Daily news - 5th March 2020 |
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UK news
ACMD gathering evidence on young people’s drug use and naloxone provision
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is hosting a series of public evidence gathering days across the UK to help inform two separate reports on young people’s drug use and naloxone provision | Collective Voice, UK
New cannabis e-learning course launched to support frontline workers in Glasgow
Scottish Drugs Forum is pleased to announce the launch of a new e-learning resource dedicated to raising knowledge and awareness | SDF, UK
Aviation: Alcoholic Drinks
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an alcohol limit for airline passengers | They work for you, UK
I advocate for Drug Policy Reform, with full regulation and legalisation of all drugs - video
Governments have to take an honest approach to drug policy, based on world-wide evidence and appropriate solutions. We need to stop criminalising drug users and keep them safe by providing them with assisted treatments and safe consumption rooms | MyPOV, UK
Illegal injection van ‘will prevent hundreds of drug deaths’
“There is no time to waste”, a leading Canadian drug activist has told Scots planning to set up supervised injection facilities to save the lives of drug users in Glasgow | Ferret, UK
Welcome to a survey on Psychoactive Plants in Toxicology
This survey is part of a wider piece of research looking at the use of psychoactive plants and their potential physiological and psychiatric harms. This survey aims to identify what toxicologists are encountering, how frequently, and whether there have been any changes over time.
This survey will take about five minutes to complete | University of Hertfordshire, UK
I Give Out Illegal Cannabis Oil for Free
"It's pretty much the opposite of the usual drug dealer model. This isn't about making money, it's purely about helping people in need." | VICE, UK
Northern Ireland's prisons 'need better drug-detecting technology'
The Prison Service needs better scanning technology to help detect drugs being smuggled in to Northern Ireland jails, according to a report | BBC, UK
International news
The Death Penalty for Drug Offences 2019
Harm Reduction International (HRI) has monitored the use of the death penalty for drug offences worldwide since our first ground-breaking publication on this issue in 2007. This report, our ninth on the subject, continues our work of providing regular updates on legislative, policy and practical developments related to the use of capital punishment for drug offences, a practice which is a clear violation of international law | HRI, UK
'Thirdhand' smoke a health risk in cinemas, say researchers
Hazardous chemicals could be carried on clothing and bodies of audience, study suggests | Guardian, UK
Vaping bans are ineffective, experts report
Vaping products have contributed to a decline in cigarette smoking but have increased the number of middle and high school students who are addicted to nicotine—a problem that can only be effectively addressed through regulation of advertising—according to drug policy experts at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy | Medical Xpress, USA
Why Are Nurses Denied Effective Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder?
One of the greatest hypocrisies in medicine is the restriction of standard-of-care medications for health professionals with opioid use disorder | Filter Magazine, USA
NY Governor’s Office Points to Stimulant Addiction Meds as Deaths Rise
In response to increasing numbers of cocaine- and methamphetamine-related deaths in New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration has issued guidance on the pharmaceutical options available to prescribers looking to support use management for patients with stimulant use disorders | Filter Magazine, USA
Trump’s Ignorant Demand That Colombia Resume Aerial Spraying of Coca Crops
That white powder you snort off your key takes a long journey, starting in the rural mountains of Colombia and moving thousands of miles along drug trafficking routes | Filter Magazine, USA
How stigmatising language affects people in Australia who use tobacco, alcohol and other drugs
Use of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs (TAOD) is common in Australia and can cause high morbidity and mortality. It is not uncommon for people who use TAOD to experience stigma when accessing healthcare, including general practice. Stigma communicated through words can affect people seeking help and undertaking treatment for their health issues | AJGP, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
The influence of drugs on murder rates is being overstated
Across the globe homicide rates are falling, whilst in the UK they continue to rise. Professor Ian Hamilton, Professor Alex Stevens and Niamh Eastwood, Executive Director of Release, the UK centre of expertise on drugs and drugs law, discuss whether this increase is drug related or due to more complex societal factors | Policing Insight, UK
Dark web, not dark alley: why drug sellers see the internet as a lucrative safe haven
More than six years after the demise of Silk Road, the world’s first major drug cryptomarket, the dark web is still home to a thriving trade in illicit drugs | Conversation, Australia
What are ‘heat not burn’ products and are they any safer than traditional cigarettes?
Philip Morris International, one of the world’s largest tobacco companies, recently lodged an application to allow the sale of its “heat not burn” products in Australia | Conversation, Australia