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Daily news - 6th February 2023 |
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UK news
Synthetic opioids will be banned as government acts to stop drug deaths
Eleven more lethal substances to be made Class A drugs, following a recommendation by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs | Home Office, UK
ACMD advice on 2-benzyl benzimidazole and piperidine benzimidazolone opioids
A review of the evidence on the use and harms of 2-benzyl benzimidazole (nitazene) and piperidine benzimidazolone (brorphine-like) opioids | ACMD, UK
Hospital admissions for vaping kids quadruple in a year, as calls grow for more regulation
Figures obtained by LBC from NHS Digital show 32 admissions of patients under the age of 18 were recorded as being linked to a vaping-related disorder in England last year. There were just eight in 2021 | LBC, UK
Impact of minimum unit pricing on alcohol-related hospital outcomes: systematic review
[Open access] Natural studies were consistent with minimum pricing modelling studies and showed that this policy could reduce alcohol-related hospitalisation and health inequalities | BMJ Open, UK
Nitrous oxide: what to know about potential changes in the law
According to a recent report in The Times, the supply of nitrous oxide (nos) canisters is set to be banned, in part, by the government. If this goes ahead, only people with a “legitimate reason” will be able to obtain it legally – namely chefs and those working in dentistry and medical settings | The Face, UK
UK should follow Australia in legalising MDMA for mental health, says leading professor
Australia has approved the use of MDMA and psilocybin for treatment-resistant mental illnesses and a leading professor says not to do so in the UK would be a ‘denial of science’ | i news, UK
Scottish football fans 'exposed to high level of alcohol marketing'
Alcohol advertising could be banned from sports events under plans being considered by the Scottish Government | STV News, UK
A link between higher cocaine use and rising violence at football matches, says head of UK football policing - video
We spoke to Chief Constable Mark Roberts, head of the UK football policing unit, and began by asking him how concerned we should be about rising football violence | Channel 4, UK
The 'sober raves' changing clubbing in Greater Manchester - and the incredible story behind them
Ben Riley hit rock bottom but has clawed his way back up to create DryWave | Manchester Evening News, UK
Drugs, the Media & Law
Tue, 7 February 2023, 18:30 – 21:30 GMT. Perrin Lecture Theater, Blizzard Institute Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry 4 Newark Street London E1 2AT. Are you confused about our drug laws in the UK? You're not alone - it's a mindfield. All too often, we focus on what is illegal, rather than looking at the legal side of drugs. We will unpack the legal mysteries of cannabis, psychedelics and many other drugs, looking at licensing and how they are being using in research | Drug Science, UK
Large cannabis farm investigated in County Down
A "large and sophisticated" cannabis farm has been uncovered in County Down, police have said | BBC, UK
Cannabis seizures at Heathrow surge amid rise of cheap Californian marijuana
[Possible paywall] It is thought the extra potency and higher quality of the US drug may be one of the main reasons it has found a market in the UK | Telegraph, UK
Fake 'designated crack and heroin zone' signs appear in Brighton
The fake Brighton and Hove City Council branded notices are appearing on signposts and other street furniture in Brighton | Brighton and Hove Argus, UK
International news
QMJC November 2022: Autoethnography and stigma around medical cannabis use
Faculty and doctoral students from Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health met in November 2022 to discuss an autoethnographic exploration of cannabis use, from the perspective of a patient who used cannabis for medical reasons. The group talked about intersecting and internalised types of stigma, and how the author’s identities as a woman, mother, and wife compounded the stigma she experienced, and contributed to the social disapproval of her cannabis use | SSA, UK
ChatGPT Gave Me Advice on How To Join a Cartel and Smuggle Cocaine Into Europe
Here's what happened when VICE's Global Drugs Editor spent 12 hours speaking to OpenAI's chatbot about drugs | VICE, UK
Australian approval of MDMA and psilocybin a ‘baby step in the right direction’, medical experts say
Psychiatrists cautiously welcome decision as Australia becomes the first country to officially recognise psychedelics as medicines | Guardian, UK
A very American death: how Caleb Blair lost his life in the Phoenix heat
