Daily news - 24th February 2016 |
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UK news
Life-skills based education for alcohol and drug prevention (PDF)
This paper intends to provide governors, head teachers and teachers with practical guidelines on how to help them implement holistic life-skills based education programmes to ensure young people build resilience to alcohol and drug use | Mentor - ADEPIS, UK
Schools to teach children about the dangers of 'legal highs'
Police are rolling out a school lesson in the dangers of New Psychoactive Substances - also known as 'legal highs.' | ITV, UK
Hepatitis C alert for 8,000 UK surgical patients
More than 8,000 people who were treated by a healthcare worker diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2008 are being offered blood screening for the infection | BBC, UK
Large patient testing programme after potential exposure to worker with hepaitis C
Leon Wylie, Lead Officer of Hepatitis Scotland said, ”It is very unfortunate that there has been potential healthcare worker related Hepatitis C transmissions in a surgical setting in Lanarkshire. It is understandable many patients who are contacted to come forward for testing will be very worried by this as, although the risk is low, some transmissions from worker to patients have probably occurred | Hepatitis Scotland, UK
Stories of survival: families affected by addiction share advice
In a government-funded pilot, the stories of families affected by drug and alcohol misuse are recorded and shared to help those in similar situations | Guardian, UK
Prisoners using drones to smuggle in drugs and phones, figures reveal
Drones are being increasingly used to smuggle drugs, mobile phones and other banned items into prisons, it can be revealed | ITV, UK
Prisons: Drugs
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2016 to Question 25491, how many prisoners returned to jail having broken their licence conditions were subsequently found to be carrying concealeddrugs in each of the last five years | They Work for You, UK
Smoking
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce thesmoking rate in (a) local authorities in which it is above the English average and (b) other local authorities | They Work for You, UK
Free event, May16th, London: Responding to drug harms: Can the UK learn from Portugal?
We are delighted to have João Castel-Branco Goulão, head of the General-Directorate for Intervention on Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies in Portugal and one of the architects of the 2001 Drug Strategy, present the learning from Portugal’s health-led approach to reducing drug harms | Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, UK
Free event, 25 february, London: The need for drug policy reform in the United Kingdom
In a few weeks time, world leaders will descend on the United Nations in New York for the first UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on Drugs Policy in 18 years. Baroness Meacher will address the UN Conventions and what meaning they hold today... | IDPC, UK
Prison no bar to higher education as university ‘campus’ opens in Kent jail
New project allows inmates to sleep and eat at Swaleside Open Academy and study alongside staff | Guardian, UK
Coping with Self-harm: A Guide for Parents and Carers
This freely downloadable PDF guide provides information for parents and families about self-harm and its causes and effects. It is based on current research on self-harm and on the interviews with parents whose children self-harmed. It contains quotes from them with advice for other parents as well as evidence-based information and links to sources of help | University of Oxford, UK
A DIY Crystal Meth Cook in Yorkshire Was Arrested After Almost Passing Out from the Fumes
After the Great British Bake Off aired there was an 881 percent surge in sales of baking trays. By the final series of Mad Men, Lucky Strike were selling 10 billion more packs a year than they had been when the show started | VICE, UK
Agoraphobic Perth drug dealer Roy Green jailed for 33 months
An agoraphobic Perth drug dealer who made almost £20,000 by selling heroin through his letterbox has been jailed for 33 months | BBC, UK
Drug dealer found guilty of killing 'vulnerable' addict
A London drug dealer has been convicted of manslaughter after attacking an addict in Bristol for owing him money | BBC, UK
International news
New York Court Rules Vaping Is Not the Same as Smoking
A New York court has ruled that, under state law, vapers can’t be charged for violating anti-smoking rules because—as millions of vapers have been repeating for years—vaping isn’t smoking. This is the latest sign of a gradual acceptance by lawmakers and legal systems that the distinction between the two is genuine and significant. In the face of imminent federal regulations, that distinction is paramount to the vaping industry | Motherboard, UK
Indigenous affairs minister scoffs at claim that non-sniffable fuel bad for cars
Nigel Scullion says Northern Territory’s Motor Trades Association should ‘read more’ and it ‘beggars belief’ groups complained about low aromatic fuel | Guardian, UK
El Chapo associate admits helping ship cocaine to US in alleged weapons swap
Arrest of Alfredo Beltrán Leyva, who grew to prominence as part of the Sinaloa cartel, in 2008 soured relationship between his organization and El Chapo’s | Guardian, UK
Just 3% of heroin in Ireland is seized, says UN
An estimated 97% of heroin being trafficked into Ireland is getting through undetected, according to a major report by the United Nations | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Alcohol consumption among university students in Ireland and the United Kingdom from 2002 to 2014: a systematic review
Alcohol is a leading cause of global suffering. Europe reports the uppermost volume of alcohol consumption in the world, with Ireland and the United Kingdom reporting the highest levels of binge drinking and drunkenness. Levels of consumption are elevated among university students. Thus, this literature review aims to summarise the current research on alcohol consumption among university students in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom | NCB, USA
