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Daily news - 31st August 2022 |
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UK news
Biggest ever independent study into cannabis use launched by King's College London
A £2.5 million study into the effects of cannabis on the brain has been launched by a London university. The Cannabis & Me study will research environmental and biological factors behind the different effects people experience when using cannabis. King's College London want 6,000 people to take part in the investigation, which would be the largest independent study of its kind | BBC, UK
Is it too easy for under-18s to get vapes through TikTok?
TikTok is being urged by a public health charity to take a "responsible approach" towards content relating to vapes and e-cigarettes on the platform. It comes as ITV News found pages on the platform dedicated to demonstrating how vapes are made, and accounts that link to websites to buy the cigarette alternatives in bulk | ITV, UK
A network to raise awareness of alcohol related brain damage (ARBD) amongst healthcare professionals and the public through education and information to improve clinical outcomes
New website. The ARBD Network is a charitable organisation with the sole purpose of promoting the welfare of patients suffering from Alcohol Related Brain Damage. Our network provides a forum for education, the sharing of information and expertise and linking interested partners through internet contact, webinars, and conferences | ARBD Network, UK
‘Amazing’ girl, 16, collapses and dies after inhaling laughing gas at house party
Kayleigh Burns’s family is calling for tighter restrictions on the sale of nitrous oxide after death of ‘amazing’ teenager | Independent, UK
North-east politician trained to administer ‘life-saving’ Naloxone overdose drug
As part of International Overdose Awareness Day – which takes place today – the charity arranged a series of naloxone training events across Aberdeen city | Press and Journal, UK
Adfam National Forum: Drug and Alcohol Prevention
Thu, 1 September 2022, 10:30 – 12:00 BST. Adfam's latest practitioner welcomes Professor Harry Sumnall of Liverpool John Moores University to talk about drug and alcohol prevention | Adfam, UK
Recovery Festival 2022
Thursday 1st September, Bristol – This year’s festival is packed full of bands and performances, inspirational speakers, art and photography workshops, mutual aid and other support group taster sessions, singing, theatre, stalls from organisations supporting recovery, delicious free food, yoga, complementary therapies and more | Bristol Drugs Project, Ara, DHI and Bristol City Council, UK
Medical cannabis - what you need to know: Edinburgh
Tue, 13 September 2022, 18:30 – 21:00 BST. Edinburgh. Join the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society at this introduction to the history and evidence of medical cannabis and CBD | Drug Science, UK
How can my research inform policy?
Wed, 7 September 2022, 14:00 – 15:30 BST. A discussion with the experts on how to make impact and influence policy | SSA, UK
Recovery Games 24-Sep -2022 – Initial Registration Form
24 September. This annual event has been such a long time coming and we are really looking forward to you joining us and we are putting on the best ever Recovery Games yet | Recovery Games, UK
International news
International Overdose Awareness Day 2022 - TODAY
In recognition of the International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) campaign, celebrated every year on 31 August, Release staff have come together to honour the memory of all those that we have lost to drug overdoses, and that do not have the conditions to seek the help they require | Release, UK
K•A•C Global Tobacco Harm Reduction Scholarship Programme
We have developed a scholarship package to ground scholars in the theory and practice of tobacco harm reduction (THR). The scholarships will commence at the Global Forum on Nicotine Conference (GFN), which will be held in Warsaw, Poland, between 15th & 17th June 2023 | KAC, UK
Call for nominations for the ISSDP Excellence in Research Award
ISSDP is launching a new excellence in research award that will recognise a piece of research published in the past 3 years that has made a substantial innovation in how we think about or conduct research in the area of drug policy,... | ISSDP, UK
Joseph Schooling: Singapore Olympic star suspended over cannabis scandal
Singapore first Olympic gold medallist Joseph Schooling has been suspended from competing in swimming competitions after he admitted to consuming cannabis overseas | BBC, UK
Fetterman campaign calls on Biden to decriminalise weed ahead of president’s Pennsylvania visit
John Fetterman does not want to hear “any bull****” from his Republican opponent Mehmet Oz about his support for decriminalising cannabis, or any attempts from the TV doctor-turned-GOP candidate to conflate weed “with seriously harmful crime” | Independent, UK