The unhoused teen, barred from an air-conditioned store, ‘didn’t need handcuffs – he needed help’, his father says | Guardian, UK
Citizens' Assembly on drugs expected to begin before summer
The Taoiseach said that a report by the Oireachtas Justice Committee would help set the terms of reference | Journal, Ireland
Cocaine warning signs to be erected by Kinsale rugby tournament after order by judge
Judge directs signage after spate of cocaine prosecutions at previous events | Irish Times, Ireland
Age of drug runners in Dublin drops to 12 years
The age of drug runners in a sprawling Dublin suburb is getting younger, with the average age now 12, according to a new study. The Blanchardstown Local Drugs and Alcohol Task Force also documents a growing number of young people under the age of 18 dealing in drugs | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Texans back easing state restrictions on marijuana
Texans overwhelmingly support proposals to ease state restrictions on both the medical and recreational use of marijuana, with 82% supportive of legislation that would legalize marijuana for a wide range of medical treatments | Medical Xpress, USA
The Counterfeit, Fentanyl-Based Pills Sold at Some Mexican Pharmacies
Counterfeit phamaceutical pills containing fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine are being sold out of Mexican pharmacies catering to customers from the United States, as a new academic preprint, which I co-authored, details. Crackdowns on pharmaceuticals have profoundly altered drug-market dynamics in the US, ultimately leading to the proliferation of fentanyl-based counterfeit pills known as “Blues” or “Dirty 30s.” | Filter Magazine, USA
Families sue Snapchat parent company over drug delivery deaths
Fran Humphreys was told that her 20-year-old daughter Sophia Humphreys had been found unresponsive in bed and died. Later, she and her husband learned that their daughter had allegedly been sold fake Percocet pills through the popular social media app Snapchat | abc news, Australia
Psychedelic Therapy Research in Australia With Dr. Stephen Bright from PRISM - podcast
In this conversation Dr. Stephen shares an update on the research for MDMA and psylicybin in the US and Australia, some of the results of the studies, the reactions from the clinical community, regulators and the public as well as Dr. Bright’s view on how psychedelic assisted therapy will come to play a role in clinical practice | Mental Health, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Why won't UK politicians support drug policy reform?
While we know that many, many UK politicians have publicly described their own drug use, there’s very few publicly supporting evidence-based drug policy reform, or publicly support regular citizens’ entitlement to said ‘private life’ | Volteface, UK
The Labour Leadership Doesn’t Back Drug Reform – But Maybe That Doesn’t Matter?
Over the past couple of years, it has become increasingly clear that the key players in the Labour Party in Westminster are unwilling to back progressive drug reforms | Volteface, UK
First dog on the moon cartoon: Vaping – it’s bad and not just because tiny children are doing it!
What a wretched and ubiquitous weird smelling thing. It is everywhere! | Guardian, UK
Cascading contagion: Creating environments where recovery contagion can flourish
One of the most exciting things about my job is coming across incredible innovations and initiatives that promote recovery and create the opportunities for recovery to emerge and flourish | Cultivating Recovery Capital, USA
The ethical dilemmas behind plans for involuntary treatment to target homelessness, mental illness and addiction
Over the past year, cities across the United States have unveiled new policy plans to address homelessness amid rising concerns about health and crime – for homeless people themselves, as well as for surrounding communities. Notably, several proposals include civil commitment, also referred to as involuntary treatment, for people with severe mental illness or substance use disorders | Conversation, USA
Tobacco-free campus: 10 year anniversay and retrospective of the change
Today is the 10 year anniversary of my organizational workplace making the switch to a tobacco-free campus | Recovery Review blog, USA
Weed in South Africa: apartheid waged a war on drugs that still has unequal effects today
Cannabis is being commercialised into a multibillion-dollar global industry and South Africa wants a piece of the pie. In his 2022 state of the nation address, President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke of developing a hemp and cannabis sector to boost the post-COVID economy | Conversation, South Africa