New strategy to tackle ‘gambling harms’
A NEW THREE-YEAR STRATEGY TO REDUCE GAMBLING HARMS has been launched by the Gambling Commission, the government has announced. The strategy will bring together...
Impose £2 online slot machine limit, says cross-party report
There is ‘no justification’ for online slot machine style games to have staking levels above £2, says a report from the Gambling Related Harm...
Pharmacists allowed to dispense methadone without prescription
Pharmacists are to be allowed to give out methadone, buprenorphine and other medicines containing controlled substances such as opioids or barbiturates without a prescription...
Campaigners hail ‘monumental’ victory for US drug policy reform
The divisive and controversial American presidential election has also seen Oregon become the first US state to vote in favour of decriminalising possession of...
Heroin deaths double in just four years
The number of heroin-related deaths in England and Wales has doubled since 2012, from 579 to 1,201, according to the latest ONS figures.
Last...
New chief appointed for Addaction
Mike Dixon will take over the role of Addaction chief executive from 1 May, the organisation has announced, replacing interim chief executive Guy Pink.
Dixon...
Activists out in force for fifth Support Don’t Punish day of...
Thousands of people once again took to the streets to call for an end to the war on drugs as part of the Support...
CQC voices ‘serious concerns’ over residential detox
Clients undergoing medically supervised withdrawal in residential settings are being ‘put at risk’ by poor quality care, according to a briefing from the Care...
Regulated cannabis market would generate ‘£1bn’ in tax
Introducing a legalised, regulated cannabis market in the UK would generate ‘at least £1bn in tax income, if not more’, according to a report...
Government reverses controversial FOBT delay
The government has abandoned its plans to delay the reduction in the maximum stake allowed on fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs).
The announcement that...
We’ll introduce mandatory alcohol labelling, says Labour
Alcohol labelling that includes up-to-date drinking guidelines and nutritional information would be mandatory under a Labour government, according to shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth....
Proportion of prisoners developing drug problem doubles in five years
The proportion of prisoners who say they have developed a drug problem while in custody has doubled to almost 15 per cent since 2013-14,...
Don’t squander chance to end rough sleeping, urge parliamentarians
The government needs to establish a £100m housing support fund to avoid losing a ‘golden opportunity’ to put an end to rough sleeping, says...
Economic burden of alcohol could be almost 3 per cent of...
Combining minimum unit pricing (MUP) with increased alcohol taxation would lead to both ‘substantial’ reductions in alcohol-related harm and increases in government revenue, according...
Government unveils ‘landmark’ prison and courts bill
The government has published its prison and courts bill, which it says will pave the way for the ‘biggest overhaul of prisons in a...
US administration to use ‘all appropriate authority’ in response to opioid...
The US president, Donald Trump, has instructed his administration to use ‘all appropriate emergency and other authorities’ to respond to the country’s opioid crisis....
Training key to boosting alcohol brief interventions
Targeted training leads to a ‘significant increase’ in the delivery of alcohol brief interventions in primary care, according to new research. Specifically trained nurse...
International Remembrance Day
Demonstrators gather outside Parliament to mark International Remembrance Day
This year’s International Remembrance Day was marked by a demonstration outside Parliament that saw speeches from Professor John Strang and others. The annual event is...
Alcohol-related hospital admissions up 15 per cent in ten years
There were 338,000 hospital admissions in 2017-18 where the ‘main cause’ was a result of drinking alcohol, according to the latest figures from NHS...
Scots drug death taskforce up and running
The taskforce set up by the Scottish Government to try to address the country’s rising drug death rate will hold its first meeting later...
Betway hit with record £11m fine for failing ‘VIP’ customers
Online gambling company Betway will have to pay £11.6m for failings relating to a number of high-spending customers as well as its money-laundering responsibilities,...
Government to consult on calorie labelling for alcohol
The government will launch a consultation on plans to provide calorie labelling for alcohol, it has announced. The consultation, which will be launched before...
Government promises to ‘transform’ mental health support
Prime minister Theresa May has announced a range of measures to ‘transform’ mental health support across the country. Tackling the ‘burning injustice’ of mental...
SMMGP launches substance misuse training scheme
SMMGP has launched an updated website and ‘premium membership’ CPD scheme, which offers additional high quality professional development including regular clinical and policy updates,...
