Daily news - 18th June 2021

UK news

Misuse of Drugs Act: Debated on Thursday 17 June 2021

Jeff Smith MP : I beg to move, That this House has considered the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. [Written record of yesterday's debate] [You can also watch the debate on Parliament TV from 13.07] | Hansard, UK

Nicola Sturgeon admits SNP has 'failed at aspects of drugs policy'

The First Minister was pressed by Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross over the drugs death rate in Scotland – the highest in Europe. Speaking at First Minister’s Questions, Mr Ross announced his party will publish plans before the summer recess for a right to recovery bill that he claimed would “give everyone a legal right to recovery” | Herald, UK

'Every pharmacy should supply' overdose drug Naxolone to fight Scotland's crisis, says RPS

This is one of the views of a key pharmacy profession body which said that many of the deaths were preventable and that staff should be trained to use the drug | Herald, UK

Naloxone: Redcar drug user who helps prevent others overdosing - video

A number of treatment services across the UK have developed volunteer programmes to administer the drug Naloxone to people who have overdosed on opiates | BBC, UK

‘Man left at death’s door by broken drug addiction services’

Favor UK wants the provision of addiction and rehabilitation services underpinned by law | STV News, UK

[Open access] On 26 May 2016, the UK introduced the Psychoactive Substances Act....While a Home Office review of the Act in 2018 proclaimed that the Act had been successful in achieving its main goal of preventing the open sale of psychoactive substances, significantly, the review acknowledged that high levels of synthetic cannabinoid use remain amongst vulnerable user groups, in particular the homeless population | IJDP, UK

Cannabis, schizophrenia and genetics with Emma Johnson

Dr Emma Johnson talks to Rob Calder about shared genetic liabilities for cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia and the role of tobacco smoking. Dr Johnson talks about the implications of this research on the evidence for a causal relationship between cannabis and schizophrenia and for other genetic associations relating to substance use and psychiatric disorders | SSA, UK

Daniel Jones: Alcohol packaging as a marketing & health communications tool (SARN Meeting June 2021) - video

Daniel Jones (University of Stirling) presented: "Alcohol packaging as a marketing and health communications tool: a focus group study with young adult drinkers in Scotland" on 14 June 2021 via Zoom at SARN Members’ June 2021 Meeting | SARN, UK

Coke, Weed And Bananas: A Guide To Drugs Today - video

Join Joby Mageean on a journey to the root of society's drugs problem, via Gary Barlow, disco biscuits and bananas | BBC, UK

Drugs Services Support: Local Support Fund – Micro Grants [Scotland]

The Local Support Fund – Micro Grants, is focused on small community-based groups which deliver frontline services to support people who use or used drugs, people in recovery and families affected by someone else’s drug use | Corra Foundaton, UK

Taskforce for Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform: major boost for the cannabinoid sector

The Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform (TIGRR) has reported its recommendations to the Prime Minister on how the UK can reshape regulation and seize new opportunities from Brexit | Centre for Medicinal Cannabis, UK

Parents with alcohol & drug problems: Using case studies

Wed, 23 June 2021, 10:30 – 12:00 BST. PHE webinar - Parents with alcohol and drug problems: Using case studies to make the economic case for investment in services | PHE, UK

Levi Williams banned for six months after testing positive for cocaine & cannabis

Williams has sought help to stop his drug use since the failed test at Wolverhampton races on 29 January, a disciplinary hearing was told | BBC, UK

Liverpool: Erratic e-scooter riders banned from driving

Two men have been banned from driving after riding erratically on e-scooters while also over the alcohol limit | BBC, UK

International news

Australia's growing thirst for alcohol-free wine and beer

Australian entrepreneur Irene Falcone's enthusiasm is as bright as the labels on the non-alcoholic wine and beer that fill the shelves in her ground-breaking store - Sans Drinks - on Sydney's affluent Northern Beaches | BBC, UK

Waging war on COVID: The Securitisation of Health Responses in Five Asian Countries

