NEWS ROUND-UP
Scotland ‘ sleep walking ’ back to record alcohol deaths
Urgent action is needed to turn the alcohol ‘ tide of harm ’ in Scotland , says a call from more than 30 medical organisations and charities . Without it the country could be ‘ sleep walking our way back to the record levels of deaths we saw in the early 2000s ’, states Alcohol Focus Scotland . Signatories to the statement include SHAAP , BMA Scotland , the British Liver Trust , WithYou and several royal colleges .
In 2021 there were 1,245 deaths from ‘ conditions caused by alcohol ’ in Scotland ( DDN , September 2022 ), the highest number since 2008 – although the figure is still lower than at the turn of the millennium . Scotland ’ s first minister , Humza Yousaf , needs to show ‘ strong leadership ’, the organisations state , and prioritise ‘ increased and sustained ’ investment in a full range of alcohol services including community-based , residential , peer-led and mutual aid options , as well as renewing the commitment to tightening marketing regulations .
While Scotland had launched a consultation into restricting marketing late last year ( www . drinkanddrugsnews . com / scotsconsult-on-alcohol-marketingcurbs ), Yousaf has confirmed that proposals such as banning billboard advertising and phasing out sports sponsorship deals have now been paused following concerns from ‘ an industry which is already facing challenges on multiple fronts ’.
Identification and testing for people at risk of liver disease in primary care also needs to be improved , the organisations state , with alcohol care teams set up in hospitals for earlier identification of people with underlying alcohol problems . The minimum unit price should also be increased to 65p , they add , while an ‘ alcohol harm prevention levy ’ should be introduced on retailers to help fund prevention and treatment .
‘ Alcohol is Scotland ’ s drug of choice ,’ said Alcohol Focus Scotland chief executive Alison Douglas . ‘ It is addictive and
‘ It ’ s 16 months since the Scottish Government rightly recognised there is a “ public health emergency ” on alcohol , but there has been no plan to address it .’
ALISON DOUGLAS
carcinogenic . Yet because it is promoted as an everyday product , essential to having fun and relaxing , we are blinkered to the reality of the high levels of damage it causes . It ’ s 16 months since the Scottish Government rightly recognised there is a ‘ public health emergency ’ on alcohol , but there has been no plan to address it . The first minister and his new team must
act urgently to improve access to treatment and support and deliver on prevention , including by uprating the minimum unit price and by introducing meaningful marketing restrictions that protect people from being bombarded by alcohol ads .’
Full briefing paper , Emergency response required to prevent deaths from alcohol , at www . alcohol-focus-scotland . org . uk
SSCs on the rise in Europe
THREE ‘ SEMI-SYNTHETIC ’ CANNABINOIDS ( SSCS ) HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED on the European drug market over the last year , says EMCDDA , which may ‘ signal the first major new change in the market for “ legal ” replacements to cannabis ’ since Spice-type products emerged around 15 years ago .
The agency has issued a new report on hexahydrocannabinol ( HHC ) – which is synthesised from cannabidiol ( CBD ) from cannabis plants – and related substances . HHC was identified in Europe in May last year , and EMCDDA has been monitoring it as an NPS for the last six months . HHC is not controlled in most European countries , although identifications have been reported by 20 EU member states as well as Norway , and the drug has also been found on sale in the US .
Two more SSCs , HC acetate ( HHC-O ) and hexahydrocannabiphorol ( HHC-P ), have also since been identified in Europe , says EMCDDA . HHC appears to have ‘ broadly similar ’ effects to THC , the main psychoactive substance in cannabis , the agency states . The drug is currently sold openly as a cannabis alternative in ‘ a range of highly attractive branded and unbranded products ’, including edibles , oils , vape pens and e-liquids .
The pharmacological and behavioural effects of HHC in humans have not been studied , although ‘ recent anecdotal reports from consumers indicate that its effects might be similar to that of cannabis ’, says EMCDDA . New consumers – including young and inexperienced people – may be attracted by its legal status , EMCDDA points out , along with its ease of access in high street CBD and vape shops .
Hexahydrocannabinol ( HHC ) and related substances at www . emcdda . europa . eu
Scottish drug deaths stable
THE AVERAGE WEEKLY NUMBER OF SUSPECTED DRUG DEATHS in Scotland was ‘ broadly stable ’ from December 2022 to the end February 2023 , according to the latest RADAR quarterly report from Public Health Scotland ( PHS ). This compares to the ‘ fluctuating trends ’ that saw a spike in the final quarter of last year ( DDN , April , page 5 ).
There was an average monthly total of 96 suspected drug deaths in December 2022 to February 2023 , PHS states , the same average monthly total as in December 2021 to February 2022 . The average weekly number of drug-related hospital admissions was also ‘ considerably lower ’ than expected between October and December 2022 , the report adds , while drug-related attendances at emergency departments remained stable .
Report at https :// publichealthscotland . scot /
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