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Daily news - 24th January 2023 |
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UK news
Antidepressants can cause ‘emotional blunting’, study shows
Volunteers less responsive to positive and negative feedback after course of serotonin-controlling drugs | Guardian, UK
Prisoners banned from receiving letters
Several prisons in England and Wales, and all prisons in Scotland, now photocopy all incoming letters to combat the smuggling of Spice-type drugs. Prisoners receive the copy, not the original. However, Elmley is believed to be the first UK jail to have banned letters entirely | Inside Time, UK
British Army extends funding for Project Reset
Project Reset, a programme of education, intervention, and treatment for alcohol use and gambling aimed at soldiers in North Yorkshire – run as a collaboration between Humankind, North Yorkshire Horizons, and the military – has been funded by the British Army for an additional twelve months | Humankind, UK
Consciousness Beyond the Brain
Mon, March 6, 2023, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM GMT. Lecture Room 23 Balliol College Oxford OX1 3BJ. A panel with two philosophers of consciousness and psychedelics (Philip Goff and Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes) and a Buddhist scholar (David Leon) | Oxford Psychedelic Society, UK
Cynon Valley: Take Drugs Seriously
Thu, 26 January 2023, 18:30 – 21:00 GMT. St Elvan's Church, Aberdare Church Street Aberdare CF44 7AB. As drug deaths hit record levels in Wales, come along to learn, and talk about the impact of drugs in the Aberdare area, and how we can better protect our community. Join the discussion about what a new approach to drugs could mean for Wales, Aberdare, your family and your community with a powerful panel of affected families, ex-police, treatment groups and politicians | J Slater, UK
Inside the world of organised crime and extreme dog breeding
Organised crime is moving into the lucrative market of extreme dog breeding, a BBC investigation has found | BBC, UK
More than 2,200 illegal vapes seized from Darlington shops
Durham Police has joined Darlington trading standards in a continuing crackdown on the devices being sold to minors as young as 12 | BBC, UK
Jared O'Mara: MP submitted expense claims to help fund cocaine habit, court told
A former South Yorkshire MP tried to submit fake invoices for nearly £30,000 in a bid to fund his "extensive cocaine habit", a court has heard | BBC, UK
Mansfield venue issued warning over underage alcohol sales
A restaurant has avoided having its alcohol licence suspended despite concerns over underage sales | BBC, UK
International news
Britain's alcohol drinking guidelines should be slashed to TWO bottles of beer each week, experts say as Canada adopts 'extreme' booze advice
But Dr Richard Piper, chief executive of the Alcohol Change UK charity, said it was 'something we should definitely adopt'. | Mail Online, UK
Melbourne’s injecting room delay puts lives at risk as heroin overdoses spike in CBD
Stalled progress on the city’s second safe-injecting facility is heaping pressure on community health professionals | Guardian, UK
Pressure mounts on NT government to reimpose alcohol bans to restore law and order in Alice Springs
Medical experts say crime and antisocial behaviours are being driven by increased access to alcohol, while Labor MP calls for restrictions on alcohol sales | Guardian, UK
The psychedelic ibogaine can treat addiction. The race is on to cash in
Clinics and scientists around the world aim to turn a profit from a powerful Gabonese plant – but it’s an ethical and legal wild west | Guardian, UK
Bursaries for students from Latin American and Caribbean countries for the 2023 European Drugs Winter School
Professionals, academics or experts from Latin American and Caribbean countries (LAC) will have an opportunity to participate in the European Drugs Winter School (EDWS) this year, thanks to two bursaries covering the registration fee being offered through the EMCDDA’s partnership with the COPOLAD project | EMCDDA, Portugal
Increased frequency of cannabis use may be placing bisexuals at greater risk of cannabis use disorder
Young people classified as bisexual not only use cannabis more frequently but also are more likely to use it to cope with mental health issues and for what researchers call experiential "enhancement." | News Medical, USA
Opioids Prescribed to Adults at Discharge From Emergency Departments: United States, 2017–2020
Opioids may be an effective treatment for chronic and acute pain when properly used. However, receiving an opioid prescription in the emergency department (ED) has been identified as a potential risk factor for long-term use. Between 2010–2011 and 2016–2017, the percentage of opioids prescribed at ED discharge decreased from 21.5% to 14.6% | CDC, USA
Creating a safer fentanyl. How researchers are making the deadly drug less addictive
A group of scientists say they've created a safer version of fentanyl that could potentially diminish the drug's addictive side effects, which have resulted in annual deaths of tens of thousands of people across the United States | Medical Xpress, USA
Is There Really No Safe Amount of Drinking?
The safest amount of alcohol to drink is none, according to new guidance from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. That’s a marked change from Canada’s previous national guidance on alcohol consumption, which advised women to have no more than 10 drinks per week and men no more than 15 | TIME, USA
New Jersey’s Plan to Offer Free Naloxone for All at Pharmacies
Getting naloxone should be about to get much easier in New Jersey. Governor Phil Murphy (D) announced in his January 10 state-of-the-state address that a new program will enable anyone in the Garden State to access free doses of the opioid-overdose reversal drug from pharmacies | Filter Magazine, USA
New study finds safe and feasible treatment option for methamphetamine withdrawal
A new study led by researchers at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), UNSW Sydney has found lisdexamfetamine is safe and feasible for treating acute methamphetamine withdrawal. Lisdexamphetamine, sold under the brand name Vyvanse, is a medication used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and binge eating disorder | NDARC, Australia
NT senator Malarndirri McCarthy urges alcohol industry to 'step up' and help reduce crime and violent behaviour
A First Nations federal assistant minister is calling for a crackdown on the alcohol industry across the Northern Territory to help curb crime and antisocial behaviour | abc.net.au, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
The Pill Report 23/01
Through the work of organisations such as WEDINOS, The Loop, and SaferParty, we know a little more about the drugs in circulation. Here is a breakdown of some of the drugs in recent circulation | Cameron Scally, UK
‘I jumped off the hangover hamster wheel’: midlife drinkers who gave up booze – and got happy
In the UK, those aged 55 to 75 are the heaviest drinkers, with the generation below not far behind. But many are turning their backs on alcohol and discovering surprising benefits | Guardian, UK
Clarifying ‘safer supply’ to enrich policy discussions
In response to the overdose crisis in the United States and Canada, a debate is emerging about providing a ‘safer supply’ to people who use drugs. However, ambiguity about the term muddles discussions and could stifle innovation | Addiction editorial, UK
Zero Sum, Destructive Treatment Marketing
A company called Ophelia Health has launched a new marketing campaign focusing on the message “F*CK REHAB” | Recovery Review blog, USA