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Funding: This work was supported by the United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI), Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), One Ocean Hub (Grant Ref: NE/S008950/1). The blue economy has roots in the international arena of sustainable development and sets out to unlock opportunities for economy and society whilst protecting and enhancing marine environments. To date there has been no analysis of how this overarching intention for sustainability has influenced the rapid development of blue economy policies at national and regional scales. In this article, we analyse the synergies and conflicts between blue economy policies from a diversity of national and regional policies and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We show that to maintain critical alignment with targets for sustainability, place-based contextual development of blue economies that meet the needs of all actors is necessary. These needs relate to ensuring resilience against future environmental and political shocks, the maintenance of the ecological basis for thriving blue economies, and capacity development at all levels to support effective and equitable governance. Results indicate that co-production will be important to achieve sustainable blue economies. Publisher PDF

Objective In-treatment and post-treatment outcomes were compared for three detoxification procedures (lofexidine + naloxone, lofexidine + placebo naloxone, and methadone). Sample and design The sample was 137 opiate dependent in-patients. Detoxification treatments were 6-day lofexidine + naloxone ( n = 45), lofexidine + placebo naloxone ( n = 46), or 10-day methadone reduction ( n = 46). A cohort study design was used with double-blind random allocation to lofexidine + naloxone versus lofexidine + placebo. Patients who did not consent to, or who were excluded from randomisation received methadone. Results Outcome differences between treatment groups at follow-up were generally associated with length of stay post-detoxification rather than detoxification procedure. Among patients who were not opiate abstinent throughout follow-up ( n = 85), those who received lofexidine + naloxone detoxification reported a longer interval to first heroin use, with an interaction between detoxification medication and subsequent retention in treatment also identified. Conclusions Detoxification medication may influence medium-term opiate use outcomes via its effect upon retention in treatment.