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Daily news - 24th February 2023 |
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UK news
Experts call on Chancellor to ‘save lives and reduce pressure on NHS’ ahead of Spring Budget
Ahead of the Spring Budget, 46 leading health experts including members of the Alcohol Health Alliance (AHA), academics and parliamentarians are urging the Chancellor of the Exchequer to increase alcohol duty when the current freeze ends later this year. If actioned, it will save lives, reduce pressure on the NHS and generate much needed public funds | AHA, UK
Medics: Zero-alcohol drinks 'encourage consumption and harm'
Alcohol-free products should be included under proposals to restrict alcohol marketing in Scotland, campaigners have said. It comes amid fears that zero per cent beers and spirits have been used as “trojan horses” to continue promoting brands to consumers in Ireland, where stricter rules are already in place | Herald, UK
Psilocybin: Misuse
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2023 to Question 126511 and the Answer of 9th February 2023 to Question 140011, whether her Department is in possession of any (a) recent and (b) historic evidence to show that Psilocybin (i) causes harm or (ii) has the potential to cause harm | They work for you, UK
Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to establish Alcohol Care Teams in hospitals with the highest rates of alcohol harm and socioeconomic deprivation | They work for you, UK
Could this be the first UK city to ban disposable vapes?
The Scottish city of Dundee could be the first in the UK to place a ban on the purchasing of disposable vapes after one environmental campaigner highlighted their growing problem | ITV, UK
UK company offers users free vape pen for every 10 e-cigarettes they recycle under new scheme - how to apply
A UK vape company, Blo Bar, has launched a new scheme to encourage users to recycle their empty vapes rather than throwing them away | Peterborough Telegraph, UK
Conor Benn: British boxer back in WBC rankings after failed drugs test not 'intentional'
Conor Benn is back in the World Boxing Council rankings after it ruled his failed drugs test was not intentional and could have been caused by a 'highly-elevated consumption' of eggs | BBC, UK
Prison guard jailed for smuggling drugs for killer inmate
A guard who was caught smuggling cocaine into a top security prison has been jailed for more than six years | BBC, UK
International news
Pretty Little Liars star Lucy Hale discusses sobriety for the first time
US actress Lucy Hale said she stopped drinking a year ago because she “deserved more out of this life” after battling years of alcohol addiction | Independent, UK
Civil society monitoring of harm reduction in Europe, 2022. Data report
Together with more than one hundred organizations and individuals from thirty-four European countries, C-EHRN set up for itself the task to provide an in-depth look at Harm Reduction in Europe. To this end, the annual 2022 Data Report focused on three main themes: harm reduction essential services, Hepatitis C, and new drug trends. In addition to the data collected, this year C-EHRN conducted in-depth interviews with all its Focal Points, allowing for a richer picture of the developments from last year | C-EHRN, The Netherlands
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
[Open access] This Primer presents the epidemiology of FASD and the latest understanding of its pathophysiology as well as approaches to diagnosis, screening and prevention. The Primer also describes outcomes across the lifespan, management and quality of life (QOL) of people living with FASD, and highlights important areas for future research and clinical practice | Nature, USA
Study of adult e-cigarette users' attempts and experiences of quitting
Many e-cigarette (vape) users intend to quit, but there are few evidence-based interventions to help them do so. Due to this lack of interventions for e-cigarette cessation, researchers in the United States studied how and why users attempt to quit independently. The study, published in the journal Environmental Research and Public Health, analyzed both barriers and facilitators to quitting e-cigarettes | News Medical, USA
Mystical and insightful psychedelic experience may improve mental health
A more mystical and insightful psychedelic drug experience may be linked to an enduring reduction in anxiety and depression symptoms, according to a new study | Medical Xpress, USA
Evidence Is in on Vapes as Smoking Cessation. Now We Need Urgency
In a comment published in Nature Medicine, four leading researchers marshal the evidence that vapes can be used as a smoking cessation tool. Professors Neal Benowitz, Ann McNeill, Nancy Rigotti and Kenneth Warner begin by citing the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews that concluded: “There were high rates of certainty that [smoking] quit rates were higher in people randomized to nicotine [electronic cigarettes] than those randomized to nicotine replacement therapy.” | Filter Magazine, USA
How I Quit Cigarettes in Prison, After Smoking for 40 Years
I’m coming up on the three-year anniversary of the day I stopped smoking cigarettes. It’s strange to think that I no longer smoke. I first puffed on a cigarette when I was 8, and by the time I was a teenager I was smoking a pack a day. Giving it up didn’t seriously cross my mind for the next 40 years | Filter Magazine, USA
‘Super premature’: Scientists debate timing of tick for medicinal psychedelics
Australia’s decision to allow the prescription of medicinal psychedelics is being hailed by some researchers as an opportunity to lead the world in innovative mental health treatments, but others are worried this month’s ruling was premature | Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
‘There are many myths about e-cigarettes and vaping’
E-cigarettes (vapes) are currently the most popular aid used to quit smoking in England and are used by around 4.3 million adults in Great Britain, the majority of whom are ex-smokers | Nursing Times opinion, UK
Should we rethink how we drink? Canada’s new drinking guidance vs. the UK’s
In January, Canada released new drinking advice called Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health. As a member of the scientific committee tasked with authoring this new guidance, a few things struck me as the panel worked through the process of collecting and analyzing the most recent research concerning alcohol use and our health | IAS blog, UK
Psychedelics as medicine in Iceland
Ruby Deevoy attends the the 'Psychedelics as Medicine' conference in Iceland | Volteface, UK
Addiction Lives Interview: Susanne MacGregor
The “Addiction Lives” interview project, a print and online collaboration between the Society for the Study of Addiction and the journal Addiction, explores the views and personal experiences of people who have especially contributed to the evolution of the field of addiction. In this episode, Virginia Berridge is joined by Professor Susanne MacGregor. You can find out more about this interview with Professor Susanne MacGregor and listen to a short audio clip here | Points blog, USA
Passive vaping – time we see it like secondhand smoke and stand up for the right to clean air
A medical student of mine recently said he loved the smell of vanilla in the house he shared with friends who vaped. “That’s OK, right?” he asked. “Well no,” I said, “If you can smell the vanilla you are probably getting nicotine as well.” | Conversation, Australia