Daily news - 17th November 2021 |
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UK news
World's 'Strongest-Ever' Ecstasy Pill Found in English Nightclub
A “Blue Punisher” ecstasy pill found at a club in Manchester is up to five times the usual dose, and potentially dangerous | VICE, UK
Drugs helpline aimed at user safety to be launched
A free phone helpline where staff stay on the line with people while they are using drugs is to launch in Scotland | BBC, UK
Flavoured vapes less harmful to young people than smoking and could help teen smokers quit
A new study published today looks at young peoples’ use of vape flavours, reporting the views and experiences of more than 500,000 under 18s | UEA, UK
Peers who volunteer: supporting people with lived experience
The guide is aimed at people with lived experience, providers and commissioners and offers practical tips around what people with lived experience should expect from volunteering roles and what providers can do to deliver inclusive volunteering opportunities that consider the needs and experiences of people with lived experience and also support their development and progression | Revolving Doors, UK
What helps and what hinders the creation of a smoke-free home: A qualitative study of fathers in Scotland
Few studies have explored fathers’ views and experiences of creating a smoke-free home, with interventions largely targeting mothers. This study aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to fathers creating a smoke-free home, to inform future intervention development | Nicotine and Tobacco Research, UK
Medical Cannabis for Epilepsy - Research Summary and Recommendations
Drug Science research, conducted over the past two years and in close collaboration with the affected families, clearly shows the immense benefits of medical cannabis treatment for these patients | DrugScience, UK
Bristol mother's street drug warning after son's death
Bristol Drugs Project, a service that supports addicts, said it was aware of problems linked to cheap drugs and the problem had worsened in the pandemic | BBC, UK
Recovery Story: Sophie at STARS (Staffordshire Treatment and Recovery Service)
For Alcohol Awareness Week, we caught up with Sophie, an inspirational young woman who has been supported by Humankind STARS (Staffordshire Treatment and Recovery Service) for her alcohol dependency | Humankind, UK
Street Drugs Discussions - Spice
Fri, 19 November 2021, 14:00 – 15:30 GMT. Everything you need to know about Spice, the street name for synthetic cannabinoids | DrugScience, UK
Alcohol Health Alliance Marketing Report Launch
Tue, 30 November 2021, 10:00 – 11:00 GMT. Join us for the launch of the Alcohol Health Alliance's marketing report - examining the evidence of how alcohol advertising affects us all | Alcohol Health Alliance, UK
Ports, Crime and Security – Book Launch and Conversation with Max Daly, Global Drugs Editor at VICE
Thursday, 25 November 202118:00 - 19:00 (GMT). RUSI, Firm UK and the University of Essex invite you to the book launch of Ports, Crime and Security: Governing and Policing Seaports in a Changing World by Anna Sergi, Alexandria Reid, Luca Storti and Marleen Easton | RUSI, UK
Alcoholic drinks: Drugs
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the number of drink spiking incidents in England and Wales | They work for you, UK
Pilot jailed for 10 months for turning up drunk at Glasgow Airport
An airline pilot has been jailed for 10 months after turning up drunk to fly a plane to the United States | BBC, UK
Yanick Beresford jailed for murder of Robert Duquemin
A man has been jailed for life for murdering a father of five he violently attacked after a drug deal went wrong | BBC, UK
International news
WHO reports tobacco use falling - but the numbers show tobacco control failing, say experts
The ninth Conference of the Parties (COP9) to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) concluded on Friday, with the status quo of international tobacco control proudly maintained by its host body, the World Health Organization (WHO) | GSTHR, UK
Freshman Republican lawmaker introduces bill to decriminalise marijuana at the federal level
The move comes as more Americans support legalising marijuana | Independent, UK
North Carolina AG sues 'kid friendly' e-cigarette maker Juul, claiming that it is being marketed to children through its flavors and poor age verification
E-cigarette maker Juul has been sued by the Attorney General of North Carolina, with the company accused of creating products that target children | Mail Online, UK
How Ireland's smoking rates compare to rest of Europe
About one in eight Irish people smoke cigarettes daily, but are less inclined to light up than many of their European counterparts | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Afghan opiates supply 8 out of 10 opiate users worldwide, UNODC finds, as experts meet in Vienna to combat illicit trafficking - Press release
The opium harvest in Afghanistan increased by eight per cent in 2021 compared to last year, to 6,800 tons, which could lead to markets around the globe being flooded with around 320 tons of pure heroin trafficked from the country, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said today | UNODC, Austria
Drug situation in Afghanistan: Latest findings and emerging threats (PDF)
The 2021 opium harvest, completed in July, marked the fifth year in a row with production at historic highs of more than 6,000 tons, potentially yielding up to 320 tons of pure heroin to be trafficked to markets around the world | UNODC, Austria
Tobacco use falling: WHO urges countries to invest in helping more people to quit tobacco
The fourth WHO global tobacco trends report released today, shows that there are 1.30 billion tobacco users globally compared to 1.32 billion in 2015. This number is expected to drop to 1.27 billion by 2025 | WHO, Switzerland
Space Invaders : Young people's views about alcohol digital marketing - video
Four young people from different countries in the WHO European Region discuss their experience with alcohol marketing on their smartphones and computers. They suggest actions that could be taken to protect children and young people from exposure to online alcohol advertising | WHO, Denmark
Mental health: A predictor of smoking and vaping?