A nightmare choice for Peru’s Indigenous leaders
When drug traffickers approached Herlin Odicio, he had to make a choice, join them or run | Independent, UK
Drug-related deaths in Limerick
Wednesday 31st August, is International Overdose Awareness Day. Sadly, for those who have serious on-going addiction issues, the risk of overdose is ever-present. According to the latest official figures*, there were 786 drug-related deaths in Ireland over a twelve-month period. It’s against this backdrop that Ana Liffey Drug Project, is highlighting the importance of improved availability of Naloxone, a medication used to block and reverse the effects of heroin and other opioids | Ana Liffey Drug Project, Ireland
Nicki Killeen - Festival Drug-Testing - audio
Aifric chats to Project Manager for Emerging Drug Trends at the HSE’s National Social Inclusion Office, Nicki Killeen about the drug-testing facility at this year's Electric Picnic! | RTe, Ireland
Updated Health Warnings for Alcohol — Informing Consumers and Reducing Harm
[Free registration required] The risks associated with alcohol consumption are well documented. Requiring new, well-designed warning labels on alcohol containers could provide information to consumers and reduce harm | NEJM, USA
Investigating the role of retail pharmacies in the US opioid epidemic
Increased competition can result in lower prices and better service, but two researchers from Singapore Management University have found that it can also lead to businesses engaging in practices which can be potential harmful to society | Medical Xpress, USA
Study reveals fentanyl's effects on the brain
In research conducted by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and published in PNAS Nexus, tests of the brain's electrical activity revealed fentanyl's effects over time and indicated that the drug stops people's breathing before other noticeable changes and before they lose consciousness | Medical Xpress, USA
Mood influences alcohol craving differently in men and women
Drinkers' mood shifts and exposure to alcohol-related cues—beer cans, bars, and drinking buddies—contribute to alcohol cravings in opposite ways for men and women, a new study suggests | Medical Xpress, USA
The recovery process among migrant and ethnic minorities: An interconnected web of personal, social, and community level factors
Studies have explored the impact of substance use among migrants and ethnic minorities (MEM); however, little is known about their recovery process. This week, STASH reviews a study by Aline Pouille and colleagues that examined MEM recovery capital at the personal, social, and community levels, along with barriers to recovery | BASIS, USA
Australia's Annual Overdose Report
The report draws on the most up-to-date data from diverse, verifiable sources. We apply the most rigorous standards of research and analysis to identify current and emerging trends and create a snapshot of the overdose crisis in the Australian context | Penington Institute, Australia
Alcohol, tobacco & other drugs in Australia
[Updated] Alcohol, tobacco and other drug use is a major cause of preventable disease, illness and death in Australia. This report consolidates recent information on the availability and consumption of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs in Australia, and related impacts, harms and treatment | AIHW, Australia
Pill-testing research shows governments need to do more
A new study monitoring a community-led pill-testing service at a music festival has found the vast majority of attendees would discard drugs found to contain unexpected substances — which could have a big impact on preventing overdoses and drug-related deaths | ECU, Australia
Mother's plea to save others from the drug spiral that killed her son
Katrina Korver told ABC Radio Melbourne if a safe injecting room were operating in the city, her son would still be alive | abc.net.au, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Hacker Ethics: Learning Lessons from Darknet Marketplaces
The rise of darknet marketplaces (DNMs) illustrates the systemic failings of drug war enforcement. From the perspective of the hackers behind this technology, they have, in the last decade, marked a new frontier in undermining prohibitionist efforts to restrict the availability of illegal drugs. To be clear, the unregulated free market model these websites represent has little to do with Transform’s vision of legal regulation. Nevertheless, darknet users have undeniably pioneered - deliberately or not - models of harm reduction, which may offer useful lessons as we plot the course into a post-prohibitionist world | Transform blog, UK
The rising appetite for powerful drugs like fentanyl is a direct result of Australia’s failing prohibition policies
Tough questions must be asked about laws that perpetuate the myth that the war on drugs is winnable through prohibition | Guardian opinion, UK