Estimated Effects of Different Alcohol Taxation and Price Policies on Health Inequalities: A Mathematical Modelling Study
While evidence that alcohol pricing policies reduce alcohol-related health harm is robust, and alcohol taxation increases are a WHO “best buy” intervention, there is a lack of research comparing the scale and distribution across society of health impacts arising from alternative tax and price policy options. The aim of this study is to test whether four common alcohol taxation and pricing strategies differ in their impact on health inequalities | PLOS Medicine, USA
Verbal Memory Impairment in Polydrug Ecstasy Users: A Clinical Perspective
Ecstasy use has been associated with short-term and long-term memory deficits on a standard Word Learning Task (WLT). The clinical relevance of this has been debated and is currently unknown. The present study aimed at evaluating the clinical relevance of verbal memory impairment in Ecstasy users | PLOS Medicine, USA
New Documentary Shows What A Humane Approach To Addiction Actually Looks Like
"Frontline" goes deep into Seattle's efforts to help drug addicts instead of punishing them | Huffington Post, USA
Drug that curbs heavy drinking is more effective in patients with specific genotype
The drug topiramate (Topamax) is effective at helping alcohol-dependent individuals and heavy drinkers avoid heavy drinking, but many patients and clinicians have shied away from using the drug due to its reputation for side effects, such as drowsiness and cognitive difficulties | Medical Xpress, USA
Drug-driven environmental devastation
Drug trafficking is one of the biggest problems facing Central America. It is having a devastating impact on the people, but it's also a huge threat to the rainforest and coastal ecosystems | DW, USA
Liberal MP's bill proposes 'Good Samaritan' immunity during overdoses
Private member's bill comes as drug overdose deaths on the rise in Canada | CBC News, Canada
Historic medicinal cannabis legislation passes Parliament
The Federal Parliament today passed the Turnbull Government’s historic legislation delivering the “missing piece” for Australian patients and their doctors to access a safe, legal and reliable supply of medicinal cannabis products for the management of painful and chronic conditions | Sussan Ley MP, Australia
National Family Drug Support Day
The 1st National Family Drug Support Day to be held on the 24th February 2016 – the anniversary of the passing of Damien Trimingham from a drug related overdose - will become an annual event to highlight the need for families to not only be recognised and heard but to be supported and encouraged to speak about their concerns and their needs | National Family Drug Support Day, Australia
Family members speak out ahead of National Family Drug Support Day
Behind every alcohol- and drug-related death or arrest statistic, there is a family in desperate need of support. But with few specialised services available and minimal funding by the federal government, these families often go unaided, forced to live in a “cloud of stigma and shame”. That’s the message Family Drug Support (FDS) hopes to get out tomorrow, as part of Australia’s first National Family Drug Support Day | 9news, Australia
From Epidemic to Evidence: Effectively Managing The Harms Associated with Crystal Methamphetamine
2015 saw an unprecedented level of interest in the drug colloquially known as ‘ice’ (crystal methamphetamine). While media hype became more extreme, sensationalised or exaggerated, at the coal face, workers were growing concerned about increasing numbers of crystal methamphetamine-related presentations to services and a widening range of harms. The establishment of the National Ice Taskforce and the subsequent release of its report in 2015 has provided a useful blueprint for action and policy development | Drug and Alcohol Connectons, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
The new five year forward view for mental health: opportunities for prevention and improving outcomes
A week ago we welcomed the independent report from the Mental Health Taskforce, setting out how national bodies, including health agencies and government departments, should work together over the next five years to improve mental health | PHE Blog, UK
Minimum unit pricing and strength-based taxation have larger impacts on health inequalities than increasing current alcohol taxes
Introducing minimum unit pricing or alcohol-content-taxation would reduce inequalities in health more than increasing alcohol duty under the current tax system or increasing VAT on alcohol, a new report has shown [see also article in International section above] | UKCTAS, UK
History makes more sense when you’re drunk
The TV series Drunk History offers a unique blend of the past, alcohol and a lack of reverence. It’s not just for sober academics | Guardian, UK
Ditching the war on drugs won't be the silver bullet, but it's an essential new pathway
Australia remains disconnected to more enlightened drug policies internationally. No major country, however, dares argue for the complete legalisation of all drugs | Guardian Opinion, UK
In Georgia, Living Proof That Harsh Punishments Don’t Stop Drug Use
In the Republic of Georgia, there is one crime that is punishable with more prison time than rape or even murder: possession of more than one gram of heroin, regardless of intent | Talking Drugs Blog, UK
What It's Like to Keep Falling in Love with Heroin Addicts
Four months ago, I dropped my boyfriend James* off at rehab – the same rehab I took my first boyfriend to 10 years before. While James filled out paperwork and spoke with counselors, I worried that his insurance would only cover the five-day detox that never worked for him. I worried that he would die | VICE, USA
Cops Offer Love and Hope to Addicts in PBS Frontline's "Chasing Heroin"
The Fix interview with Marcela Gaviria, producer of Frontline's Chasing Heroin, airing tonight on PBS | Fix, USA
Ask an Expert: Is "A Drug is A Drug is A Drug" True?
Our expert on whether addicts find all drugs just as addictive | FIX, USA