Mental health issues are complex and multifaceted which makes it difficult to understand them and how they relate to other potential health issues | BASIS, USA
Infrastructure Bill Targets Drug-Impaired Driving by Funding Cops and Courts
The $1.2 trillion infrastructure spending bill, passed by the House of Representatives on November 6, is a key part of President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda. It focuses substantially on funding for roads and bridges. But it also describes how the federal and state governments will increase targeting of drug-impaired driving—by funding more police surveillance of people who use drugs | Filter Magazine, USA
UBC researchers train computers to predict the next designer drugs
UBC researchers have trained computers to predict the next designer drugs before they are even on the market, technology that could save lives | UBC, Canada
Cannabis education resources for parents: an environmental scan and critical content analysis in the context of legalization
[Open access] Cannabis was recently legalized for adult use in Canada and many American states. In this context, there is a pressing need for educational resources – aimed at youth and their parents/caregivers – to reduce potential harm | DEPP, Canada
Therapeutic interventions for for methamphetamine dependence
This webinar presented an overview of evidence for treatment of methamphetamine dependence, and future directions | NDARC, Australia
Does naloxone provision lead to increased substance use? A systematic review to assess if there is evidence of a ‘moral hazard’ associated with naloxone supply
[Open access] Take home naloxone (THN) programs have been rapidly upscaled in response to increasing opioid-related mortality. One often cited concern is that naloxone provision could be associated with increased opioid use, due to the availability of naloxone to reverse opioid overdose. We conducted a systematic review to determine whether THN provision is associated with changes in substance use by participants enrolled in THN programs | IJDP, Australia
'Bend over, open up': People strip searched at Splendour in the Grass could be entitled to thousands in compensation in class action
Young people stripsearched unlawfully at Splendour in the Grass are suing the NSW Police | abc.net.au, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
What are 'Never Use Alone' prevention overdose phone lines
We agree with the UK Government when it says; “We strongly advise anyone using drugs not to use alone”. An Overdose Prevention Phone Line is a simple way to help people follow that official advice, and we are pleased to have helped bring the idea to the UK | Transform blog, UK
Alcohol and Ethnicity reporting- still a long way to go?
In this blog post, Stacey Jennings discusses the need to properly assess and address ethnicity in alcohol research, highlighting that we must improve representation of ethnic minorities across inclusion, reporting, and analysis | SHAAP blog, UK
Think global, act local: how we’re supporting people into greener jobs
AS COP26 draws to a close, Iquo and Asi of Forward's Employment Services Division share how our green sector jobs and training pathway is supporting a green recovery from Covid-19 | Forward Trust blog, UK
“The disposable foot soldiers of crime” – Media, County Lines and Moral Panics
We are cutting the head off the snake and taking down the kingpins behind these deadly supply lines…Drug abuse and addiction ruins communities, devastates lives and tears families apart.’ | GDPO blog, UK
It Is Painfully Obvious That Discrimination Remains Our Greatest Challenge
Painfully Obvious was the propaganda campaign that Purdue Pharma deployed to teach school children in America that addicted people are bad people | Recovery Review blog, USA
Three Decades of Drug Policy Reform Work
Over the past three decades, the Open Society Foundations have been the largest philanthropic supporter of efforts to reform drug policy and promote harm reduction around the world, investing more than $300 million | OSF, USA
“Opium Antidotes,” and Their Vendors
Originally published November 20, 1886. If aught were asked for as to further proof of the widespread extent of opium addiction in this country, it could easily be given by citing the number of individuals engaged in vending the various nostrums, each of which, it is asserted, has the only true claim to merit as the one genuine, sovereign cure for this phase of human ill | JAMA Network, USA