Daily news - 2nd December 2020 |
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UK news
COVID-19: guidance for commissioners and providers of services for people who use drugs or alcohol
Updated guidance with information on local restrictions from 2 December | PHE, UK
'Hundreds' seek private clinics for medical cannabis
Hundreds of people in the UK are turning to private clinics for medical cannabis, BBC News has been told. Since its legalisation in November 2018, there have been very few, if any, prescriptions for medical cannabis containing THC on the NHS | BBC, UK
Tyne and Wear deaths: 'We gave her a pep talk, she was to go and be remarkable'
Family tells of daughter’s dream to study medicine and the furore over campus drug use that followed her death at Newcastle University | Guardian, UK
No lock-ins under lockdown: Why are governments calling time on alcohol to combat Covid-19?
Pubs and bars may be able to reopen in most of the UK but restrictions will still remain on how much customers are able to drink at their favourite local | ITV, UK
Covid: Calls for Senedd vote before pub alcohol ban
Opposition politicians in the Senedd are demanding a vote on the latest Covid-19 restrictions before pubs across Wales stop serving alcohol | BBC, UK
Revamp alcohol duty system to boost hospitality businesses and public health
The two trade bodies have jointly responded to the Government’s once-in-a-generation review of the alcohol duty system. They have pushed for the development of a new, more flexible, system in order to support economic growth, boost tax revenues and contribute to the Government’s public health agenda | UK Hospitality, UK
Psychosocial therapies in alcohol treatment systems
Focuses on guidance from NICE, questioning its interpretation of research and examining its support for care coordination, referral from treatment to mutual aid groups, and the groups themselves. Also, how far should commissioners tie the hands of treatment providers? | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK
Foetal Alcohol Syndrome: Children in Care
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the prevalence of foetal alcohol spectrum disorders among (a) children currently in care and (b) care experienced children; and whether his Department has undertaken research into the prevalence of foetal alcohol spectrum disorders amongst children in those two groups | They work for you, UK
Leaving No Smoker Behind - free event
Tue, 19 January 2021, 14:00 – 16:30 GMT. Smoking prevalence rates are disproportionately high amongst those who are homeless and dependent on substances. What can be done? | London South Bank University, UK
Meet the Gangster-Free Weed Growers Who Hide in Plain Sight
As police tighten the screw on cannabis farms during COVID lockdowns, a new breed of more elusive growers is on the rise | VICE, UK
I'm an 'LSD Specialist' Who Sells Acid to Oxford University Students
"I’m not really in it for the money. If I was, I’d probably sell something like ketamine." | VICE, UK
International news
GDS 2021: the world’s largest drug survey
The world's largest cofidential survey into international drug use has just launched | GDS, UK
This World Aids Day the global response to HIV stands on a precipice
Covid-19 has shown the power of innovation and community services in a pandemic. These lessons should be applied to HIV | Guardian, UK
World Anti-Doping Agency poised to adopt more lenient approach to athletes' use of recreational drugs
[Limited number of free articles per week] Providing drugs do not aid performance and are used out of competition then two-year sanctions will be reduced to one month | Telegraph, UK
New Dutch Bill Plans put a Stop to Risky Designer Drugs
A new Dutch bill plans to prohibit entire groups of new psychoactive substances (NPS), instead of just one specific substance. Minister of Justice and Safety, Ferdinand Grapperhaus, plans on putting these NPS-groups on the opium list, making it illegal for vendors to sell them. As of now, many of these different types of drugs are sold online as ‘research chemicals’. Will this new bill put a stop to the sale of ‘legal drugs’ on the internet? | Volteface, UK
What History Teaches Us About Shaping South Africa's New Cannabis Laws
A cannabis bill to clarify legal reforms was recently presented in parliament. Yet, medical and civil rights groups who advocate rights-based approaches remain wary of the ongoing potential for discrimination | Talking Drugs, UK
E-cigarette use among adults in China: findings from repeated cross-sectional surveys in 2015–16 and 2018–19
The use of e-cigarettes among adults is increasing globally. Since 2018, policies in China have restricted e-cigarette use; however, little information is available on the national trend in e-cigarette use before regulations were implemented. Therefore, we sought to estimate the trend in e-cigarette use in China before policy implementation and explored associated factors | Lancet, UK
Toxic rice wine kills 7 and injures 130 in Cambodia
Popular cheap alcohol contained high doses of methanol | Independent, UK
Minister Browne announces the commencement of the Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Act 2019
The Minister of State with special responsibility for gambling regulation, James Browne, T.D., has today announced that the Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Act 2019 will come into effect on 1 December 2020 | Department of Justice, Ireland
Cannabidiol (CBD) in cannabis does not impair driving, landmark study shows
A landmark study on how cannabis affects driving ability has shown that cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabis component now widely used for medical purposes, does not impair driving, while moderate amounts of the main intoxicating component tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) produce mild driving impairment lasting up to four hours | EurekAlert, USA
Older adults in wealthier countries drink more alcohol
A new global study finds older people in wealthy countries consume more alcohol than their counterparts in middle-income countries, on average, although a higher cost of alcohol is associated with less frequent drinking. Across counties, people drink less as they get older, but at different rates and starting points | Science Daily, USA
A Tale of Two Cannabis Votes
The first week of December 2020 will witness two of the most consequential sets of votes on cannabis policy since the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs marked the advent of the prohibitionist global drug control regime, which allows for only medical and scientific uses of hundreds of psychoactive substances | WOLA, USA
Burning Issues: A Call to Liberate Vapes and Vapers
“Tobacco harm reduction is good public health and health promotion, starting with the people who matter: smokers and those who have chosen alternatives. It’s change driven from community level upwards—because it’s people who do harm reduction, not experts.” | Filter Magazine, USA
“The stakes are life and death”: Addiction treatment’s Covid-19 challenge
The government eased access to drug addiction treatment during the pandemic. Now that could go away | Vox, USA
World AIDS Day 2020: Centering Key Populations in the Global HIV Response
Despite the devastation caused by the ongoing pandemic, we call on global policymakers and donors to not lose sight of their goal to end the HIV epidemic, which is now entering its fifth decade. The epidemic continues to disproportionately devastate our communities | NSWP, USA
Psilocybin Treatment for Mental Health Gets Legal Framework
Oregon became the first state to legalize therapeutic use of the drug, as new research affirms its benefits for treating depression | Scientific American, USA
Advocates hope to create 'Vancouver model' for drug decriminalization
'We don't want to replace a criminal regime with an administrative regime,' lawyer says | CBC News, Canada
Inequality in Smoking Cessation Clinical Trials
Winner of the 2020 NDARC research symposium poster competition | NDARC, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Response to the ACMD report: 'Cannabis-based products for medicinal use in humans'
In February 2019 the then-Home secretary commissioned the ACMD to conduct a longer-term review of cannabis-based products for medicinal use in humans. The aim was to assess the impact of rescheduling (in November 2018) cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBMPs) to Schedule 2 so this report marks two years since the restoration of cannabis as a medicine under British law | Drug Science, UK
The Great British Pub is an international institution, and we lose it at our peril
[Limited number of free articles per week] If we want tourist dollars to help drive the Covid recovery, we'd be crazy to kill the golden goose that is the Dog and Duck | Telegraph comment, UK
Marred legacies, saying it nicer, and changing hearts
This clip of Hunter Biden has garnered a lot of attention in recovery advocacy circles | Recovery Review blog, UK