Duterte removes police from drug war
Controversial Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has removed the country’s police force from its lead role in his violent crackdown on drugs, the Philippine government...
Scots signal drug policy shift
Leading members of the Scottish Government have discussed a potential shift in policy ahead of the country’s new drug strategy, which is due to...
Extra 3p on beer would ‘raise £100m for alcohol treatment’
Increasing alcohol duties by just 1 per cent would raise around £100m a year to invest in treatment services, according to a new briefing...
Time for a compulsory tax on the gambling industry, say academics
A new compulsory levy should be placed on the gambling industry to support people with gambling problems, according to a report published in the...
Parties set out drug and alcohol manifesto pledges
The SNP is the latest political party to publish its manifesto, which repeats the party’s call for drug policy to be devolved so that...
London rough sleepers housed in hotels
More than 1,000 homeless people in London are now self-isolating in hotels and other locations during the COVID-19 outbreak, according to the mayor’s office....
A week’s units ‘for the price of a coffee’
Drinkers in England can consume their entire weekly guideline amount of alcohol for the price of a coffee, according to new research from the...
Media Savvy: the news, and the skews, in the national media
The media’s treatment of the troubled families programme, whose evaluation has recently been made public, cannot have cheered David Cameron in his last week...
Nearly two thirds of opioid users in treatment, says PHE
Sixty per cent of England’s opioid users are now in treatment – one of the highest reported international rates – according to an evidence review by...
Budget cuts spell more pain for services
Local authorities have been forced to reduce planned public health spending on services including drug and alcohol treatment by £85m as a result of...
Investigate Duterte for ‘crimes against humanity’, says Amnesty
The International Criminal Court (ICC) must ‘urgently’ open an investigation into crimes against humanity committed during Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘war on drugs’, says...
UK among biggest consumers in ‘buoyant’ cocaine market
Cocaine purity levels in Europe are at their highest for a decade, according to the latest EMCDDA annual report, with a ‘buoyant’ market and...
All change for alcohol charities
A new alcohol charity has been launched following the merger of Alcohol Concern with Alcohol Research UK (DDN, April 2017, page 5). Alcohol Change...
NHS to open young persons’ gambling clinic
The country’s first NHS gambling clinic for children is to open this year, NHS England has announced.
The move is a response to ‘growing...
Almost 30 countries now have some form of decriminalisation
Twenty-nine countries – or 49 jurisdictions – worldwide have now adopted some form of decriminalisation for drug use or possession for personal use, according to...
‘Resilient’ organised crime groups adapting to pandemic conditions
‘Active and resilient’ organised crime groups have been successfully adapting their drug trafficking routes, transportation models and concealment methods during the COVID-19 pandemic, according...
First national guidance on tackling street drinking issued
The first national guidance on tackling street drinking has been launched by the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs). Written by Alcohol Concern...
Take alcohol ads off the streets, Scottish Government urged
Alcohol advertising should be removed from streets, parks and public transport, according to a new report from Alcohol Focus Scotland. The document also wants...
Scots drug death toll the highest yet
Scotland has once again recorded its highest ever number of drug-related deaths, at 867. The 2016 figure is 23 per cent higher than the...
West Midlands PCC proposes consumption rooms and prescribed heroin
A range of proposed harm reduction measures to cut drug-related crime and deaths, and reduce costs to public services, has been set out by...
Cocaine and ecstasy driving increase in class A use
Around 1.1m adults took a class A drug in the last year, according to the latest Home Office figures, 3 per cent up on...
Government announces drugs and violence review
The government has appointed Professor Dame Carol Black to lead a wide-ranging review into ‘the ways in which drugs are fuelling serious violence’. Professor...
Millions being prescribed potentially addictive drugs
Millions of people in England are being prescribed potentially addictive medications, according to the findings of a major review by Public Health England (PHE).
Announced...
Disappointment for campaigners looking for alcohol duty increase
Duty rates for for beer, cider and spirits have been frozen in the 2020 budget, disappointing health campaigners who had been urging the government...
Tayside achieves world first in effectively eliminating hep C
NHS Tayside in Scotland has become the first region in the world to effectively eliminate hepatitis C, with 90 per cent of patients diagnosed...
Irish liver cancer rates up 300 per cent in two decades
The number of primary liver cancers in Ireland increased by more than 300 per cent between 1994 and 2014, according to figures from the...
