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Daily news - 4th July 2023 |
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UK news
Festival drug testing: Legal action threatened over safety tests
A festival boss has formally threatened legal action against the government over drug checking at festivals. Parklife founder Sacha Lord has written to Home Secretary Suella Braverman urging her to allow on-site testing in "pop-up labs" to go ahead | BBC, UK
Alcohol Awareness Week - 3rd - 9th July
This year's Alcohol Awareness Week is on the theme of 'Alcohol and cost'. Alcohol Awareness Week is managed and hosted by Alcohol Change UK. There are a number of free resources for the week available | Alcohol Change UK, UK
How have governments communicated uk alcohol duty policy changes?
This research assesses what arguments have been made and what messaging has been used in support of policy announcements and proposals on alcohol duty | IAS, UK
Press release: The average drinker spends an estimated £62,899 on alcohol over the course of a lifetime
A new survey, commissioned by charity Alcohol Change UK, shows the average drinker in the UK spends around £62,899 on alcohol over the course of a lifetime | Alcohol Concern, UK
Minimum Unit Pricing
I am sure that the First Minister will agree that this week’s report from Public Health Scotland, which states how beneficial the minimum unit pricing of alcohol has been and says that lives have been saved, is welcome. Is he able to say anything about increasing the minimum unit price from 50p to, perhaps, 65p, or does he think that the United Kingdom Government might veto such an increase under the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020? | They work for you, UK
Schools: Electronic Cigarettes
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on vaping in schools | They work for you, UK
Cannabis Conversations at King's
On Wednesday 24th May we ran Cannabis Conversations at King’s, a public engagement and science communication event. Around 75 people who regularly use cannabis for recreational or medical reasons, alongside 15 leading cannabis scientists and drug policy experts, attended the event at The Great Hall | KCL, UK
Analysing the effects of using cannabis on youth mental health
Mary Cannon, Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Youth Mental Health at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, investigates the effects of using cannabis on young people’s mental health | Open Access Government, UK
Deputy urges caution over medical cannabis clubs
A Guernsey cannabis company says users of medicinal cannabis need a safe space to take the drug. Paul Smith, the founder of House of Green, said the company was in early talks with the States of Guernsey on the idea of opening a cannabis club | BBC, UK
NHS doubles gambling clinics as referrals soar
Seven new gambling addiction clinics will open this summer as NHS services face record demand, chief executive Amanda Pritchard announced today | NHS England, UK
International news
Reducing alcohol consumption, the Nordic way: alcohol monopolies, marketing bans and higher taxation
Nordic countries have a long history of alcohol consumption, complex challenges with heavy episodic drinking practices, and a reputation of implementing some of the strongest regulations to reduce alcohol-related harms | WHO, Switzerland
'Support. Don't Punish': Diverse and United in the Fight to End Prohibitionism
For many people, last Monday was not any old Monday. For the 10th consecutive year, June 26th was recognized in calendars around the world as the International 'Support. Don’t Punish' Day. This year, it was celebrated in 91 countries and 275 cities | Metzineres, Spain
Soaring misuse of horse tranquilizer xylazine is worsening opioid crisis
Drug overdose deaths involving a powerful horse tranquilizer called xylazine have skyrocketed in the United States, rising 35-fold in just a handful of years, federal health researchers say | Medical Xpress, USA
Medical Marijuana Laws Had Little Impact on Opioid Prescribing
The cannabis industry and advocates in the U.S. have long claimed that state laws legalizing medical marijuana could help solve the opioid crisis by reducing demand for prescription opioids. Various studies have suggested that may be true, like a recent one in New York state that found patients on high-dose opioids significantly reduced their opioid use once they started using medical cannabis | Pain News Network, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Europe’s leading event in psychedelic medicine returns to london
Psych Symposium returns to the British Museum in London on the 6th July with an impressive line-up of panels and speakers | Volteface, UK
Blog post for Alcohol Awareness Week 2023: Interview with Diane Thomson
Alcohol Focus Scotland offers a range of training courses to help people understand, manage and prevent the harm caused by alcohol. For Alcohol Awareness Week 2023, we spoke with Diane Thomson, Senior Learning and Engagement Coordinator. Diane runs our two Alcohol Awareness Courses and has been a trainer with AFS for just over 10 years | Alcohol Focus Scotland, UK
It’s too late for my Dad, but the Government must now commit to a tobacco-free future for the next generation
Over the last 50 years, nearly eight million people have died from smoking in the UK. With such large numbers it’s all too easy to lose sight of the human cost. However, behind every statistic is a person, each with a family and friends | Cancer Research UK blog, UK
Normalization of Prevention Principles and Practices to Reduce Substance Use Disorders
Over the past 30 years, we have seen some remarkable research breakthroughs in the field of substance use prevention that have helped us understand ways to prevent the use of substances, particularly among youth, and the impact of the consequences of use among those who have already initiated. At the same time, we have seen the development and testing of multiple approaches to effective interventions in the family, school, and community settings. So, normalization of practices would involve the transfer of such knowledge and skills to those who work with youth in the prevention and related health and social service fields | APSI, USA