Since early 2020, countries have experienced an exponential rise in COVID-19 related infections and deaths. In an attempt to respond to this unprecedented spread of a deadly disease, governments around the world have invoked emergency executive powers, and/or adopted exceptional measures. In many cases, these have resulted in an expansion of law enforcement powers, in some cases in parallel with the side-lining of public health authorities | HRI, UK

Ireland gives green light to medical cannabis prescriptions in ‘milestone’ move

Patients in Ireland will now for the first time be able to get medical cannabis via prescription, in what has been described as a “milestone” move expected to bring hope to many families, although barriers to access medical cannabis still remain | EurActiv, Belgium

New Pompidou Group Handbook on In-prison Therapeutic Communities released

The handbook on prison-based TCs was produced by the Pompidou Group (PG) with the help of renowned TC experts to assist member states in establishing and running a successful TC programme in custodial settings. It offers guidance on design, planning and implementation of a TC as well as a curriculum for trainers | Council of Europe, France

Prison and drugs in Europe: current and future challenges - webinar

Jun 30, 2021 12:00 PM London. Including Mark Johnson, founder of Uservoices, NGOs of people with lived experience aiming at foster dialogue between service users and service providers, London, UK and many other speakers from around Europe | EMCDDA, Portugal

International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, or World Drug Day, is marked on 26 June every year, to strengthen action and cooperation in achieving the goal of a world free of drug abuse | UNODC, USA

AMA advocates for prisoners’ access to addiction treatment

The AMA House of Delegates recently updated a policy that seeks to increase access to evidence-based drug addiction treatment among “justice-involved individuals,” a press release said | Healio, USA

New High Potency Synthetic Opioid N-Pyrrolidino Etonitazene (Etonitazepyne) Linked to Overdoses Across United States (PDF)

The objective of this announcement is to notify public health and safety, law enforcement, first responders, clinicians, medical examiners and coroners, forensic and clinical laboratory personnel, and all other related communities about new information surrounding the emergent synthetic opioid N-pyrrolidino etonitazene | CFSRE and NPS Discovery, USA

After 50 Years Of The War On Drugs, 'What Good Is It Doing For Us?'

When Aaron Hinton walked through the housing project in Brownsville on a recent summer afternoon, he voiced love and pride for this tightknit, but troubled working-class neighborhood in New York City where he grew up | npr, USA

RIP Rod Skager, a Pioneer in Harm Reduction Drug Education

When my children entered adolescence in the 1980s and ‘90s, the War on Drugs was in full swing. “Just Say No” was the mantra of the day, with the ubiquitous Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) providing (mis)information to teenagers like mine, backed up with zero-tolerance policies for breaking the rules | Filter Magazine, USA

'Grim reality': More Alberta youth dying from opioids, says report by child and youth advocate

A record number of Albertans under 25 died from accidental opioid poisoning last year, and the province is on track to surpass that peak, says a report from the child and youth advocate | Edmonton Journal, Canada

Blogs, comment and opinion

We need substance to solve this drug crisis rather than warm words about putting politics aside

[Limited number of free articles per week] First Minister admits drugs policy not where she wanted it to be but she was open to ‘working across the chamber’ | Telegraph comment, UK

Advertising ‘Greatness’? Guinness marketing and exposure in the 2019 Guinness Six Nations

Alcohol advertising works. Exposure to alcohol advertisements leads to alcohol consumption. Unfortunately, this also increases alcohol experimentation and uptake in young people, and among those who already drink, increases the frequency of drinking and the amount consumed | IAS blog, UK

Adopting “moderate drinking”: challenges and ways forward

In this guest post, Dr Samanthika Gallage, an Assistant Professor in Marketing at Nottingham University Business School discusses recent research exploring the experiences of young people seeking to moderate or abstain from alcohol use | Alcohol Policy UK, UK

Changing the game: why it matters that footballers are shunning the corporate capture of their sport

It is hypocritical and contradictory to see elite stars promoting junk food and drinks | Telegraph, UK

The War on Drugs at 50

In a White House press conference on June 17, 1971, President Richard Nixon declared a War on Drugs. His message was stark: “America’s public enemy number one, in the United States, is drug abuse.” | Points blog, USA

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