Daily news - 14th January 2021 |
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UK news
Rising health risks mean stronger regulations needed for smokeless tobacco
Researchers at the University of York are calling for more stringent regulatory measures to reduce the health burden of smokeless tobacco, a product often found in UK stores without the proper health warnings and as a result of illicit trading | University of York, UK
Scotland's Drug Death Taskforce to 'lead national mission' to save lives
Nicola Sturgeon took part in the taskforce's first meeting yesterday as it outlined its vision | Glasgow Live, UK
Action on childhood trauma ‘could help solve drug death crisis’
Better understanding of childhood trauma could hold the key to tackling Scotland’s drug death crisis, it has been claimed | Herald, UK
Covid: Click-and-collect ends and alcohol banned outdoors in parts of Scotland
Click-and-collect services and drinking alcohol outside in some parts will be banned in Scotland as part of the country's tightening of lockdown Covid-19 measures | ITV, UK
Brits put Dry January on ice as alcohol sales boom in first week of latest lockdown
The month-long stint of alcohol abstinence has been put on hold for many people, according to the latest Waitrose sales figures | City AM, UK
Hundreds excluded for drugs and alcohol in Hertfordshire schools
Exclusions for drug and alcohol issues at Hertfordshire's schools have hit a record high, figures reveal | Watford Observer, UK
Beer and Public Houses: Coronavirus
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of lowering the tax burden on pubs and small breweries to support recovery after the covid-19 lockdown | They work for you, UK
Hartlepool man 'lured to house and killed by drug gang'
A drug dealer was shot in the head at point-blank range after being lured to a derelict house, a court has heard | BBC, UK
International news
Alcohol treatment in the criminal justice system: Why is the record so poor?
Study after study defies the faith placed in alcohol treatment in the criminal justice system as a way to reduce reoffending. Is it that the intensity of the interventions fails to match need, or is treatment undermined by the contradictions between punishing and helping, segregation and reintegration? | Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK
Human rights in the administration of justice - Report to the OHCHR prepared by HRI and IDPC
Harm Reduction International (HRI) and the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) welcome the opportunity to submit information to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for the preparation of its report under Human Rights Council Resolution 42/11 on human rights in the administration of justice | IDPC and HRI, UK
An Examination of the Longer-Term Impact of a Combined Classroom and Parental Intervention on Alcohol-Related Harms and Heavy Episodic Drinking
Although fewer adolescents are consuming alcohol than was the case in previous decades, those who are consuming alcohol are still exposed to alcohol-related harms. While the evidence for the effectiveness of universal, school-based interventions is limited, a recent cluster randomised controlled trial reported a significant effect at 10 months post-intervention of a combined classroom/parental intervention on heavy episodic drinking... | Prevention Science, UK
Why musicians are falling back into addiction during lockdown
[Limited number of free articles per week] A year into Covid, life looks very different to how it did in January 2020. We have all coped differently, too. For some, the recalibration to a more stay-at-home life has been an easy, sometimes welcome transition. For many, though, the challenges of lockdown have proved much more difficult to deal with | Telegraph, UK
New rules on sale of alcohol come into force today
Multi-buy deals ‘6 bottles for €40’ no longer allowed and alcohol voucher schemes to end | Irish Times, Ireland
Physician-pharmacist collaboration may increase adherence to opioid addiction treatment
NIH-supported pilot study found team-based approach may improve buprenorphine care | NIDA, USA
Combination treatment for methamphetamine use disorder shows promise in new study
A combination of two medications, injectable naltrexone and oral bupropion, was safe and effective in treating adults with moderate or severe methamphetamine use disorder in a double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III clinical trial | Medical Xpress, USA
Density of Marijuana Outlets Associated with More and Higher Use Among Young Adults
As marijuana outlets open after the drug is legalized, the density of those recreational retailers is associated with more use and a greater intensity of use among young adults, according to a new RAND Corporation study | RAND Corporation, USA
Report: Pandemic Isolation Contributed To Ongoing Opioid Crisis
Nearly a quarter more people died in Maine from drug use in the first nine months of 2020, than the year before. That’s according to a new report by the University of Maine’s Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, which showed that between January and September of last year, 380 people died from using drugs. That’s compared to 306 in those months in 2019 | Maine Public, USA
Social media use by major tobacco companies in the United States: Are there differences based on the type of tobacco product?
Social media began as a way to manage personal social networks. Over time, it has expanded considerably as a platform for business and marketing. At the same time, there has been a growth in use of alternative tobacco products in recent years, such as e-cigarettes, hookah and smokeless tobacco | BASIS, USA
Appeals Court Overturns Ruling That Legalized SCS; Safehouse Fights On
Just over a week before a more reform-friendly administration takes over in Washington, the US harm reduction movement was dealt a significant blow. On January 12, a three-judge panel from the Third Circuit Court of Appeals voted to overturn a Philadelphia District Court’s prior ruling that effectively legalized safe consumption sites (SCS) | Filter Magazine, USA
Man Injects Magic Mushrooms, Gets Organ Failure As They Grow in His Blood
A30-year-old man injected magic mushrooms directly into his bloodstream and ended up in hospital with multiple-system organ failure | Newsweek, USA
How to Sleep If You're Trying to Quit Weed
Throughout the pandemic, cannabis has been the most popular and most frequently used drug, according to research by Drugs and Me. In fact, in a survey from April of last year, 49 percent of participants reported daily usage, and 88 percent consumed it once a week or more often | VICE, USA
2020 a brutal year for fatal drug overdoses in Saskatchewan
Preliminary findings by Coroners Service show fatalities more than doubled from 2019 | CBC News, Canada
Misrepresentation of self-reported drinking and genetic studies
New research investigates whether misreporting and changes in behaviour can prejudice the results of genetic studies on alcohol consumption | RACGP, Australia
What does vaping really do to our lungs?
Vaping is touted as a lesser of two evils for smokers trying to quit - but a Kiwi scientist says there's much about e-cigarettes' long-term effects that we still don't know | NZ Herald, New Zealand
Blogs, comment and opinion
Planet Youth & We Are With You Dundee
In December 2020, the most recent drug-related deaths figures were released. Every year we get a national announcement of the number of people who have lost their lives from drug overdoses | DRNS blog, UK
We are trying to treat a large infected wound with a plaster
Writing in the Daily Record, mobile drug van activist Peter Krykant says bold and brave actions are needed – no more subgroups, working groups or published strategies | Daily Record, UK
Edinburgh, London, Brussels: what Scotland’s alcohol pricing policy tells us about multi-level governance
The Scottish government’s plans for a minimum unit price for alcohol were vehemently opposed by the alcohol industry leading to a six-year delay in implementation after legislation was passed. Benjamin Hawkins explains the consequences of devolution and European Union membership for the development of this policy in Scotland through the concepts of multi-level governance, veto points, and venue shifting | LSE blog, UK
If pubs stay closed until May I will miss much more than just the beer
[Limited number of free articles per week] For conversation and comfort among friends, enjoying a pint out is unbeatable – so I'm already planning my next visit, whenever that will be | Telegraph comment, UK