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Daily news - 27th April 2023 |
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UK news
Making a change booklets
Guidance on helping people make positive choices about the amount they drink. Available in Polish, Russian and Large Print formats | Public Health Scotland, UK
Alcohol Advertising in Outdoor and Public Spaces (PDF)
Restricting alcohol marketing is one of the most effective ways of reducing consumption and related problems, with outdoor and public space advertising a key form of alcohol marketing | Alcohol Focus Scotland, UK
Smoking and Surgery
This briefing is designed for health professionals and commissioners, to provide clear advice and examples of good practice in relation to smoking and surgery. It is endorsed by the Royal College of Surgeons of England and Edinburgh, the Royal College of Physicians, The Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Centre for Perioperative Care | ASH, UK
What is difluoroethane? The drug Aaron Carter took before he died
After the coroner’s report was published last week, we looked into the drug and, it turns out, it’s available in supermarkets. Here, we speak to an expert on its effects and potential risks | The Face, UK
Gateshead Council to receive £1.25m to support drug and alcohol misuse recovery
While grateful for the extra cash to help combat substance abuse, councillors are still concerned about the levels of available funding | Chronicle Live, UK
Vaping: Young People
To ask the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to tackle vaping by young people? | They work for you, UK
Smoking Cessation
To ask the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to encourage people to stop smoking | They work for you, UK
Drugs: Antisocial Behaviour
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress her Department has made on reducing drug related anti-social behaviour in England | They work for you, UK
Gambling white paper: Government to unveil shake-up of laws
A planned new law bringing in tougher regulations on gambling is needed as the industry - and the profile of a problem gambler - has transformed in the past decade, the government says | BBC, UK
King William Fortified Wine
Complaint: “The use of King William of Orange as branding, and the ABV of 16.90% is playing to the sectarian elements which cause societal division particularly in the West of Scotland & Northern Ireland, which are stated to be the target markets | Portman Group, UK
Pontefract: Cannabis worth £2.6m seized in raid
Police have seized cannabis worth more than £2.6m following a raid on a warehouse in Pontefract | BBC, UK
International news
Estimation of the global number of vapers: 82 million worldwide in 2021
[Open access] Nicotine is consumed by one in five of the global adult population, mostly by smoking tobacco cigarettes. Modern electronic cigarettes came onto the market from around 2007 and have considerable potential to improve population health by displacing tobacco smoking. The purpose of this study is to map the use of e-cigarettes, but this is difficult due to absence of data sources for many countries | Drugs, Habits and Social Policy, UK
Podcast 76. What is Decriminalisation? with Kassandra Frederique
Are you curious about the impact of drug policies on marginalized communities? Then tune in to this week’s episode of our podcast. Our guest, Kassandra Frederique, the Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, joins Dr. Hannah Thurgur to discuss the impact of drug policies on Black, Latino, Indigenous, immigrant, and LGBTQ communities | Drug Science, UK
Ban, ignore or regulate? Kratom and the Whac-A-Mole world of soft drugs
It’s a leaf, it’s sold as a dye, and it’s used as a drug: It’s kratom, and it’s all the rage in the Czech Republic | Politico, Belgium
#Safer Special: What is Harm Reduction? - video
We had the opportunity of talking with Ethan Nadelman (Founder of the Drug Policy Alliance), Ignacio Leiva (Asovape Chile), Julio "El Mono Vapeador" Ruades (ANESVAP Spain), and Jessica Harding (Knowledge-Action-Change). We asked them what Harm Reduction is to them, their goals, and if their dedication to the cause of improving public health through the more empathetic approach of Harm Reduction has provoked a division within their personal life and the passionate advocate they are | #SaferDocumentary, USA
Altria Faces First Trial Over Claims it Helped Market Juul to Teens
The San Francisco Unified School District says teachers and staff “have had to go to extreme lengths to respond to the ever-growing number of students using e-cigarettes on school grounds,” and is seeking to force Altria to pay for the cost of tackling the problem | Insurance Journal, USA
Statement on Reintroduction of SAFE Banking Act in Congress
Marijuana Banking Bill Sees Improvements Championed by the Drug Policy Alliance and Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition, But Further Fixes Are Needed to Ensure Fairness for Black and Brown-owned Marijuana Businesses | DPA, USA
Why Aren’t We Celebrating the End of Teenage Smoking?
When I was a teen in a small Midwestern town in the 1970s, the US high school smoking rate was over 25 percent. It was legal for 16-year-olds in many states to purchase tobacco products, and many high schools had designated smoking areas where both students and teachers took smoke breaks | Filter Magazine, USA
Oregon Licenses First Psilocybin Lab, But Treatment Access Remains Stalled
On April 21, Portland-based Rose City Laboratories, LLC (RCL) announced that it had been licensed by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to test psilocybin products for the state’s therapeutic centers. It’s the first lab to receive the required OHA license, but psilocybin treatment still can’t move forward | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Why the nitrous oxide ban is no laughing matter
More disastrous Tory drug policy comes as no surprise, but Labour’s support will come to haunt them if they win the next election…| Volteface, UK
At what cost? The economic impact of alcohol-related cancer deaths
Drinking alcohol increases the risk of at least seven different cancer types. These include cancers of the mouth and throat, the oesophagus, the breast, the liver, and bowel | IAS blog, UK
Britain must stand up to the WHO on vaping to save millions of lives
Let's remember our 'forgotten smokers', take on the WHO, and do all we can to achieve that smoke-free future together, write the MPs and Vice chairs of the APPG for Vaping | Express opinion, UK
James*' story: Stigma stops people from accessing the treatment they need
Stigma hurts and isolates people, and stops them from feeling able to access the help and support they need. This is James*' story | NHS APA blog, UK
‘We must not focus solely on young people’: An overview of deaths related to inhalant misuse within Australia
NDARC's Professor Shane Darke discusses his recently published study on deaths related to inhalant misuse in Australia | NDARC blog, Australia
Why is Australia’s Health Minister misinformed about vaping?
The Minister has been seriously misinformed about the benefits and risks of vaping, and its huge public health potential. His views are out-of-step with Health Ministers in New Zealand, the UK and Canada which have evidence-based policies on vaping | Colin Mendelsohn, Australia