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Daily news - 8th June 2023

UK news

England on track to end new HIV transmissions by 2030

New HIV transmissions in England have fallen by almost a third since 2019, according to an update on the HIV Action Plan for England published today | Department of Health and Social Care, UK Health Security Agency, NHS England, and Neil O'Brien MP, UK

Rising drug deaths not due to ageing users, says report

The rise in drug-related deaths in Scotland is not due to users getting older, a major new report suggests. A study of nearly 50,000 people who used opiods between 2011 and 2020 found death rates increased across all age groups | BBC, UK

Vaping: Guernsey parents urged to 'start conversations' with children

The Health Improvement Commission (HIC) has given the advice after a survey into young people's behaviours. The Guernsey Young People's Survey said the number of students who said they vaped regularly had increased from 2% in 2019 to 10% in 2022 | BBC, UK

Guernsey issues 12,000 prescriptions for medicinal cannabis in less than a year

The drug was legalised for medicinal use back in 2019 with the States at the time saying it will likely only be offered in a "very small number of cases" | ITV, UK

Glastonbury organisers ask festivalgoers not to bring disposable vapes

Festival has advised guests to leave disposable e-cigarettes at home for reasons of sustainability | Independent, UK

Smoking vs Vaping with Dr Alex Wodak - podcast

In this week’s episode, join Professor David Nutt as he engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Dr Alex Wodak, an internationally renowned authority on harm reduction and the esteemed president of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation | Drug Science, UK

New Beginnings: a short film

A local film maker has made a short film to give insight into a medically managed detox run by Aspire, the film aims to demystify and destigmatise addiction and recovery | Rajnish Madaan, UK

John Robins: Bristol comedian reveals struggle with alcohol

John Robins spoke about how he battled to control his addiction and the effect it had on his mental health in BBC Sounds podcast series How Do You Cope? | BBC, UK

Transform’s Annual Lobby of Parliament for drug policy reform (London)

Tuesday 27th June – all day. We will be taking action in Parliament on 27th June, 2023 to show the public and politicians that we stand for better drug laws | Transform, UK

Creative Communities Summer Showcase performance with musicians from Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra [Facebook link]

Monday 10th July: 3pm, Bristol Beacon BS1 5AR. The orchestra will perform 4 pieces, including their very own Western themed piece…coined…Dando Unchained in memory of one our members who we recently lost. The choir will also be singing 20 minutes of our favourites. All held together by moving and stigma busting stories from our members | BDP, UK

Police 'found cannabis bags' in Kingswood off licence

A business could lose its licence after police allegedly found cannabis "in sweet bags". Officers allegedly found more than a kilogram of cannabis in a raid at the off licence and shop in Bristol, and are now asking South Gloucestershire Council to revoke its licence | BBC, UK

International news

Berlin introduces free and anonymous drug testing

The Senate Department for Health announced the new scheme, named Drug Checking, which carried out by The State Institute for Forensic and Social Medicine with three advice centres open | MixMag, UK

Eight people found dead in Mexican ravine worked at scam call centre run by drug cartel

[Possible paywall] Forensic tests on dismembered body parts stashed in dozens of black bags confirmed the bodies belonged to the missing employees | Telegraph, UK

General Report of Activities 2022 – key achievements and governance: a year in review

The General Report of Activities is an annual publication providing a detailed progress report of the EMCDDA’s activities over a 12-month period. It catalogues the Centre’s achievements in each area of its annual work programme. The report is a useful information source for all those seeking comprehensive information on the Centre and its work | EMCDDA, Portugal

Among young people, being around peers may elicit greater drinking cravings than the presence of alcohol

When certain settings, people, or items—a bar, a friend, a glass—are paired with alcohol, they can become conditioned cues, eliciting drinking cravings. These learned reactions are associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD), treatment outcomes, and relapse. The presence of peers in particular is a key prompt for alcohol cravings among young people, according to a new study published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research | Medical Xpress, USA