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Daily news - 15th February 2023 |
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UK news
Alcohol advertising ban Scotland: What is in the plans and how far do they go? Will they be accepted by the Scottish Government? How harmful is drinking alcohol?
The Scottish Government is consulting on ways it can limit the advertisement of alcohol products, to combat what it calls the nation’s “deep, long-standing and troubled relationship with alcohol” | Scotsman, UK
Charity welcomes advertising regulator’s ban on vaping firm’s claims
The advertising regulator has rebuked a vaping firm after it claimed switching to e-cigarettes could help people give up smoking | Press and Journal, UK
Nitrous Oxide: West Midlands
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the level of misuse of nitrous oxide in the West Midlands | They work for you, UK
New medicinal cannabis clinic to open in Birmingham
Elios Clinic claims its products can treat forms of epilepsy and spasticity caused by Multiple Sclerosis | Birmingham Mail, UK
Matthew Project's Walk to Remember 30k steps event
March 1st. Let’s walk together and remember those we have lost, raising money to support those needing our vital drug and alcohol services today. Choose the long or short route and enjoy the sights and scenes of our fine city of Norwich, with pit stops along the way. All ages and abilities very welcome, including dogs | Matthew Project, UK
Street Drugs Discussions: Deep Dive into Benzodiazepines
Fri, 10 March 2023, 12:00 – 14:00 GMT. This webinar looks at the science and hard realities around benzodiazepine use, including recreationally amongst UK young people | Drug Science, UK
International news
French vineyards want payout ‘to pour wine down drain’ as trade dries up
Bordeaux winemakers pressure government with plan to destroy 10% of their vineyards to raise prices amid red wine sales loss | Guardian, UK
Pierre Palmade: French comic faces charges over drug-fuelled crash
A popular French comedian known for his fight with drug addiction is facing charges after causing a tragic head-on crash under the influence of cocaine | BBC, UK
Cocaine haul sparks hunt for Australian trio rescued at sea
A 365kg cocaine haul has prompted Australian authorities to start a hunt for three men they rescued from the sea two weeks ago | BBC, UK
Cabinet to approve new Citizens' Assembly on drug use
The Cabinet meets in Dublin this morning where it is expected ministers will approve a new Citizens' Assembly on drug abuse and sign-off on this year's plan for ministerial visits on St Patrick's Day | Rte, Ireland
Codeine addiction: The personal experiences
GPs and those working in addiction services are seeing a growing number of patients presenting with codeine addiction | Newstalk, Ireland
EMCDDA webinar: methamphetamine in Europe: past and present
15 FEB 2023 - Today. In this webinar, we will explore the problem of methamphetamine in Europe, how it is deeply rooted in the history of our continent and how it evolved | EMCDDA, Portugal
DNA damage levels similar in vapers and smokers, study finds
In a breakthrough study, a group of researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC analyzed epithelial cells taken from the mouths of vapers, smokers, and people who had never vaped or smoked. They found that vapers and smokers had similar levels of DNA damage—more than twice the amount found in non-users | Medical Xpress, USA
Tobacco Harm Reduction Reflections, as My Years of Reporting End
Many people who vape, or are otherwise involved in tobacco harm reduction, will remember the summer of 2019. That was when Juul faced endless criticism from Congress—by October, the company had voluntarily stopped selling most of its flavored e-cigarettes even online—and the media became transfixed on a string of vaping-related illnesses throughout the United States | Filter Magazine, USA
I tried ketamine to treat my depression. It was terrifying
The psychedelic therapy is said to help many people, but some like me have scary experiences | Washington Post, USA
World-first trial to investigate new medication for methamphetamine dependence
In a world-first, Australian researchers are trialling a new medication to help people who want to stop using crystal methamphetamine, or ‘ice’ | UNSW, Australia
Children searched more than 100,000 times by NSW police
Children and Indigenous people are more likely to be stopped and interrogated by NSW police, according to new figures | Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
‘Unchecked’ violence on the rise among Melbourne’s rival street gangs
Escalating violence between Melbourne’s rival street gangs has become a major source of concern for police, who say they’ve seen a shift from street-based offending to serious organised crime | The Age, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Framing of harms and solutions at industry-funded alcohol and gambling conferences
The framing of public health issues influences how they are understood and addressed by researchers, professionals and the wider public. For example, if we mainly understand alcohol or gambling harm to be a result of individual actions and choices rather than considering the wider environment and influences, then we might focus on solutions that target individuals, such as education about product harms, rather than thinking about wider regulation of the availability and promotion of these products and the actions of these industries | IAS blog, UK
Owning My Pleasure - An exploration of Narcofeminism
“I don’t want a woman who takes drugs.” Over the past 10 years of being a drug user, I have come to anticipate and expect this statement. Either from a man I’m dating, or from one who feels the need to tell me anyway. What’s always interesting is that 9 out of 10 times, the person who has said this is a drug user themselves, be it licit, illicit, or a combination of the two | Talking Drugs, UK
Stop polarizing the debate. It took both harm reduction and drug treatment to save me
When I was at my most vulnerable, volunteers with a needle distribution service gave me hope | CBC opinion, Canada
Learning about the health risks of vaping can encourage young vapers to rethink their habit
Vaping is most prevalent in Canada among 15- to 24-year-olds, and has significantly increased since e-cigarettes with nicotine were legalized in 2018. Ensuring that young people understand the health risks involved may help encourage them to steer clear of vaping | Conversation, Canada
‘When he’s not on drugs, he’s a good person’ – one community’s story of meth use and domestic violence
At first glance, Misty’s story is a cautionary tale against drug use, not unlike those portrayed in campaigns like the Faces of Meth and the Meth Project in the US. Media depictions of people who use meth often show reductive, one-dimensional perspectives that demonise people as little more than monsters, criminals and addicts | Conversation, Australia