Wiltshire police issue Xanax warning
Police in Wiltshire have issued a warning to parents following incidents in which around 20 young people in the Salisbury area have received medical...
Even moderate drinking can have ‘negative impact’ on children
Nearly a fifth of children have experienced embarrassment as a result of their parents’ drinking, according to a report from the Institute of Alcohol...
Government to set up county lines ‘coordination centre’
The government is to establish a £3.6m National County Lines Coordination Centre as part of its new Serious Violence Strategy.
The strategy identifies ‘the changing...
One in 20 global deaths caused by alcohol, says WHO
More than 3m people died as a result of harmful alcohol use in 2016, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), representing one in...
County Concerns
The Home Office has produced a series of posters to help staff working in social housing identify potential victims of county lines activity and...
Heroin assisted treatment pilot launches in Glasgow
Scotland’s first heroin-assisted treatment service has been launched in Glasgow, the city council has announced. The Enhanced Drug Treatment Service (EDTS) will treat people...
Regular drinkers consuming more during lockdown
Almost 20 per cent of daily drinkers are consuming more alcohol during the coronavirus lockdown, according to research commissioned by Alcohol Change UK.
However,...
Middlesbrough HAT pilot has ‘dramatic impact’
The Middlesbrough heroin assisted treatment (HAT) pilot launched last year (DDN, November 2019, page 5) has had a ‘dramatic impact’, according to the programme’s...
Glasgow considers case for UK’s first consumption room
Glasgow could become the site of the UK’s first consumption room, after the Glasgow City Joint Integration Board officially approved the development of a...
Deaths in prison hit record levels
Last year saw a record 354 deaths in prison custody, according to figures from the Ministry of Justice – an increase of nearly 100...
Delayed drug strategy promises ‘national recovery champion’
The government’s long-awaited drug strategy has finally been published, and includes both a new ‘national recovery champion’ role and a cross-government drug strategy board...
Sustained budget cuts having severe impact on treatment system
The treatment sector’s ability to absorb funding cuts through efficiency savings and service redesign has been ‘exhausted’, according to the latest State of the...
Home secretary announces medicinal cannabis review
The government is to undertake a review of the medicinal use of cannabis, home secretary Sajid Javid has announced. The move follows headline stories...
North South Charity Merger
Health and social care charity Humankind and London-based alcohol and drug charity Blenheim CDP have announced they are intending to merge in April 2019...
‘Biased’ classification fuelling drug problem, says Global Commission
Biased historical classification of psychoactive substances has been a significant contribution to the world drug problem, according to a new report from the Global...
Scottish off-sales down almost 4 per cent since MUP
The volume of off-trade alcohol sales in Scotland dropped by 3.6 per cent in the year following the introduction of minimum unit pricing (MUP),...
Scottish off-sales down 5 per cent in year after MUP
Sales of alcohol from supermarkets and off-licences in Scotland fell between 4 and 5 per cent in the year after minimum unit pricing (MUP)...
Government rules out benefit sanctions for refusing treatment
People with drug and alcohol problems should not be made to undergo treatment in order to claim benefits, according to a long-awaited review by...
Durham police to offer heroin-assisted treatment
Durham Constabulary is planning to become the first police force in England to offer heroin-assisted treatment to problem drug users.
Under the proposals, people whose...
Leeds peer support launched for people with hepatitis C
A new peer-led group has been launched in Leeds to support people with hepatitis C. Staff from Forward Leeds are aiming to help clients gain support...
NHS England sets out ambitious plans to eradicate hep C
England could be the first country to eliminate hepatitis C, according to plans announced by the NHS. The health service has called on the...
Record drug deaths for England and Wales
England and Wales have once again recorded their highest ever number of drug-related deaths, according to the latest figures from the Office for National...
Tougher rules to protect children from gambling ads
New standards to protect children from ‘irresponsible’ gambling adverts have been published by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP). The new guidelines prohibit online...
Nearly 100,000 could be unaware they have hep C
Up to two thirds of the estimated 143,000 people in the UK living with a chronic hepatitis C infection may be unaware they have...
Sales of low-alcohol beers up 30 per cent
Sales of no-alcohol and low-alcohol – or ‘nolo’ – beers have increased by 30 per cent since 2016, according to a report from the...
Northern Ireland to consult on minimum pricing
Northern Ireland is to launch a ‘full consultation’ on minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol, its health minister Robin Swann has announced. The decision...
