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Daily news - 20th July 2023 |
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UK news
Industry consulted on raising minimum alcohol price in Scotland
The alcoholic drinks industry is being consulted on the possibility of increasing the minimum price of a unit of alcohol from 50p to more than 80p. The Scottish government's minimum unit pricing (MUP) policy, in place since 2018, is due to expire next year | BBC, UK
Impose heavier restrictions on disposable vapes to limit child use, urges Committee
The Committee believes that the Government can maintain a public health message on the potential value of vapes as a tool to help smokers to quit while ensuring that its messaging and education, enforcement and regulatory approach keeps them out of sight and reach of children | UK Government, Health and Social Care Committee, UK [Letter sent to Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP here]
MPs call for restrictions on disposable vapes to limit use by children
Chair of health committee says packaging and marketing of vapes should be restricted | Guardian, UK
Lincoln drug deaths linked to "unusually strong" heroin batch
A deadly batch of heroin could be responsible for two deaths and a further six overdoses in Lincoln, police have said. The first death was on 27 June with the second fatality on Tuesday. A total of six overdoses have been recorded in the past week, Lincolnshire Police said. All of the affected reportedly used similar doses of the narcotic but officers said it was "unclear what is affecting the potency" | BBC, UK
Bristol PCs trained to use overdose drug after heroin deaths
Police officers are being trained how to use a drug that can stop heroin overdoses after a batch in Bristol is suspected of causing six deaths. Around 400 officers have now been learning how to use a nasal spray version of Naloxone, called Nyxoid | BBC, UK
Half the public think the Government is not doing enough to reduce smoking FOUR YEARS after the Government pledged to make England smokefree
New data (PDF) published on 19th July shows that the public believe further action is needed to tackle smoking. The data is published as MPs and peers gather to mark four years since the Government committed to make England ‘smokefree’ by 2030. Progress has been stalled and Cancer Research UK estimate it will be missed by 9 years. Smoking is currently still killing one person every five minutes in England | ASH, UK
A Covenant for Health
There is an opportunity to make significant improvements to the health of our nation in just 5 to 10 years, benefiting millions of people, society, our economy and our health systems. This paper explains where and how to do so. It is urgent to act, the UK has among the worst population health in Europe, the highest levels of obesity, the worst excess drinking levels, very large health inequalities, and very many people become ill much earlier than they should | A Covenant for Health, UK
Anti-stigma campaigns in prison settings can have a huge impact, says Lashandra
My name is Lashandra, and I work for an addiction treatment charity inside a prison. Working in this setting I often witness stigma against people who use substances – it’s so commonplace that you could easily become resigned to it. I often hear people who use drugs being referred to in demeaning, labelling, and dehumanising terms. Words can hurt and they can poison, or they can empower and build people up | DDN, UK
Smoking
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of (a) vapes, (b) nicotine gum, (c) nicotine patches, (d) nicotine pouches and (e) other alternatives to smoking in helping to reduce the prevalence of smoking | They work for you, UK
David Nutt: “It’s the biggest breakthrough in mental health for 50 years”
[Free registration may be required] The psychiatrist David Nutt on psychedelic drugs as a treatment for depression | New Statesman, UK
International news
Psychedelics in Europe with Tadeusz Hawrot and Frédéric Destrebecq - podcast
This weeks Podcast features Frédéric Destrebecq and Tadeusz Hawrot as they discuss the latest developments in research and clinical development with psychedelics in Europe | Drug Science, UK
Magic mushrooms could be used to help calm women with cancer, doctors say
Recent studies show psychedelics can have promising effects in treating psychological symptoms | Independent, UK
Gigi Hadid arrested over drug possession in Cayman Islands
American model Gigi Hadid was arrested and fined in the Cayman Islands earlier this month over cannabis possession, it has been revealed | BBC, UK
Cancer sufferer who grew cannabis for pain relief given community service
The court heard that the defendant was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2010 and since then she has had eight operations on her neck and 15 operations related to malignant melanoma | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Packages of suspected cocaine found on two Donegal beaches
Gardaí are appealing to the public to watch out for any similar packages along the Donegal coast | Journal, Ireland
European Prevention Curriculum training course for Latin America takes first step in preparing culturally adapted materials
This week, 16 experts from five Latin American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela) are participating in an online European Prevention Curriculum (EUPC) basic training course in Spanish. This is the first time that the EMCDDA is delivering an EUPC training course in the language for this region | EMCDDA, Portugal
Use of law enforcement strategies to curb underage drinking has decreased over past decade: Study
Despite the harm that excessive alcohol consumption can cause in a community, use of some alcohol-related enforcement strategies remained low or decreased from 2010 to 2019, according to a new report in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. In particular, researchers found a drop in enforcement of underage drinking laws | Medical Xpress, USA
More rapid increase seen in rate of OD deaths involving cocaine plus opioids
The age-adjusted rate of overdose deaths involving cocaine and opioids increased more quickly from 2011 to 2021 than the rate of overdose deaths involving cocaine alone, according to a July data brief published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics | Medical Xpress, USA
What Happened When Oregon Decriminalized Hard Drugs
Three years ago, while the nation’s attention was on the 2020 presidential election, voters in Oregon took a dramatic step back from America’s long-running War on Drugs. By a 17-point margin, Oregonians approved Ballot Measure 110, which eliminated criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of any drug, including cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine | The Atlantic, USA
Northern Territory government to extend Alice Springs alcohol restrictions indefinitely following drop in crime rate
Alcohol restrictions in Alice Springs will be extended indefinitely by the Northern Territory government, Sky News Australia understands | Sky News, Australia
‘The honeypot’s already there’: the hunt for a CBD injecting room
“The thing about an injecting room,” says Pellegrini’s co-owner David Malaspina, “is that it’s going to bring all the drug dealers here. It’s going to create a honeypot.” Malaspina’s iconic Melbourne restaurant, bustling when The Age visits at lunchtime on Thursday, sits directly opposite the Salvation Army’s community hub at the top end of Bourke Street | SMH, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
The need for action to improve the nation’s health: making England a healthier place to live and work
There have been major successes in the fight against many of the key drivers of ill health. For example, the regulation and taxation of tobacco, linked to support for smokers to give up, has been successful in driving down the number of people that smoke (though more still needs to be done) | King's Fund, UK
Hugs for Drugs: Polish High Schoolers Running Harm Reduction Projects
In most places, what constitutes public education is dictated by the Government, an institution that defines our laws and establishes social norms. The way schools are set up usually reflects what the state wishes to see in society. Taking that into consideration, you can imagine how hard it must be to implement harm reduction education, or open dialogue about drug use in educational environments that reject these themes. “Just Say No” abstinence messages on drugs have been the backbone of young people’s drug educations for over 40 years, prohibiting access to information on safer drug use to prevent any use | Talking Drugs, UK