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Daily news - 11th April 2023 |
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UK news
Smokers urged to swap cigarettes for vapes in world first scheme
Pregnant women will also be offered financial incentives to help them quit as part of a sweeping package of measures to cut smoking rates in England | Department of Health and Social Care and Neil O'Brien MP, UK
Vaping: Free e-cigarettes to be handed out in anti-smoking drive
One million smokers will be given a free vaping starter kit to encourage them to give up tobacco products. Pregnant women will also be offered up to £400 to stop smoking as part of a package of measures in England to be unveiled by the government on Tuesday | BBC, UK
Crackdown on illegal sale of vapes
In his speech at Policy Exchange on Tuesday 11 April, Health Minister Neil O’Brien is expected to announce a new ‘illicit vapes enforcement squad’ – backed by £3 million of government funding – to enforce the rules on vaping and tackle illicit vapes and underage sales | Department of Health and Social Care and Neil O'Brien MP, UK
Underage vaping to be targeted by UK government’s ‘enforcement squad’
The crackdown, which will address the illegal sale of e-cigarettes to children, is ‘just the tip of the iceberg’, warn health experts | Guardian, UK
Scottish minimum unit pricing evaluation shows 13.4% reduction in deaths
The British Liver Trust has campaigned as part of the Alcohol Health Association and alongside Alcohol Focus Scotland and SHAAP (Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems) in support of the introduction of minimum unit pricing (MUP). More recently, we have advocated for an increase in MUP from 50p to 65p in Scotland | British Liver Trust, UK
Baseline characteristics of people experiencing homelessness with a recent drug overdose in the PHOENIx pilot randomised controlled trial
[Open access] Drug-related deaths in Scotland are the highest in Europe. Half of all deaths in people experiencing homelessness are drug related, yet we know little about the unmet health needs of people experiencing homelessness with recent non-fatal overdose, limiting a tailored practice and policy response to a public health crisis | Harm Reduction Journal, UK
More Durham officers trained to use overdose antidote
A potentially lifesaving treatment for drug overdoses has been given to 34 people by police in County Durham. More Durham Constabulary officers will now be trained in how to give Naloxone, used to counteract overdoses of opiates, such as heroin, fentanyl and methadone | BBC, UK
Families urge government to fund medical cannabis research
Elaine Levy reveals she had to sell her home so she could afford private prescriptions for medical cannabis to treat her adult daughter's epilepsy | Sky News, UK
Combined efforts by authorities to end the supply and use of illegal drugs are often referred to as 'the war on drugs'. From what you have seen and heard, do you think authorities in Britain are winning or losing the war on drugs?
Answers to this YouGov question are broken down according to Age, Gender, Political persuasion and social grade | YouGov, UK
Addressing our gender pay gap: read our full report
Change Grow Live has published its Gender Pay Gap Report for 2022 | DDN, UK
Legalise cannabis, don’t criminalise communities
Anti-prohibition campaigner calls for reform: free the people not just the herb | The Voice, UK
NI licensing laws: No more supermarket points for alcohol sales
Alcohol sellers in Northern Ireland can no longer run loyalty schemes which award points or allow them to be redeemed for alcohol, under new laws | BBC, UK
Norfolk Broads boat hire firm bans alcohol after antisocial behaviour
Hippersons boatyard says drunk tourists have damaged vessels, urinated off the side, and abused staff | Guardian, UK
‘My parents knew I hung out with dodgy people, but they had no idea it was a county lines drug gang’
[Possible paywall] What makes a bright teenager from a loving home get involved in the dangerous world of drug dealing? | Telegraph, UK
Rory Lamont: ‘My rugby injuries made me suicidal – psychedelic drugs saved me’
[Possible paywall] The former Scottish international describes how a Costa Rican plant pulled him out of a dark period in his life | Telegraph, UK
Gambling limits for under-25s expected in new laws, reports say
Young online gamblers will face limits on the amount they can bet under new laws reportedly being lined up by the government | BBC, UK
Public Policy: Changing the system from within
Thu, 4 May 2023 10:30 - 12:00 BST. Join us for an open discussion exploring how systemic approaches can enable public policy to make real progress in complex environments | School of System Change, UK
‘Alcoholic’ dog becomes first canine to be treated for addiction
[Possible paywall] Two-year-old Labrador cross, who required emergency care from animal rescue staff, is ‘still very anxious’ despite recovery from withdrawal | Telegraph, UK
Pembrokeshire dogs sniff out thousands of illegal cigarettes
Two crime-fighting canines have helped police seize hundreds of thousands of illegal cigarettes and tobacco from shops in the UK | BBC, UK
International news
People were taking drugs in Spain 3,000 years ago, study finds
People were getting high on hallucinogenic drugs in Spain around 3,000 years ago, according to new research | BBC, UK
The big idea: should doctors be able to prescribe psychedelics?
