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Daily news - 11th August 2023

UK news

Correspondence: The use and harms of diphenidine

Letter from the Minister of State for Crime, Policing and Fire to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), responding to the ACMD advice on the use and harms of diphenidine. Diphenidine is a stimulant and was added to schedule II of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971 during the 64th Commission on Narcotic Drugs meeting in April 2021. The government commissioned the ACMD to provide advice on the appropriate classification and scheduling of diphenidine under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, to which they responded in May 2023 | Home Office, Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, and The Rt Hon Chris Philp MP, UK

The Scottish Drug Checking project

Crew is delighted to support and host the new Scottish Drug Checking Project Online Hub. Sharing the results of this research will raise awareness and understanding of the potential for drug checking to help Scotland respond better to emerging drug trends and prevent drug-related harms more effectively. It will also help provide evidence to ensure services and budgets are developed to meet changing needs | Crew, UK

[Open access] Synthetic cathinones are a continually evolving family of illicit drugs, with novel analogues frequently being detected. This paper reports the detection of 1-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-2-(propylamino)butan-1-one, bk-PBDB (putylone), within solid dosage forms (tablets) seized by law enforcement for the first time in the United Kingdom | Forensic Chemistry, UK

Press release: Pick up your butts! Cigarettes top plastic litter in rivers

Volunteers cleared rubbish on England's waterways for Plasticblitz. Cigarette butts most common plastic item found in 2 weeks of litter-picking | Environment Agency, UK

Fake posters appear in London marking out 'crack and heroin zones' where addicts can 'legally get high'

Fake council posters have popped up across London marking out areas where they claim people can legally get high on crack and heroin. The bogus signs, which are emblazoned with council and Met Police logos, inform users they can freely sell and take the illegal Class A drugs in the zones | My London, UK

Leicester drug supplier used influencers and promo videos to advertise products

A 34-year-old man has been jailed after producing and supplying cannabis through a professional business set up. Amrit Pal, from Leicester, made more than £800,000 selling cannabis products online throughout the UK. He used promotional videos to advertise his products | ITV, UK

International news

Critics condemn New York prosecutor’s threat to close supervised drug sites

Damian Williams called centers ‘unacceptable’ but supporters point out the sites have reversed 1,000 overdoses | Guardian, UK

How Do Young Adult Drinkers React to Varied Alcohol Warning Formats and Contents? An Exploratory Study in France

[Open access] Research on alcohol warnings has increased in the last decade, providing key evidence to governments on warning format and contents. The bulk of this research, however, has been conducted in Anglosphere countries, whereas fewer studies have focused on other countries which have high per capita alcohol consumption. Since France has one of the highest per capita alcohol consumption rates in the world according to the World Health Organization, we therefore explore how young adults in France react to warnings on alcoholic beverage advertisements | Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, UK

The INCB Report for 2022 - Regulated cannabis markets and international legal tensions: A missed opportunity

In its Annual Report for 2022, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB or Board) once again presents an impressive overview of the state of international drug control relative to the provisions of the UN drug control conventions. It identifies several familiar themes and issues and includes a welcome ongoing focus on ensuring the availability of controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes | IDPC, UK

‘Addiction is a hypothesis that a group of things we can observe have an underlying connection’

What is addiction, why does it develop, and how can it be treated? Professor Keith Humphreys tackles these complicated questions in his 2023 book, “Addiction: A Very Short Introduction”. The following edited excerpt focuses on what scientists and medical professionals mean when they apply the word ‘addiction’ to humans | SSA, UK

Methamphetamine, psychosis and family history with Rebecca McKetin - podcast

In this episode Ben Scher talks to Dr Rebecca McKetin about her recent article looking the relationship between psychosis, psychotic symptoms and methamphetamine use. They discuss the implications and talk about who exactly is at risk of methamphetamine-related psychosis. Along the way, they cover the background of methamphetamine use in Australia and how this varies from country to country | SSA, UK

Slain Ecuador candidate fearlessly took on drug cartels and corruption

The Ecuadorian presidential candidate who was fatally shot at a political rally was unafraid to take on criminal networks and a political elite he accused of corruption | Independent, UK

Fake Posters In Dublin For Drug Zones To "Start A Much Needed Conversation"

