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In date order, Monday to Friday
UK ministers knew of ‘significant’ synthetic opioids threat two years ago
Despite warnings from government’s own advisers to protect people from ‘severe harm’, new controls on potent drugs were delayed for months | Guardian, UK
How the UK is facing an ‘epidemic of death’ over lethal new drug spreading across the country
Overdoses from a lethal new synthetic opioid are on the rise across the United Kingdom and Ireland and local charities say they are preparing for an ‘epidemic of death’ | Metro, UK
Reducing the harm of shisha and the need for better regulation
This local government policy paper sets out the various health and community issues caused by shisha smoking, including case studies from councils across England. It proposes steps that central government can take to strengthen and reform national legislation through introducing a shisha licensing regime | LGA, UK
Alcohol intake app Drink Less could cut down unhealthy drinking, say scientists
An app that keeps track of how much a person is drinking could help reduce their alcohol intake by around two units a week – equivalent to a medium glass of wine, scientists say | Independent, UK
Why are Britain’s rules around advertising alcohol and tobacco so different?
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts | Guardian, UK
Sales of vapes to children have reduced - council
A clampdown on the illegal sale of vapes to children in a seaside town is succeeding, a local authority has said | BBC, UK
Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 2002–2022
The age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths increased from 8.2 deaths per 100,000 standard population in 2002 to 32.6 in 2022; however, the rate did not significantly change between 2021 and 2022 | CDC, USA
In defence of the decriminalisation of drug possession in the UK
In this review article, we develop the case for the decriminalisation of drug possession in the UK by describing our ‘modest proposal’ to repeal the relevant sections of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and its advantages. We defend this proposal against possible critiques from both conservative and radical positions | Drug Science, UK
MSPs back minimum alcohol pricing increase
A committee of MSPs has backed the increase to the minimum unit price of alcohol as a minister urged councils to spend Government funding on addiction services. The change will see the floor rise from 50p to 65p from September 30 | STV News, UK
Age-restriction interventions for tobacco and nicotine vapour products in children and young people
Most smokers start in adolescence. Therefore, policies that restrict the sale of tobacco products by age have the potential to prevent smoking and related harm. We undertook a scoping review to identify evidence for two potential policies to restrict the sale and supply of tobacco to younger people | Public Health Scotland, UK
Free vapes could 'save thousands of lives' - report
Handing out free vapes to smokers in A&E departments could "save thousands of lives", a new study has found. Academics from the University of East Anglia (UEA), based in Norwich, conducted a trial in six UK emergency departments, between January and August 2022 | BBC, UK
National drug and alcohol treatment waiting times - 1 October 2023 to 31 December 2023
This release by Public Health Scotland reports on waiting times for people accessing specialist drug and alcohol treatment services between 1 October and 31 December 2023. 10,534 referrals were made to community-based specialist drug and alcohol treatment services: 5,239 (49.7%) were for problematic use of alcohol, 3,885 (36.9%) for problematic use of drugs, and 1,410 (13.4%) for co-dependency | Public Health Scotland, UK
Alcohol Consumption and Harms Dashboard
This dashboard release combines alcohol consumption and harms information from a variety of sources including NHS hospital admissions data, National Records of Scotland mortality data and Scottish Government survey data. General hospital admissions resulting from conditions wholly attributable to alcohol peaked in 2007/08 (855 per 100,000 population) but have fallen most years since and reduced by 37.5% between 2007/08 and 2022/23 (532 per 100,000) | Public Health Scotland, UK
NHS stop smoking services quarterly
This release presents information on NHS Stop Smoking Services in Scotland and their progress towards their annual Local Delivery Plan (LDP) Standard. The LDP Standard for NHS Scotland in 2023/24 is to achieve at least 7,026 self-reported successful twelve-week quits through smoking cessation services in the 40% most deprived areas | Public Health Scotland, UK
The drug users being given phones to rebuild their lives
Hundreds of drug users in Scotland have been given phones, tablets and laptops as part of a scheme to help them rebuild their lives. The initiative, which is part of a £3m project aimed at improving digital inclusion, also pays for a data plan | BBC, UK
Information page on the EMCDDA's new mandate (EUDA)
On 2 July 2024 the EMCDDA will become the EUDA. On this page, you can learn more about what this change means for the agency and its work, as well as practical information to ensure a smooth transition | EMCDDA, Portugal
New drug checking data from the Trans-European Drug Information (TEDI) network
Data from drug checking services across Europe provide us with valuable insights into drug market dynamics and can help warn users of dangerous substances in circulation. Analysing such data is part of the EMCDDA's multi-indicator approach to drug monitoring and provides crucial information for local interventions. [Yesterday], the EMCDDA released the latest drug-checking data from the Trans-European Drug Information network | EMCDDA, Portugal
Guidance: National Postmortem Toxicology Database: privacy notice
This privacy notice describes how we collect and use personal information about people who have died and have also had the presence of psychoactive drugs confirmed by a postmortem toxicological test commissioned by a coroner. It may be of interest to people at risk of drug-related death or the families of people who have died | OHID, UK
ACMD advice on acyl piperazine opioids, including 2-methyl-AP-237
This report has considered the harms and control of 2-methyl-AP-237 and other closely related acyl piperazine opioids | ACMD, UK
Dementia risk can be cut with drinking less alcohol and cutting risk of type 2 diabetes, new research suggests
40 per cent of dementia cases are potentially preventable, Dr Susan Mitchell, at Alzheimer’s Research UK | Independent, UK [See research here]