNN reached out to every state for the latest statistics on drug deaths, with half providing data from 2015. It found that drugs deaths continue to rise rapidly in many states | CNN, USA
King County In Seattle Wants To Open Legal Heroin Clinics To Combat Epidemic
A Washington state county is floating the idea of supervised clinics where people can inject heroin. King County's health officer Jeff Duchin tells NPR's Rachel Martin why he thinks it's a good idea | npr, USA
Holistic approach to pain management helps curb opioid overuse
The holistic approach to patient care and pain management used by Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) can help prevent opioid dependency, substance use disorder, drug overdoses and death, according to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA). The AANA strongly supports President Obama's proclamation of Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week | Medical Xpress, USA
Older adults with long-term alcohol dependence lose neurocognitive abilities
Heavy drinking can lead to neurophysiological and cognitive changes ranging from disrupted sleep to more serious neurotoxic effects. Aging can also contribute to cognitive decline. Several studies on the interaction of current heavy drinking and aging have had varied results. This study sought to elucidate the relations among age, heavy drinking, and neurocognitive function | Science Daily, USA
Specific trauma experiences contribute to women's alcohol use, differs by race
Trauma exposure has consistently been reported as a risk factor for alcohol use and related problems. Further, racial differences in alcohol use, alcohol use disorder (AUD), and trauma exposure between European American (EA) and African American (AA) women have been reported previously | Science Daily, USA
Liberals prepared to kill Harper government limits on supervised-injection sites
The federal government said Wednesday it is prepared to amend Conservative legislation that critics say was intended to prevent the national proliferation of supervised injection sites modelled after Vancouver’s Insite facility | Vancouver Sun, Canada
Jail needle exchange veto shows unions 'dictating' public health policy: researchers
Researchers have slammed the voting down of the a needle exchange program at Canberra's Alexander Maconochie Centre saying it should be evidence rather than unions that decide public health policy | Age, Australia
Labor unveils liquor reform package, Liberals issue public housing plan
Labor would hike fees for large alcohol retailers, and curb them for small, low-risk venues | Age, Australia
More training on how to deal with methamphetamine affected people for frontline workers
Frontline workers, from council rangers to festival staff, will receiving extra training on how to deal with methamphetamine-affected people as part of the Barnett Governments strategy to tackle the scourge | Age, Australia
Drug suspect 'rises from dead' to declare support for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war
He was shot four times and left lying in a pool of blood in a dark street of the sprawling Philippine capital, a victim of President Rodrigo Duterte's deadly anti-drugs crackdown | Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
Tougher Ice Dealer Laws To Reduce Harm In Victoria
New legislation is being drafted which will see a lowering of commercial and large commercial quantities for ice trafficking – giving police greater capacity to prosecute dealers | Victoria Gov, Australia
'Loser stoners' hit back against conservative cannabis lobby group
Cannabis reform group hits back at claims that 'loser stoner' image is getting in the way of marijuana for medical use | NZ Herald, New Zealand
Blogs, comment and opinion
Alcohol brief interventions: how can content, provider and setting reduce alcohol consumption?
Alcohol brief interventions (ABIs) provide structured advice on alcohol use. They involve an assessment of individual risk with feedback and advice, brief motivational interviewing, or a combination of these techniques | Mental Elf Blog, UK
Alcohol and the Sustainable Development Goals
The Comment by Jeff Collin and Sally Casswell (June 25, p 2582) describes the conflict between public health policy on reducing harmful use of alcohol and the commitments to increase trade liberalisation in the UN's Sustainable Development Goals 2016–30, which are leading to increasing alcohol availability | Lancet, UK
What is Spice and why is the drug so dangerous?
Synthetic cannabis, of which Spice is an example, is linked to serious health issues ranging from difficulties breathing to psychotic episodes. But, despite well-known issues, these drugs are still in demand and homeless people, particularly, are at risk of mental health issues from their use. So what exactly are these drugs made of and why do they cause such violent reactions | Conversation, UK
Co-prescribing naloxone does not increase liability risk
The opioid overdose epidemic claims the lives of tens of thousands of Americans every year. Opioid overdose is reversible by the administration of naloxone, a pure antagonist now available in formulations specifically designed and labeled for layperson use | Substance Abuse editorial, USA
Dose of Science: Psychedelics and Long-Term Mental Health
A psychedelic renaissance is happening right now; but before classic hallucinogenic drugs can be accepted into mainstream medicine, their safety must be demonstrated. To move towards this goal, Norwegian scientists published a study claiming that psychedelics are not linked to long-term mental health problems; these findings, however, were quickly challenged. Dose of Science takes a look at the debate | Drug Reporter, Hungary
Drug Sales On The Deepweb Have Little Impact On International Drug Trade
The 2016 World Drug Report stated that the deepweb is fueling an international drug trade. According to Stijn Hoorens and David Décary-Hétu, the claim is not reinforced by empirical evidence. RAND Europe and the Universities of Montreal and Manchester conducted a studythat ultimately disproved the 2016 WDR’s claims | Deep dot web, USA
A universal approach to preventing substance use and mental health problems among adolescents
More than 6000 students from 71 schools recruited in 2014 as 13 and 14 year olds are participating in a unique ongoing study investigating the effectiveness of Internet-Based Prevention for Anxiety, Depression and Substance Use in Young People | NDARC blog, Australia