Injections ‘next revolution’ in HIV - study
The "next revolution" in HIV could see daily drugs replaced with just six doses a year, say scientists.
WHO urges action against HIV drug resistance threat
WHO alerts countries to the increasing trend of resistance to HIV drugs detailed in a report based on national surveys conducted in several countries. The Organization warns that this growing threat could undermine global progress in treating and preventing HIV infection if early and effective action is not taken.
Legalising: the key to ending the war on drugs?
Should we legalise all drugs? If you asked your friends and family this question it might invoke an emotive response, one of fear and trepidation. But what if we’re all in some degree of agreement but we just don’t realise it?
The scales have tipped—UNAIDS announces 19.5 million people on life-saving treatment and AIDS-related deaths halved since 2005
The 90–90–90 targets are galvanizing global action and saving lives. Eastern and southern Africa leading the way in reducing new HIV infections by nearly 30% since 2010—Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda and Zimbabwe have reduced new HIV infection by nearly 40% or more since 2010. Concerted efforts still needed for children, adolescents, men and key populations, and in certain regions.
For Many Prisoners With HIV, Getting Care Is Harder After Release
Researchers at the University of North Carolina and Texas Christian University reviewed the transition of HIV-infected individuals from incarceration back into their communities. They found 40 percent of the individuals interviewed were unable to sustain viral suppression six months after community re-entry.
HIV treatment has come a long way – but there's still work to do
Gonorrhoea. Syphilis. Words my patients hear and tend to shudder at. But sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, have been around for centuries, unfussy about whose genitalia they infect and ready to wreak whole-body havoc on those who don’t access testing and treatment.
Dublin Drug Policy Summit: Policing, safe injecting facilities and decriminalisation
This is the report of proceedings from the Dublin Drug Policy Summit, which was held in Dublin on 20th January 2017. The summit was hosted and organised by the Ana Liffey Drug Project, and brought together national and international experts in drug policy to talk about two key issues in current Irish drug policy – supervised injecting facilities and the decriminalisation of possession of drugs for personal use.
Promoting healthier lifestyles for prisoners: a good practice guide
This good practice guide, designed for prison officials, looks at the potential to improve prisoners’ health and lifestyles.
Investment in harm reduction for people who use drugs – new research reveals critical shortfalls in some European countries
Harm Reduction International (HRI) recently published a report on harm reduction investment in the European Union, providing a snapshot of investment in harm reduction services in 18 EU countries. It highlights alarming shortfalls in funding for vital harm reduction services in several countries. We spoke to HRI’s Head of Research, Catherine Cook, about the research and what it revealed.
HAREACT: Luxembourg meeting - presentations
The two days meeting (29-30 June) was devoted to the implementation of harm reduction in prisons in Luxembourg, the problems faced and how these are overcome.
The War on Drugs is ending all over the world. Global experts arrive tomorrow to tell our politicians
Around the world the War on Drugs has failed; in New Zealand our aging drug law punishes and imprisons drug users. This week the New Zealand Drug Foundation has brought drug reformers to speak at Parliament to guide our laws into the 21st century. Simon Day asks if our politicians will finally listen.
New opioid restrictions create greater drug crisis, doctors say
Desperate for relief from unbearable pain following knee surgery, Lorna Bird says she was forced to buy drugs from the Downtown Eastside streets of Vancouver when her doctor stopped prescribing an opioid in response to new standards aimed at preventing fatal overdoses.
Majority of young women who use opioid use another substance like heroin, cocaine or nicotine as well
Using multiple substances -- some legal, some illegal -- alongside opioids is the norm, not the exception, for reproductive-age women
Naloxone on Wheels training program launches in St. John's
A needle exchange program in St. John's is trying to prevent drug deaths by making naloxone training more accessible. The recent spike in opioid overdoses on the northeast Avalon have some people eager to get training on how to use naloxone — an antidote kit that reverses the drug's effects.
Skewed Stories
In Canada, not disclosing your HIV status to a sex partner can, in some circumstances, be deemed a crime. Media stories of people prosecuted for not disclosing their status show Black men on trial in disproportionate numbers. What impact does this have on African, Caribbean and Black communities? Sané Dube investigates.
Drug decriminalisation in Portugal: setting the record straight
Portugal decriminalised the possession of all drugs for personal use in 2001, and there now exists a significant body of evidence on what happened following the move. Both opponents and advocates of drug policy reform are sometimes guilty of misrepresenting this evidence, with the former ignoring or incorrectly disputing the benefits of reform, and the latter tending to overstate them.
Inspection Reveals HMP Birmingham Is Getting More Violent
Violence is increasing and the safety of prisoners is at risk at HMP Birmingham, according to a damning report on an inspection carried out in February this year. The violence in this inner-city prison, where there was a riot on December 2016, is said to be related to the high volume of illegal drugs inside.
Mental health in prisons
Government does not know how many people in prison have a mental illness, how much it is spending on mental health in prisons or whether it is achieving its objectives. It is therefore hard to see how Government can be achieving value for money in its efforts to improve the mental health and well being of prisoners. In 2016 there were 40,161 incidents of self-harm in prisons and 120 self-inflicted deaths.
Why opioid deaths are this generation’s Aids crisis
The soaring numbers of deaths from overdoses in the US and UK requires a radical and fast rethink of drugs policy.
Hepatitis C, HIV and tuberculosis cause greatest harm for drug users globally
The UNODC highlights disease burden, increased opioid abuse and a lack of treatment access in their global state of drug use report.