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Daily news - 24th October 2022

UK news

Pregnant women to be handed free vapes by London council

Lambeth Council estimates its "stop smoking" service will save parents £2,000 a year - money it says would otherwise be spent on tobacco | BBC, UK

Half of North East adults drink enough to raise their cancer risk as top doctor warns of 'direct link'

Campaigners and top medics have warned people in the North East drink enough to raise their risk of cancer | Chronicle, UK

Activists seek to block Christmas displays of alcohol in the supermarket

[Possible paywall] Campaigners fighting to prevent prominent wine and beer promotions after advent calendars and biscuits relegated in anti-obesity drive | Telegraph, UK

ACMD advice on the supply pf codeine products by podiatrists [Letter to ACMD] (PDF)

The ACMD considered the NHS proposal, and recommended that the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 (“the 2001 Regulations”) be amended to reflect it and that: “As there is potential for misuse with long-term use of co-codamol, codeine phosphate and co-dydramol products, the ACMD supports restricting the duration of supply using the proposed interim mechanism to no more than three days as recommended by current Royal College of Podiatry guidance”. | Home Office, UK

Psilocybin

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will discuss the reclassification of psilocybin from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs | They work for you, UK

Drugs: Misuse

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to implement the advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs on reducing barriers to research on controlled substances | They work for you, UK

Student who was 'turning life around' died from heroin overdose at university accomodation

A student who was described as fiercely "intelligent and funny" died from a heroin overdose at his university accommodation, an inquest has heard | ITV, UK

Funding cuts will force us to close, homelessness charities warn Government

A poll of over 70 homelessness charities found that one in four feared the cost of living crisis risked their service having to shut down | i news, UK

Acid Dream: The Great LSD Plot - audio

In the 1970s it’s estimated that about 60% of the world’s LSD came from one place: Wales. This is the story of an attempt to start a revolution of the mind, from a Welsh farmhouse | BBC Sounds, UK

Country diary: The many mysteries of the magic mushroom

It’s the time of year when not-your-average ramblers can be seen hunting for a natural if illegal high | Guardian, UK

International news

Concern surge in amphetamine use in Dublin linked to lowered cost of drug production in Afghanistan

Concerns are growing within the ranks of An Garda Síochána about a very significant increase in the consumption of amphetamines in Dublin in recent months, and that it may prove to be the start of a national trend | Irish Times, Ireland

Belgium to ban tobacco vending machines in hospitality industry

Belgium's Federal Government will soon ban all tobacco vending machines in bars or restaurants, but not in supermarkets which are exempted, the Parliamentary Committee on Public Health decided on Wednesday | Brussels Times, Belgium

Effect of a Novel Brief Motivational Intervention for Alcohol-Intoxicated Young Adults in the Emergency Department

In this randomized clinical trial, brief motivational intervention maintained a statistically significant lower number of heavy drinking days over 1 year compared with brief advice. No effects on alcohol-related problems were found. These findings suggest that a brief motivational intervention model implemented in the emergency department among intoxicated young adults can have a beneficial effect on heavy drinking, which is a major public health concern | JAMA Network Open, USA

Opioid abuse decreases during pandemic, yet higher rates persist for sexual minorities

Although opioid abuse in the U.S. is trending downward overall, it remains higher among non-heterosexuals than heterosexuals, according to an analysis of national survey data being presented at the Anesthesiology 2022 annual meeting | Medical Xpress, USA

This prospective trial (NRC021) tests the hypothesis that the NET Device provides safe and effective neurostimulation treatment for persons with OUD who express a desire to be opioid abstinent without medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) | Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, USA

Cannabis use increases pain after surgery, study shows

Adults who use cannabis have more pain after surgery than those who don’t use cannabis, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2022 annual meeting | EurekAlert, USA

Colombia's potential cocaine production at record high, U.N. says

Potential production of cocaine in Colombia and the area sown with coca, the drug's base ingredient, rose last year to their highest levels in two decades of monitoring, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said on Thursday | Reuters, USA

Stigma in drug research holding back new therapies

Therapy is turning to drugs previously known for being illicit party substances. But there's no reason to abandon proper trials, says Malcolm Hopwood, in part three of a series on psychedelics and mental health | Newsroom, New Zealand

Blogs, comment and opinion

Liz Truss’ successor as PM must legalise cannabis

There is a strong, simple, Conservative case for reforming our laws on cannabis. Whoever occupies No10 next will be looking for growth, and cannabis could be part of the answer... | Volteface, UK

Addiction: the whole family gets to play

One of the things that still haunts me, years into recovery, is the memory of the impact of my addictive behaviour on others – particularly those I love but also my colleagues. There was plenty of suffering to go round, the debris spread far and wide. In some ways the cleaning up operation has never quite concluded | Recovery Review blog, UK

Finding sober spaces at university

Socialising at university can be daunting for those that prefer to avoid alcohol. In this blog, Leilani van Someren, President of the Queen Mary Sober Socials society, shares some alcohol-free freshers’ tips | AHA UK blog, UK

The drug trade has wrecked Amsterdam

“It’s fine on the other side, it’s fine on the other side!” sing five rowdy, dancing Brits, to the tune of the Pet Shop Boys’ “Go West”. On the other side of the 14th century Oudezijds Achterburgwal canal, a cluster of partying men yodel back. It is midnight on a Friday in the heart of Amsterdam’s De Wallen district, and I am on a reconnaissance tour with Amsterdam’s Night Watch | UnHerd, UK

Inside Illinois' failing cannabis legalisation industry

Biden’s plans bring hope, but an uphill battle remains to turn this sector around and truly achieve justice... | Volteface, UK

Does methamphetamine use cause Parkinson’s? And what do pizza boxes have to do with it?

The South Australian government is planning to roll out a new mass media campaign about the impact of using methamphetamine, including crystal methamphetamine or “ice” and powdered methamphetamine or “speed”. | Conversation, Australia

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