EUIPO - European Union Intellectual Property Office’s Post

We detained over 700,000 units of fake and other illegal medicines in the first six months of 2024. This is a sharp increase in the volume of illegal medicines detained in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year. In a press release issued today, we highlight the serious health risks associated with these illegal and unregulated medicines coming into the country. Read our press release to learn more: https://lnkd.in/dygJFUDU #PublicHealth  #FakeMedicines  #IllegalMedicines

Happy World Statistics Day! 🌍📈 Today, we celebrate the power of data in shaping our understanding of the world around us. Did you know that over half of people aged 12 and older have used illicit drugs at least once? Did you know that over 57 million people use tobacco or nicotine products? It's important people understand the prevalence of these issues in our communities so that we can work towards reducing the usage of harmful substances. Let’s use this day to spread knowledge, challenge misconceptions, and advocate for effective solutions. Together, we can turn numbers into action! 💪✨ #SubstanceUseAwareness #DataForChange #DrugPrevention #CommunityHealth #956 #RGV

⏰TIME TO REGISTER Feb 3 webinar Just like technology, drug trends change daily. There are many new substances that are in full circulation in the US that the public has little to or no knowledge of. These new illicit drugs present a huge risk to responders, family members, community leaders, and users. Some of these drugs aren’t even illegal yet by some state statutes but are causing overdoses and overdose deaths daily. During this webinar, Bill Loucks will cover some of these new substances, their routes of administration, and the hazards from exposure while mitigating these new drugs. He will also cover the continuous emerging threats from fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine.   👉Click Here to Register for this Feb 3 Webinar: https://lnkd.in/g3mjwvEM #drugs #trends #crime #lawenforcement #criminaljustice

Glasgow have opened the first safer drug consumption facility (SDCF) in the UK, in the hope that it will help addicts to consume drugs safely, seek support and more generally reduce the risk of blood-borne viruses. Read more about it in our recent article ⬇️🗞️ #Glasgow #SaferConsumption #HarmReduction #PublicHealth #DrugPolicy #AddictionSupport #HealthInnovation https://lnkd.in/eFdKY4Rt

Myth. Here’s the truth: Every child can face pressures and challenges that might lead them down a risky path. Open, honest conversations about the dangers of drugs can be a powerful tool in helping them make informed decisions. Source: https://lnkd.in/gqtZDb6Q   #DFCAparents #DFCAlifeskills #teens #drugfree #druguseprevention #healthyteens #safeteens #peerpressure #parentsagainstdrugs #makinggoodchoices #saynotodrugs #positivereinforcement #drugfreeclubs #youthdrugprevention #drugfreeschoolprograms #DrugFreeClubsofAmerica

Colleagues, make sure your folks know about this information on #fentanyl and how deadly it is. So much on the Internet/web/social media is "hype/misinformation" right now to get people upset. It’s tough to know what is actually a threat… This threat of fentanyl is real, in your office space/communities and schools in the US. If you think it’s not in your community, you are likely wrong.   Make sure your junior leaders/teachers/kids, people you mentor, know about fentanyl and to “Call 911 immediately” if exposure/use is suspected. I hope you/your schools, have antidotes on hand to administer and the training to use it.  (Relatively simple to use)   This fentanyl isn't a drug “buzz”, that will just go away in a bit of time, like the stuff many people grew up with or experimented, even just a few years ago....... Folks just die, often, first time exposed, likely unexpectedly…. Unless you have an antidote on hand, there are likely no second chances with this stuff.  To fellow military/combat veterans, it’s similar to the chemical weapons some of us faced in South Korea and the Middle East....  Some of that training applies directly here.  Be very careful. You can be sure the First Responders and DEA folks know how "deadly" this stuff is even in tiny quantities…. No need to have your family member end up with their picture on the wall of DEA Headquarters “Faces of Fentanyl” of our Headquarters building.   If you visit, it’s a good “gut check” for teenagers to see.  (Check out the public display, if you are visiting the Pentagon, in Virginia. DEA Headquarters is right across the street next to the Pentagon City Mall, and has an updated high tech public museum. Tourists/visitors from all countries welcome #facesoffentanyl Of note for those of you outside the US who think you are safe from this, (Military Bases/Diplomatic Postings/Foreign Counterparts): My understanding is that fentanyl hasn't hit Europe/Asia much "yet".... We will see what happens when that occurs. I predict a substantial loss of life in Europe/Asia based on historic trade patterns in the next several years. Hopefully these other places will learn from what the US is experiencing and put safeguards in place now, to curtail your death rates from this fentanyl. Good luck, rest of world. BTW, I'm not only a member of the Drug Enforcement Administration, I'm a parent of a teenager here in Virginia. This is arguably the nastiest threat I’ve dealt with in my career. I’m confident with our fine Law Enforcement Counterparts and those in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Intelligence Community (IC) that we will help curtail this.NIU Alumni Association We dealt with other threats; we will deal with this one…. Do your part. I'm not writing this as a "DEA Employee". This is me as a parent who has lived all over the world also as a diplomat and a US soldier.   We care for you folks, that’s why we serve... Thank you Virginia Fentanyl and Substance Awareness VFSA

