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Daily news - 19th January 2023

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UK news

Prevention in health and social care - inquiry

The Health and Social Care Committee is launching a major new inquiry into prevention. For the first stage of this inquiry, we want to hear from researchers, organisations and individuals interested in or working in preventative healthcare. This is your opportunity to get involved and suggest what specific issues we should be exploring. The topics that the inquiry could seek to cover include alcohol use and smoking. Deadline for submissions: Wednesday 8 February 2023. | UK Parliament Committees, UK

Illegal vapes are biggest threat on High Street, say Trading Standards

Shops selling illegal vapes and the sale of vaping products to children are the top threats on the UK's High Streets, according to Trading Standards officials | BBC, UK

New service for people with alcohol and drug issues in Bradford District

A partnership between national and local charities launches in April 2023 providing drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services across Bradford District | Humankind, UK

Forward awarded contract for new service in Medway

The Forward Trust is thrilled to announce it has been awarded the contract to deliver substance misuse services in Medway, in partnership with Open Road | Forward Trust, UK

Smoking: Regulation

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 6 December 2022 from the Minister for Primary Care and Public Health to Topical Question 4, Official Report, column 202, what steps he plans to take to help reduce the prevalence of smoking in England; and how those plans will affect the use of (a) e-cigarettes, (b) heat-not-burn, (c) snus, and (d) other reduced risk products | They work for you, UK

Spiking: Wales

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment has she made of the trends of the number of spiking-related incidents in Wales in the last 12 months | They work for you, UK

Assessment of clinical outcomes of medicinal cannabis therapy for depression: analysis from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry

[Open access] Although pre-clinical experiments associate cannabinoids with reduced depressive symptoms, there is a paucity of clinical evidence. This study aims to analyze the health-related quality of life changes and safety outcomes in patients prescribed cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) for depression | Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, UK

Key NHS cannabis project to kick off

A key project developing a flexible health economics analysis tool to evaluate the potential of cannabis prescriptions on the NHS is set to kick off, after funding was secured from a range of backers | Cannabis Industry Council, UK

Trial Testing Psilocybin in Parkinson’s Nears End

A clinical trial testing the impact of low doses of psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic compound, on inflammatory activity in people with Parkinson’s disease is on track to be completed by the end of February | Parkinson's News Today, UK

AHA Bulletin – January 2023

Latest alcohol policy news, plus an interview with Rob Calder, Head of Communications at the Society for the Study of Addiction (SSA) | AHA, UK

Baxter College installs toilet sensors to stop vaping

A school has spent £4,000 installing sensors in its toilets to crack down on pupils vaping | BBC, UK

Heathrow beefs up security after rise in US cannabis smuggling arrests

Security checks will be stepped up for air travellers flying from Los Angeles to London after a series of recent cannabis-smuggling arrests | BBC, UK

Guernsey major drugs operation dismantled say officials

Guernsey is a safer place to live following the successful completion of a major drugs operation, law enforcement officials say | BBC, UK

International news

Two glasses per week: new Canada alcohol guidelines prompt fierce debate

Guidelines funded by Health Canada represent drastic shift from previous recommendations issued in 2011 | Guardian, UK

These Canadians are undeterred by new alcohol guidelines - video

New national recommendations in Canada that say abstaining from alcohol is the only risk-free approach | BBC, UK

Cancer survivor fined for growing cannabis after ditching 'horrible' Oxycontin

Cancer survivor fined for growing cannabis after 'horrible' Oxycontin 'played havoc with him' | Irish Examiner, Ireland

Study: US cannabis advertising policies suffer from a lack of consistency

There is a stark contrast between the U.S. and Canada in how each regulates cannabis. Most notably, the government of Canada legalized the drug at the federal level several years ago. In the U.S., however, cannabis remains illegal at the federal level, even as 37 states now have legalized it for medical and/or recreational use | Medical Xpress, USA

Study finds 'startling' inequities in end-of-life opioid treatment

Older Black and Hispanic patients with advanced cancer are less likely than white patients to receive opioid medications for pain relief in the last weeks of life, according to a study led by investigators at Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute | Medical Xpress, USA

How I Unexpectedly Came to Run a Vape Shop in Rural Wales

I came to live in this very small town called Lampeter, in the middle of the Welsh countryside, a few years ago. I turned 60 and wanted to retire, so I came here. Before that I lived in Stourbridge, a much bigger town in the English Midlands. I’ve done all sorts of jobs: mechanic, dog-handler and I’ve worked in security. So it may seem strange that in my retirement, with no experience of working in shops, I bought a vape shop | Filter Magazine, USA

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