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Daily news - 3rd March 2023 |
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UK news
Belfast councillors support safe injecting facility proposal
Belfast city councillors have voted to pass a motion to set up a safe injecting facility to help prevent overdoses among drug users | BBC, UK
Young people’s explanations for the decline in youth drinking in England
Young people’s explanations for the decline in youth drinking in England aligned well with those generated by researchers and commentators in prior literature. Our findings suggest that changing practices of socialisation, decreased alcohol affordability and changed attitudes toward risk and self-governance may be key explanations | BMC Public Health, UK
Response to the ACMD's report on remimazolam (Byfavo)
The government responds to a report by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) regarding the classification and schedule of remimazolam (Byfavo) | Home Office, Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, and The Rt Hon Chris Philp MP, UK
Calls for ‘robust’ health measures as one in 10 15-year-olds now vape
Campaigners are demanding immediate action from the Scottish Government to address health measures for young people after it was revealed more than one in 10 15-year-olds now vape | Press and Journal, UK
Drug Science submits evidence to the ACMD Nitrous Oxide Review
In 2015 the ACMD considered the emerging issue of nitrous oxide abuse. In 2021, the then Home Secretary commissioned the ACMD to conduct an updated health and social harms assessment and whether nitrous oxide should be controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 | Drug Science, UK
Building an Inclusive Workforce - audio
Drugs Uncut is back! In this episode we are joined by Scottish Drugs Forum’s Louise Aitken and Chris Messenger and discuss employment and training and the Addiction Worker Training Project. The project has recently seen changes and has received its first funding from The Scottish Government in response to the recommendations of The Drug Deaths Task Force which will double its capacity | Drugs Uncut, UK
Betsi Cadwaladr doctor sent home man later found dead
Mr Pullin's provisional cause of death was given as hypothermia, due to drug and alcohol toxicity | BBC, UK
International news
Hellbound star Yoo Ah-in dropped from Netflix series amid South Korea drug investigation
Hellbound actor Yoo Ah-in has been dumped from the Netflix series as police investigate alleged illegal drug use | Metro, UK
Bags containing 2.3 tonnes of cocaine wash up on Normandy coast
Drug with street value of £133m found in two batches of watertight packages | Guardian, UK
Jack Daniel’s in legal battle as residents living near distilleries complain of black whiskey fungus
Tennessee court halts construction of Jack Daniel’s barrel warehouse as residents say black fungus from whiskey vapors is coating neighborhoods | Guardian, UK
Beezin': The dangerous TikTok trend involving Burt's Bees
"Beezin,'" which gained popularity throughout the 2010s, has made its 2023 comeback on TikTok. Various "beezers" claim that applying Burt's Bees lip balm to their eyelids gets them high, heightens the sensation of being drunk or high, or increases feelings of alertness. Regardless of the reason, it's not something anyone should try, says Olivia J. Killeen, M.D., a clinical lecturer in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Michigan Medicine | Medical Xpress, USA
Twitter now allows cannabis advertising, and brands are ready to spend to test and learn on the platform
Last month, Twitter updated its advertising policy to allow cannabis ads on the platform in states where cannabis is legal. The change, which Twitter deemed a move to “relax” its cannabis ad policy, caught the attention of cannabis brands, and many are now taking advantage of the shift | Digiday, USA
Cannabis Home-Grow to Remain a Felony in WA, Years After Legalization
The latest effort to allow Washington State adults to grow cannabis at home has fallen short, pulled from consideration ahead of a planned committee vote on the final day before a key legislative deadline. The move means that, for at least another year, cultivating plants for personal use will likely remain a felony | Filter Magazine, USA
How We’re Building Collective Harm Reduction Power in South Carolina
Most harm reduction work plays out in legal gray areas, but in South Carolina that’s all we know. There’s no state legislation that authorizes syringe service programs (SSP) to operate, but there’s nothing banning them either. Syringes aren’t criminalized as “paraphernalia” here | Filter Magazine, USA
Queensland Wants to Relax Its Drug Laws. Is It… Chill Now?
Queensland, commonly known as one of Australia’s most conservative states with historically harsh anti-drug laws, has recently eased off its punitive approach and proposed dramatic law reforms for personal drug use | VICE, USA
Experiences of stigma while visiting healthcare services among people who use drugs in Australia, 2022
This bulletin investigates the experience of stigma while visiting healthcare services among people who regularly inject drugs and people who regularly use ecstasy and/or other stimulants | NDARC, Australia
Optimi Health Enters Australian Medical MDMA And Psilocybin Market With Mind Medicine Australia Distribution Agreement
The announcement follows a national reclassification of MDMA and psilocybin for therapeutic uses in Australia as a result of the years-long effort of Mind Medicine Australia and its dedicated supporters | Global NewWire, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Pill testing is coming to Queensland. Here’s what can we learn from programs overseas
Queensland will become the second Australian jurisdiction to offer pill testing. While the timeline is yet to be announced, once up and running, Queenslanders who use illicit drugs can have them checked to see what they actually contain before taking them | Conversation, Australia