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Daily news - 22nd August 2022 |
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UK news
Magic mushrooms: Drug reform campaigners in new push to reclassify the psychedelic to treat mental illness
Drug-reform campaigners will launch a new drive this weekend to get magic mushrooms reclassified so that they can be used to help millions of people with mental and physical health problems in the UK | i news, UK
Smoking: Can Wales reach smoke-free status by 2030?
The first steps are in place, with the aim by the Welsh government to reduce smoking rates in adults to 5% or less by 2030 | BBC, UK
Medium- and longer-term cardiovascular effects of e-cigarettes in adults making a stop-smoking attempt: a randomized controlled trial
E-cigarettes are popular for smoking cessation but there is little evidence on their cardiovascular health effect. Our objective was to compare the medium- and longer-term cardiovascular effects in smokers attempting to quit smoking using e-cigarettes with or without nicotine or prescription nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) | BMC Public Health, UK
Great Yarmouth e-cigarette trial sees two fifths of smokers quit
A free e-cigarette voucher released by a council to help people in a town stop smoking managed to get more than 100 to quit within a month, according to researchers | BBC, UK
New partnership over in Somerset between Drug and Alcohol Service and police aims to reverse opioid overdoses
In preparation for International Overdose Awareness Day on Wednesday 31st August, Somerset Drug & Alcohol Service (SDAS), run by social enterprise Turning Point has a new project in partnership with Avon & Somerset Police. This new initiative will see local PCs and PCSOs volunteer to receive training from SDAS to carry and use Naloxone to help reverse opioid overdoses they may encounter as part of their day-to-day role | Midsomer Norton Nub News, UK
My adult ADHD drugs felt like a lifeline. Then came the scary side-effects …
After a year on prescription stimulants, I started to unravel. Would a desperate experiment with street narcotics make me see things differently? | Guardian, UK
70. The Placebo Effect with Andrew Gold - podcast
This week’s episode features Andrew Gold of the On the Edge with Andrew Gold podcast. Andrew Gold is a journalist and TV presenter who lived in 6 countries, producing documentaries on bizarre and controversial subcultures. Join us this week for a conversation between the journalist and David Nutt, professor of neuropsychopharmacology, on exorcisms, hypnosis and other curiosities of the mind and body | Drug Science, UK
Drugs: North West Second Annual Conference
14th September 2022. Booking for the second Drugs NW conference, bringing together those researching any form of substance use, legal or illegal, drugs markets, responses to drugs, or drug policy - to raise awareness of the diverse and innovative research in our region, and to foster multi-disciplinary collaborations. We are also interested in other behaviours that intersect with substance use, including gambling | LJMU, UK
Gambling firm hit with record £17m fine
Gambling company Entain has been ordered to pay £17m for ‘social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures’, the Gambling Commission has announced. The fine covers both the company’s online and land-based businesses | DDN, UK
Cannabis dealers ordered to repay £375k
Criminals who illegally supplied cannabis have been ordered to repay more than £375,000 in cash and assets | BBC, UK
International news
HSE to trial drug testing pilot at Electric Picnic festival
An anonymous drug testing trial will take place at the Electric Picnic music festival in the Republic of Ireland | BBC, UK
Switzerland to trial legal sales of cannabis - video
The two-year study in Basel-Stadt, or Basel City, will see if cannabis can be regulated and stabilised in an area where recreational use is already believed to be widespread | BBC, UK
Pondoland: South Africa's cannabis growers left behind by legalisation plans
For generations, people in South Africa's Eastern Cape have made their living growing cannabis. You might expect that as the country moves to legalise the crop, they would be first in line to benefit, but that is not necessarily the case | BBC, UK
Sanna Marin: Finnish PM reveals she has taken drug test
Finland's prime minister has said she has taken a drug test, after new footage emerged showing the leader dancing with a Finnish popstar | BBC, UK
Out-of-Pocket Cost of Naloxone May Keep Many Uninsured from Using Lifesaving Treatment
The cost of buying the opioid antidote naloxone is out of reach for many uninsured Americans, a hurdle that may keep the treatment from saving more people who overdose on opioids, according to a new RAND Corporation study | RAND Corporation, USA
New study shows patient preference for medical cannabis products in the absence of clinical guidelines
Due to a lack of publicly available data, understanding what products medical cannabis patients use for various conditions has mostly come from survey responses. In a new study, USC Schaeffer Center researchers established a clearer picture by analyzing point-of-sale data from nearly 17,000 patients who made more than 80,000 purchases as part of the New York state medical cannabis program | EurekAlert, USA
FDA targets illegal nicotine gummies in new warning letter
Federal regulators on Thursday issued a first-of-a-kind warning to the maker of nicotine gummies, saying the illegal candies pose a growing risk to teenagers and younger children | Medical Xpress, USA
Cops Are Now Freaking Out About ‘Rainbow Fentanyl’
Law enforcement officials are warning that so-called “rainbow fentanyl” is targeting children. That’s almost certainly not true | VICE, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Women were the first brewers, yet the history of alcohol comes with a double shot of sexism
“Wait, there aren’t any books about the history of women and drinking? Seriously?” | Guardian, UK
The Hypocrisy of Shaming the Finnish Prime Minister
There has been a media outcry about a leaked video in which the Finnish Prime Minister is partying with her friends. She is now accused of using cocaine. This whole scandal is a textbook example of what’s wrong with our attitudes to young people and drugs | Drug Reporter, Hungary