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Daily news - 21st July 2023 |
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UK news
From harm to hope: first annual report 2022 to 2023
The first annual report of the drug strategy sets out the progress from the first year of delivery, one year into the government’s 10 year plan. This report outlines progress on national delivery following the first full year of funding associated with the strategy, including delivery against commitments and goals, the key issues and challenges, including delivery of the recommendations made by the government’s Independent Advisor Dame Carol Black in her 2021 Review of Drugs | Home Office, UK
Drugs contaminated with synthetic opioids: a collective message
The drugs available in the UK seem to be changing lately. As people services, we have come together to make a shared statement/clarification on some of the new drugs the people we support use, and the risks they present | Change Grow Live, Humankind et al, UK
In memory of Martha: one mother’s devastated, devoted fight to end drug deaths
Ten years ago, Anne-Marie Cockburn’s only child died from an overdose of MDMA. She was determined it would not be the end of her own life – and that her daughter would have a positive legacy | Guardian, UK
Drug Testing on Arrest (DToA): programme data
The figures provided are based on management data collected from police forces delivering DToA | Home Office, UK
E-cigarette support for smoking cessation: Identifying the effectiveness of intervention components in an on-line randomized optimization experiment
[Open access] Text-message support with tailored advice on flavour is a promising intervention combination for smokers using an e-cigarette in a quit attempt | Addiction, UK
Vapes: Welsh festivals asked to ban single-use vapes by charity
Keep Wales Tidy said discarded vapes had caused "a problem that has grown exponentially over the last few years" | BBC, UK
Hampshire health director warns schools of vaping dangers
Hampshire's public health chief has sent a letter warning schools that vaping may have "negative impacts on developing brains" | BBC, UK
Can I vape on holiday? Full list of countries with ban on electronic cigarettes
At the time of writing, there are at least 35 countries with strict vaping laws, ranging from complete bans to restricting advertising, while in the UK e-cigarettes are legal for over 18s and even suggested by the NHS as a way to quit smoking | Metro, UK
Hundreds of illegal vapes seized in Staffordshire raids
Hundreds of illegal vapes and thousands of illicit cigarettes worth an estimated £26,000 have been seized during raids. Operations were carried out at four shops in Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Staffordshire Moorlands | BBC, UK
Tring: Outdoor cannabis farm discovered on abandoned land
Hertfordshire Constabulary said it was told that 110 plants, in various stages of growth, had been planted off Tringford Road, Tring | BBC, UK
International news
Oddities and commodities: The sometimes confusing and contradictory functions of alcohol in society
In the third edition of Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity, a group of esteemed researchers analyse the global burden of alcohol-related disease, the economic and political power of the alcohol industry, and the scientific basis for alcohol policy. The following edited excerpt sets the stage for the book by discussing the dual role of alcohol as a drug and a commodity | SSA, UK
Ex-Venezuela spy chief pleads not guilty to US drug charges
Venezuela's former spy chief has pleaded not guilty in a New York court to US charges of drug trafficking | BBC, UK
Current Electronic Cigarette Use Among Adults Aged 18 and Over: United States, 2021
In 2021, 4.5% of adults aged 18 and over were current electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) users, with e-cigarette use highest among adults aged 18–24 (11.0%) | CDC, USA
Juul Seeks Approval for Vape With Age-Verification Capabilities
uul Labs Inc. submitted its first premarket tobacco application (PMTA) for its next-generation vapor platform to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The updated device reportedly uses technology to restrict both underage use and counterfeit pods | CSN, USA
Hobbies and healthy habits surged during the pandemic: Study
Rather than turn to vices such as alcohol and drugs, many people turned to new pursuits to cope with pandemic-related stresses, according to a Rutgers study | Medical Xpress, USA
Healthcare costs and use before and after opioid overdose in Veterans Health Administration patients with opioid use disorder
This study aimed to compare healthcare costs and use between United States (US) Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) who experienced an opioid overdose (OD cohort) and patients with OUD who did not experience an opioid overdose (non-OD cohort) | Addiction, USA
Medical Cannabis Did Not Reduce Pain Prescriptions, Procedures
State medical cannabis laws seem not to have contributed to population-level shifts in pain treatment for chronic noncancer pain in the US, researchers concluded in a new study published in Annals of Internal Medicine | JAMA Network Open, USA
Marijuana use linked to epigenetic changes
Recent and long-term marijuana use is linked to changes in the human epigenome, a new Northwestern Medicine study published in Molecular Psychiatry has found | Medical Xpress, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
People are fascinated by the sober and sober-ish. But the real question is – why aren’t there more of us?
Yes, alcohol consumption is declining. But Britain’s drinking culture still traps so many – and they can’t find a way out | Guardian opinion, UK
Tali-Ban: How Europe’s Heroin Markets Will Survive Afghanistan’s Opium
The Taliban opium ban, implemented earlier this year, has drastically reduced poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. While some have speculated this might have a significant impact on Europe’s heroin supply, with alarms raised at the potential surge of fentanyl and similar drugs appearing in Europe to replace heroin’s supply, the ban and its effects need to be carefully examined | Talking Drugs, UK
No, Chinese Companies Are Not Getting Rich Off Of Fentanyl
All of the fentanyl in the US could fit in your garage | Ben Westhoff, USA