Media Savvy September 2016
Cheers, Theresa. The PM is already showing the sort of common sense her predecessor frequently lacked. The slapdown for top doc Dame Sally Davies...
Doctors call for urgent tobacco control plan
More than 1,000 doctors and other healthcare professionals have written an open letter to prime minister Theresa May and health secretary Jeremy Hunt calling...
Family members urged to share their experiences
A major new national survey on the impact of addiction and recovery on family members has been launched by Adfam and Sheffield Hallam University,...
Welsh Government moves to introduce minimum pricing
A new Welsh Government bill aims to establish a minimum unit price for alcohol, and make it an offence for alcohol to be supplied...
International study supports low UK alcohol guidelines
The UK’s comparatively low threshold for recommended safe drinking levels has been supported by a major new study.
As international low-risk drinking guidelines vary substantially,...
England sees ‘sharp decline’ in youth drinking
The last 15 years have seen a ‘sharp decline’ in drinking levels among young people in England, according to a new report from the...
British ‘get drunk’ more regularly than other nationalities
British people who drink get drunk more regularly than other nationalities, according to the latest Global drug survey. Respondents in the UK reported getting...
Drug poisoning admissions continue to rise
Last year saw more than 18,000 hospital admissions for poisoning by drug misuse in England, according to figures from NHS Digital, an increase of...
Coronavirus guidance issued for providers and commissioners
New guidance for commissioners and treatment providers during the COVID-19 outbreak has been issued by Public Health England (PHE) and the Department for Health...
More than half of over 50s drinking at risky levels
More than 50 per cent of over 50s are drinking at levels that ‘could cause health problems now or in the future’, according to...
Scottish courts uphold minimum pricing plans
A legal challenge from the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) and others against the Scottish Government’s plans to introduce minimum unit pricing for alcohol has...
Duterte temporarily suspends his ‘war on drugs’
Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has announced a temporary suspension of his violent ‘war on drugs’ while he addresses the problem of police corruption.
He told...
Sarah Newton MP comments on the new drug strategy
The new drug strategy represents a 'balanced approach' to enforcement and support, says Sarah Newton, minister for crime, safeguarding and vulnerability.
The shocking pictures of people using ‘spice’...
Naloxone provision ‘chronically inadequate’, says Release
Levels of naloxone provision by local authorities are ‘chronically inadequate’ and ‘certainly not sufficient to prevent opioid deaths to any meaningful extent’, according to...
Minimum pricing law passed in Wales
The National Assembly for Wales has approved the introduction of minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol. Approval of the Public Health (Minimum Price for...
Scots look to ban TV alcohol ads before 9pm
The Scottish Government’s new alcohol strategy includes a range of plans to tighten marketing regulations. The Scots will ‘press the UK Government to protect...
County lines gangs recruiting ever-younger children
Children as young as seven are being exploited by county lines drug gangs, according to a new report from The Children’s Society. While those...
Homeless people dying of preventable substance problems
At least 12,000 people experiencing homelessness went without drug and alcohol treatment in 2018, according to research by St Mungo’s – a year that...
Time to ban all gambling ads, say MPs
The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Gambling Related Harm has called for a ban on all gambling advertising as well as a complete...
Frontline staff worn down by alcohol-fuelled behaviour
Alcohol-related behaviour is having a severe impact on the ability of emergency services staff to do their jobs, according to a report from the...
Government expands ‘evidence-based’ drugs education
Public Health England (PHE) has announced a new three-year contract for Mentor UK to expand its ADEPIS education programme to more schools and community...
Be overdose aware
Yesterday (31 August) marked International Overdose Awareness Day, a global event designed to spread the message that ‘the tragedy of overdose death is preventable’,...
Scotland confirms alcohol minimum unit price at 50p
The Scottish Government has confirmed that it will recommend the country’s minimum price per unit of alcohol be set at 50p, following the results...
Hep C deaths down 11 per cent in a year
Deaths from hepatitis C-related end-stage liver disease fell by 11 per cent last year compared to 2016, according to new figures from Public Health...
Welsh Government to press ahead with 50p minimum price
The Welsh Government has committed to introducing a 50p minimum unit price for alcohol, following the results of a public consultation. ‘Ministers remain of...
Two in five homeless deaths now drug-related
There were an estimated 726 deaths of homeless people in England and Wales registered during 2018, according to the latest figures from the Office...
