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Daily news - 12th April 2023 |
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UK news
Speech: Minister Neil O'Brien speech on achieving smokefree 2030: cutting smoking and stopping kids vaping
In a speech at Policy Exchange, Minister Neil O'Brien set out steps the government will take to cut smoking rates and tackle underage vaping | Department of Health and Social Care and Neil O'Brien MP, UK
Open consultation: Youth vaping: call for evidence
The government is holding this call for evidence to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children (people aged under 18) accessing and using vape products, while ensuring they are still easily available as a quit aid for adult smokers. This consultation closes at 11:45pm on 6 June 2023 | OHID, UK
Shropshire charity sees rise in alcohol addiction in over 50s
A charity has seen an increase in the number of people over the age of 50 reporting to have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol | BBC, UK
Hep C Drug Treatment Provider Forum wins HSJ award
We are delighted to announce that the Hep C Drug Treatment Provider Forum has been selected as the winner of the Best Healthcare Analytics Project for the NHS at the HSJ Partnership Awards 2023 | Humankind, UK
Family of South Tyneside musician who died following drug addiction saving lives in his memory
The family of a South Tyneside singer who died following an addiction to cocaine says his legacy in saving and changing the lives of other addicts and their families | ITV, UK
The Lake District drug scene: why people are getting high in the UK’s biggest beauty spot
A gaggle of freaked-out trippers had to be walked and talked down from a Lake District peak at the weekend by the Keswick Mountain Rescue service | Guardian, 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
More than 150 pubs have closed for good so far in 2023
More than 150 pubs have been shut for good in England and Wales so far this year, with skyrocketing energy bills being blamed | Metro, UK
Dog 'addicted to alcohol' a first for Devon animal trust
Staff at an animal shelter in Devon have been caring for a dog they believe had become addicted to alcohol | BBC, UK
International news
Ketamine clinics have emerged across the US. They’re already going bust
The industry touting the drug as an antidepressant has grown too quickly, experts say, leaving patients at risk | Guardian, UK
Trends in public attitudes to permitting cannabis for recreational use: analysis of Irish survey data since 2002
There has been considerable debate around the liberalization of cannabis laws in many countries. Given recent changes in cannabis policy, and the current discussion regarding cannabis legalization in Ireland, the aim of this study was to examine changes in attitudes over time towards permitting recreational cannabis use | European Journal of Public Health, Ireland
The real cost of the Sale of Alcohol Bill: Report launch & briefing
Tue, 9 May 2023 10:00 - 11:00 IST. Leading global alcohol policy expert, Professor Thomas Babor will launch and speak to a new report ‘The Sale of Alcohol Bill (2022): An analysis of costs and benefits’ which analyses and identifies the potential risks to children and communities in the proposed legislation | ICAAN, AFI & AAI, Ireland
FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Strengthened Approach to Crack Down on Illicit Fentanyl Supply Chains
At a time when the global illicit fentanyl supply chain has changed how illicit substances are produced and trafficked, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing a strengthened whole-of-government approach to save lives by disrupting the trafficking of illicit fentanyl and its precursors into American communities | White House, USA
The brain's cannabinoid system protects against addiction following childhood maltreatment, study shows
High levels of the body's own cannabinoid substances protect against developing addiction in individuals previously exposed to childhood maltreatment, according to a new study from Linköping University in Sweden | Medical Xpress, USA
Study examines perceptions of the risk of driving while under the influence of cannabis
In a recent study published in the Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour journal, researchers explored how individuals perceive the risks associated with driving while under the influence of cannabis | News Medical, USA
'Hard to get sober young': Inside one of the country's few recovery high schools
Students in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction gather on the steps of the school's indoor auditorium to discuss a topic chosen by staff members. One recent morning, they talked about mental health and sobriety. A teenage boy dressed in tan corduroys, a black hoodie, and sneakers went first | Medical Xpress, USA
Why Ketamine Makes You Dizzy—And When to Worry
It can be a total crapshoot what you’re really getting, so it's good to know the signs of a potential overdose | VICE, USA
Is Canada Turning the Corner on Tobacco Harm Reduction?
Whisper it quietly, but there are subtle signs that Canada may be moving away from opposition to tobacco harm reduction that has stood in stark contrast to many of its other drug policies. In applying harm reduction to tobacco, it would join a small coalition of countries with a similarly enlightened approach. This would be great news for Canadians who smoke, and for the country’s strained health care system | Filter Magazine, USA
Oregon Licences Its First Psilocybin Manufacturers
The first two psilocybin manufacturers have been licensed to operate in Oregon, where they will grow and sell mushrooms. State rules limit what kinds of mushrooms and how they can be grown, and will require lab testing for heavy metals, pesticides and bacteria | Filter Magazine, USA
Health4Life eHealth intervention to modify multiple lifestyle risk behaviours among adolescent students in Australia: a cluster-randomised controlled trial
Lifestyle risk behaviours are prevalent among adolescents and commonly co-occur, but current intervention approaches tend to focus on single risk behaviours. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the eHealth intervention Health4Life in modifying six key lifestyle risk behaviours (ie, alcohol use, tobacco smoking, recreational screen time, physical inactivity, poor diet, and poor sleep, known as the Big 6) among adolescents | Lancet, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Why do drugs have so much stigma?
Having grown up in a household where drugs were NOT considered a taboo, I was always very open to learning, asking, and talking about drugs. This was a blessing and a curse, as unfortunately the majority of people’s experience is the other way around. My openness to drugs eventually transformed from merely a curiosity to confusion about why there was such a strong aversion to understanding the true reasons why people take drugs and the potential benefits they may have | Drug Science, UK
The Trip Report 11/04
Through the work of organisations such as WEDINOS, The Loop, and SaferParty, we know a little more about the drugs in circulation. The report provided below is a summary of their findings over the last few weeks | The Trip Report, UK
The death penalty: Never justifiable, never acceptable
The Global Commission on Drug Policy strongly believes the death penalty is not the appropriate response to any offence, including those related to drugs | Aljazeera opinion, Qatar
Australia’s system of taxing alcohol is ‘incoherent’, but our research suggests a single tax rate isn’t the answer
The best word to describe the way Australia taxes alcoholic drinks is “incoherent”. It was the word used by the 2010 Henry Tax Review to describe a system in which some wine effectively faces no alcohol tax, expensive wine is taxed heavily and cask wine lightly, beer (but not wine) is taxed by alcohol content, brandy is taxed less than other spirits, and cider is taxed differently to beer | Conversation, Australia