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Daily news - 3rd November 2023

UK news

National Collaborative Call for Evidence – Analysis Report (PDF)

The National Collaborative is a project that not only aims to empower people affected by substance use but will also set out how the rights to be included in the forthcoming Human Rights Bill can be effectively implemented. It will do this by applying a human-rights based approach to co-design a Charter of Rights. As part of this process, a Call for Evidence was launched to gather views from around Scotland about people’s experiences of substance use and human rights. This brought together people affected by substance use, their families and people working across a wide range of services and ran between May and August 2023 | Alliance Scotland, UK

First Steps Good Practice Guide

This guide is about how people with their own lived experience of substance use can make that outreach more effective. The guide is published in both English and Welsh | Alcohol Change UK, UK

Naloxone reporting short life working group: Final report

This short report describes the purpose, process and meetings of the Naloxone Reporting Short Life Working Group (SLWG). This report also describes the recommendations of the SLWG and outlines the next stage in this change process, where organisations will review these findings and respond to them | Public Health Scotland, UK

The ease of online drug purchase and the emergence of the dark web have created new avenues for the growth of NPS. Despite the global nature of this issue, limited research has examined motivations of use. These include perceived safety or convenience, an interest in novel pharmacology and self-exploration. Recent evidence has suggested individuals may be self-medicating with NPS, however this phenomenon has yet to be thoroughly explored. This study aims to investigate the occurrence of NPS self-medication, identify the specific NPS involved, and understand the motivations behind their use | IJDP, UK

How to take MDMA as safely as possible

In 1985, THE FACE reported on a “new party drug” which had recently arrived on the club scene. That drug was MDMA. “It can make you feel very close and empathetic – you might feel like hugging your friends,” culture journalist Peter Nasmyth wrote. More than 35 years later, it’s safe to say that the drug went on to revolutionise dance floors, influencing music, fashion and youth culture in the process | The Face, UK

Stoke-on-Trent monkey dust user 'wasn't prepared to die'

A former monkey dust user who received help through a specialist support project said he "wasn't prepared to die" after the drug almost killed him. David Lear moved into a flat through the help of a programme in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, last month | BBC, UK

Recovery village to help people struggling with drug use planned for Dundee

Homeless charity Social Bite will provide 15 homes and a community hub with dining areas, gym facilities and a counselling room | STV News, UK

Tata Steel and Drug Consumption Rooms - audio

[Listen from 19.15 minutes in] Martin Blakebrough, head of the substance misuse charity Kaleidoscope, explains how he hopes to push ahead with new services for the most vulnerable drug users in Wales after the UK's first Drug Consumption Room was approved in Scotland | BBC, UK

Partner spotlight: Music Support

As part of Addiction Awareness Week 2023, we’re really pleased to share this special interview that Music Support Trustee, Rachael Lander, has recorded with Dave ‘Sober Dave’ Wilson | Forward Trust, UK

UK Patient Conference: Medical Cannabis Awareness Week 2023

TODAY. Fri, 3 Nov 2023 10:00 - 17:00 GMT. A daytime conference for the medical cannabis community to come together to share ideas and have meaningful discussion | Drug Science, UK

Cannabis haul found in former nightclub

A police raid has uncovered a cannabis haul with a street value of about £500,000 in a former nightclub in the Borders | BBC, UK

International news

Cannabis liberalisation: lessons for alcohol policy (PDF)

This briefing was based on a roundtable meeting hosted by the Institute of Alcohol Studies on 29th June 2023. At the roundtable, Dr Elle Wadsworth presented research on alcohol and cannabis co-use in Canada and the United States immediately before and one year after legalisation of non-medical cannabis in Canada in 2018, and Dr Sadie Boniface facilitated an informal discussion on research gaps and priorities in this area | IAS, UK

MEDICANN - Ireland’s First Medicinal Cannabis Clinic is Now Open

Ireland is set to get its first medicinal cannabis clinic, covering all therapy areas, since it became legalised in June 2019 | European Pharmaceutical Manufacturer, UK

