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Daily news - 15th November 2022 |
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UK news
Evaluating the impact of MUP on alcohol products and prices 2022
This report evaluates the effect of minimum unit pricing for alcohol (MUP) on the price and range of alcohol products in the Scottish retail off-trade and wholesale sectors | Public Health Scotland, UK
Supermarket alcohol cost up 18% under minimum pricing
The cost of a unit of alcohol in Scottish supermarkets went up by nearly 18% after minimum unit pricing was introduced, a study has found | BBC, UK
UK music festivals: 'Drug checking could have saved Georgia'
An 18-year-old who died after taking high-strength MDMA at a festival might be alive if on-site drugs tests had been at the event, her mum says | BBC, UK
Priest among North East drug consumption room campaigners
A priest is calling for a law change to allow drug consumption rooms to open in the North East, the region of England where drug-related deaths are highest | BBC, UK
London homicides driven by drugs and social media, study finds
Drugs, missed mental health sessions and social media usage are factors driving homicides, a study [Scroll down to More reports from VRU] has found | BBC, UK
Soldiering On: 2022 Armed Forces Community Awards
We Are With You has won the Healthcare & Rehabilitation award for their Armed Forces Community substance misuse service | Soldiering On, UK
St Mungo’s announces new Chief Executive
A new permanent Chief Executive has been appointed for leading homelessness charity St Mungo’s | St Mungo's, UK
Crispin Blunt MP joins Psych Capital
Psych Capital Plc is pleased to announce the appointment of the Conservative Drug Policy Reform Group (CDPRG) representative, Crispin Blunt MP, to its Medical Psychedelic Technical Advisory Board | Psych Capital, UK
Over 1.3 million disposable vapes a week are ending up in landfill or incineration
They're now a common sight in bars, nightclubs and at festivals - partygoers gripping for dear life to their disposable vapes | ITV, UK
Safer Lives: Reducing Opiate Deaths
Wed, 30 November 2022, 09:30 – 16:30 GMT. The Safer Lives: Reducing Opiate Deaths conference will be an opportunity for networking and identifying opportunities to widen Naloxone supply and distribution. We have a panel of expert speakers including Dame Carol Black, George Charlton, Dr Ed Day and representatives from various professional groups that are finding innovative ways to carry and supply Naloxone | Turning Point, UK
Your most significant psychedelic experience - survey
Thank you for taking the time to complete our short survey! This survey usually takes around 10-15 minutes to complete. The aim of this project is to learn more about whether and how people prepare for their psychedelic experiences | UCL, UK
Isle of Man ex-pro cyclist jailed for dealing cocaine
A former professional cyclist caught dealing cocaine on the Isle of Man has been jailed after blowing an "unusual" second chance granted by a judge | BBC, UK
Juror declared Coventry drug dealer 'not guilty' in trial 'fix'
A juror tried to "fix" a drug kingpin's trial by declaring to other jurors "not guilty, not guilty" before discussing the case, a court heard | BBC, UK
Dewsbury: Two charged after drugs worth nearly £6m seized
A man and a woman have been charged after £5.8m worth of drugs was seized during a police raid in West Yorkshire | BBC, UK
Three arrested after drugs found in cars in Harrogate
Three people have been arrested after dozens of bags of cocaine were found in vehicles in Harrogate | BBC, UK
International news
No jail for ‘nice man’, 73, caught growing drugs at his Cork home
Detective Garda Andrew Manning said the elderly cannabis grower was very easy to deal with and caused gardaí no trouble whatsoever | Echo Live, Ireland
Fentanyl vaccine potential 'game changer' for opioid epidemic
A research team led by the University of Houston has developed a vaccine targeting the dangerous synthetic opioid fentanyl that could block its ability to enter the brain, thus eliminating the drug's "high." The breakthrough discovery could have major implications for the nation's opioid epidemic by becoming a relapse prevention agent for people trying to quit using opioids | Medical Xpress, USA
Colorado says yes to medical use of 'magic mushrooms'
Colorado voters have voted narrowly to approve the medical use of "magic mushrooms" in Colorado | Medical Xpress, USA
The black market strangled California's legal weed industry. Now it's coming for New York
Inside a Brooklyn smoke shop, past rows of bongs and other paraphernalia, a display case is piled high with legal hemp and CBD — but a store employee has some advice | Politico, USA
Fundamental Flaws of Tobacco Control Act—and FDA’s Implementation
When Congress passed the the Tobacco Control Act in 2009, it amended the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate the manufacture, distribution and marketing of tobacco products for the first time. This was seen as an important step to protect public health from the serious detrimental consequencesof smoking combustible tobacco products | Filter Magazine, USA
Three States Just Rejected Cannabis Legalization. What Are the Lessons?
Maryland and Missouri approved ballot measures to legalize adult-use cannabis on November 8—making a total of 21 states nationwide that have legalized. But another three states—North Dakota, South Dakota and Arkansas—voted against legalization. What were the factors behind these defeats, and what can activists take away as they contemplate future campaigns? | Filter Magazine, USA
Harm reduction workers facing burnout amid dual crises: ‘Too emotionally fraught’
Battered not only by the ongoing overdose crisis but also with challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, harm reduction workers across Canada are struggling with burnout, experts say | Global News, Canada
From Deception to Demand: US Fentanyl Users Now Want Fentanyl
While addicted to opioids, 35-year-old Sherman Oaks native Matt Meakin once lived in Skid Row, a permanent, decades-old, sprawling homeless encampment adjacent to million-dollar condos in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. The area has long been synonymous with poverty, alcoholism, and drug addiction. But to many, it’s also a stable community | Insight Crime, Colombia
Anti-vape laws bolster nicotine black market
The Oz bought a nicotine prescription only for $85, and was never asked for it even by the most 'reputable' sellers when buying vapes for this story | The Australian, Australia
Vape Authors Hit Back On WHO’s Health Claims
Several leading international Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) experts have compiled and published extensive research which slams the World Health Organization’s (WHO) official health claims about vaping | SCOOP, New Zealand
Blogs, comment and opinion
Darknet Market Leads the Way in Harm Reduction Innovation
George Smith takes us into the underground dark web drug marketplaces, with some surprising initiatives that could teach legal markets a thing or two... | Volteface, UK
I Didn’t Choose to Become an Alcoholic
I didn’t choose to become an alcoholic. I never made a conscious decision to become an addict. It just sort of happened. During my four-year involvement with Barod, two as a service user in Swansea and now two as an employee with DDAS in Carmarthenshire, I don’t think that I have met someone who had less reason to take this path, but it still happened | Barod, UK
Comments on the Task of Interpreting
The major topic of this essay is “hermeneutics” as it applies to addiction counseling | Recovery Review blog, USA