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Daily news - 2nd September 2022

UK news

Cannabis researchers say it’s high time to drop ‘lazy stoner’ stereotype

Regular users no more likely to lack drive than non-users – but motivation may wane while under the influence | Guardian, UK [see also Anhedonia, apathy, pleasure, and effort-based decision-making in adult and adolescent cannabis users and controls]

September - Recovery Month

Each September, Recovery Month works to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the emergence of a strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and community members across the nation who make recovery in all its forms possible | FAVOR, UK

September is FASD Awareness Month

The 9th day of the 9th month is International FASD Day. This is to draw attention to the importance of going alcohol-free for the 9 months of pregnancy. In the UK we celebrate September FASD Awareness Month | National FASD, UK

Why the alcohol industry can’t afford to let us kick our drinking problem - podcast

James Wilt, PhD candidate and author of ‘Drinking Up the Revolution’, writesthat we aren’t talking enough about the influence of the alcohol industry on Britain’s unhealthy drinking habits and how alcohol’s ubiquity is largely due to “its commodification and deregulation by Big Alcohol” | IAS, UK

The simple nasal spray that's being used to save lives in Somerset

Somerset Drug and Alcohol Project has partnered with Avon and Somerset Police to use the spray to stop people from overdosing on opioids | ITV, UK

Drug dealer jailed for teenager's death in Greenock

A teenage drug dealer convicted of killing a 14-year-old girl after he supplied her with the drug Ecstasy has been jailed for seven years | BBC, UK

Policy Research Programme - Screening for gambling-related harm within mental health and drug alcohol services

The NIHR Policy Research Programme currently has a single research project advertised to explore screening for gambling-related harm within mental health and drug alcohol services. This will be an opportunity to assess the feasibility of strengthening identification of those experiencing gambling-related harm and to support the development of robust referral pathways. More information about this project can be found in the research specification. The deadline for applications is 1pm on the 4th October 2022 | NIHR, UK

Cultivate Cambs - grant awards

Cambridgeshire County Council is committed to creating a greener, fairer and more caring Cambridgeshire. Our Cultivate Cambs fund awards grants of £2,000 to £15,000 for initiatives that help to achieve this broad vision by supporting our residents – adults and older people with care and support needs, and children, young people and families – to live independently, safe and well in thriving and inclusive communities | CAMBCF, UK

Key Findings - September

This is a quick summary of the main discovery for each research paper we have published in the Journal Addiction | SSA, UK

All Consuming - audio

Charlotte Williams and Amit Katwala explore our culture of consumption through products that have changed our lives. Today, they take a shot at the non-alcoholic drinks industry | BBC, UK

International news

Raising the bar An examination of the alcohol market in Ireland

The Review highlights the market revenues – €5.555bn in 2021, demonstrating who benefits and how, only a handful of companies are monopolising the Off-Trade receipts of €2.505bn | Alcohol Action Ireland, Ireland

Impacts of recreational cannabis legalization on cannabis use: a longitudinal discordant twin study

[Open access] In the United States, there appears to be a~20% average increase in cannabis use frequency attributable to recreational legalization, consistent across increasingly rigorous designs. In addition, the heritability of cannabis use frequency appears to be moderated by legalization | Addiction, USA

U.S. ban on smoking in public housing is upheld

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals said the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) properly enacted a 2016 rule requiring state and local public housing agencies to ban cigarettes, cigars and pipes inside housing units and indoor common areas, and outside within 25 feet of those spaces | Reuters, USA

“New Meth” Is Nothing to Fear. It Isn’t New. It’s Just Meth

If you’ve ever seen someone talk about “new meth” online, they were probably describing how it explained some aspect of society—encampments, mental illness—that they found distasteful. These references don’t come from a rich diversity of sources, but tend to trace back to a single source: a 2021 Atlantic article by Sam Quinones | Filter Magazine, USA

This Vancouver hospital equips security guards with naloxone — and it's saving lives

A downtown Vancouver hospital has trained and equipped security guards to administer potentially life-saving aid as B.C. continues to see record-high numbers of toxic drug deaths | CTV News, Canada

Blogs, comment and opinion

Ghana's Legal Cannabis Hits a Constitutional Roadblock

On the 27th of July 2022, the Supreme Court of Ghana gave a narrow judgement on a case brought before it, challenging the constitutionality of section 43 of the Narcotics Control Commission Act, which would have enabled the provision of licenses for medical cannabis cultivation | Talking Drugs, UK