Suspected Australian drug trafficker Hakan Ayik arrested in Turkey

The 44-year-old was captured in Istanbul along with 36 others in a sting opertion against an ‘armed, organised crime ring’ | Guardian, UK

Research into impact of vaping among 43 projects to receive €24m investment

A total of €550,000 is being awarded to a Royal College of Surgeons project to examine the impact of vaping, particularly on young people | Irish Examiner, Ireland

Vaping by high school students dropped this year, says US report

Fewer high school students are vaping this year, the government reported Thursday. In a survey, 10% of high school students said they had used electronic cigarettes in the previous month, down from 14% last year | Medical Xpress, USA

Methadone access becomes flashpoint in fight over opioid crisis

The five Massachusetts opioid treatment clinics where Ruth Potee works bend over backward to make methadone treatment easy and accessible for the people they serve. But Potee worries it isn't enough | Medical Xpress, USA

Yale-led study shows that e-cigarette bans boost traditional cigarette sale

A recent Yale-led study found that banning flavored electronic cigarettes increases sales of standard, combustible cigarettes, which can cause cancer and are considered more dangerous | Yale News, USA

Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems and E-Liquid Modifications to Vape Cannabis Depicted in Online Videos

This qualitative study of 59 online videos found that 41 videos (69%) depicted use of ENDS to vape cannabis without modifying devices or e-liquids by using manufacturer-made cannabidiol or tetrahydrocannabinol oils and/or e-liquids compatible with ENDS; the most frequent modification was creating e-liquids from cannabis concentrates and dry herbs. Only 21 videos (36%) were age-restricted, while 25 (42%) included purchasing links for cannabis products | JAMA Network Open, USA

These Companies Think Legal Cocaine Energy Drinks Are the Future

Safe Supply Streaming Co. is investing in companies that will develop food and drinks made from coca leaf. Drug policy experts are skeptical the new ventures will address the overdose crisis | VICE, USA

White House Urges All Schools to Stock Naloxone, Be Ready to Use It

The White House is sending a letter to schools nationwide, urging them to keep naloxone on hand and train staff and students to use it. Rapidly increasing numbers of under-18s are dying of opioid-involved overdose. Yet many school districts in the United States do not yet have the overdose-reversal drug on campus. Those that do are already saving lives | Filter Magazine, USA

Hospital Addiction Consult Teams Seek to Fight Stigma, Meet Needs

As people continue to suffer with the many preventable side effects of not having a safe drug supply, Addiction Consult Teams (ACT) aim to mitigate the crisis by offering multidisciplinary, stigma-free care in the hospital setting | Filter Magazine, USA

Support for policies restricting alcohol exposure in films: Does feeding back the amount of alcohol in films increase support?

Alcohol exposure is common in popular films, and research has demonstrated a link between alcohol exposure and use. The likelihood of implementing specific policies to reduce the amount of film exposure is dependent on the level of public support; however, evidence is currently lacking. This study investigated how supportive people are of film-related alcohol policies and whether providing information about the amount of film exposure increased support | DAR, Australia

Blogs, comment and opinion

Harry’s blog 122: Tobacco harm reduction is a human rights issue

A guiding principle of the World Health Organization (WHO) established in 1948, was the universal right to health. Although not expressed in these terms, the implication is that nobody gets left behind even if behaviours which potentially threaten health like illegal drug use and unprotected sex meet with societal disapproval | NSP, UK

No prescription? no problem: why novel psychoactive substances are being used to self-medicate

What options are you left with once you’ve cycled through all available antidepressants, but your depression remains? Or when your doctor is telling you that you’re not eligible for medication because you didn’t suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a child? Some individuals are taking matters into their own hands and using Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) – also known as research chemicals or legal highs – to self-medicate their disorders | Volteface, UK

The evils of Panglossian prohibitionism

Banning the sale of tobacco would increase the black market in cigarettes | The Critic, UK

When Oregon decriminalised drugs, overdoses went up. Will that happen in the ACT?

A new bill came into effect in the ACT at the weekend decriminalising personal possession of common illegal drugs. The bill decriminalises the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, LSD, psilocybin (magic mushrooms) and heroin for personal use | Conversation, Australia

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