Government’s coronavirus advice on protecting rough sleepers ‘inadequate’, says Crisis
The government’s new COVID-19 guidance for hostels or day centres for people rough sleeping is inadequate and fails to include measures that would allow...
Home secretary ‘minded to’ explicitly exempt poppers from Psychoactive Substances Act
The home secretary, Priti Patel, has written to the ACMD seeking its advice on formally exempting alkyl nitrates – or ‘poppers’ – from the...
‘A national tragedy’ – Record drug fatalities for Scotland
Scotland has once again recorded its highest ever number of drug-related deaths, at 706 – almost two per day.
The 2015 figures are 15 per...
Campaigners call for total alcohol advertising ban
Existing regulations are failing to protect young people from exposure to alcohol advertising and the ‘subsequent drinking’ it leads to, according to a collection...
Lib Dems promise legal cannabis market
The Liberal Democrats have made a manifesto commitment to decriminalise the possession of illegal drugs for personal use and introduce a ‘legal, regulated’ market...
Release mounts powerful anniversary exhibition
Release is marking its 50th anniversary with a pop-up exhibition showing the impact of drug policies on communities worldwide. The Museum of Drug Policy...
More support for children of alcohol-dependent parents
The government has pledged to increase support for children living with alcohol-dependent parents. The plans include faster identification of at-risk children – including those...
Prisoners dying ‘preventable deaths’ because of NPS, says ombudsman
Prisoners are dying ‘preventable deaths – particularly as a result of the alarming levels of drug abuse in jails’, says the annual report of the...
Correct methadone dosage vital for people being treated for TB
Methadone dose optimisation is vital when treating people on opioid substitution programmes for tuberculosis (TB) and other conditions, according to new research.
Researchers at Aston...
Almost 70 per cent of 20-year-olds gamble
Sixty eight per cent of 20-year-olds had participated in gambling in the last year, according to a study by GambleAware. While this fell slightly...
Substance misuse staff eligible for testing
People working in drug and alcohol treatment are among those now eligible for coronavirus testing if they develop symptoms, the government has announced.
While testing...
GHB should be reclassified, says ACMD
GHB, GBL and related compound 1,4-BD should be reclassified as class B substances, the ACMD has stated in a letter to home secretary Priti...
A round-up of national news: November 2016
OPIUM UP
Afghan opium production has soared by 43 per cent compared to 2015 levels, according to UNODC’s latest Afghanistan opium survey. The increase –...
Let’s talk about sex work
A new guide to the legal framework around sex work has been published by Release. As well as setting out the criminal offences related...
Recovery focus for updated ‘Orange Book’
The government has published the updated version of its Drug misuse and dependence: UK guidelines on clinical management, usually referred to as the Orange...
Media language enabling discrimination, says Global Commission
Negative portrayals in the media and politics are reinforcing the perception that drug use is ‘immoral’ and people who use drugs are a threat...
Campaigners call for urgent reform in sixth annual day of action
The sixth Support. Don’t Punish global day of action is taking place on 26 June. Last year saw events in more than 200 cities...
It’s time to get tested, urges PHE
Public Health England (PHE) and NHS England have launched a nationwide exercise to identify and treat people who have previously been diagnosed with hepatitis...
Time to investigate Duterte for crimes against humanity, says Amnesty
The UN Human Rights Council should immediately open an investigation into Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘war on drugs’, states a report from Amnesty International.
The Philippine president’s...
Have your say on alcohol harm
A new Commission on Alcohol Harm has been launched with a call for written evidence. The commission has been established in the absence of...
Government announces interim housing plans for rough sleepers
New funding from the Treasury will provide ‘interim support’ for 15,000 vulnerable people placed in temporary accommodation during the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has...
Around 9,000 children are ‘problem gamblers’
Approximately 450,000 children in England and Wales are now gambling every week, according to a report from the Gambling Commission, with around 9,000 of...
Decriminalise possession to ease prison crisis, say Lib Dems
The Liberal Democrats have called for the possession of drugs for personal use to be decriminalised as a way of easing the overcrowding problem...
Boost harm reduction to halt deaths, government urged
The government needs to ensure that the provision of the ‘whole range’ of harm reduction initiatives is in place to address increasing rates of drug-related deaths,...
