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Daily news - 28th November 2022 |
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UK news
National Drugs Mission: Taking concrete action to combat stigma - video
A debate in the Scottish Parliament, tabled by the Scottish government, on the National Drugs Mission, from Thursday 24 November | BBC, UK
Smoking
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November to Question 74727 on Smoking, if he will publish data on whether England is on schedule to achieve or exceed targets on adult smoking | They work for you, UK
Oral Tobacco
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Dr Javed Khan's review into Smokefree 2030 policies, what steps he is taking to implement that report's recommendation to facilitate access to oral nicotine pouches | They work for you, UK
‘In Gloucester, young boys are carrying weapons’: how violence, drugs and abuse thrive when police fail
Reducing knife crime and domestic abuse is one of the steep challenges facing the Gloucestershire police, along with improving its own performance rating | Guardian, UK
Establishing and embedding a Local Drug Information System (LDIS)
Mon, 5 December 2022, 14:00 – 16:00 GMT. This event is aimed at anyone responsible for establishing or running a Local Drug Information System (LDIS). It will provide an overview of the purpose of the LDIS and how it fits into regional and national systems. There will be an opportunity to hear from two areas on their experience of setting up and running an LDIS, and there will be a practical exercise on using the grading and efficacy matrices set out in the LDIS guidance Interactive session on establishing an LDIS. Please note, this event is being held twice; if you are unable to make the session on 5th December, please sign up for the one on the 25th January 2023 | DHSC, UK
Benzo Research Project Report Launch & Drug Policy Debate
Mon, 5 December 2022, 19:00 – 21:00 GMT. The Benzo Research Project is celebrating the release of its report, which analyses 72 testimonies on benzo use in young people in the UK | Benzo Research Project, UK
Jockey Marco Ghiani has licence temporarily withdrawn after positive drug test
Former champion apprentice Marco Ghiani has had his licence withdrawn for six months after testing positive for metabolites of cocaine | BBC, UK
Cocaine found in animal feed at Somerset farm
More than 230kgs of cocaine have been seized after being found hidden in animal feed and oranges | BBC, UK
Ben Nelson-Roux: Teen 'spiralled' before hostel death, inquest told
The body of Ben Nelson-Roux was found by his mother at the hostel in Harrogate in April 2020. He was a drug user and was exploited by "county lines" drug dealers, the inquest into his death was told | BBC, UK
International news
EU to introduce bloc-wide vaping levy
According to a draft European Commission document and first reported by the Financial Times, stronger vaping products would have an excise duty of at least 40 per cent applied, while lower-strength vapes will face a 20 per cent duty | City AM, UK
Calls for ban on disposable vapes as 1.3m thrown away weekly
At least 1.3 million disposable vapes are thrown away every week – enough to fill 22 football pitches per year | Independent, UK
I Tried Ibogaine, the Psychedelic Anti-Addiction Drug
Supporters claim the powerfully hallucinogenic tree-bark derivative can break the cycle of addiction and eliminate withdrawal | VICE, UK
Cork court: Man who tried to treat his cancer with dried cactus prosecuted for possession of mescaline
In all the circumstances of the unusual case, the judge agreed to give the accused the benefit of a dismissal under the Probation of Offenders Act | Echo Live, Ireland
Awareness week on alcohol related harm
Nov 28th – Dec 2nd 2022. Two people a minute die in Europe because of the region’s uniquely high level of alcohol consumption, while millions more suffer ill-health, violence, injury, job loss, and countless other harms. During the main week of AWARH22 we will remind policymakers of the facts | AWARH, Belgium
Smoking cannabis may be more harmful to lungs than tobacco: study
Researchers from the University of Ottawa and The Ottawa Hospital looked at chest X-ray scans of 56 cannabis smokers, 57 non-smokers and 33 people who smoked only tobacco between 2005 and 2020 | Medical Xpress, USA
What is a ketamine therapy session like? A Philly-based therapist explains her process
Jess Jones, a licensed clinical social worker, treats a number of patients with ketamine-assisted therapy—where clients take ketamine, prescribed by a psychiatrist, in a series of sessions to treat severe depression or other serious mental health issues | Medical Xpress, USA
Marijuana Pardons Affect Just a Sliver of Those Swept Up in the War on Drugs
[Free subscription may be required] President Biden’s pardons for thousands of Americans convicted of possessing marijuana don’t apply to state charges or many immigrants at risk of deportation | NYTimes, USA
Reaching smoke-free: how can we improve smoking cessation treatment?
This webinar explored the provision of smoking cessation treatments, including e-cigarettes, in the context of primary care. It provided an overview of investigations into how smoking cessation treatment provision in the UK could be improved – and the roles prescription e-cigarettes may play – to further reduce the prevalence of smoking and meet England’s smoke-free 2030 target (≤ 5% smoking prevalence) | NDARC, Australia
Gambling, fast food and alcohol sponsorship in elite sport – perspectives from Australian sporting fans
Public health bodies in Australia remain concerned about marketing of unhealthy commodities; namely unhealthy food, alcohol and gambling products. Children are particularly susceptible to the influence of unhealthy commodity marketing. This study explored adults’ perceptions of unhealthy commodities sponsorship in elite sport and policies to restrict them | BMC Public Health, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Ian Dunt's Week - What to read this weekend: Fierce Chemistry: A History of UK Drug Wars by Harry Shapiro
This is how you do it. A hundred years of political, economic, legal and social history boiled down into a highly readable, witty, humane narrative. Shapiro's topic is the UK war on drugs and he delivers in spades. Page upon page of fascinating glimpses into now-forgotten British subculture | i news, UK
Drugs & Alcohol Main Causes Of Homeless People Dying
As we have seen, there were an estimated 741 deaths of homeless people in England and Wales registered in 2021, with a 95% confidence interval of 658 to 824 estimated deaths | Russell Webster, UK
Peer recovery support: a bridge to hope and healing
Good human relationships and social connections are potent protections against both physical and mental ill health. In an analysis involving hundreds of thousands of people researchers looked to see to what extent social relationships influenced the risk of death. They found that those who had stronger relationships were 50% less likely to die early | Recovery Review blog, UK
The alcohol proposals that drove me to drink
The Scottish Government intends pressing ahead with a consultation on introducing restrictions on alcohol sponsorship and marketing – despite its own, recently-published Health Survey finding that consumption amongst adults, in particular young adults, had fallen to record low levels | Herald opinion, UK
My timeline is filled with mothers finding peace at the bottom of a wine glass, but alcohol and new parenthood don’t always mix
Social media serves up the perfect mum cocktail: one part subliminal messaging, one part sleep deprivation, shake thoroughly and garnish with self-denial | Guardian opinion, UK
Class in a glass: what’s this obsession with wine all about?
Wine might be widely drunk, but there is still an idea, however old-fashioned, that it’s bourgeois to drink it | Observer, UK
Fear, Loathing, and Fentanyl Misinformation
I have studied fentanyl misinformation since 2017. While misinformation is problematic for obvious reasons, misinformation about drugs, like fentanyl, is harmful | MedPage Today opinion, USA
Plants as Psychoactives and Medicines: Touring Allen Centennial Gardens
On a sunny, fall day in Wisconsin, the “Psychedelic Pasts, Presents, and Futures” Borghesi-Mellon working group teamed up with the Allen Centennial Gardens to host an event where participants were exposed to the role of plants as the basis of psychoactives and medicines | Points blog, USA