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Daily news - 7th July 2023 |
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UK news
Heroin warning after six people die in Bristol
A warning has been issued about a suspected dangerous batch of heroin following six deaths in one city. Bristol City Council said the alert was being shared because there was a "serious threat to life", with more people requiring emergency care | BBC, UK
Safety warning issued for a dangerous batch of heroin in Bristol
A safety warning has been issued in Bristol due to a batch of heroin increasing the chance of overdose following an unusually high number of serious, heroin-related health incidents. Six people have tragically died, and many more have needed emergency medical care | BDP, UK
Contaminated Drug Alert
There have been confirmed reports in various locations around Britain of unusually strong opioids contained in a number of drugs; heroin, OxyContin (oxycodone) and ‘street benzos’. In this alert we are asking people to be extra cautious as these strong opioids may be in widespread circulation, rather than confined to particular areas | Cranstoun, UK
Stronger action needed to tackle ‘growing public health epidemic’
Doctors call for bold action to reduce e-cigarette use amid rise among adults and young people | BMA, UK
Teens target Leeds city centre for underage vape sales
Underage teens are traveling into Leeds city centre specifically to buy vapes as they are "easily available", public health officials have said | BBC, UK
Electronic Cigarettes: Children and Young People
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increasing number of children and young people vaping | They work for you, UK
WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which Ministers will form the UK’s delegation for the Tenth Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control | They work for you, UK
Lung cancer diagnoses of UK women to outnumber men’s for first time
Exclusive: Women urged to study symptoms and be as vigilant as they are for breast cancer | Guardian, UK
Sarms: Illegal muscle drugs sold in UK shops, BBC finds
"Dangerous" muscle-building drugs are being sold illegally in shops around the UK, a BBC investigation has found | BBC, UK
Cannabis raids: BBC watches police move in on Dorset drug factory
Thousands of factory-farmed cannabis plants have been seized by police in Dorset. The BBC's Nikki Mitchell saw the dramatic scenes unfold as she joined officers taking part in Operation Mille, a country-wide mission to thwart organised crime groups | BBC, UK
Cannabis worth £3m seized in Essex Police raids
Cannabis valued at almost £3m has been seized in Essex as part of a crackdown on organised crime groups involved in the drug's sale | BBC, UK
Cannabis plants worth £7m seized by police
More than 9,200 cannabis plants were confiscated by police in Leicestershire last month | BBC, UK
Cambridgeshire Police raids net £3m in cannabis
More than £3m worth of cannabis plants have been found after police raided 19 locations across Cambridgeshire | BBC, UK
Enfield train crash: Driver tested positive for cocaine
The driver of a train that derailed at a station in north London tested positive for cocaine after the crash, investigators have said | BBC, UK
International news
Cocaine in the White House: a brief history
The drug was found in the building this weekend – and it’s probably not the first time it’s been inside | Guardian, UK
Could an ancient, climate-friendly crop be the future of beer?
Pierre Thiam and Garrett Oliver are on a mission to introduce brewmasters to fonio, a small and mighty west African grain | Guardian, UK
Philip Morris making deals with Australian pharmacies to supply below-cost vaping products
VEEV nicotine pods and devices offered at an 80% margin on the condition pharmacies sign supply deal with the tobacco giant | Guardian, UK
HR23 Plenary sessions - Melbourne, Australia, 16 April 2023
Recordings from the recent Harm Reduction International conference | HRI, UK
New analysis sheds light on drug-related hospital emergencies in Europe
Data from hospital emergency departments show that every year in Europe thousands of individuals experience drug-related poisoning and other harms, requiring some kind of medical assistance. In a new analysis published today, European Drug Emergencies Network (Euro-DEN Plus): data and analysis, the EMCDDA provides the latest findings on acute drug-toxicity presentations to hospital emergency services. The results show that cocaine is the most commonly reported drug in these emergencies, most presentations are among males, polydrug use is frequent and patients tend to be younger (under 25 years) in the south and east of Europe | EMCDDA, Portugal
Mexico: The Long and Difficult Road to Cannabis Legalisation
Mexico is on the road to cannabis legalisation, but it seems this particular road is long and full of traps and barriers. We interviewed Zara Snapp, an activist and co-founder of Institutio RIA, a leading drug policy reform organisation in Mexico | Drug Reporter, Hungary
Global Forum on Nicotine Remains Crucial to Harm Reduction
The Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN) has just been held for the 10th time. It’s been a helluva decade! GFN has been a lonely, brave platform in robustly exploring and unapologetically promoting tobacco harm reduction (THR) | Filter Magazine, USA
Guns and drugs are killing people in the US at increasing and unprecedented rates, 20-year study finds
A team of researchers from several institutions led by the National Institutes of Health has examined U.S. national death trends. In a paper, "Trends in Mortality From Poisonings, Firearms, and All Other Injuries by Intent in the US, 1999-2020," published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the researchers find disturbing trends in the rate and manner in which Americans are dying | Medical Xpress, USA
Naloxone Accessibility Under the State Standing Order Across Mississippi
In this survey study of 591 Mississippi community pharmacies, only 37% had naloxone immediately available under the state standing order and 41% were unwilling to dispense naloxone under the state standing order | JAMA Network Open, USA
Trends in Rates of Opioid Agonist Treatment and Opioid-Related Deaths for Youths in Ontario, Canada, 2013-2021
This cross-sectional study of public health data for individuals aged 15 to 44 years in Ontario, Canada, found that rates of opioid-related deaths increased in both youths and adults between 2013 and 2021, yet rates of OAT among youths declined over this time despite rising rates of OAT among adults | JAMA Network Open, USA
California Finally Clearing Cannabis Records. Will Lessons Be Learned?
California officials have announced that they’re finally making substantial progress on clearing old marijuana criminal records—but they’re seven years too late. People have been waiting ever since voters approved cannabis legalization in 2016, in a measure requiring the state to clear prior records that are no longer criminal. But despite multiple efforts by politicians to make this process automatic, some courts are still dragging their feet | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Remodelling our alcohol support
A blog post detailing our review and subsequent remodelling of the support we provide to people accessing our services for alcohol related issues, by Stacey Smith, Director of Nursing, and Oliver Standing, Director of Communications & External Affairs | Humankind blog, UK
On Social Suffering and Hope: Anyone’s Child Lobby of Parliament 2023
Anyone’s Child Lobby of Parliament 2023, held on the 27th of July, was an annual event that advocates for a paradigm shift in current drug legislation. The people attending a new government approach that focuses on safety and harm reduction rather than criminalisation posed by the judicial system that is currently mostly used. The underlying belief is that with relevant information and actions towards safe substance use, the number of drug-related deaths can be significantly reduced | Anyone's Child, UK