DS Daily |
12th December 2019 |
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UK news
Chemists demand clarity on cannabis-related goods
Pharmacists are calling for better regulation of products claiming to contain cannabis derivative CBD | BBC, UK
Drug Deaths
Last weekend, three people lost their lives in the community of Lochee in Dundee due to drugs. Drugs workers predict that Scotland’s drug deaths rate—the worst in the world—will rise again this year | They work for you, UK
In their own words: language preferences of individuals who use heroin
This cross-sectional survey study examines the label preferences of individuals who use heroin and are initiating substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. 263 participants in the USA were asked (1) what labels they used to refer to self and when talking with others who use drugs, with providers, families and at 12-Step meetings, and (2) to identify which label they preferred least and most for others to use when referring to them | SMMGP, UK
The empty doorway: Britain's homelessness crisis
A record number of homeless people died in 2018 and charities are warning this year could be worse. Simon Hattenstone and Daniel Lavelle have been delving behind the statistics into the lives of those sleeping rough. Also today: Haroon Siddique on how British Hindus are being targeted in this election | Guardian, UK
British pub numbers grow for first time in decade
Wetherspoon also unveils expansion but experts say smaller pubs still in decline | Guardian, UK
Bristol: Take drugs seriously
New approaches to drug use, policy and harm reduction - events and exhibition | Transform, UK
Parents reject treatment for cancer-stricken baby son in favour of cannabis oil
Tom and Kylie Horne believe tiny William, one, will have a better chance of survival without the offered chemotherapy and radiotherapy after a tumour "larger than a tennis ball" was found on his brain stem | Mirror, UK
Prison watchdog 'concerned' by drugs deaths at Guys Marsh
The number of inmate deaths related to psychoactive substances (PS) is an increasing concern, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) has said | BBC, UK
'Modern slave', 19, convicted of murder of Jaden Moodie, 14
Ayoub Majdouline was acting for rival drugs gang in London’s Waltham Forest | Guardian, UK
International news
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
National Drug-Related Deaths Index 2008 to 2017 data
This update presents figures from the National Drug-Related Deaths Index (NDRDI) on deaths due to poisoning (overdose) by alcohol and/or other drugs, and deaths among people who use drugs which are not due to poisoning (non-poisonings) for the period 2008-2017 | HRB, Ireland
Building community resilience. Responding to criminal and anti-social behaviour networks across Dublin South Central: a research study
To investigate and identify the nature and reach of the key criminal/ASB Networks within Dublin South Central | 4Fora, Ireland
ReLeaf Malta: A
Maltese Legalised
and Regulated
Cannabis Market
2020:
Proposals for Cannabis legalisation and regulation in Malta (PDF)
Back in 2017, the Government of Malta recognised the need
to revise existing cannabis policy in Malta and declared
that the legalisation and regulation of cannabis, framed
within harm reduction policy and principles, is required to
promote the health and well-being of cannabis consumers
whilst better protect youths and the most vulnerable | reLeaf, USA
Study reveals rapid increases in cannabis use among individuals with depression
Results of a new study suggest that over the past decade (2005-2017), the prevalence of cannabis use in the United States has increased among persons with and without depression, though the increase is significantly more rapid among those with depression | EurekAlert, USA
New cannabinoid research shows potential for targeted drug therapy
Researchers from the University of Aberdeen have identified parts of a gene that could open the door to treatment with medical cannabis for millions of people | Medical Xpress, USA
Researchers say 30% of patients taking opioids experience adverse drug interactions
Patients who do not disclose use of other medications are at higher risk of adverse drug interactions and addiction, according to new research in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association | Medical Xpress, USA
A Patented Psilocybin Nasal Spray Is Coming. Will Legalization Be Fair?
On December 4, Oregon-based startup company Silo Wellness announced that it has developed a “patent-pending nasal spray for microdosing psilocybin.” The aerosol spray would deliver into each nostril a precise dose of vaporized psilocybin that the company calls “sub-psychedelic.” | Filter Magazine, USA
Political Rhetoric and Policing: Can We Break the Vicious Circle?
Our society’s emphasis on drug-law enforcement and the stigmatization and punishment of people who use drugs is driven in significant part by the impact of political rhetoric on law enforcement, as I have previously written for Filter | Filter, USA
New South Wales Drug Trends 2019: Key Findings from the Illicit Drug Reporting system (IDRS) Interviews
The Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS) is an ongoing illicit drug monitoring system which has been conducted in all states and territories of Australia since 2000, and forms part of Drug Trends. This report is based on interviews with a sentinel sample of people who regularly inject drugs recruited from all capital cities of Australia | NDARC, Australia
Trends in drug-related hospitalisations in Australia, 1999-2018
Each year, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) makes available to Drug Trends in-depth data on drug-related hospitalisations in Australia from the National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD). This year, we have produced a suite of products to summarise trends in drug-related hospitalisations in Australia from 1999 to 2018 | NDARC, Australia
Blood pressure drug could help problem drinkers
A drug used to treat high blood pressure may alleviate anxiety induced by long-term heavy alcohol use, and also halt the damage such drinking can cause to the brain's ability to grow new cells, QUT research shows | Medical Xpress, Australia
From eye rolls to punches: experiences of harm from others’ drinking among risky-drinking adolescents across Australia
Young people who are risky drinkers commonly experience multiple harms from others’ drinking. Many of these alcohol harms to others are reported here for the first time, as previous studies of adolescent drinking have focused almost exclusively on the harms young people have experienced from their own drinking. This refocusing on the harms caused by the drinking of others may prompt greater community concern and concomitant calls for better alcohol regulation | PHRP, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Law on psychedelic drugs blocks vital medical research
In the 1950s, psychedelics — LSD and psilocybin (magic mushrooms) in particular — were seen as the great breakthrough in psychiatry, offering effective treatments for hitherto untreatable disorders. For 15 years, while they were the subject of research funded mostly by the US government, these hopes were realised. Psilocybin was even a licensed medicine in some countries | Drug Science, UK
Minimum pricing for alcohol in Wales – will drinkers switch substances?
Professor Katy Holloway summarises her findings from a research project investigating the potential for substance switching among Welsh drinkers | IAS blog, UK
Is smoking cannabis with tobacco bad for you?
Cannabis and tobacco have been used recreationally for thousands of years. We don’t know exactly when we started mixing cannabis and tobacco but smoking joints has become one of the most common ways to use cannabis. Both have controversial reputations due to links with a lot of - sometimes fatal - health issues2 and sometimes the information out there can be confusing | Drugs and me blog, USA
What’s the most value for money way to tackle obesity? Increase taxes on alcohol
We don’t often equate the kilojoules we drink in our glass of wine or pint of beer with the weight that accumulates around our middle. But our new study shows increasing the price of alcohol is the most value for money policy option to prevent obesity in Australia | Conversation, Australia