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Daily news - 16th January 2023

A few words about Maggie Telfer OBE

Harry and Jackie are very sorry to hear of the death of Maggie Telfer, Chief Executive of the Bristol Drug Project. Maggie was a true pioneer in the field and someone who worked tirelessly to help people affected by the use of drugs and alcohol. She was also a good friend and supporter of DrugWise Daily. Thank you for all you did, Maggie.

UK news

Bristol drug and alcohol campaigner Maggie Telfer dies

Maggie Telfer OBE founded the Bristol Drug Project in 1986 after realising there was a lack of support for drug and alcohol users at that time | BBC, UK

The 2012 Alcohol Strategy for England

A Westminster Hall debate has been scheduled for Wednesday 18 January on the Government’s Alcohol Strategy (2012). The debate will be opened by Dan Carden MP. A research briefing published here (PDF) provides full background for the debate | UK Parliament, House of Commons Library, UK

National Drugs Mission

The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-07469, in the name of Angela Constance, on the national drugs mission: cross-Government response to the Drug Deaths Taskforce report, “Changing Lives” | They work for you, UK

What’s really in your weed vape?

A couple of months ago, someone in Hampshire got their weed vape juice lab-tested, after it made them feel agitated and nauseous. The results, published by the Welsh government-funded testing service Wedinos, showed that the vape liquid in question actually “contained two nitazenes, synthetic opioids; a benzodiazepine; a gabapentinoid and nicotine”. With the exception of the latter, all these substances are central nervous system depressants | The Face, UK

Methadone alternative to help heroin addiction prescribed in Glasgow

Buvidal is being prescribed to 700 people and has been hailed as successful in supporting recovery | Glasgow Times, UK

Brain health conditions: Excellence in psychedelic treatments

Psychedelic treatments open up an unparalleled window of opportunity, but we need to get ready for their roll-out | Open access government, UK

Whisky expert 'livid' over alcohol advertising report

A whisky expert has criticised a Scottish government report that suggests banning the sale of alcohol-branded merchandise | BBC, UK

Alcohol Duty Bands - Question

To ask His Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to increase the top rate of the new alcohol duty bands, forecasted to take effect from August 2023 | They work for you, UK

Last orders: how we fell out of love with alcohol

More and more young people are choosing not to drink. But what would society be like without alcohol? And could a new alcohol substitute really give us a risk-free buzz? | Guardian, UK

I was struggling to grieve my father’s Covid death – until, strangely, I smelled cigarette smoke

How cigarette smoke – something I’d always been repelled by – finally unlocked my headful of roiling emotions a month after my beloved father died | Guardian, UK

Search for people to take part in ketamine study for gambling addiction

Researchers at the University of Exeter are hoping to find out whether ketamine's influence on human memory can be used to break down the positive reinforcement associated with gambling addictions while also preventing the urge to gamble | ITV, UK

A 23-Year-Old Drove 3 Hours to Rob a Cannabis Factory And Ended Up Beaten to Death

Under prohibition, violence around the UK's huge illegal cannabis cultivation industry is endemic as Albanian gangs expand weed farm operations to Wales | VICE, UK

International news

On drugs and music - podcast

And now, for something a little bit different as we talk to Harry Shapiro, author and journalist who has been working in the UK drugs charity sector and as a music biographer. His books include, Recreational Drugs: A Directory, Waiting for the Man: the Story of Drugs and Popular Music and Shooting Stars: Drugs, Hollywood and the Movies. His history of the UK drug scene Fierce Chemistry was published in 2021 and he is the author of biographies on Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Alexis Korner, Graham Bond and Gary Moore. His latest work in progress is a biography of the Louisiana blues guitarist John Campbell | The Hipstorians, UK

Glass too full? Why safe drinking guidelines vary between countries

Belgium suggests 21 drinks a week is safe for men, while Australia recommends no more than 10 for anyone. What goes into the decision making? | Guardian, UK

Illicit cigarette purchasing after implementation of menthol cigarette bans in Canada: findings from the 2016–2018 ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Surveys

[Open access] Actual rates of brand-verified menthol smoking were substantially lower than self-reported rates at post-ban. After Canada’s menthol ban, there was no increase in illicit purchasing of menthol or non-menthol cigarettes from First Nations reserves | BMJ, UK

Health impact of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Current and emerging evidence

