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Daily news - 21st April 2023 |
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UK news
New data reveals record amounts of cocaine and ketamine seized
New data released today (20 April) reveals the largest quantity of cocaine and ketamine seized by Border Force and police forces since records began | Home Office, UK
Seizures of drugs in England and Wales: user guide
'Seizures of drugs in England and Wales: user guide' is designed to be a useful reference guide with explanatory notes on seizure of drugs | Home Office, UK
UK university launches postgraduate course in clinical use of psychedelics
Certificate at Exeter to include teaching about existing therapies and research in psychology, psychiatry and neuroscience | Guardian, UK
Now you can get a cannabis card! 'Releaf' document will allow patients prescribed medical cannabis to show police they aren't breaking the law
A medicinal cannabis card launched in Britain today so patients carrying the drug can easily prove they aren't breaking the law. The card, the same size as a driving licence or bank card, shows a patient's name, picture, date-of-birth and address | Mail Online, UK
How would a medical cannabis card help and what are the impacts on its users? - video
Cannabis was legalised for medical use back in 2018 with a new poll finding that 1.8 million people in the UK are using the illegal cannabis market to alleviate symptoms and around £3.57 billion being spent on buying the drug each year | Sky News, UK
Medical cannabis is 'industry of the future' that will create jobs - Conservative MP
Medical cannabis is an "industry of the future" with the potential of creating thousands of jobs in rural areas if properly supported by the Government, a Tory former cabinet minister has said | ITV, UK
T21 - Medical Cannabis bonus episode - podcast
T21 (formerly Project Twenty21) is a pioneering medical cannabis registry launched in the United Kingdom in 2019. It aims to create the UK’s largest body of evidence for the effectiveness and tolerability of medical cannabis in treating a range of conditions | Drug Science, UK
Opposition MPs’ amendment on Scotch whisky duty rejected in Commons vote
Lib Dem Alistair Carmichael (Shetland and Orkney) urged MPs to back his party’s amendment, which was supported by the SNP | Independent, UK
Being Human: our new five-year strategy
Our new five-year strategy, Being Human, is centered on people: the people who use our services, their families, and the communities they are part of. Our ambition is to drive radical change, so people impacted by drugs, alcohol and related issues experience fairer chances to flourish in their communities | Humankind, UK
The Family Recovery Initiative Fund
The Family Recovery Initiative Fund offers one-off grants of up to £5000 to groups that support families affected by alcohol and drugs in Scotland | SFAD, UK
Mum whose son died taking MDMA urges young people to make safe decisions around drugs
A woman whose son died of an overdose has urged young people to "safely" manage decisions around illegal substances, after the government announced record drugs seizures | ITV, UK
The Green Party’s drug policy explained
Jules Levy, co-coordinator of the Drug Policy Working Group, explains the Party’s policy on drugs and prohibition | Greenworld, UK
More than 1,300 people died while homeless in UK during 2022
Charity says stronger policy and investment needed to tackle ‘appalling loss of life’, after 85% rise in deaths since 2019 | Guardian, UK
Rotherham drug gang raped and tortured to death man locked in cellar, court told
A drug gang tortured and raped an addict who they locked in a cellar before murdering him over the theft of £300, a court heard | BBC, UK
Stockton raids: Crack cocaine hidden in Kinder egg
Crack cocaine concealed in a Kinder Surprise egg, two machetes and a sword were found during major police raids on Teesside | BBC, UK
International news
Qualitative researchers discuss…racial privilege in the US opioid epidemic
Colleagues at Deakin University (Australia) have led another meeting of the Qualitative Methods Journal Club – this time discussing how class, gender, and race influence public and clinical discourses of the US opioid epidemic. They talk about the criminalisation of Black women and the racial privilege tied to opioid maintenance medications for White women | SSA, UK
Cocaine smuggling submarine reveals Europe's drug crisis
I'm about to climb into the first "narco-sub" known to have brought cocaine from South America to Europe. It's 20 metres (65 ft) long, carbon fibre and - remarkably - homemade | BBC, UK
Singapore to execute man over 1kg of cannabis in first capital punishment of 2023
Tangaraju Suppiah was arrested for conspiring to traffic 1,017.9g of cannabis in 2014 | Independent, UK
Three strikes: NSW falls behind rest of nation as Queensland reforms drug possession laws
Queensland health minister says progressive changes will open up pathways for people to receive treatment | Guardian, UK
Worms as a model for understanding endocannabinoid system could inform better medication
Worms exposed to a cannabinoid become even more interested in the kind of food that they'd already prefer, new UO research shows. The effect is similar to craving potato chips and ice cream after a few puffs of marijuana—a phenomenon known scientifically as "hedonic feeding," but colloquially called "the munchies." | Medical Xpress, USA
Biden Administration Should End Federal Marijuana Prohibition
Over 80 advocacy organizations, including Human Rights Watch, called on the Biden administration today to end federal marijuana prohibition by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The letter also urges the administration to support comprehensive marijuana justice reform in Congress to begin to address racial discrimination in marijuana arrests and incarceration in the United States | HRW, USA
Rhode Island’s first safe consumption site for illegal drugs slated for early 2024
Rhode Island became the first state to legalize supervised drug consumption sites in 2020, but finding an affordable location delayed its launch | The Publics Radio, USA
Northern Territory government extends alcohol restrictions in Alice Springs for another three months
The Northern Territory government has announced a three-month trial of takeaway liquor restrictions in Alice Springs will be extended for another three months | abc.net.au, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Nitrous oxide: why the environment isn’t amused about laughing gas
A young man breathes deeply from a gas-filled bag. He begins to feel a pleasurable sensation “particularly in the chest and extremities” before dancing around and then collapsing in a heap. A few minutes later he comes to and is consumed by a fit of giggles. The young man is a chemist, living in Bristol and his name is Humphry Davy. The year is 1799 and Davy has just discovered the euphoric effects of nitrous oxide (N₂O), which he names “laughing gas” | Conversation, UK
A diverse service for a diverse population
Chris Annison, Head of Services in London talks us through the importance of a diverse and flexible service | Phoenix Futures blog, UK
A culture of responsible cannabis use - Leonid McKay
Alternatives to incarceration to address personal drug use are a clear example of Malta’s transitional drug policy framework | Times of Malta opinion, Malta
An ‘Opium Zone’ From Assam to Yunnan: Opium Trade, Imperial Interests and Politics of Control in a Frontier Landscape
A careful examination of the epigraphic and literary sources, including accounts left by early European travellers to Assam like Tavernier, Bernier, Manucci and Glanius, speak of Assam as a very fertile country with trading links across Burma into China. Marketable commodities were exported not only to the neighbouring provinces but also to adjacent countries; Burma, Tibet, China- by the mountain passes, land and water routes | Points blog, USA
And finally...
Case cracked! Dealer disguises cat as baby in botched drug-smuggling venture
[Possible paywall] Confused-looking grey moggy peeks out as Russian woman’s secretive courier technique backfires | Telegraph, UK