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Daily news - 21st August 2023 |
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UK news
Police and coroner probe 30 deaths in Birmingham linked to new super-strong drug
More details have emerged about a huge spike in deaths linked to drug use in the city | Birmingham Live, UK
Ellie Rowe ketamine death: 10 years on and not much change - mum
On 8 August 2013, Wendy Teasdill's life changed forever. Her 18-year-old daughter Ellie Rowe, died after taking ketamine at Boomtown Fair, a festival near Winchester | BBC, UK
Heroin contaminated with Nitazenes - video
We are currently seeing some worrying changes in the UK drug supply that have led to multiple overdoses. Synthetic opioids have been found in heroin and other drugs and can be hundreds of times stronger than heroin. If you use drugs there are some important things you can do to reduce your risk of dying | Recovery News Channel, UK
Overdose risk, opioid agonists and other medications with Eleni Domzaridou - podcast
Rob Calder talks to Dr Eleni Domzaridou about her recent article on the risk of overdose among people prescribe medication for opioid use at the same time as being prescribed other medication - such as for mental health disorders | SSA, UK
CASTING CALL: people who have experienced addiction, and people whose family or loved ones have experienced addictions
Raw Research Casting are working with the Taking Action on Addiction campaign team on their 2023 Addiction Awareness Week film. We are looking for people to interview on camera who have experienced substance or gambling addictions, and who are now in recovery (and have been for at least 6+ months). We are also looking for people who have been impacted by the addiction journey of a loved one - e.g. family member, partner, friend, business partner etc | Raw Research, UK
‘It all disappeared with Brexit’: Craft beer boom ends as more than 100 UK firms go bust
New trade barriers were compounded by Covid and tax changes | Guardian, UK
The power of dog ownership for people experiencing homelessness
The Centre for Homelessness Impact (CHI) and Dogs Trust have partnered to create a collection of non-stigmatising images of dog owners who are also experiencing homelessness to help challenge negative stereotypes | Centre for Homelessness Impact, UK
Larne: Lorry driver held over £1m suspected cocaine find
A lorry driver from England has appeared in court charged in connection with the seizure of about £1m of cocaine at Larne Port | BBC, UK
International news
Nearly 50 per cent of drugs given “warning” in new Berlin drug testing scheme
The drug testing service was created in June to minimise the risk of drug-taking, and to analyse drug-taking habits in Berlin | NME, UK
Is the therapeutic potential of hallucinogens risky and overhyped?
As the medicinal use of psychedelics gains mainstream attention, fears remain over their effect on mental health and the need for safe administration | Guardian, UK
Scientists hope weight-loss drugs could treat addiction and dementia
Medications with semaglutide such as Ozempic and Wegovy are being studied to see if they can help other conditions | Guardian, UK
Alabama becomes first state to ban VAPING inside vehicles where minors are present
Alabamans who vape in their car while a child is present could be fined $100 as part of a new law. The Republican state is the first in America to outlaw the use of e-cigarettes in enclosed spaces with kids under 14 present | Mail Online, UK
Drug dealer gets 10 years in prison for role in actor Michael K Williams’s death
Irvin Cartagena sentenced after pleading guilty to providing The Wire actor with fentanyl-laced heroin, causing his death | Guardian, UK
Irish Prison Service Launches Life-Saving Initiative to Combat Opioid Overdoses Among Prisoners
The Irish Prison Service is taking proactive steps to address the significant issue of addiction among prisoners by launching an innovative new initiative aimed at combating opioid overdoses. With a staggering 70% of individuals committed to prison having addiction issues, urgent action is needed to prevent tragic outcomes and protect those in custody during their reintegration into society | Irish Prison Service, Ireland
Health and wellbeing annual report 2022
Health and Wellbeing (H&W) in the Health Service Executive (HSE) aims to provide services that keep people healthy and well and reduce the likelihood of chronic disease and premature mortality, with a focus on individuals and communities at greatest risk. Healthy Ireland is the overarching Government policy that presents a roadmap for achieving improved health and wellbeing for all in society | HRB, Ireland
More Americans View Moderate Drinking as Unhealthy
A record-high 39% of Americans now say that consuming one to two drinks a day is bad for one’s health, marking an 11-percentage-point increase since 2018. At the same time, half of U.S. adults believe that drinking in moderation makes no difference, while 10% say it is good for one’s health. The last two figures are down five and six points, respectively, compared with five years ago | Gallup, USA
U.S. Cigarette Smoking Rate Steady Near Historical Low
Gallup’s latest update on cigarette smoking finds 12% of U.S. adults saying they smoked cigarettes in the past week, similar to the 11% measured a year ago but significantly lower than any other year in Gallup’s nearly 80-year trend | Gallup, USA
Largest US study of e-cigarettes shows their value as smoking cessation aid
E-cigarettes do have value as a smoking cessation aid, according to a new study just released by a team of MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researchers | Medical Xpress, USA
Final report published: Analysing gender in research and policy on alcohol-related violence among young people
The DruGS team’s newly published report finds that more direct engagement with gender, and particularly masculinities, should be central to future efforts to address alcohol and violence. Importantly, the report offers several recommendations for how research and policy on alcohol and violence can more effectively attend to gender | DruGS program at La Trobe University, Australia
Mescaline, Peyote and San Pedro: Is sustainability important for cacti consumers?
[Open access] Both Peyote and San Pedro cacti contain mescaline, a classical psychedelic eliciting mystical and visual effects, but only Peyote is a vulnerable species. We sought to address the questions 1; do people who use Peyote substitute with San Pedro, and vice versa, and; 2. how popular is the use of wild harvested mescaline cactus compared with the use of cultivated plants? | Journal of Psychedelic Studies, Australia
Decriminalisation Panel Discussion - video
The Australian Psychedelic Society has just unveiled its position statement on decriminalisation, marking a significant move in the discourse on drug policy | Australian Psychedelic Society, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Tales from New York'We should learn from the drug treatment approach here'
Tony Duffin says Europe should take inspiration from New York City’s recent response to street-based drug use and increasing drug related deaths | Journal voices, Ireland
The 2023 Harm Reduction Nightlife Summit
There exists a current and historical practice of queer people using drugs in nightlife spaces in the United Kingdom. During the 1970s and 1980s, queer people, particularly gay men and trans women, were integral in shaping a culture of nightlife in London. And legislation like the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, which aims to decrease the supply of drugs, has not stopped queer people from going out and taking drugs, it just pushes queer drug-taking nightlife further underground. In this post, I describe a recent event, the Nightlife Harm Reduction Summit, in efforts to capture a bit of the experience of queer drug taking in nightlife today | Points blog, USA
Social Movements End – So How Will Ours End?
Six years ago, I had the opportunity to spend time with David Mactas, the first Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. He got the ball rolling on establishing the funding for recovery community organizations nationwide, including the Recovery Community Support Program (RCSP) grants from SAMHSA. I was talking with him about what had risen from early efforts to establish drug and alcohol recovery community grants and the rise of the “New Recovery Advocacy Movement (NRAM).” I was excited to share what had happened in part because of his efforts | Recovery Review blog, USA
How to deal with the vaping in schools – advice for school administrators
Schools do not have the resources to police vaping and the current punitive strategies of bans, suspensions, vape detectors and toilet raids are not working. We need a fresh approach which acknowledges the reality that kids will vape, whether we like it or not | Colin Mendelsohn, Australia