[Open access] Quitting is the only proven method to attenuate the progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, most COPD smokers do not seem to respond to smoking cessation interventions and may benefit by lessening the negative health effects of long-term cigarette smoke exposure by switching to non-combustible nicotine delivery alternatives, such as heated tobacco products (HTPs) and e-cigarettes (ECs) | Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine, UK

Mexico tightens ban on smoking in public places

Mexico has brought into force one of the world's strictest anti-tobacco laws by enacting a total ban on smoking in public places | BBC, UK

Sweden takes over the EU presidency with a promise to be ‘greener, safer and freer’

This month, Sweden took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU with a pledge to focus on security, competitiveness, green and energy transitions, democratic values and the rule of law. Over the next six months, the country will lead work at all levels of the Council, building cooperation, agreement and solidarity between EU Member States | EMCDDA, Portugal

Smoking in Europe: Which countries are the most and least addicted to tobacco and vaping?

According to data compiled by Eurostat, 19.7 per cent of the EU population smokes daily. In 2019, 5.9 per cent smoked 20 or more cigarettes on a daily basis, and 12.6 per cent smoked fewer than 20 units | Euronews, Belgium

New York City Releases 2021 Overdose Data Showing Unprecedented Overdose Levels

The Health Department today released new provisional data on drug overdose deaths in New York City. Two thousand six hundred and sixty-eight individuals died of a drug overdose in New York City in 2021, an increase of 78 percent since 2019 and 27 percent since 2020, with evident disparities by age, race, poverty level, and neighborhood of residence. Fentanyl—an opioid 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine—was detected in 80% of drug overdose deaths in New York City in 2021 and was the most common substance involved in overdose deaths for the fifth year in a row | NYC.Gov, USA

Naloxone is reaching more people than ever

As drug overdose deaths hover near record levels in the United States, naloxone is reaching more people than ever, and possible policy shifts could make it more accessible this year. But experts say the overdose-reversing medication is not a panacea for the country’s opioid epidemic | CNN, USA

Effect of a Machine Learning Recommender System and Viral Peer Marketing Intervention on Smoking Cessation

In this randomized clinical trial of 1487 people who smoked, those with access to viral peer-recruitment tools had significantly improved smoking cessation outcomes (44.8%) compared with those with no such access (30.8%). There were no differences in cessation outcomes between a machine learning recommender and standard motivational messaging intervention | JAMA Network Open, USA

New Psilocybin Legalization Bill Filed in Washington State

Bipartisan Washington State senators have unveiled a revised bill to legalize psilocybin services for adults | Filter Magazine, USA

Women who use drugs (WWUD) and engage in sex work experience disproportionate sex- and drug-related harms, such as HIV, however comparatively little is known about their overdose risk. Therefore, we examined the association between sex work and overdose and secondarily explored the association of social-structural factors, such as policing and gendered violence, with overdose | IJDP, USA

ACT extends confidential pill-testing service CanTEST as evaluation shows most users discard tainted drugs

Canberra's confidential pill-testing service, which allows people to check what substances are in the illicit drugs they buy, has been extended. The free service — the only one of its type in Australia — began as a six-month trial in July last year, analysing pills and providing health advice to anyone who dropped in | abc.net.au, Australia

Blogs, comment and opinion

Our Streets are Ruled by Violent Drugs Gangsters, Yet Neither Government nor Media will Address our Failed Drugs Policy

Apart from mindless drug war rhetoric, being ‘tough on drugs’, ‘clamping down on dealers’, or. most mindbogglingly-stupid-of-all ‘tackling the scourge of middle-class drug takers’, our so-called ‘leaders’ don’t want to talk about drugs | Peter Reynolds, UK

Irish Examiner View: Health warning plan for alcohol leaves a bitter taste

Proposals for finger-wagging health warnings on bottles of wine, beer, and spirits may not be neccessary in a country that is already adopting healthier alcohol-consumption habits | Irish Examiner opinion, Ireland

The Unfulfilled Promise of Cannabis for Cancer-Related Symptoms

There is a stark contrast between the excitement and promise surrounding the therapeutic use of cannabis -- defined here as any product derived from the plant Cannabis sativa, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabidiol (CBD) or others -- and its clinical application for cancer patients seeking relief from their symptoms | MedPage Today, USA

Alberta’s new policy on psychedelic drug treatment for mental illness: Will Canada lead the psychedelic renaissance?

Patients in Alberta will now be able to legally consider adding psychedelic-assisted therapy to the list of treatment options available for mental illnesses | Conversation, Canada

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