Weekly news - 11th November 2016

In date order: Monday to Friday

More than 10 heroin overdoses in Swansea in a month sparks police warning

While none of them were fatal, DrugAid and South Wales Police have issued a warning | Wales Online, UK

No new power for police stop-and-searches for alcohol

The Scottish government has decided not to create a new power for police to search young people for alcohol | BBC, UK

School playground smoking ban in public health plan

Plans to ban smoking in school and hospital grounds and playgrounds in Wales will be introduced on Monday | BBC, UK

Health and Justice Commissioning Intentions 2017/18 (PDF)

This document details the strategic context within which commissioners are operating, sets out our commissioning intentions and enabling actions and, lastly, provides a brief summary of contractual requirements for 2017/18. As a controlled document, this document should not be saved onto local or network drives but should always be accessed from the intranet. Any printed copies of this document are not controlled | NHS, UK

Why do young women keep dying after taking ecstasy? – video

The number of young women dying from taking ecstasy is on the rise. Even though more than twice the number of males take the drug than females, this year the death rate for young women is substantially higher. After the death of Stephanie Shevlin, 22, on a night out in Crewe, Leah Green investigates what role hormones and super-strength tablets play in the trend | Guardian, UK

Teenage girl dies 'after taking ecstasy inside Newcastle nightclub Warehouse'

An 18-year-old girl has died after she is believed to have taken ecstasy inside a Newcastle nightclub | Mirror, UK

Are the drugs enough? Counselling and therapy in substitute prescribing programmes

What happens when you untie the methadone treatment package and dispense with counselling and psychosocial therapies, leaving just the drug and medical care? Across the generality of patients, surprisingly little, but what of those in need of extra support, and does the quality of the support make the difference? | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK

Vaping does not help people stop smoking, says WHO report

Critics say World Health Organisation report is a backward step that will hamper fight to cut tobacco-related deaths | Guardian, UK

November DDN magazine out now

There is an absolute moral imperative on all of us to tackle the ‘outrageous discrimination’ against people with mental health problems, said Normal Lamb MP at a recent conference. I don’t think any of us would disagree with that – the question is, how? As our article shows, the problems are magnified for people from minority groups, and when you add the stigma of a drug or alcohol problem, it’s not surprising that people are not presenting for help. Dual diagnosis has been much talked about in recent years, but are we addressing it logically? | DDN, UK

Time for safer injecting spaces in Britain?

With a British city on the brink of establishing an authorised injecting
facility, this new hot topic examines the controversy and evidence
surrounding drug consumption rooms, bringing you up to speed on what is
turning into a touchstone issue for how serious the UK is about
extending harm reduction in the recovery era | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK

Law brings 'clarity' on smoking by playgrounds

New public health legislation will bring "clarity" to the issue of smoking near playgrounds and hospitals in Wales, says Public Health Minister Rebecca Evans | BBC, UK

A third of councils forcing vapers to use smoking shelters

Nearly a third of councils are ignoring expert advice by forcing vapers to use the same designated spaces as smokers, according to new research | Local Gov, UK

Plans to ban pre-5pm alcohol sales would spark stockpiling, expert warns

Plans to ban shops from selling alcohol before 5pm would "rebound" on the health service and lead addicts to stockpile drink, it has been claimed | Herald, UK

Alcohol in the System

Alcohol in the system was funded by Trust for London to develop a 12 month project exploring the link between alcohol consumption amongst young people and youth offending. This project aimed to place young people known to the criminal justice system and who had drunk alcohol at the heart of the project. The full report is available to read here.| Alcohol Concern, UK

Pubs 'should reveal alcohol calories'

Pub and bar owners should provide warnings on the health dangers of alcohol or be denied a licence, a parliamentary committee has heard | BBC, UK

In-flight alcohol ban: Passengers back restrictive new measures to prevent air rage

The majority of flyers are happy to to see Jet2 stop selling booze before 8am | Independent, UK

E-cigarette use in public places: striking the right balance

The availability, marketing and use of electronic cigarettes or nicotine vapourisers is subject to a range of regulations across different countries, varying from the prohibition of sales and use, to little or no regulation | BMJ, UK

Effectiveness Bank hot topics November/December 2016

New hot topic comprehensively analyses the case for legal injecting rooms in Britain, while next two challenge the need for conventional treatment packages: can maintenance prescribing do without counselling and therapy, and can we do away with treatment altogether and just test for and sanction substance use? All three challenge the self-evident and unravel the complexities in the seemingly simple | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK