Home | Archive | Weekly | Reports

Daily news - 5th May 2023

UK news

Discounted drinks and tobacco: “not the answer”

Directors of Public Health (DsPH) are calling on supermarket chain Nisa to stop discounting alcohol and tobacco products amid concerns that the move will deter people from trying to cut down or quit | Association of Directors of Public Health, UK

Regional variation in characteristics of patients with decompensated cirrhosis admitted to hospitals in the UK

[Free registration required] We analysed data from a UK multicentre, retrospective observational cohort study including patients acutely admitted to hospitals with decompensated cirrhosis in November, 2019, across the UK (18 months after the introduction of minimum unit pricing in Scotland) | Lancet, UK

Characteristics of and 3-month health outcomes for people seeking treatment with prescribed cannabis: Real-world evidence from Project Twenty21

Medicinal cannabis has been legal in the UK since 2018 but there is limited information about characteristics of people seeking prescribed cannabis and the effectiveness of this treatment. This paper documents symptom patterns and quality of life among individuals seeking medicinal cannabis and examines changes in symptoms, quality of life and use of prescribed opioids using data from an observational registry study of patients (Project Twenty21) | Drug Science, Policy and Law, UK

Electronic Cigarettes

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to increase awareness of the health effects of switching from smoking to vaping | They work for you, UK

Vaping is endemic in British schools – and Elf Bars are at the heart of it

[Possible paywall] Originally vaping and e-cigarettes were hailed as a welcome smoking cessation device for adults – until the manufacturers came for our teens | Telegraph, UK

Transform Volunteer Driver

We are looking for a volunteer who can drive our OPC ambulance (used only as a campaign tool)! The volunteers needs to: Have held their driving licence since before Jan 1st 1997 and ideally have some experience driving larger vans or small trucks, or hold a C1 LGV licence; Be available on some weekdays/nights to drive to events; And be able to travel to Bristol fairly easily | Transform, UK

Current volunteering opportunities

We provide a bed and support to more than 3,150 people a night who are either homeless or at risk, and work to end homelessness and rebuild lives. To do this we need your help. Volunteers play a crucial role in helping people recover from homelessness and the experience, skills and knowledge they bring make a real difference to the lives of people we work with | St Mungo's, UK

Blackburn drugs seizure: Cocaine worth £16m found in warehouse

Two men have been arrested after cocaine with an estimated street value of £16m was found at a warehouse | BBC, UK

International news

‘Her calling’: NSW father says daughter’s generosity was behind her death in Kambo frog toxin ritual

‘I’m supposed to be a tough prison officer,’ said Frank Lechner as he fought back tears when addressing the court | Guardian, UK

Submissions to the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use

Submissions are invited from stakeholders and the wider public who wish to engage with the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use | Citizen's Assembly, Ireland

Tobacco Product Use Among Adults – United States, 2021

In 2021, approximately 18.7% (46 million) of U.S. adults currently used any tobacco product. Cigarettes were the most frequently reported tobacco product (11.5%), followed by e-cigarettes (4.5%). During 2020–2021, the prevalence of cigarette smoking decreased, and prevalence of e-cigarette use increased | CDC, USA

Considering the effects of menthol and e-cigarette flavors for people who smoke cigarettes

As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration wrestles with the best way to regulate a legal but deadly product – cigarettes – it turns to scientists with expertise in tobacco control to determine the most effective steps it can take | EurekAlert, USA

Young men at highest risk of schizophrenia linked with cannabis use disorder

NIH study highlights the need to proactively screen for, prevent, and treat cannabis use disorder especially among young people | NIDA, USA

[Open access] Although alcohol consumption increases breast cancer risk, some alcohol products include breast cancer awareness marketing (i.e., pink ribbons) on alcohol containers, which poses a contradiction. Some researchers and advocacy groups have called for restrictions on use of the pink ribbon and other breast cancer awareness marketing on alcohol products. This exploratory study aimed to describe individual and behavioral correlates (age, knowledge, attitudes, purchase intention) of reported support for potential policy restrictions of pink ribbon labeling on alcohol containers | IJDP, USA

Older Drivers Drinking or Using Drugs up to Four Times Likelier to be at Fault During a Car Crash

Although older drivers are less likely to report using substances, this research found that out of a sample of 87,060 drivers involved in two moving vehicle crashes, more than one-third were motorists over the age of 70 who tested positive for substances | Taylor & Francis, USA

Study finds doctors prescribing untested drug combinations with high addiction potential

The Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness at Johns Hopkins University has led a study into prescription drug use of multiple concurrent central nervous system (CNS)-active drugs. They found widespread combination prescribing of drugs classified as Schedule II controlled substances with a high potential for psychological or physical dependence and with limited combined clinical trial testing | Medical Xpress, USA

America’s New Drug Policy

[Possible paywall] Bipartisan support now exists for a once-radical approach to drugs | NYTimes, USA

With No Meds for Meth Use, He Prepares to Leave Prison—and Return

Larry Vessey Jr. is less than four months out from his release from Washington State Department of Corrections (WDOC) custody. He’ll be moving into his family’s home, the address WDOC previously rejected | Filter Magazine, USA

Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome After You Quit Alcohol: Is It Real?

Post-acute withdrawal syndrome is a hypothetical condition in which a set of symptoms persist long after a person has undergone withdrawal from alcohol (or from other drugs, though alcohol will be our focus here). These symptoms reputedly include, among others, cognitive, emotional, physical and sleep impairments | Filter Magazine, USA

National Prevention Week 7th - 14th May

National Prevention Week is a national public education platform showcasing the work of communities and organizations dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of substance misuse prevention and positive mental health | SAMHSA, USA

Man Arrested After Opening Heroin, Cocaine, and Meth Store in Canada

Jerry Martin says he opened The Drugs Store to give people access to a safe supply of fentanyl-free drugs | VICE, USA

Nearly all workers with mental health, substance use disorder face stigma

Stigma continues to hound those suffering from mental health and substance use disorders, according to a report from the Mental Health Commission of Canada | HRD, Canada

What Malaysia Can Learn From Melbourne’s Drug Injection Room

At the Medically Supervised Injecting Room (MSIR) in Melbourne, Australia, people inject drugs under medical supervision. MSIR provides other services, including Hep C testing, opioid replacement therapy, a GP clinic, and dental care. Should Malaysia adopt this? | CodeBlue, Malaysia

No fines issued despite rampant selling of illegal vapes in WA, as parent vents frustration

The sale of nicotine vapes and e-cigarettes without a prescription has been illegal in Western Australia for several years, but not a single retailer has been fined in the past 12 months | abc.net.au, Australia

Richmond safe injecting room made permanent after late-night vote

Victoria’s first safe injecting room will become permanent in North Richmond after a protracted debate in the state’s upper house ended in a late-night vote on Thursday | Age, Australia

Blogs, comment and opinion

Oregon becomes the first u.s. state to legalise the use of psilocybin

After voting to legalise psilocybin in 2020, Oregon now expects psilocybin to be legally available by summer 2023 | Volteface, UK

Dr Catherine Conlon: The case for banning recreational vapes in Ireland

Ireland has led the way globally with the introduction of legislation on smoking indoors. Now there is an opportunity to provide the same global leadership with legislation to protect teenagers and young people from recreational vaping | Irish Examiner opinion, Ireland

From the Streets to the Kitchen: The Changing Face of Cannabis in the Media

The representation of cannabis (also known as marijuana, marihuana, pot, or weed) in the media has evolved over time. In the past, media coverage of cannabis primarily focused on its potential harms and association with criminal activity, pervasion, and addiction | Points blog, USA

The Butler ‘plan to ban’. Where are we now?

Many Vapers and retailers have contacted me, understandably confused and distressed by Mark Butler’s “plan to ban” vaping. The misguided crackdown is based on a moral panic about youth vaping. I have prepared a list of answers to the common questions, based on what we know so far | Colin Mendelsohn, Australia

Friday essay: peyotes in suburbia – the secret world of Sydney’s psychoactive cacti growers

Before I met the cactus expert, I didn’t even know psychoactive gardens existed. Of course I wanted to see one | Conversation, Australia

Extend Studio