The artist Spicebag said, "the point of it is to raise awareness around the need for drug reform, especially in the realm of harm reduction, safe injection centres and proper funding for outreach." | Today FM, Ireland

Fully Half of Americans Have Tried Marijuana

Half of Americans (50%) say they have tried marijuana at some time, a new high point for this behavior that has been inching up over the past quarter century. While essentially unchanged from the 49% and 48% readings in 2021 and 2022, respectively, the new figure is statistically higher than the 45% in 2017 and 2019 who said they had tried marijuana | Gallup, USA

Five-Year Trajectories of Prescription Opioid Use

In this population-based cohort study of 3.47 million adults, 5 trajectories of opioid use were identified. Approximately 3% of individuals were classified to the sustained use trajectory group, which was characterized by individuals with older age, a higher number of comorbidities, and higher use of psychotropic and other analgesic drugs and health services vs other trajectory groups | JAMA Network Open, USA

Alcohol Consumption Among Adults With a Cancer Diagnosis in the All of Us Research Program

In this cross-sectional study of 15 199 adults with a cancer diagnosis from the All of Us Research Program, 77.7% self-reported as current drinkers, and among these, 13.0% exceeded moderate drinking, 23.8% reported binge drinking, and 38.3% engaged in hazardous drinking. Among 1839 survivors receiving cancer treatment, the prevalence of current drinking and risky drinking were similar to the overall cohort and across treatment types | JAMA Network Open, USA

Supreme Court Freezes $6 Billion Opioid Settlement With Drug Maker

The Supreme Court put on hold a proposed bankruptcy plan for beleaguered opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma, which is accused of playing a major role in fueling the ongoing opioid crisis | NTD, USA

After U.S. warns of counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, Mexico shuts down 23 pharmacies

Following a four-day raid, Mexico has closed 23 pharmacies in Caribbean resorts of Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum for irregular pill sales | Medical Xpress, USA

California’s Evolving Bill to Decriminalize Psychedelics

A California lawmaker continues working on an effort to decriminalize and legalize psychedelics in California, having already tried twice in the last couple years. If third time’s a charm, Californians will be able to possess and use certain psychedelics without fear of criminalization—potentially alongside a regulated system of psychedelic healing services | Filter Magazine, USA

Blogs, comment and opinion

Harry’s Blog 119: Who cares about tobacco control?

Negotiating international framework conventions demanding multi-national agreements is always going to be a challenge. And the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) was no exception. Delegates went into bat armed with all their vested interests, anxious not to displease their political bosses back home. In fact, the most active participants in the smoke-free rooms were the American anti-smoking NGOs, who saw a golden opportunity to influence the global anti-smoking legislative landscape in the face of health-based delegates with no experience of drafting international agreements. Incidentally, neither did the WHO, as this was the world’s first health-focused framework convention | NSP, UK

How drugs can warp your sense of time

Imagine a world where you could control your sense of time. Where trips to the dentist flew by in a second and holidays felt like they lasted forever. Time altering pills may sound like science fiction but the time warping effects of psychoactive drugs suggest that deliberate time manipulation may be possible | Conversation, UK

The Policy Dilemma in Afghanistan: There are no good options in response to the Taliban’s Opium Ban

Speculation and opinions about the Taliban’s narcotics ban have characterised the current debate. However, the evidence clearly suggests that Mullah Haibatullah, the Taliban’s leader, has achieved his objective when promulgating a religious edict against drugs in April 2022. In fact, although the poppy season in Afghanistan is only just coming to its end in the more mountainous parts of the country, in areas such as Badakhshan, it is already apparent that cultivation will have fallen by more than 80% compared with 2022 | Alcis, UK

The BRICS New World Order and the Impact on the War on Drugs

An alternative to the G-7, that is what the BRICS countries are aiming for in this current junction of the geopolitical world order. The fastest growing emerging markets, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, are capitalizing on the West’s inability to maintain control of the geopolitical world order under the current dynamics of the post-pandemic world | Points blog, USA

What’s in vapes? Toxins, heavy metals, maybe radioactive polonium

If you asked me what’s in e-cigarettes, disposable vapes or e-liquids, my short answer would be “we don’t fully know”. The huge and increasing range of products and flavours on the market, changes to ingredients when they are heated or interact with each other, and inadequate labelling make this a complicated question to answer | Conversation, Australia

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