Daily news - 10th December 2021 |
 |
UK news
Drugs Policy - video
The statement in the House of Lords on the government's ten year drugs strategy plan, from Thursday 9 December | BBC, UK
Middlesbrough heroin addiction clinic extension a 'no brainer'
Extending a scheme which allows addicts to self-administer drugs and has been shown to reduce crime is a "no brainer", a councillor has said | BBC, UK
As festivities begin, one in five are worried about their drinking habits
Drugs, alcohol and mental health charity With You publishes poll results and offers advice for people trying to avoid or cut back on alcohol over the festive season | With You, UK
Labour MP aims to open up medicinal cannabis access on the NHS for thousands of families
On Friday, Jeff Smith will introduce a Private Member’s Bill he said will tackle the two main issues that are blocking families from accessing the treatment three years after it became legal | i news, UK
Preventing underage alcohol purchasing online using payment card details (PDF)
With the increasing reliance on digital services for purchasing physical goods, there is a growing need to uphold the legislative requirements for age assurance online, in addition to a responsibility on businesses to only provide products to those who are of an appropriate age | IAS, UK
Home Affairs Committee launches inquiry into spiking
The Home Affairs Committee has launched a new inquiry to understand better the prevalence of spiking and the effectiveness of the police response to it | UK Parliament, UK
Port and sherry importers ‘aghast’ as tax shake-up will add over £1 to bottle price
Merchants say fans of fortified wine will be hit with the ‘largest single alcohol tax rise in UK history’ | Guardian, UK
Drugs: Organised Crime
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Orders in connection with county lines child criminal exploitation have been (a) applied for and (b) granted (i) in each of the last three years and (ii) in total since 31 July 2015 | They work for you, UK
Christopher Guest More: Cheshire cannabis farm killer convicted of 2003 murder
A television researcher who spent 16 years on the run has been convicted of murdering a man at a cannabis farm | BBC, UK
Man arrested after £300k of cocaine seized at Sprucefield
A 24-year-old man has been arrested after police seized suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of £300,000 | BBC, UK
International news
New Zealand aiming for 'smoke-free generation', says associate health minister – video
New Zealand has announced it will outlaw smoking for the next generation, so that those who are aged 14 and under today will never be legally able to buy tobacc | Guardian, UK
New York’s Met museum to remove Sackler name from exhibits
New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art and Sackler family members have announced the famed museum will drop their name, linked to opioid-maker Purdue Pharma, from its exhibit halls | BBC, UK
Helping people quit tobacco use is key to breaking the cycle of dependence
There are 1.3 billion tobacco users today globally, trapped by nicotine’s addictiveness and the manipulative influence of the tobacco industry. Helping people to quit is the key to breaking this dependence and ending the tobacco epidemic. The newly published ‘Global investment case for tobacco cessation’ presents the reasons from the perspectives of health and economy for why countries should do more in supporting people to quit | WHO, Denmark
Spanish government to control sale and distribution of e-cigarettes
The Spanish government has taken the decision to control the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes, as there is currently no clear and effective system of control regarding the sale of such nicotine-containing devices | EuroWeekly, Belgium
Western Balkans: IPA7 project advisory committee takes stock of progress and looks ahead to 2022
The advisory committee of the EMCDDA’s Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance project held its second meeting to discuss the state of play of the project. Funded by the EU, IPA7 aims to increase evidence on the drug situation in six Western Balkan partners | EMCDDA, Portugal
SAMHSA Announces Unprecedented $30 Million Harm Reduction Grant Funding Opportunity to Help Address the Nation’s Substance Use and Overdose Epidemic
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is now accepting applications for the first-ever SAMHSA Harm Reduction grant program and expects to issue $30 million in grant awards. This funding, authorized by the American Rescue Plan, will help increase access to a range of community harm reduction services and support harm reduction service providers as they work to help prevent overdose deaths and reduce health risks often associated with drug use | SAMHSA, USA
Wearable sensor measures airborne nicotine exposure from e-cigarettes
Some studies have shown that nicotine, an addictive substance in electronic cigarettes, increases the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disorders. But to get a full understanding of its potential health effects, a real-time nicotine monitoring device is needed | EurekAlert, USA
Electronic nicotine delivery systems may help some people stop smoking cigarettes
Electronic cigarettes with cigarette-like nicotine delivery may help some people stop smoking cigarettes, according to a new study by Penn State College of Medicine and Virginia Commonwealth University researchers. By switching to e-cigarettes, the researchers said tobacco users may reduce their exposure to certain carcinogens, or cancer causing substances | News Medical, USA
Charleston’s Syringe Program Can Stay Open Despite Harsh WV Law
The only syringe service program (SSP) in Charleston, the capital of West Virginia, is officially approved to stay open. The final decision lay with the Charleston City Council—as required under a new law that places onerous restrictions on SSP | Filter Magazine, USA
Government Policies Blamed as Toxic Drug Deaths Soar
Five years after B.C. declared a public health emergency, toxic drugs are killing more people than ever before | The Tyee, Canada
Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Action Plan
The culmination of many years of hard mahi, the plan will accelerate our progress towards a smokefree future and tackle the harm smoked tobacco products cause the people of New Zealand | Ministry of Health, New Zealand
Blogs, comment and opinion
The 2021 Drugs Plan Sets Out To Break Drug Supply Chains
In my summary of the government’s new 10 year drugs plan on Tuesday I promised a short series of posts looking into the detail of the new strategy. Today’s post looks at what the document has to say about tackling drug-related crime. Crime is the primary focus of the strategy as you can tell from its full title: “From harm to hope: a 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives“ | Russell Webster, UK
“Global Histories of Drugs: Why and What’s Next?”—Reflections on the Cannabis: Global Histories Workshop
Today’s post by Eron Ackerman reflects on his participation in the “Global Drug Histories: Why and What’s Next?” workshop held jointly this past October at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy and the British Library. Dr. Ackerman recently completed his dissertation, “Cannabis and Colonialism in the British Caribbean, 1838–1938,” at Stony Brook University and is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at Albion College | Points blog, USA
And finally...
Hash brownie company bakes incredible edible - believed to be the world's largest
[Limited number of free aerticles per week] The 385kg pot brownie was created by a team of five at a commercial cannabis firm in Massachusetts | Telegraph, UK