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Daily news - 8th November 2023 |
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UK news
Nitrous oxide ban
From 8 November 2023 Nitrous Oxide is controlled as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and placed in Schedule 5 to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 | Home Office, UK
Nitrous oxide: Laughing gas possession becomes illegal
Possession of nitrous oxide, also known as NOS, has become a criminal offence in the UK | BBC, UK
Health leaders welcome King’s Speech setting out Government’s proposals for a smokefree generation
Health campaigners, doctors, local councillors, academics, NHS leaders and survivors of smoking from across England have come together to welcome the government’s legislative plans to create a smokefree generation in today’s King’s Speech| ASH, UK
Tax on vapes could be part of plans to create a smoke-free generation in UK
Documents published alongside Rishi Sunak’s first king’s speech show that a new duty is being considered by ministers | Guardian, UK
People fixing the world: Training heroin users to save their friends - audio
Heroin users in Scotland are being trained to spot when someone is about to overdose and to step in and help. The training – which includes lessons on how to use the antidote naloxone - is often led by people who have themselves been addicts. Taxi drivers and police officers are also being trained, and naloxone being widely distributed, as part of a push to save as many lives as possible. Reporter Craig Langran investigates whether the approach is working | BBC Sounds, UK
‘They put handcuffs on me’: UK users of medical cannabis tell of raids and arrests
Prescribed use has been legal in the UK since 2018 but many police officers appear to be uninformed | Guardian, UK
When the Trial Ends: The Case for Post-Trial Provisions in Clinical Psychedelic Research
The ethical value—and to some scholars, necessity—of providing trial patients with post-trial access (PTA) to an investigational drug has been subject to significant attention in the field of research ethics. Although no consensus has emerged, it seems clear that, in some trial contexts, various factors make PTA particularly appropriate. We outline the atypical aspects of psychedelic clinical trials that support the case for introducing the provision of PTA within research in this field, including the broader legal status of psychedelics, the nature of the researcher-therapist/participant relationship, and the extended time-frame of the full therapeutic process | Neuroethics, UK
Anthony Joshua reveals how much cannabis he smoked as a teenager
The British heavyweight appears on the 7 November episode of Louis Theroux Interviews | Independent, UK
How to Regulate Psychedelics Launch
Tue, 14 Nov, 17:15 - 18:00 GMT. Online. Join us for a webinar to launch our new and innovative guide on How to Regulate Psychedelics. There has been a rapidly expanding discussion on the role of psychedelics in society. While most of the focus has been on their medical use, non-medical use has been marginalised in the public debate. You will hear how this guide addresses this gap as well as have your chance to put questions to the authors | Transform, UK
Bristol drugs gang jailed for decades for cocaine supply
Members of a gang involved in supplying millions of pounds worth of drugs have been jailed for a total of 35 years | BBC, UK
Ex-Hearts footballer Paul MacDonald jailed over drugs and money laundering
A former Hearts footballer involved in a drugs and money laundering operation has been jailed for seven years | BBC, UK
International news
Health at a Glance 2023
Health at a Glance provides the latest comparable data and trends on different aspects of the performance of health systems in OECD countries. It provides striking evidence of large variations across countries in indicators of health status and health risks, as well as in the inputs and outputs of health systems. [Data is included on alcohol use, smoking, and ilicit drug use] | OECD, UK
UK women top list of world’s biggest female binge drinkers, report finds
OECD says 26% have at least six alcoholic drinks in a single session at least once a month | Guardian, UK
Understanding the science of addiction – podcast
After Matthew Perry’s death was announced, a clip of the actor debating the science of addiction on the BBC’s Newsnight programme went viral. To find out where we’ve got to in our understanding of addiction, Ian Sample talks to Dr Nora Volkow, director of the US National Institute on Drug Abuse. She explains how brain imaging has advanced our understanding of this chronic disease | Guardian, UK
Shock of the old: 10 scandalous vintage medicines – from asthma cigarettes to cocaine wine
Cure any ailment! Never known to fail! Early medicine adverts made grand claims but they look alarming today | Guardian, UK
Ketamine use hits record peak in Australia as methamphetamine and cocaine rise
Wastewater monitoring report shows consumption of heroin, MDMA and fentanyl has fallen while increasing for alcohol and oxycodone [See ACIC report towards the end of this section] | Guardian, UK
Key interventions to prevent and control infections among people who inject drugs
Six interventions, one aim: to prevent and control infections among people who inject drugs. In new public health guidance released today, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) have joined forces to identify key interventions to address infectious diseases in this population. Reflecting new evidence, infectious disease treatments, and public health concepts, this guidance updates the 2011 edition | EMCDDA, Portugal
