Daily news - 22nd December 2020


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UK news

'Extremely dangerous' illegal drug being sold in Llanelli

Prescription drugs being sold illegally in a Carmarthenshire town have been laced with opiates and are extremely dangerous, police have warned | BBC, UK

Students Have Been Cranking Up Drug Highs to Deal with COVID Lows

A new survey shows the impact of coronavirus on student drug use, with one jumping out of a window after K-holing while using a VR headset | VICE, UK

Alcohol Occasionals - Health inequality theory & the ‘alcohol harm paradox’

Wed, 20 January 2021, 12:30 – 14:00 GMT. Jennifer Boyd - "Beyond behaviours: How health inequality theory can enhance our understanding of the ‘alcohol harm paradox’" | SHAAP, UK

Sydney 'selfie hotspot' death Briton Madalyn Davis 'took drugs'

A British woman who plunged to her death from a "selfie hotspot" cliff in Australia had been drinking and taking drugs, a coroner said | BBC, UK

 

 

International news

Vaping: Greg Hunt abandons plans to ban importation of devices after Coalition revolt

Decision may reduce enforcement of ban on possession of liquid nicotine without a prescription | Guardian, UK

Synthetic Cannabinoids C-EHRN Briefing Paper (PDF)

In 2019, synthetic cannabinoids were tested for the first time as an additive in cannabis flowers or hashish in various Swiss drug-checking offers. DZ Since the beginning of 2020, the Drug Information Centre (DIZ) of the City of Zürich has been increasingly analysing cannabis samples which users believed that had been treated with synthetic cannabinoids | Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network, The Netherlands

New report explores open sale of low-THC cannabis products and regulatory responses in Europe

An increase in the open sale of cannabis products in Europe has raised questions around the possible legal and commercial status of these products. In a new report released today, Low-THC cannabis products in Europe, the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) presents an initial overview of the current situation in this increasingly dynamic area | EMCDDA, Portugal

Low-THC cannabis products in Europe

The open sale of cannabis products in Europe has raised concerns among policymakers, both with regard to the legal status of these products and their potential for harm. The products are marketed for their low THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) content, which sellers claim exempt them from control by drug laws, or as sources of CBD (cannabidiol) | EMCDDA, Portugal

EMCDDA technical report on the new psychoactive substance methyl 3,3-dimethyl-2-{[1-(pent-4-en-1-yl)-1H-indazole-3-carbonyl]amino}butanoate (MDMB-4en-PINACA)

The purpose of this technical report is to provide an analysis of the available information on methyl 3,3-dimethyl-2-{[1-(pent-4-en-1-yl)-1H-indazole-3-carbonyl]amino}butanoate (commonly known as MDMB-4en-PINACA), a synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist that has recently emerged on the drug market in Europe... | EMCDDA, Portugal

EMCDDA technical report on the new psychoactive substance methyl 2-{[1-(4-fluorobutyl)-1H-indole-3-carbonyl]amino}-3,3-dimethylbutanoate (4F-MDMB-BICA)

The purpose of this technical report is to provide an analysis of the available information on methyl 2-{[1-(4-fluorobutyl)-1H-indole-3-carbonyl]amino}-3,3-dimethylbutanoate (commonly known as 4F-MDMB-BICA), a synthetic receptor cannabinoid agonist that has recently emerged on the drug market in Europe | EMCDDA, Portugal

Saving Lives From Overdose During a Pandemic (PDF)

A new report offers recommendations aimed at federal, state, and local policymakers to address the opioid epidemic during the pandemic, which has seen sharp increases in fatal and nonfatal overdoses. The recommendations detail policy solutions in the areas of data and surveillance, harm reduction, and treatment, with special considerations for vulnerable populations | John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA

Association of Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances With Opioid Prescribing Rates

Have states with greater increases in electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS), which is intended to reduce opioid prescribing rates by reducing fraud and facilitating decision support, experienced greater reductions in opioid prescribing? | JAMA Network, USA

Forced, Rapid Adoptions Are a Weapon of the Drug War

“I hate myself.” The words slipped out of my youngest child’s mouth with a casual levity. Only 5 years old, her voice still carries that bright, fluted tonality unique to young children. The first time she said it, she was sitting in a little pink play-chair set against the wall in her grandmother’s living room, where she’d been living with her sister | Filter Magazine, USA

Michigan the Latest State to Address Driver’s License-Suspension Injustice

Asuite of criminal justice reform bills is moving through the Michigan state legislature, and are expected to be signed into law soon by Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D). Included in the package is a proposal to greatly restrict driver’s license suspensions | Filter Magazine, USA

Statement on Congress Eliminating Barriers for People with Criminal Convictions from Accessing Federal Student Aid

The repeal by Congress of the ban on Pell Grants for incarcerated students and elimination of the drug conviction question on the federal student aid application, together, represent a major victory for students who have been unfairly deterred from pursuing higher education | DPA, USA

Cannabis could reduce fentanyl use, reduce overdose risk: Study

New research suggests that cannabis use by people in care for opioid addiction might improve their treatment outcomes and reduce their risk of being exposed to fentanyl in the contaminated unregulated drug supply | EurekAlert, Canada

Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Substance Use Treatment Capacity in Canada (PDF)

The response to the COVID-19 pandemic has included many public health measures to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These measures have substantially affected the provision of and access to services and supports for people who use substances. Some public health measures for COVID-19 have impacted patterns of substance use, the illicit drug supply, and the availability of and access to drugs in general | CCSA, Canada

More than 900 Albertans died from opioid poisoning in first 10 months of 2020

Pandemic interfered with people's access to treatment and counselling | CBC News, Canada

'We've been there before:' National phone line launches to prevent overdose deaths

A new Canada-wide phone line aims to prevent deadly overdoses by connecting anyone who is alone and using drugs with peers who can quickly call for help if things take a bad turn | CTV News, Canada

Australians spend an extra $2 billion on booze in 2020

Finder analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed that in 2020, Australians spent an average of $1891 on household alcohol – up $270 on 2019 | 9 news, Australia

 

Blogs, comment and opinion

Cannabis: the problem with defining products around THC content

Cannabis policy is undergoing a global revolution. Around the world, laws are changing. In the US, there are now 15 states in which cannabis for adult-use purposes is legal, and nearly three dozen where it is legal for medical purposes | Conversation, UK

Let’s Reject the Violent vs. Nonviolent Crime Dichotomy to End the War on Drugs

November’s election saw criminal legal system and drug policy reform win big at the polls. Oregon became the first state to decriminalize all drugs, and voters overwhelmingly passed other reforms to drug laws, even in deeply red states like South Dakota | Truthout, USA

Drug Law Reform Is Desperately Needed, Yet Berejiklian Refuses to See Reason

The Australian response to the COVID-19 pandemic for the most part has been successful and a very welcome change as science and public health advice is given its due prominence in such health policy decisions | Sydney Criminal Lawyers, Australia