The International journal on drug policy
-
Int. J. Drug Policy · Nov 2021
Refusal to accept emergency medical transport following opioid overdose, and conditions that may promote connections to care.
Opioid overdose is a leading cause of death in the United States. Emergency medical services (EMS) encounters following overdose may serve as a critical linkage to care for people who use drugs (PWUD). However, many overdose survivors refuse EMS transport to hospitals, where they would presumably receive appropriate follow-up services and referrals. This study aims to (1) identify reasons for refusal of EMS transport after opioid overdose reversal; (2) identify conditions under which overdose survivors might be more likely to accept these services; and (3) describe solutions proposed by both PWUD and EMS providers to improve post-overdose care. ⋯ Standard of care by EMS and hospital providers following overdose reversal should include treatment for withdrawal symptoms, including buprenorphine induction; patient-centered communication; and effective linkage to prevention, treatment, and harm reduction services.
-
In January 2020 the UK left the European Union (EU), although a transition period extends EU rules/regulations until the end of 2020 while a longer-term relationship agreement is negotiated. After almost 50 years of membership the UK economy is tightly integrated into that of the EU single market, and many UK laws and regulations have their origins in the EU, including those concerning tobacco. This paper provides an overview of potential implications of Brexit for UK tobacco control. ⋯ The details of any future deal will be important, especially since virtually all UK tobacco products come from the EU, and hence would be subject to disruption/considerable new tariffs (i.e. taxation on imports) without a trade deal. We conclude that political will by the UK government to secure conditions which protect the UK's world leading tobacco control measures will be key to whether Brexit helps or hinders tobacco control in the UK. In this regards the signs are mixed.
-
Int. J. Drug Policy · May 2021
Optimizing the impact of medications for opioid use disorder at release from prison and jail settings: A microsimulation modeling study.
We examined the impact of expanded access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in a unified prison and jail system on post-release, opioid-related overdose mortality. ⋯ Expanded access to MOUD in prison and jail settings can reduce overdose mortality in a general, at-risk population. However, the real-world impact of this approach will vary by levels of incarceration, treatment enrollment, and post-release retention.
-
Int. J. Drug Policy · Feb 2021
Examining the temporality of vitamin E acetate in illicit THC-containing e-cigarette, or vaping, products from a public health and law enforcement response to EVALI - Utah, 2018-2020.
In the summer of 2019, e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) was detected in the United States. Multiple agencies reported illicit tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-containing e-cigarette, or vaping, products containing vitamin E acetate (VEA) as a substance of concern. ⋯ These findings underscore that VEA should not be added to e-cigarettes, or vaping, products and the importance of collaboration with law enforcement when responding to outbreaks associated with illicit substances.
-
Int. J. Drug Policy · Feb 2021
Why Vietnam continues to impose the death penalty for drug offences: A narrative commentary.
In several nations in Southeast Asia, illegally importing, exporting, trading, or possessing drugs is a capital offence. Like China, another communist state in Asia, Vietnam imposes its harshest legal punishments for drug-related crimes, though many international opponents have continued to call for the abolishment of these inhumane sentences. ⋯ Assessing the arguments put forward by abolitionists, retentionists, and supporters of de facto abolition allows for a more comprehensive understanding of Vietnam's stance toward the Second Optional Protocol of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which is aimed at abolishing the death penalty in the future. The article concludes with a call for further action, outlining some basic recommendations on how the Vietnamese can keep their promises to reduce, and ultimately abolish, impositions of the death penalty for drug-related crimes.