Substances can severely disrupt the body’s systems. Stimulants elevate heart rate and blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart attacks or strokes, while depressants slow breathing, leading to potential respiratory failure. Prolonged use puts immense strain on vital organs, causing lasting damage to overall health. #fagieducate #drugabuse #addiction #staystrong #stayfocused #drugfreelife #365daysofawareness #saynotodrugs #drugabuseprevention #staytue #drugabuseawareness #drugfree #preventionovercure DovesMind Synergy National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) national drug law enforcement agency ndlea

Myth. Here’s the truth: Every child can face pressures and challenges that might lead them down a risky path. Open, honest conversations about the dangers of drugs can be a powerful tool in helping them make informed decisions. Source: https://lnkd.in/gYDauz5N   #DFCAparents #DFCAlifeskills #teens #drugfree #druguseprevention #healthyteens #safeteens #peerpressure #parentsagainstdrugs #makinggoodchoices #saynotodrugs #positivereinforcement #drugfreeclubs #youthdrugprevention #drugfreeschoolprograms #DrugFreeClubsofAmerica

Headlines like this really raise my blood pressure! Let’s break down why they’re so problematic. Firstly, they paint an overly simplistic picture. Waste water monitoring is a just one instrument, and it can only tell us so much. Reading some of these stories, you’d be forgiven for thinking Adelaide is the ‘meth capital of Australia’ and there is an alarming increase in ketamine across the country. That’s not quite what’s happening. As someone who has spent 35 years working in the drug and alcohol sector, I’m passionate about following the evidence. We need to look beyond the quick headline and drill down into the detail. These stats are released every few months by The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. While they give us a snapshot of a moment in time in certain places, they shouldn’t be extrapolated to make sweeping assumptions. They don’t give us the human story of who is using certain substances, why, or under what circumstances. We don’t know from these figures, for example, if a small number of people are using illicit drugs in large quantities or if a large proportion of people are using in small amounts or if the strength of the detected drugs has increased. And can we really say that everyone captured in this data represents a trend across any given state? There is no accounting for place of residence in the figures or cultural events that attract more visitors to an area. This data also doesn’t tell us anything about the harms caused. While alcohol use may have dipped for this particular period, the harm caused by alcohol – not just to the individual but to the people around them – is often greater than the harm caused by illicit drugs. All long-term trends point to that increasing, not decreasing. There is a degree of moral panic in the way these stats are reported. When we look at drug use purely through a law enforcement lens, this tends to happen. It partly explains why 70 per cent of the funding to ‘combat’ drug and alcohol use is channelled into law enforcement and only around 20 per cent to treatment. Relying on one simple measure without any context will provide a skewed perspective that doesn’t actually help the people who need support the most. We need to avoid reductive and alarmist conclusions from one piece of data and look at multiple sources and longer trends over time. #aod #aodtreatment #harmreduction

FDA has created the Rumor Control webpage to help stop spread of misinformation by providing facts. So, what does it —or not say—about vaping and misinformation?   FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf and CTP Director Dr. Brian King have acknowledged the continuum of risk, and the role FDA-authorized e-cigarettes can play in helping adults who smoke switch from combustible cigarettes. Additionally, in a recent interview, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said that e-cigarettes "may be an additional cessation tool [that] is potentially attractive."   Despite these acknowledgments from top public health officials, many adults who smoke are unaware of this information. In fact, most adults who smoke (>90%) perceive e-cigarettes as equally or more harmful than smoking — a misperception that’s getting worse over time. Somehow adults who smoke are getting misinformation that needs to be corrected.   FDA can help correct these misperceptions by providing evidence-based, truthful and accurate information to adults who smoke. Unfortunately, right now, FDA’s positions on the potential benefit of switching from cigarettes to vaping aren’t clearly laid out on the Rumor Control page or on other FDA sites in a way that is easily accessible to adults who smoke. More action is needed to get the right information into the hands of adults who smoke – that while not without risk and addictive, switching to FDA-authorized e-cigarettes can be beneficial.   FDA should lead the way by making information about e-cigarettes and the relative risks of tobacco products readily and clearly available in a single, accessible place.   #harmreduction #movingbeyondsmoking #misinformation