A move to allow Australian psychiatrists to treat depression with psilocybin may herald a new era | Guardian, UK
Raphael Mechoulam, scientist who discovered why cannabis makes people ‘high’ – obituary
[Possible paywall] Though he was described as the 'grandfather of medical marijuana research' he claimed that he had never smoked a joint | Telegraph, UK
Michael K Williams: Drug dealer pleads guilty over The Wire actor's death
A man has pleaded guilty in court to distributing the fentanyl-laced heroin that resulted in the death of The Wire's Michael K Williams in 2021 | BBC, UK
Melbourne principal says schools struggling to combat vaping as minister blasts ‘public health menace’
Nicotine-addicted students are reportedly struggling with concentration and behaviour and are leaving class to vape | Guardian, UK
Over a thousand babies born addicted to drugs in past decade
More than a thousand babies have been diagnosed as being born addicted to or affected by illegal and legal drugs in Ireland over the past decade | RTe, Ireland
Doctors claim Government failing to counteract ‘relentless pro-cannabis messaging’ in media
Group of top 21 doctors write letter arguing ‘avoidable misery’ is being caused by the drug – including record hospital admissions | Irish Times, Ireland
Czech government approves plan for regulated cannabis market
Details of the revised plan have not been released yet, but the introduction of the market would also include steps to fight drug and gambling addiction | expats.cz, Czech Republic
Population-Level Health Effects of Involuntary Displacement of People Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness Who Inject Drugs in US Cities
This simulation modeling study of 23 US cities projects that involuntary displacement of people experiencing homelessness may yield substantial increases in morbidity and mortality over a 10-year period. Involuntary displacement is estimated to worsen overdose and hospitalizations, decrease initiations of medications for opioid use disorder, and contribute to deaths among people experiencing homelessness who inject drugs | JAMA Network Open, USA
Assessment of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems With Cigarette Use and Self-reported Wheezing in the US Adult Population
Using 2013 to 2019 data from a cohort study of 17 075 participants in the US, this study found that ENDS use is not associated with increased odds of reporting wheezing independent of cigarette smoking | Jama Network Open, USA
Study shows patterns of opioid prescribing linked to suicide risk
Controversy surrounds the effects of policies to reduce opioid prescriptions on suicide rates. There are concerns that rapid reductions in prescription opioids might provoke increased suicide risk among people who become desparate after they are taken off opioids | Medical Xpress, USA
'Vaping robot' study shows mint flavor makes vape juice more toxic, damaging to lungs
Adding mint flavor to e-cigarette liquids produces more vapor particles and is associated with worse lung function in those who smoke, report researchers from the University of Pittsburgh in Respiratory Research today | Medical Xpress, USA
Study reveals high prevalence of alcohol, opioid use among patients with Crohn's disease
Newly diagnosed people with Crohn's disease (CD) in the United States are more likely to experience drug and alcohol use compared with the general population, according to a recent study led by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers | Medical Xpress, USA
Cleveland Mayor Planning Thousands of Cannabis Record Expungements
The mayor of Cleveland, Ohio said on April 4 that the city will be moving forward with plans to seal thousands of marijuana records after a state law took effect empowering localities to process mass relief | Filter Magazine, USA
Decriminalization of drug possession in Oregon: Analysis and early lessons
In November 2020, Oregon voters approved Measure 110, a ballot initiative that decriminalized possession of small quantities of all drugs and allocated hundreds of millions of dollars annually to health services for people who use drugs. Implementation of Measure 110 is ongoing, but several effects are noticeable in the first two years since the measure passed...This paper analyzes the provisions of Measure 110, examines its early impacts, successes, and challenges, and outlines lessons that jurisdictions contemplating decriminalizing drug possession in the U.S. and globally should consider | Drug Science, Policy and Law, USA
