Daily news - 13th May 2019 |
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UK news
Funding released to help rough sleepers living with mental illness
Adults who are sleeping rough and living with mental illness or substance misuse will benefit from £1.9 million funding to improve their access to vital healthcare | DHSC, UK
MUP one year on: speculation, spin & evidence?
The 1st of May 2019 marked one year since the introduction of minimum unit pricing (MUP) in Scotland, prompting mainstream media coverage and inevitable attempts to declare its impact, despite limited data as yet available | Alcohol Policy UK, UK
Alcohol-related harm to others in England: a cross-sectional analysis of national survey data
[Open access] To estimate the prevalence, the frequency and the perpetrators of alcohol-related harm to others (AHTO) and identify factors associated with experiencing harm and aggressive harm | BMJ, UK
We can't halt drug trade with arrests, says crime agency chief
National Crime Agency head spells out limits of what can be achieved in fight against drugs | Guardian, UK
Scottish teachers hit out over new tests for alcohol and drug use
Unions said there was no need for the policy and warned it could lead to punitive action against those testing positive for trace amounts of alcohol | Herald, UK
Food banks could provide free e-cigarettes under new proposals
Smokers accessing food bank support will be offered a starter kit | i news, UK
Tobacco firms accused of using Formula One to flout ads ban on e-cigarettes
Campaigners claim Philip Morris and British American Tobacco are using sponsorship deals with McLaren and Ferrari to plug products | Guardian, UK
Fury as Philip Morris offers 25% life insurance discount if smokers switch to its tobacco device - but not if they vape
Cigarette giant Philip Morris – the company behind Marlboro and Benson & Hedges – has been accused of using a life insurance scheme to tempt smokers to its highly profitable 'heated' tobacco products – rather than switch to potentially less dangerous alternatives | Mail on Sunday, UK
When heroin took my dad - video
Throughout the heartache and upheaval, Rhys never lost her love for her dad during his struggle with heroin addiction. She nursed him throughout, before he died last year | BBC 3, UK
'I Instagrammed my boyfriend's drug habit'
"Incarceration and love aren't meant to exist together, but we used Instagram to try to work out our way through it." | BBC, UK
Cardiff's homelessness problem 'could be solved now'
A Finnish scheme which has dramatically cut rough sleeping could help the problem in Wales, according to the expert behind it | BBC, UK
The rise of the sober bar
A pub without alcohol is something of an oxymoron – but they’re growing in popularity. Is it time to sober up? | BBC, UK
Shadow Secretary Jonathan Ashworth says Newcastle's first alcohol-free bar is a 'lifeline'
Labour's Shadow Secretary Jonathan Ashworth visited George Street Social, Tyneside’s first ‘recovery café | Chronicle, UK
To cheat or not to cheat? Researchers uncover the moral dilemmas of doping
Elite athletes are less likely to take banned substances if they consider the morality of what they are doing, and not just the health consequences of doping, according to a new study led by the University of Birmingham and funded by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) | EurekAlert, UK
New evidence 'casts doubts in Isle of Wight fishermen drugs case'
New radar data has emerged in the case of five fishermen, casting doubts over their convictions for trying to smuggle cocaine worth £53m, a charity has said | BBC, UK
Man in court over £3m Humber port drugs find
Dutch national Hendrik van der Genugten, 40, was stopped at the port in North Lincolnshire on Thursday after arriving from the Netherlands, the National Crime Agency said | BBC, UK
International news
Dutch court blocks extradition of man to 'inhumane' UK prisons
Judges say suspected drug smuggler at real risk of degrading treatment | Guardian, UK
Coca Vendors in Bogota Working to Destigmatise the Coca Plant
In Candelaria - a touristy area in Bogotá, Colombia - vendors of coca products are active players in destigmatising the coca plant. By selling a variety of coca products, they show their largely Western visitors the variety of possibilities that coca products have to offer. Here are four such coca vendors… | Talking Drugs, UK
Cannabis kombucha, gluten-free edibles: weed companies jump on wellness trends
Companies are adding cannabis to smoothies or pairing it with herbal supplements to target a new class of consumers | Guardian, UK
Pensioner charged in connection with €2.5m drug seizure
Cancer sufferer Ronald Gordon (70) was refused bail when he appeared in Dublin District Court today on drugs charges | Independent, Ireland
Health professional beliefs, knowledge, and concerns surrounding medicinal cannabis – A systematic review
The number of jurisdictions allowing access to medicinal cannabis has been steadily increasing since the state of California introduced legislation in 1996. Although there is a high degree of legislative heterogeneity across jurisdictions, the involvement of a health professional is common among all | PLOSOne, USA
Ordeal of Woman Who Gave Birth in Florida Jail Cell Prompts Internal Investigation
The ordeal of a woman who gave birth in an isolation cell in a Florida jail has prompted an internal investigation, and has set off a wave of outrage after her lawyers said her repeated cries for help were ignored | NYTimes, USA
Treatment for Opioid Addiction, With No Strings Attached
Some doctors are abandoning the long-held belief that treating addiction is impossible without talk therapy | The Marshall Project, USA
Can medical marijuana help kids with autism?
Medical marijuana extracts appear to help children with autism, reducing their disruptive behavior while improving their social responsiveness, a new Israeli clinical trial reports | Medical Xpress, USA
Exclusive: Philip Morris suspends social media campaign after Reuters exposes young 'influencers'
Cigarette maker Philip Morris International Inc has suspended a global social media marketing campaign in response to Reuters inquiries into the company’s use of young online personalities to sell its new “heated tobacco” device, including a 21-year-old woman in Russia | Reuters, Japan
Doctors still sceptical of medicinal cannabis, study finds
Medical professionals want more information about medicinal cannabis before they start prescribing it to patients, a new study has found | Age, Australia
Available now: New resources from Drug Trends
A number of new Drug Trends resources are available online now | NDARC, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
It’s time for Labour to experiment with new drug policies
Denver is the latest place to decriminalise magic mushrooms – British politicians need to be equally brave | Guardian, UK
Understanding Alcohol and Homelessness
For many people experiencing homelessness, alcohol can become a coping mechanism. Matthew Kidd from Creative Inclusion and members of Greater Manchester's co-production panel explain how we can best support the needs of people who are homeless and drinking at hazardous levels | Homeless Link blog, UK
Britain loves booze. But we need to talk honestly about the harm it causes
I know at first hand the damage other people’s drinking can do. A new report on the issue should be the start of an open debate | Guardian, UK
'I quit my job. Drink gushed into the space I left for it': confessions of an alcoholic
After years of lying to colleagues and loved ones, could I get sober? | Guardian, UK