Daily news - 13th January 2020

UK news

Left Behind: The Scale of Illegal Cannabis Use for Medicinal Intent in the UK

The evidence base for the clinical utility of medicinal cannabis is becoming clearer. Since the 1980s a growing preclinical field of science has been evaluating the therapeutic potential of cannabis in multiple physiological systems and diseases | CMC, UK

Medical cannabis nurse prescribing ‘long way off’, says clinical director

Nurses are “pivotal” in the care of patients who require medical cannabis, according to the clinical director overseeing the first clinic of its kind outside London | Nursing Times, UK

Politics Live - 10/01/2020 - Discussion of County Lines

Listen from around 25 mins in. Features Professor Simon Harding, Director, National Centre for Gang Research | BBC, UK

Self-confessed WITCHES and African voodoo 'specialists' are caught charging vulnerable alcoholics £500 for deadly 'addiction curing spells'

MailOnline found African voodoo specialists offering bogus remedies to alcoholics from around the world on a website for freelancers seeking work | Mail Online, UK

Planet Youth - The Icelandic primary prevention model and implementation in Ireland - event

Tue, 25 February 2020, 10:00 – 12:30 GMT. University of Stirling. DRNS and Salvation Army Centre for Addiction Services and Research are delighted to host this event to share learning on the implementation of Planet Youth in Ireland | DRNS et al, UK

GP criticises Müller's gin-flavoured yoghurts

Dr Nigel Wells criticised Müller for its alcohol-inspired range on Twitter, citing drink problems in society and the pressure it puts on the NHS | BBC, UK

The best low- and no-alcohol beers for Dry January? We ask motorists to test-drive the latest range

Whether you’ve given up alcohol for Dry January or are just aiming to cut down, recent additions to the no- and ultra-low-alcohol beer movement are certainly something to get behind in 2020 | Telegraph, UK

Middlesbrough drug users and dealers face clamp-down

Warning letters have been hand-delivered to some homes and wardens have seized drugs after challenging groups of known users | BBC, UK

BBL: Ex-London Royals guard AJ Roberts tests positive for cannabis

Former London Royals guard AJ Roberts has been banned for two years after testing positive for cannabis last May | BBC, UK

International news

Medicinal cannabis: What the UK can learn from Denmark

Spectrum Therapeutics UK lifts the lid here on a pilot analysis of medicinal cannabis use that will run in Denmark until January 2022 | Open Access Government, UK

US wine sellers compare tariffs to Prohibition

A century ago, new restrictions on selling alcohol left US wine merchants reeling | BBC, UK

The China Drug, Crime and Detention Database

The China Drug, Crime and Detention Database Project is the first open access quantitative database focused on Chinese government drug policy and the country's justice system. It is an open access resource for researchers, advocates, journalists and organisations engaged in the study of drug policy, criminal justice, policing and detention in China | LSE, UK

Less alcohol bought at Christmas but binges on bread, sweets, and frozen food

The sparkle went out of the alcohol trade over Christmas as we bought less booze than usual and opted more for non-alcohol drinks, according to the latest consumer survey | Irish Examiner, Ireland

Gardaí seize €300,000 worth of cannabis herb in Co Cork

The seizure was made during a search operation at a various locations in Bantry, Co Cork yesterday | Journal, Ireland

CDC, states update number of hospitalized EVALI cases and EVALI deaths

As of January 7, 2020, 2,602 cases of hospitalized EVALI or deaths were reported. 57 deaths have been confirmed in 27 states and the District of Columbia | CDC, USA

Up to a third of opioid overdose deaths might be suicides, researcher concludes

Tens of thousands of people fatally overdose each year on opioids and other drugs. Sometimes medical examiners label them accidents, and sometimes they don't know what to call them | Medical Xpress, USA

Research shows nasal spray antidote is easiest to give for opioid overdose

Eggleston had done prior research in which untrained people were asked to administer naloxone after completing a naloxone training video, and most were successful, he said. "We wondered if we would get similar results when individuals had no training or indication of how to do it." | Medical Xpress, USA

Medicaid expansion associated with fewer opioid overdose deaths across the US

The expansion of Medicaid coverage for low-income adults permitted by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was associated with a six percent reduction in total opioid overdose deaths nationally, according to new research from NYU Grossman School of Medicine and University of California, Davis | Medical Xpress, USA

California’s Mushroom Decrim Campaign Cleared to Begin Voter Signature Drive

The effort to decriminalize and legalize psilocybin mushrooms throughout California has received official approval to move forward | Filter Magazine, USA

The Artist Making Harm Reduction Gay Again

The makeshift harm reduction center quietly popped up in Chelsea, one of the historically gay neighborhoods of Manhattan | Filter Magazine, USA

Ecstasy and absolution

As a teenager, he went to prison for selling ecstasy, but now his MDMA research is debunking the bad science that got him there | The Verge, USA

Stimulant safe supply: a potential opportunity to respond to the overdose epidemic

There is an urgent need to pursue stimulant safe supply approaches and the importance of meaningfully involving people who use stimulants in the planning of these interventions cannot be overstated | Harm Reduction Journal, Canada

Cannabis will be legal in the ACT come the end of the month, but those hoping to light up might have to break the law to do so | abc.net.au, Australia

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