Brazil Promises “Evidence-Based” Drug Policy, a Term That’s Lost All Meaning
In March, at Session 66 of the United Nations’ Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the delegation from Brazil vowed to take a human-rights approach to drug policy. National Secretary for Drug Policy Marta Machado gave a speech in which she emphasized equity for vulnerable populations and stated: “We recognize drug use as a matter of public health and social development and we will work, based on scientific evidence, to improve health systems and social protection.” | Filter Magazine, USA
As Fentanyl Spreads in Our Prison, Guards Learn How Not to Use Narcan
At Washington Corrections Center (WCC), in Shelton, WA, opioids are an increasingly large part of the drug supply. But though our correctional officers (COs) have access to Narcan, the common branded version of the opioid-overdose antidote naloxone, many are not properly trained to use it. They are also actively discouraged from learning | Filter Magazine, USA
Canada’s Health Crisis: Profiling Opioid Addiction in Alberta & British Columbia (PDF)
The purpose of this report is to investigate the current state of the opioid addiction crisis in Canada. The report gives specific attention to Alberta and British Columbia, the two provinces in Canada with the highest rates of opioid-related overdose deaths. The report seeks to identify drivers of the crisis and key features of the provincial policies, along with the makeup of the addicted populations and overdose victims | Stanford University, USA
Western study examines high vaping rates among Canadian high school students
The study, published in the journal Children in February, found that roughly one-quarter of high school students in Canada reported having vaped in the previous month, with 12 per cent using exclusively nicotine vapes, and 11.3 per cent using nicotine and non-nicotine vapes, or dual-use vaping | Global News, Canada
Swarbrick's Alcohol Harm Minimisation bill fails at first reading
Green Party MP Chloe Swarbrick's Alcohol Harm Minimisation bill has failed at its first reading, after only a handful of Labour MPs voted for it | RNZ, New Zealand
Blogs, comment and opinion
How can I help my teen quit vaping?
You’re driving your teen home from school when they open up to you about their vaping. What started off as an occasional puff of an e-cigarette has turned into something more serious | Conversation, UK
Taking matters into my own hands: Self-taught drug education
Engaging in the drug science and policy space has given me a sense of purpose. It has allowed me to use my scientific expertise for a greater good; not driven by profit or prestige, but for the health and wellbeing of young people. I have unfortunately seen addiction affect people close to me, so being active in changing the UK paradigm on drugs is incredibly important | Drug Science, UK
Staffordshire Company, Dalgety, Licenced to Cultivate Cannabis for Medical Use. On the Board of Directors, Jacqui Smith, Ex-Labour Home Secretary
It’s excellent news that following on from Celadon Pharmaceuticals last month, the MHRA and Home Office have now issued a second set of licences to produce cannabis-based products for medical use (CBPM). Dalgety says it will be producing bulk dried flower, ground and pelletised flower, pure crystallised extracts, blended oils, solids and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) as powders and extracts | Peter Reynolds, UK
Harm reduction, racial justice, Indigenous Peoples rights: UN Human Rights Council breaks new ground on drug policy
History was made this week at the UN. The Human Rights Council in Geneva adopted the most ambitious and progressive resolution on drug policy to date, titled ‘Contribution of the Human Rights Council with regard to the human rights implications of drug policy’. | IDPC blog, UK
Petit Samedi review – intimate exploration of the loneliness of drug addiction
Shot like still tableaux, this poignant documentary follows a mother and son as they try to extricate the latter from the clutches of heroin | Guardian, UK
God’s Petting You review – addiction’s a lark in shallow crime caper
It’s hard to root for the two feckless young lovers thumbing their noses at therapy, whose trouble with sex and drugs is portrayed as hedonistic fun | Guardian, UK