Daily news - 14th September 2021 |
UK news
Early CT scans deliver huge fall in lung cancer deaths, study shows
Experts say screening smokers and ex-smokers would significantly reduce mortality rate from disease | Guardian, UK
Could ketamine be a cure for some mental health problems? - audio
You may know it as an illegal party drug. But there’s growing research to suggest that psychedelic drugs could be used , in a clinical setting, as treatments for depression, addiction and PTSD | Channel 4, UK
Refractory epilepsy treatment containing THC approved for UK patients
This is the first time that the UK authorities have approved an an epilepsy treatment containing THC | Cannabis Health, UK
The impact and importance of psychedelic medicine
Here, we discover the impact and importance of psychedelic medicine through the eyes of Amanda Feilding, Director of The Beckley Foundation | Open Access Government, UK
The Art of Storytelling
Thu, 16 September 2021, 18:00 – 19:00 BST. Discover how the art form of storytelling can improve the impact of your recovery story! | Recovery Coach Academy, UK
We Fund
We fund small and local charities, investing in their work helping people overcome complex social issues across England and Wales. We support charities with an annual income of £25,000 to £1 million with a proven track record of helping people on a journey of positive change through in-depth, holistic and person-centred support | LLoyds Bank Foundation, UK
Buckfast: the Transformation of Scotland’s Most Controversial Drink - audio
Shedding its associations with street crime and violence, Buckfast is now drunk in upmarket cocktail bars, trendy restaurants and hipster haunts. Jaega Wise visits Glasgow to hear about this transformation, and finds out what a wine produced by monks in Devon can tell us about modern Scotland | BBC Sounds, UK
Inside Barlinnie Prison, where phones given to prisoners have been hacked to buy drugs - video
So-called 'unhackable' mobile phones given to prisoners in Scotland during lockdown by the Scottish Government at a cost of £3 million are now being used for drug deals and other criminal activity, ITV News has learned | ITV, UK
Suspected drug dealer arrested while posing as Just Eat delivery driver
Teenager arrested while wearing branded jacket not employed by fast food delivery firm , police say | Independent, UK
Six in court over cocaine seized off Plymouth coast
Six men have appeared in court charged with drug-trafficking offences after more than two tonnes of cocaine were seized on board a luxury yacht | BBC, UK
International news
Legal regulation of drugs through a social justice lens
15 key priorities to be included in legal regulation policy that will directly impact and strengthen sustainable development and global equity | Health Poverty Action, UK
Research analysis: talking to couples about pregnancy and drinking
Study from Switzerland explores prenatal alcohol consumption from the perspective of 30 couples expecting their first baby. While all couples had internalised the message that drinking in pregnancy is risky, it was not always easy to abstain from alcohol. The findings emphasise that drinking is not an isolated phenomenon, and women need more than advice ‘not to drink’ | SSA, UK
British American Tobacco negotiated bribe for Mugabe, new evidence suggests
A BBC Panorama investigation has found evidence that suggests one of Britain's biggest companies paid a bribe to the former Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe | BBC, UK
Dirty Secrets of the Cigarette Business - video
Panorama unveils new revelations about the corrupt practices deployed by one of Britain’s biggest companies. Six years ago, reporter Richard Bilton revealed how British American Tobacco made secret payments to politicians and civil servants in East Africa | BBC, UK
‘Every man was drinking’: how much do bans on alcohol help women in India?
Women’s protests led to prohibition in Bihar but can alcohol bans end domestic abuse and harassment? | Guardian, UK
Irish gangs linked to Italian mafia in cocaine boom
Major Irish drug gangs have been colluding with the Italian mafia and Dutch crime groups in supplying a booming cocaine trade in Europe, according to an international study | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Debate on legal cannabis welcome, but cautious
Surveys indicate a minority of Finns are ready to see cannabis become legal, though many welcome the debate | YLE, Finland
#MoreThan Video Contest – Call for Applications
The International Network of People Who Use Drugs, together with the Rights Reporter Foundation, launches the #MoreThan Video Contest to promote a humane, non-judgmental and compassionate approach in presenting the lives of people who use drugs | Drug Reporter, Hungary
Inside Italy’s Push To Decriminalize Recreational Cannabis
A new chapter to end marijuana prohibition in Italy has just begun. Several pro-cannabis organizations and political parties launched a ballot campaign last week to decriminalize the domestic cultivation of cannabis and end penalties for personal use | Forbes, USA
Shop displays of e-cigarettes and smoking paraphernalia could undermine effectiveness of banning tobacco displays
Efforts to discourage people from smoking by banning tobacco retail displays in shops and supermarkets could be weakened by prominent displays of electronic (e) cigarettes and smoking paraphernalia, suggests new research published in the journal Tobacco Control | Medical Xpress, USA
Since the FDA Has Not Approved Any Vaping Products, All of Them Are Now 'Subject to Enforcement Action'
The agency's decisions so far reflect a bias against the flavored e-liquids that former smokers overwhelmingly prefer | Reason, USA
Research suggests current smokers not at excess risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection
Despite having numerous negative health consequences, the epidemiological relationship between cigarette smoking and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is controversial | News Medical, USA
Never Get Comfortable: How We Adapted our Programming to Continue Serving People in Recovery During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Gavin Foundation’s Devine Recovery Center (DRC) has been servicing individuals and families in Boston, Massachusetts for the past eight years. Our values have remained consistent: promoting lifestyle change, individual and community connections, and most importantly, the restoration of dignity | BASIS, USA
Judge Rules in Favor of New York Prisoner Suing for Methadone Access
ADistrict Court judge has issued a preliminary injunction to ensure that a 35-year-old Watertown, New York, resident can continue accessing his medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) while detained in Jefferson County Jail. It’s the first such ruling in the Second Circuit, the Court of Appeals that includes New York state | Filter Magazine, USA
California Legislature Approves Repeal of Drug War-Era Law that Established Mandatory Minimum Sentences
In the final hours of the legislative session, the California legislature voted to approve SB 73, legislation to end mandatory jail sentences for certain drug sale offenses | DPA, USA
Vaping is linked to heightened eating disorder risk among U.S. college students
An increase in eating disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic and the prevalence of vape pens and e-cigarettes among young people is cause for concern | EurekAlert, Canada
Blogs, comment and opinion
A legal and regulated heroin market could have saved my friend from overdosing
After suffering such loss so close to the death of Michael K Williams, it’s time conversations about addiction were accompanied by meaningful, life-saving action | i news opinion, UK
The Trip Report 13/09
Through the work of organisations such as WEDINOS, The Loop, and SaferParty, we know a little more about the drugs in circulation. The report provided below is a summary of their findings over the last week | Cameron Scally, UK
Heroin will decide the Taliban’s fate
In his 2015 documentary Bitter Lake, the filmmaker Adam Curtis observes that Afghanistan’s opium poppies grow in a “wonderland of vegetation and power”. Amid the conspiratorial hyperbole that characterises much of his work, it is a striking phrase — but also a perceptive one | UnHerd, UK