DrugWise Daily |
6th December 2023 |
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UK news
Press release: Plans progressed to create a smokefree generation
Public consultation on historic proposals draws to a close, with roughly 25,000 responses from teachers, parents, healthcare professionals and public | Department of Health and Social Care and The Rt Hon Andrea Leadsom MP, UK
We are family: Delivering more smokefree families in England (PDF)
A report by Future Health Research has shown that in England there are 1.8 million family households with children in which at least one adult smokes. Passive smoking harms children’s developing airways, lungs and immune system — which can lead to chest infections — and causes about 22,000 new cases of asthma each year in the UK | Future Health Research, UK
The Scottish Health Survey 2022 – volume 1: main report
This report presents results for the Scottish Health Survey 2022, providing information on the health and factors relating to health of people living in Scotland, including alcohol use and smoking | Scottish Government, UK
Experts call for fewer antidepressants to be prescribed in UK
Open letter to government from experts and politicians says rising usage ‘is a clear example of over-medicalisation’ | Guardian, UK
Teesside University student addiction recovery pledge
Teesside University has signed a pledge reinforcing its commitment to help students recovering from addiction | BBC, UK
Diamorphine: Clinics
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the effectiveness of Diamorphine Assisted Treatment in tackling drug-related crime | They work for you, UK
Labour plot major change to vaping if they win general election
Vapes would be made prescription-only by a Labour government to stop children getting hooked on nicotine, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said | Sun, UK
The British MPs tobacco firms love to work with
Big Tobacco has an extensive history of lobbying and influencing Westminster | i news, UK
Recovery Walk Scotland 2023 - Inverclyde - video
Over 4,000 people gathered in support of recovery in Greenock's Battery Park, Inverclyde on 23rd September 2023, to honour those we have sadly lost to addiction, to connect with one another, to celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of recovery from addiction | Scottish Recovery Consortium, UK
MV Matthew: PSNI seize items in Newry over largest-ever Irish drugs haul
Searches have taken place in Newry as part of the cross-border investigation into the largest drug seizure in the history of the Irish state | BBC, UK
New powers to tackle drug and drink misuse in Redditch
Police in Redditch have been given new powers to tackle drink and drug-fuelled anti-social behaviour, after an increase in incidents in the town | BBC, UK
Cannabis farm near Clacton sniffed out by power workers
Police officers have seized some 120 cannabis plants found growing in an outhouse | BBC, UK
International news
Off track: Shadow report for the mid-term review of the 2019 Ministerial Declaration on drugs
The 2019 Ministerial Declaration on drugs laid down the main objectives of the international community in addressing the world drug situation for a 10-year period. Drawing on a broad range of data and evidence, as well as on the experience of civil society and communities, this report shows that by 2023 there has been little, incomplete or no progress in achieving these goals | IDPC, UK
French parliament backs proposal to ban vapes
National assembly votes unanimously for move to outlaw single-use e-cigarettes, or ‘puffs’ | Guardian, UK
Dutch fightback to save teenagers from ‘narcoterrorism’ and drug gangs
Against a backdrop of surging cocaine imports and drug crime, the Netherlands has new plans to encourage young people to reject criminal careers | Guardian, UK
Fentanyl and the ‘fourth wave’ of the opioid epidemic
New research from Dr Joseph Friedman and Dr Chelsea L Shover highlights important changes in the drugs implicated in overdose deaths in North America – from the prescription drugs that characterised deaths in the early 2000s, to the fentanyl mixed with stimulants that have become a prominent feature of deaths since 2015 | SSA, UK
Study: Tobacco-related annual health care costs of US Minorities who smoke double that of white peers
The annual tobacco-related health care spend of US Minorities who smoke is double that of white adults who smoke, finds an analysis of national health and medical spend survey data, published online in the journal Tobacco Control | Medical Xpress, USA
CFSRE Monographs
In collaboration with toxicology labs, medical examiner and coroner offices, crime laboratories, clinical partners, and the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the CFSRE is documenting the first reports of NPS in the United States and around the world through analysis of toxicology samples and drug materials. The latest monographs cover N-Desethyl Etonitazene (opioid), Rilmazafone and 4'-Chlorodiazepam (benzodiazepines), MDMB-ICA, MDMB-PICA and NMDMSB (cannabinoids) | CFSRE, USA
