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Daily news - 6th January 2023 |
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UK news
Stemming the flow of drugs into prisons
Dr Chris Pudney is developing a tool that could help turn around the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in society. His inter-disciplinary team at the University of Bath is developing the world’s first portable test that detects synthetic drugs such as Spice | University of Bath, UK
The risk matrix: Drug-related deaths in prisons in England and Wales, 2015–2020
[Open access] This article explores the factors contributing to drug-related deaths in English and Welsh prisons between 2015 and 2020. Qualitative analysis explored the circumstances surrounding deaths and key risk factors. Most deaths were of men, whose mean age was 39 years. Drug toxicity was the main factor in causing death, exacerbated by underlying physical health conditions and risk-taking behaviours | Journal of Community Psychology, UK
Establishing and embedding a local drug information system (LDIS)
25th January 14:00. Hear presentations from OHID and two local areas on establishing, embedding and running a local drug information system.
Please note, the content will be the same as that presented in the webinar held on 5th December, although the local presentations will be from different areas | DHSC, UK
One third of alcohol drinkers in Scotland now semi-regularly consume low and no alcohol
New YouGov consumer research reveals that almost one third (32%) of adults who drink alcohol in Scotland now semi-regularly* drink alcohol alternatives, up from 29% the year before | Portman Group, UK
Dry January: Pub bosses call on Brits to do their duty and get down the local – even if it’s for non-alcoholic beers
Publicans have issued a rallying cry for punters to continue to back their local boozer this month as the industry battles an economic downturn – despite the growing trend for a ‘dry January’ month off the sauce | City AM, UK
Father struggling to keep son alive after NHS blocks access to ‘life-changing’ drug
Matt Hughes was forced to turn to a private doctor because the NHS refused to prescribe medical cannabis to prevent his son Charlie’s seizures | Independent, UK
Book Launch - Long Term Recovery from Substance Use: European Perspectives
Wed, 25 January 2023, 13:00 – 14:30 GMT. This book offers perspectives from Sweden, Norway, Germany, Belgium, Iceland and the United Kingdom, it also considers the role and needs of family members, and puts forward clear recommendations for improving future research, policy and practice. In the webinar we will hear from one author from each of the book's sections | SUAB, UK
Lancashire Christmas drink and drug-driving campaign sees 343 held
Hundreds of motorists were arrested for driving after drinking or taking drugs in the last six weeks of 2022 across Lancashire, police have said | BBC, UK
Harry opens up about cocaine use and losing virginity to older woman behind pub
The Duke of Sussex said he had “taken cocaine” and lost his virginity by the age of 17 | Independent, UK
International news
‘This is another revolution’: could legalisation of cannabis transform Mexico’s economy?
Despite frustrating legislative delays, farmers in Mexico are keen to start growing a crop that may be more profitable than rice, corn or sugar | Guardian, UK
DARE to Say No: Police and the Cultural Politics of Prevention in the War on Drugs
In the fall of 1983, the Los Angeles Police Department sent police officers into elementary schools to teach the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) Program. Within a decade DARE had become the nation's preeminent antidrug education program. Yet the DARE program accomplished much more than teaching kids to resist drugs | Cambridge Core, UK
El Chapo's drug trafficker son captured ahead of Joe Biden's visit to Mexico
[Possible paywall] Sinaloa Cartel members hoping to intercept and free Ovidio Guzmán-López reacted by swarming the closest airport and opening fire on planes | Telegraph, UK
Combined addiction to cocaine and gambling 'the big issue in Ireland', claims counsellor
Dual addiction to cocaine and online gambling is now “the big issue in Ireland” and is devastating lives, a leading addiction counsellor has said | Irish Examiner, Ireland
A Medical Journal Retracts a 2022 Study That Linked Vaping to Cancer
The obvious problems with the article reflect a broader pattern that suggests a peer review bias against e-cigarettes | Reason, USA
The association between early onset of alcohol, smokeless tobacco and marijuana use with adult binge drinking in United States
Binge drinking is a deadly pattern of excessive alcohol use that is associated with multiple diseases in the United States. To date, little is known about the associations between the early onset of substance use and other factors with the severity of adult binge drinking | Nature, USA
Oregon Is Now Accepting License Applications for Psilocybin Therapy
On January 2, Oregon health officials began accepting license applications from businesses and individuals that want to provide psilocybin therapy services. We won’t see the nation’s first psilocybin service centers open until later in 2023. But this is an important next step after two years of debate and rule-making | Filter Magazine, USA
FDA Leaders’ Smoking Cessation “Care Package” Article Draws Fire
At the end of December, Robert Califf, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Brian King, the director of the agency’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP), published an op-ed outlining a new framework to maximize smoking cessation | Filter Magazine, USA
Colombian government-funded health insurance now covers medical cannabis
Government-funded health insurance in Colombia now includes medical cannabis coverage, potentially expanding the market for therapeutic marijuana in the South American country | MJ Biz Daily, USA
Proposals Must Not Hit Smokers Desperate To Quit
“Kiwis need to have their say on the Government’s proposed measures aimed at youth vaping, with submissions closing on 15 March,” says Nancy Loucas, Executive Coordinator of CAPHRA (Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates) | SCOOP, New Zealand
Blogs, comment and opinion
Booze is 10% ethanol, 90% marketing so maybe it’s time to try Dry January
Celebrity booze sponsorship has gotten ridiculous. Plus, studies show we can’t differentiate the taste of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ alcohol | Guardian opinion, UK
Putting your mental health first: why Dry January® can be a step in the right direction
In this blog, award-winning nurse and mental health and alcohol expert, Mark Holmes, sets out some of the ways in which an alcohol-free challenge like Dry January can have a positive impact on your mental health | Alcohol Change UK blog, UK
Health and cancer risks associated with low levels of alcohol consumption
The overall risks and harms resulting from alcohol consumption have been systematically assessed and are well documented. According to the latest WHO estimates, alcohol consumption contributed to 3 million deaths in 2016 globally and was responsible for 5·1% of the global burden of disease and injury | Lancet comment, Switzerland
Biden’s expected nicotine rule brings failed 1920s Prohibition to 2023
When it comes to public health, we should follow the facts and science, as opposed to political posturing. If history has taught us anything, it’s that prohibition is rarely the answer when addressing a public health problem | The Hill opinion, USA
Developing Broad Consensus on How We Conceptualize the Resolution of Substance Misuse
The first major effort to define recovery in America was in 2007, when the Betty Ford Foundation, now the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation published What is recovery? A working definition from the Betty Ford Institute. The paper noted that “recovery is a voluntarily maintained lifestyle composed characterized by sobriety, personal health, and citizenship.” Our understanding of the continuum of substance use, from social use without consequence to addiction has improved significantly in the years since it was first published | Recovery Review blog, USA