Most UK cannabis now ‘high potency’
Almost 95 per cent of cannabis seized by police in 2016 was of a high potency variety, according to a report from King’s College,...
Relax laws on e-cigarettes, urge MPs
Regulations on the licensing, prescribing and advertising of e-cigarettes need to be relaxed, says a report from Parliament’s cross-party Science and Technology Committee. Despite...
Home Office gives go-ahead for pilot drug-testing scheme
The Home Office has granted the UK’s first official licence for a drug checking service. Anyone over the age of 18 can now take...
Middlesbrough launches heroin-assisted treatment programme
A pilot heroin-assisted treatment (HAT) programme is being launched in Middlesbrough, the local police and crime commissioner (PCC) has announced. The programme will concentrate...
Government announces £3.2m emergency funds for rough sleepers
Emergency funding totalling £3.2m to help rough sleepers to self-isolate has been announced by communities secretary Robert Jenrick. Homelessness organisations have been highly critical...
Government to scrap PHE
The government is to abolish Public Health England (PHE), it has announced. A new organisation, The National Institute for Health Protection (NIHP), will instead...
National News, September 2016
END THE KILLINGS
UNODC executive director Yury Fedotov has condemned the ‘apparent endorsement of extrajudicial killing’ of suspected drug offenders in the Philippines by president...
FDAP closes and transfers functions to SMMGP
The Federation of Drug and Alcohol Professionals (FDAP) is to close at the end of this month, it has been announced. In a statement...
Lifeline to close after almost 50 years
The Lifeline Project, which provides services to around 80,000 people, is to close as a result of financial difficulties. Staff at the charity, which...
Trump declares opioid crisis ‘a public health emergency’
US president Donald Trump has declared the country’s opioid crisis a ‘nationwide public health emergency’ and said that he is ‘mobilising his entire administration’...
Universities and colleges ‘failing to protect’ students from drug harms
Educational institutions are failing to protect their students from the ‘potential harms of drugs’, according to a report from the National Union of Students...
Racial disparity in stop and search increasing, says report
Black people are nine times more likely to be stopped and searched for drugs in England and Wales than white people, according to a...
Scots record highest ever drug-related hospital admissions
Scotland has seen a fourfold increase in drug-related hospital stays in the last 20 years, according to the latest figures from the Scottish NHS....
Shutting up shop
The crisis in funding has dominated the sector for years, but with many big names now closing their doors the situation for residential facilities...
Online COVID-19 support tool launched in Scotland
An online tool has been launched to update on changes to treatment and pharmacy services during COVID-19
Service users search for the ‘wow factor’
Service users in London have been discovering their ‘wow factor’ – ways of wellbeing – at a conference coproduced with Central and NorthWest London NHS Foundation...
Leeds launches ‘Like My Limit’ alcohol campaign
Forward Leeds is among local services launching initiatives for Alcohol Awareness Week, 14-20 November. Their Like My Limit campaign aims to reach 17,000 dependent...
FDAP members offered support and development by SMMGP
SMMGP has reassured members of the Federation of Drug and Alcohol Professionals (FDAP) that they will be fully supported throughout their takeover of the...
Tobacco plan aims for ‘smoke-free generation’
The government has published its new tobacco control plan, outlining that its vision is ‘nothing less than to create a smoke-free generation’. Earlier this...
Three in five drinking ‘to cope’
Almost 60 per cent of adults who drink are ‘doing so because it helps them to cope with the pressures of day-to-day life’, according...
Opiates and cocaine ‘bigger global health threat than ever’
Record-high production levels for opiates and cocaine, coupled with expanding drug markets, mean the drugs are now a ‘bigger global threat to public health...
‘Health approach’ for new Scots drugs strategy
Scotland’s new drugs strategy will take a ‘health approach’ and address wider problems such as housing, mental health, family support and employment, the Scottish...
Scotland’s drug death toll at record high
Scotland has yet again recorded its highest ever number of drug-related fatalities, with 1,187 registered in 2018.
The number, which was described as ‘shocking’ by...
Alcohol-related hospital admissions up 20 per cent in a decade
Alcohol was the main reason for almost 360,000 hospital admissions in 2018-19, according to new figures from NHS Digital – a 6 per cent...
Urgent action needed to address lockdown ‘time bomb’, warns Adfam
People coping with a loved one’s drug use, drinking or gambling have been hard hit by the COVID-19 lockdown, according to a new survey...