‘Cheaper than beer’: Laos meth prices plummet as Myanmar chaos fuels trade
Front-line workers say methamphetamine pills are now being sold for as little as $0.25 each as traffickers flood the country with unprecedented amounts of drugs | Aljazeera, Qatar
E-cigarette Use Down Among U.S. High School Students in 2023
A study released from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration shows that, among high school students, current (past 30-day) use of any tobacco product declined during 2022-2023 (16.5% to 12.6%), primarily driven by a decline in e-cigarette use (14.1% to 10.0%). Declines also occurred for use of any combustible tobacco product, including cigars, among high school students | CDC, USA
Presentation and Outcomes of Adults With Overdose-Related Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA)
The combination of increasing incidence and lower survival among OHCA secondary to combined opioid-stimulant substance use frames an urgent need for prevention and resuscitation strategies in this population | JAMA Network Open, USA
False or Misleading Claims in Online Direct-to-Consumer Ketamine Advertising in Maryland
Online direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs, depending on context, are variously regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration, the Federal Trade Commission, and/or state consumer protection statutes. Specific requirements vary in rigor, and existing guidelines focus on manufacturers, distributers, and packers of prescription drugs—designations that do not appear to include clinics and telemedicine platforms that provide access to prescription drugs. One market of concern in this gray area of advertising relates to subanesthetic ketamine | JAMA Network Open, USA
Young children drinking daily caffeinated soda found more likely to try alcohol within a year
The trend among younger children to frequently drink caffeinated soda may indicate higher risk of alcohol consumption in the future, new research suggests | Medical Xpress, USA
The DRAM, Vol. 19(12) – Factors associated with belief in the Firewater Myth among American Indian/Alaska Native adults
The Firewater Myth claims that American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) people are more susceptible to alcohol problems due to genetics. Despite a lack of evidence to support this claim, many AI/AN college students believe that they have a biological vulnerability to alcohol problems, a belief that is associated with relatively heavy drinking and alcohol-related consequences | BASIS, USA
Ohio Becomes the 24th State To Legalize Recreational Marijuana
Voters approved a ballot initiative that will allow possession, home cultivation, and commercial distribution—assuming that state legislators don't interfere | Reason, USA
Texas’s “Drug-Busting” Prisons Lockdown Will Only Harm Us
From September 6 to October 16, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) implemented a “systemwide lockdown and comprehensive search” with the purported aim of “[addressing] a rise in dangerous contraband and drug-related inmate homicides.” | Filter Magazine, USA
Drug consumption data shows serious and organised criminals continue to exploit Australian community
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) has released the latest findings from its National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program, revealing methylamphetamine and cocaine consumption increased to the highest levels recorded since 2020 | ACIC, Australia
A descriptive coronial study of heroin toxicity deaths in Australia, 2020–2022: Characteristics, toxicology and survival times
[Open access] Mortality rates among people who use heroin are estimated to be 15 times that of the general population. The study aimed to determine (1) the case characteristics and circumstances of death of heroin-related toxicity deaths in Australia, 2020–2022; (2) their toxicological profile and major autopsy findings; (3) the proportion of cases in which blood 6-acetyl morphine (6AM) was detected, as a proxy measure of survival times; and (4) compare 6AM positive and negative cases on toxicology, circumstances of death and acute clinical presentation | Addiction, UK
New report shows Victorian overdose deaths increased in 2022
A new report released today by the Coroners Court of Victoria, shows that in 2022 there was an increase in overdose deaths in Victoria — with 549 overdose deaths in 2022, compared to 500 deaths in 2021 | Coroner's Court of Victoria, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Matthew Perry: the power of celebrities speaking publicly about their addiction
In my research and work with drug users, I have explored public understandings of addiction and substance dependency. It can take years for people to seek help for addiction issues, and they often report feelings of guilt and shame. Many people still associate addiction with a lack of control and personal chaos, which can evoke fear in those who do not have personal experience of addiction themselves | Conversation, UK
Industrialisation and the Rise of Alcohol Consumption: A Global Perspective
As societies worldwide transitioned from agricultural to industrial economies, they experienced profound social, cultural, and economic transformations. One consequence of this seismic shift was a notable increase in alcohol consumption, as countries adapted to the changing dynamics of work, socialisation, and leisure. While the impacts of these changes were vast and varied, one intriguing thread that tied many of these nations together was the evolution of their drinking cultures | Tony D'Agostino, UK