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Daily news - 19th July 2023 |
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UK news
‘People will do drugs. Why not minimise the damage?’ The charity caring for tripped-out ravers
PsyCare UK offers hydration and colouring books to people who have overdone psychedelic drugs – but hardline government policies are making this kind of harm reduction service harder to provide | Guardian, UK
Trends in cross-border and illicit tobacco purchases among people who smoke in England, 2019–2022
[Open access] Despite a fall in cross-border tobacco purchasing during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic among adults in England who smoke, the proportion reporting cross-border tobacco purchases is now three times higher than it was at the start of 2019. The proportion reporting illicit tobacco purchases has not changed substantially | BMJ, UK
Mother takes drugs message to late son's school
A mother who lost her teenage son to drugs has taken her campaign against illegal substances to his old school. William Horley died in 2018, aged 17, after taking the prescription painkiller tramadol with a friend | BBC, UK
Biffa launches vape takeback scheme
The new takeback scheme will allow consumers to discard of vapes and single use e-cigarettes via bins at various locations around the UK including retail destinations, airports, NHS sites, universities, railway stations, distribution offices and offices | Lets Recycle, UK
‘As I hit my mid-40s, I’m noticing a plethora of similarly aged women who have taken up smoking again’
[Possible paywall] It doesn’t seem that harmful – the odd cigarette at a party. Except perhaps we’re a bit too complacent... | Telegraph, UK
Blackburn man who smuggled heroin in balloons and gloves jailed
A man who smuggled heroin with a street value of about £1.5m into the UK in balloons and gloves has been jailed. Lancashire Police said Akhlaq Muhammad, from Blackburn, also hid drugs in a coffee machine and a carpet in an attempt to trick customs officials | BBC, UK
Men jailed for using Christian group to smuggle drugs
Two men have been jailed for their role in using a Christian organisation as cover to import 400kg (881lbs) of cannabis into the UK from Jamaica. Via Birmingham Airport, they had three loads of the drug sent over in tins of fruit and vegetables, a court heard | BBC, UK
International news
DrugNet Ireland: Establishment of the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use
The Programme for Government, which was launched in June 2020, committed to holding a Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use. In February 2023, the Government gave its approval for the assembly to be established. The assembly’s work will run from April to December 2023. The establishment of the assembly has been overwhelmingly welcomed by stakeholders across the sector and the political spectrum | DrugNet Ireland, Ireland
Co-involvement of Opioids in Drug Overdose Deaths Involving Cocaine and Psychostimulants, 2011–2021
Drug overdose deaths involving cocaine and psychostimulants with abuse potential (that is, drugs such as methamphetamine, amphetamine, and methylphenidate) have risen in the past several years. A recent report highlighted that drug overdose deaths involving cocaine rose 22% and drug overdose deaths involving psychostimulants rose 33% from 2020 through 2021. By the end of 2021, the report counted 24,486 drug overdose deaths involving cocaine and 32,537 drug overdose deaths involving psychostimulants. This report presents trends from 2011 through 2021 in death rates involving cocaine and psychostimulants, with and without opioid co-involvement | CDC, USA
Study shows differences in how patients with heroin use disorder process drug and reward cues
An Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai study sheds new light on some of the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of opioid addiction, which accounted for three-quarters of the more than 100,000 fatal drug overdoses in the United States in 2021 | Medical Xpress, USA
American Heart Association calls for more research on e-cigarettes
Research increasingly reveals health risks of e-cigarette use, and more studies are needed about the long-term impact e-cigarettes may have on the heart and lungs, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association published in the Association's flagship journal Circulation | News Medical, USA
New study debunks claims of a psychedelic cannabinoid
Claims of a mystical experience have been greatly exaggerated, according to a University at Buffalo-led study published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugsthat is the first to examine the alleged psychedelic effects of THC-O-acetate | University of Buffalo, USA
The DRAM, Vol. 19(8) – Adolescents’ perceptions of a VR-based alcohol consumption intervention
Virtual Reality (VR) technologies have significant potential to encourage behavioral change. However, because VR technologies have only recently been developed, little research has evaluated users’ perceptions of VR and whether this technology is an acceptable way to deliver educational information. This week, The DRAM reviews a study by Julie Dalgaard Guldager and colleaguesthat investigated Danish adolescents’ perceptions of a VR alcohol prevention program. Their study explored whether adolescents are receptive to using VR technologies and whether their perceptions varied by sociodemographic characteristics such as race and age | BASIS, USA
SAMHSA Harm Reduction Framework - request for comments
The SAMHSA Harm Reduction Framework is the first document to comprehensively outline harm reduction and its role within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Framework will inform SAMHSA’s harm reduction activities moving forward, as well as related policies, programs, and practices. Submit your comments on the Harm Reduction Framework via a webform no later than August 14, 2023 at 5 p.m. ET | SAMHSA, USA
Coca price crash contributing to Colombia food insecurity, UN says
A crash in the price of coca, the chief ingredient in cocaine, is contributing to food insecurity in Colombia and causing displacement, as people leave areas that depend on the illicit crop, according to an internal United Nations presentation seen by Reuters | Reuters, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Not Many See Past Your “Drug” Label
Human beings are social creatures – we understand the world around us through our interpretation of the world. Now, to live in consensus today we must have shared interpretations, values and beliefs we share together with other humans. Consequently, this means we generally share the same common labels that we ascribe to people | Talking Drugs, UK
Adolescent drinking rates remain high in China despite ban
To learn more about how Chinese teens engage with alcohol, we conducted a systematic review of studies on teen drinking behaviours in China over a 30-year period from 1988 to 2018. In our recently published study, we found high levels of drinking among Chinese adolescents aged 12 to 17 years old. Around half of Chinese teens reported having consumed alcohol at some point. One in four reported drinking in the past month and one in 10 reported binge drinking | Conversation, Canada
Our perception of wine has more to do with its commercial history than we think
Consumers tend to think of wine as a product of culture and authenticity. Because of this, they see it as distinct from other manufactured commercial goods | Conversation, Canada
Leading health experts urge lawmakers to reform vaping laws
Forty five leading tobacco, public health and addiction experts from Australia and New Zealand are urging lawmakers to listen to the Australian National Advisory Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ANACAD) ahead of Health Minister Mark Butler’s proposed vaping crackdown | Colin Mendelsohn, Australia