Daily news - 11th February 2021 |
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UK news
The pubs closing didn’t stop us drinking, but our relationship with alcohol has changed
As the annual month-long sobriety pledge is over again, Olivia Petter examines how the UK can have a healthier attitude to drinking for the rest of the year | Independent, UK
Drug Wheel - updated
This version features established and newer drugs in the inner and outer rings | Mark Adley, UK
Cannabis use and the brain with Janna Cousijn - podcast
Suzi Gage talks to Janna Cousijn about her paper on the long term consequences of cannabis use for the brain, written for the series Clinical issues: substance use disorders and the body | Addiction, UK
All Good Points - Jazz Hands - video
Talking about last week's latest cannabis news | Volteface, UK
Man’s Best Friend? a Guide to CBD and Dogs
The CBD industry has booming for sometime now with Savills estimating that market could rise to £1bn by 2025. The shelves of major high-street shops are packed with a plethora of products containing CBD including humous, nail polish and face cream. One use for CBD which is popular in North America, but is yet to truly take off in the UK is CBD for dogs. In light of this, Health Canal guest posted this article to give more insight | Volteface, UK
Nine arrested in Yeovil due to warrants issued from county lines drug inquiry
Nine people have been arrested in Yeovil due to warrants issued out in following a county lines drug trafficking investigation. The inquiry prompted a series of warrants to be issued, including three in Yeovil and seven in London | ITV, UK
Manchester man jailed over £1m 'high-grade' cocaine stash
A man who stored a "high-grade stash" of cocaine worth more than £1m in a padlocked box under the stairs in his house has been jailed | BBC, UK
Stoke-on-Trent 'drug debt' murderer jailed for life
A man who fatally stabbed another person in a row over a drug debt has been jailed for life for murder | BBC, UK
Online Gambling: Stake Limits - Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the announcement by the Gambling Commission on 2 February of new protections and controls for those who gamble through online slots games, what plans they have to introduce measures to apply stake limits to online gambling | They work for you, UK
International news
Italian police intercept cocaine worth £228 million hidden in containers of coffee and meat
[Limited number of free articles per week] Customs agents using sophisticated scanners discovered the huge quantity of cocaine | Telegraph, UK
Heineken to slash 8,000 jobs as Covid hits pub sales
[Limited number of free articles per week] The Dutch brewer will slash almost 10pc of its workforce as year of lockdowns pushes it to a €240m loss | Telegraph, UK
Exposed: EU Invites Big Alcohol, Offers Funding to Interfere in South Africa’s Alcohol Policy Development
The delegation of the European Union to South Africa has invited major alcohol industry front groups and alcohol producers in Europe to jointly interfere in the development of alcohol policy solutions by the South African government | Movendi, Sweden
No links between opioids or certain antibiotics in pregnancy and major birth defects
Two studies published by The BMJ today find no links between prescription opioids or macrolide antibiotics taken during pregnancy and risk of major birth defects | Medical Xpress, USA
The digital divide: Racial/ethnic differences in utilization of web-based tobacco cessation services
More than 85% of Americans have access to the Internet and, not surprisingly, many of them use this global network for health information. Web-based health interventions have become increasingly popular, but little is known about who is using these programs – and who is not | BASIS, USA
Chocolate-flavored e-cigarettes are 'particularly harmful' to the lungs, study shows
New research shows chocolate-flavored e-cigarettes are "particularly harmful" to the lungs. In fact, scientists found all 10 flavors tested caused some level of toxicity in the cells lining the lungs, resulting in cell death in some instances | News Medical, USA
Adult neurogenesis may hold clues for more effective treatment of alcoholism
Neuroplasticity, the remarkable ability of the brain to modify and reorganize itself, is affected by or in response to excessive alcohol, whether through individual consumption or exposure in the womb | Medical Xpress, USA
NM House Health & Human Services Committee Unanimously Passes Bill Authorizing Overdose Prevention Programs
Today, the New Mexico House Health and Human Services Committee unanimously passed House Bill 123 (Rep. D. Armstrong), authorizing overdose prevention programs (OPPs), also known as safer consumption spaces or supervised injection facilities, as a critical public health tool to combat overdose deaths and provide a bridge to health care, substance use treatment and social supports | DPA, USA
Why I Think We Need to Move Beyond “Harm Reduction”
I walked around the park grounds checking out the jubilant crowd of young partygoers. A gospel-sounding, organ-dominated groove played in the background. It was a familiar sound. I couldn’t name it; I also couldn’t ignore it | Filter Magazine, USA
How Immediate Naloxone Access Is Going 24/7 in Indiana
The state of Indiana is dedicating tens of thousands of federal dollars to making naloxone, the opioid-involved overdose reversal medication, publicly available every day and around the clock | Filter Magazine, USA
Rural nurses given tools to combat overdoses in isolated communities
“We have mountains and forests and rivers, and we have so much to work through to get people the care that they need,” said Hodgson, the practice consultant for substance use with the First Nations Health Authority | Prince George Citizen, Canada
'A matter of life and death': U of C study details benefits of threatened opioid treatment program
An opioid dependency program facing looming closure by the UCP government has not only helped patients curb their mental health struggles and reliance on illicit drugs, but is the reason why many feel they are even still alive | Calgary Herald, Canada
Blogs, comment and opinion
Stigma, humanizing terms, and taking on hostility: A little more
Earlier today Jason Schwartz posted on the notion that the word “relapse” is stigmatizing, that the preferred term is “recurrence of use”, and the lack of empirical evidence addressing this topic | Recovery Review blog, UK
Vote to Legalise Cannabis in the WA Election: An Interview With LCWA’s Leo Treasure
The 31st of January this year marked 12 months since the ACT legalised the personal use and possession of cannabis. And to date, the sky is yet to fall in | Sydney Criminal Lawyers, Australia