With Xylazine, Congress Must Abandon Long-Failed Drug Policies
Xylazine, a widely-used veterinary anesthetic, has become increasingly common in unregulated drug supplies in the United States. When combined with opioids, xylazine makes their effects last longer and extends feelings of euphoria. It may also increase a person’s risk of overdose, and can cause severe skin wounds and respiratory issues, among other harms | Filter Magazine, USA
New Zealand Splits Opinion by Scrapping Smoking Ban
New Zealand’s new coalition government plans to abandon the country’s world-first policy of an incremental smoking ban, in order to fund tax cuts. Just as the original policy divided expert opinion, so has news of its repeal | Filter Magazine, USA
B.C. Premier David Eby unveils promised 'road to recovery,' seamless addiction treatment program
"(It's) is not about building new things, it's about taking what's already in operation and improving efficiency," — Dr. Seonaid Nolan, addictions-medicine specialist, Providence Health Care | Vancouver Sun, Canada
Coca in Honduras: Cultivating and Consuming Fear
Smoking crack is inhaling fear and getting addicted to the panic. That’s what White, Ángel, and David say. The three men staying in a group home in Comayagüela, the impoverished twin city of the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, share something in common. One day, they tried “the rock” — another name for crack — and were hooked immediately | Insight Crime, Colombia
Japan's parliament passes bill to legalize cannabis-derived medicines
Japan's parliament on Wednesday passed a bill to legalize medical products using substances derived from cannabis while also plugging a loophole in existing prohibitions against the drug by criminalizing its use | Japan Times, Japan
Early closing of hotels: Impacts on alcohol consumption, drunkenness, liver disease and injury mortality
Early (six o'clock) closing of hotels was introduced in 1916 in Australia to curb heavy drinking. It lasted between 21 and 51 years in four Australian states. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of early closing on alcohol consumption, liver disease mortality rates, drunkenness and various forms of injury | DAR, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Services designed by women for women - taking a gender transformative approach
Lucie Mauger, Senior Marketing Manager speaks to Helen Brewin, Innovations and Improvement Manager about taking a gender transformative approach to the design and delivery at Ophelia House | Phoenix Futures blog, UK
The forgotten frontier: why non-medical psychedelic use needs regulation
In the past few years, psychedelics have been attracting a lot more public debate and positive coverage. The so-called psychedelic renaissance has made this fascinating group of drugs a mainstream topic of debate as their medical and therapeutic potential is increasingly becoming recognised | Volteface, UK
Charlotte Nichols: ‘The government is blocking me from getting the treatment I need’
In 2021 I was the victim of a crime that resulted in me being diagnosed with PTSD. I manage my condition – which I can expect to live with perhaps indefinitely – with venlafaxine, an antidepressant, benzodiazepines for my sleep, and regular therapy | Politics.co.uk, UK
Mistletoe and Wine: Alcohol advertising at Christmas time
Exposure to alcohol adverts or other audio-visual content (AVC) in the media leads to alcohol initiation and subsequent use by adolescents [1] and continued use by adults, especially those at risk of an alcohol use disorder or those in recovery [2]. This is due to normalising alcohol use in society through social norms | IAS blog, UK
Dual Diagnosis in the UK
In the United Kingdom, the prevalence of dual diagnosis, a condition where an individual struggles with both mental health issues and substance use, is a growing concern. This is highlighted by studies showing its impact on 20-37% of individuals in mental health settings | Tony D'Agostino, UK
Buprenorphine now replaces methadone as the most common medicine for opioid dependence: 10-year trends in opioid agonist treatment medicines in Australia
NDARC’s Kendal Chidwick discusses the findings from a recently published study that examined how patterns of opioid agonist treatment medicines have changed over the past decade | NDARC blog, Australia
What can Aussie vapers expect in 2024?
What is the likely outcome from Mark Butler’s draconian restrictions on vaping? Having dusted off my crystal ball, here’s my take: Butler's ban is likely to fail, setting the stage for an eventual shift towards a more progressive vaping policy in 2025 | Colin Mendelsohn, Australia