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Daily news - 26th October 2022 |
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UK news
£65 million support for drugs services
Drug support services are benefitting from a £65 million boost to drive down the number of drug deaths each year. | Scottish Government, UK
Labels encouraging responsible drinking struggle to get the message through
People view labels on alcoholic drinks encouraging responsible consumption as a ploy by the industry to be seen as caring and are unlikely to lead to people drinking less | BPS, UK
NHS smoking cessation local delivery plan standard quarterly
During Q4 of 2021/22, NHS Scotland achieved 81% (1,431 quits out of 1,757) towards the required annual LDP Standard | Public Health Scotland, UK
The UK Enhanced Harm Reduction Working Group: Alex Stevens - IOAD 2022 Driving Change Conference; Driving Change: Improving Policy and Practice to Prevent Drug Deaths - video
This conference explored policy and practice innovation and featured discussions around different aspects of drug death prevention including international perspectives, emergency service response and the important role of living experience perspectives | SDF, UK
Psilocybin
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the effects of psilocybin and the current level of regulation of the drug | They work for you, UK
NHS Addictions Provider Alliance, 2022 Annual Conference
8th November 2022, 9.30 am - 4.00 pm. Following on from our 2021 conference which focused on spotlighting the problem of stigma and its impact on people with addiction, our 2022 conference aims to build upon its success and the success of our #StigmaKills campaign to put strategies for tackling stigma into real action, both as individuals and across our sector | NHS APA, UK
Faculty of Health Lecture - Professor Harry Sumnall
Wed, 16 November 2022, 17:00 – 19:00 GMT. Professor Harry Sumnall - Less than human: how can we increase support for evidence based policy for people who use drugs | LJMU, UK
The everyday life of drugs: producers, dealers, consumers, enforcers
Thu, 8 December 2022, 17:30 – 20:00 GMT. This seminar will showcase research on the everyday realities, perspectives and experiences of participants in illicit drug economies | CIVAD, UK
Bristol cannabis factory worth £3.5m discovered by police
Officers discovered a cannabis factory inside an industrial unit near Burcott Road in Avonmouth on 17 October | BBC, UK
Portsmouth dock workers 'tried to import £118m cocaine into UK'
A group of men tried to import a "colossal" amount of cocaine hidden in bananas into the UK, a court heard | BBC, UK
International news
What’s next for Brittney Griner after Russia court rejects her appeal of nine-year prison sentence?
The WNBA star’s lawyers said their client will be transferred to a Russian penal colony in the next few months | Independent, UK
‘Alcogenic society’: Australian hospitals see steep rise in severe alcohol-related disease
With alcohol-induced deaths at their highest rate in 10 years, one doctor says a quarter of his hospital’s ICU resources are being used to treat the illness | Guardian, UK
Results from Irelands first back of house drug testing
The pilot programme initially took place at Electric Picnic between the 2nd and 4th September as part of the HSE ‘Safer Nightlife’ harm reduction campaign. The aim of the pilot was to access, test and identify substances in a festival setting, alert the public, harm reduction services and onsite medics to any dangerous substances and gain insights on drug trends | HSE, Ireland
Minister McEntee to reform Ireland’s antiquated licensing laws
The present system is based on a patchwork of 100 laws - some of which are over 200 years old and two thirds of which pre-date the foundation of the State 100 years ago | DoJ, Ireland
Exposure to e-cigarette aerosols can cause heart arrhythmias, study shows
A new study from University of Louisville researchers in the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute has found that exposure to e-cigarette aerosols can cause heart arrhythmias in animal models -; both in the form of premature and skipped heart beats | News Medical, USA [See also commentary in Blogs section below]
NPS Discovery Toolkit » N-Pyrrolidino Etonitazene (PDF)
Our N-Pyrrolidino Etonitazene Toolkit consolidates data and information available for this NPS, at the time of reporting, with analytical methods, toxicology cases, and metabolism data generated by our laboratory | CFSRE / NPS Discovery, USA
STASH, Vol. 18(11) – Anniversary reaction: Substance use and suicide in the wake of a parent’s death
The anniversary of a loved one’s death can trigger intense feelings of grief, anger, depression, and despair that contribute to negative health outcomes, also known as the anniversary reaction. This week, STASH reviews a study by Ayako Hiyoshi and colleagues that examined whether the risk of substance use disorder and suicide-related behavior among children increases around the date of their parent’s death and subsequent anniversaries | BASIS, USA
With Promise of Legalization, Psychedelic Companies Joust Over Future Profits
[Possible paywall] Cash rich start-ups are filing scores of patent claims on hallucinogens like magic mushrooms. Researchers and patient advocates worry high prices will make the therapies unaffordable | NYTimes, USA
Juul Calls FDA Rejection “Substantively Flawed” in Combative Appeal
On October 21, Juul Labs published its administrative appeal of the marketing denial order (MDO) issued by the Food and Drug Administration at the end of June 2022. The move, and Juul’s decision to make it public, reflects the company’s apparent offensive pivot from its longstanding defensive strategy | Filter Magazine, USA
New study finds large increase in cocaine-related deaths in Australia over the last decade
The study examined data from the National Coronial Information System (NCIS) and found a large increase in cocaine-related deaths since 2012, with 398 known deaths in the last five years | NDARC, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Expert reaction to study of the effects of e-cigarette vapour on mice
A study published in Nature Communications looks at the effects of e–cigarettes on mice. Here three experts give their analysis | Science Media Centre, UK
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder : It’s not all about the face!
In this blog post, Dr Christopher Steer looks at the history of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, how the diagnosis has progressed beyond the physical characteristics of the individual and highlights the importance of raising awareness, providing support and offering training in the future | SHAAP blog, UK
“Let's stop strategies that don't work!”: Interview with Paula Aguirre, Director of Elementa
Continuing a collaboration with Proyecto Soma, TalkingDrugs has had privileged access to high figures within the Latin American drug policy world | Talking Drugs, UK