Daily news - 23rd July 2021


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UK news

Collective Voice hosts webinar with Dame Carol Black

On Monday 12 July 2021 Collective Voice hosted a webinar with Dame Carol Black on the second part of her landmark independent review of drugs. We also heard from Rosanna O’Connor, Interim Director for Health Improvement at Public Health England. A full recording of the event is now available on Youtube | Collective Voice, UK

Poorer Scots 16 times more likely to be admitted to hospital over drug use

Pamela Nash, chief executive of Scotland in Union, said: “This research shows that people living in the least well-off areas are 16 times more likely to be hospitalised as a result of drug use than those in the wealthiest | Daily Record, UK

The SUMH Resource Pack

Working with people with coexisting Substance Use & Mental Health (SUMH) issues. A good practice guide for practitioners | Turning Point, UK

How to reduce the risk of harm when using ketamine

Ketamine has become more mainstream over the past decade – but many of us aren’t aware of the risks the drug poses | Metro, UK

What not to do if you get stopped by police or security with drugs

The number of people being stopped and searched by police rose significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to research by Release | Metro, UK

Adfam National Forum: Working with Families- Quality Standards & Evaluation

Fri, 23 July 2021, 10:00 – 11:30 BST. Adfam's online forum events provide an opportunity for colleagues with a professional interest in supporting families affected by substance use or gambling to hear from experts across the sector, network and share practice. This forum will focus on evaluation and quality standards in family support services. Colleagues will hear about two examples of good practice in Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire | Adfam, UK

Guernsey welcomes licence applications for the cultivation of cannabis for use in cannabis based products medicinal (CBPM)

Businesses can now apply to cultivate cannabis for use in cannabis based products medicinal (CBPM) in the Bailiwick of Guernsey following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UK Home Office. The agreement marks a significant step in the development of the Bailiwick's emerging cannabis industry which has quickly become one of the most established in the British Isles | GOV.GG, Guernsey

 

International news

Survey on the abuse of over-the-counter drugs and drug diversion

The main aim of this survey is to understand the patterns of drug diversion in the European general population, focusing on the misuse of OTCs. The survey is available in English, French, German, Polish and Spanish. Please share these links with your networks | University of Hertfordshire, UK

France: Parliamentary Committee reports on cannabis regulation

In May 2021, a multidisciplinary committee established by the French Parliament published three reports on cannabis regulation | EMCDDA, Portugal

Development Over Time of the Population-Attributable Risk Fraction for Cannabis Use Disorder in Schizophrenia in Denmark

In this Danish nationwide, register-based cohort study, the population-attributable risk fraction for cannabis use disorder in schizophrenia increased from approximately 2% in the period to 1995 to approximately 6% to 8% since 2010 | JAMA Network, USA

Children increasingly overdosing on marijuana edibles

Last month, Elizabeth Perry felt helpless as it became clear something was very wrong with her 21-month-old son Oliver. "When I laid him down in his crib, he kind of went rigid and started shaking and crying," Perry said | CBS News, USA

Atlantic City Is Just The Latest Place To Shut Down Its Needle Exchange Amid A Deadly Rise In US Overdose Deaths

The move comes as overdose deaths have jumped nearly 30% nationwide and HIV outbreaks have been reported among people who use injection drugs | BuzzFeed News, USA

Congress Plans Historic Federal Funding for Syringe Programs

A Congressional budget committee released a draft spending bill on July 11 that would finally erase a longstanding ban on federal funding for syringe service programs | Filter Magazine, USA

Missouri POs Sending People to Prison for Being Medical Marijuana Patients

On June 23, 29-year-old Ray Breer walked through the gates of the Western Reception Diagnostic Correctional Center north of Kansas City into the arms of his family | Filter Magazine, USA

Mexico Supreme Court Nixes Import Ban on “Heat-Not-Burn” Harm Reduction Products

On July 16, Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that heated tobacco products (HTP), sometimes known as “heat-not-burn” products, will be exempted from a February 2020 presidential decree that bans importation of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) | Filter Magazine, USA

New UVic harm reduction club hopes to raise awareness and reduce stigma surrounding the overdose crisis

Starting this summer, UVic will be home to a new harm reduction club. According to its founders Sydney Elarid and Erin Franz, the club aims to bring awareness to the overdose crisis and reduce stigma around drug use | Martlet, Canada

Prescription Drugs, Controlled Chemicals Are Fuelling India's Illicit Drug Trade: Reports

India now ranks among countries reporting massive opioid seizures, and concerns are rising over prescription drugs and their ingredients being increasingly diverted towards recreational use and illicit trade. Can this diversion be controlled without impacting their medical use? | IndiaSpend, India

Alcohol, tobacco & other drugs in Australia

Alcohol, tobacco and other drug use is a major cause of preventable disease, illness and death in Australia. This report consolidates recent information on the availability and consumption of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs in Australia, and related impacts, harms and treatment | AIHW, Australia

'An entourage effect': new clues on how low-dose CBD products work

Pharmacologists at the University of Sydney have found tantalising clues as to why low-dose CBD products containing a full-spectrum of cannabinoids seem to have therapeutic impacts at relatively low doses | University of Sydney, Australia

The impact of COVID-19 on people receiving Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT)

This presentation drew on the experiences of people receiving and providing Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) during COVID-19 | NDARC, Australia

Journey from smoking to vaping variable – Otago academics

Persistence may be the key when quitting smoking using an electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS), commonly known as vaping, a University of Otago study found | University of Otago, New Zealand

 

Blogs, comment and opinion

Is the alcohol industry placing profits before teens’ future prospects?

Two out of three youth drink alcohol before they graduate secondary school in the United States (US). Higher alcohol consumption as an adolescent is associated with alcohol problems in adult life, including dependence | IAS blog, UK

Preventing corporate capture of emerging cannabis markets

In this edited extract of the upcoming third editionof Transform’s book How to Regulate Cannabis: A Practical Guide we explore key lessons in this rapidly evolving field of policy making | Transform blog, UK

Opioid Settlement Will Do Nothing to Change The Trajectory of The Overdose Rate

[On 21st July] a settlement was announced between several states and the pharmaceutical distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health, and Amerisource Bergen, along with drug maker Johnson and Johnson, who were accused of contributing to the opioid overdose crisis | CATO Institute blog, USA