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Daily news - 21st November 2023

UK news

Holding us back: tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food and drink (PDF)

Although, there is such clear alignment between action to reduce the consumption of tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food and drink and the UK Government’s view of its role in protecting the public’s health, there is little alignment in how government has acted to address the harms from these products. This report calls for a coherent and strategic approach to rebalancing the profit-making powers of industries with the rights of people to live free, healthy and productive lives | OHA, AHA and ASH, UK

More needs to be done to prevent dependence on pain medication

In the first study of its kind in the UK, Louise Norton and Dr Bridget Dibb from the University of Surrey investigated the experiences of patients dependent on medication for chronic pain. Pharmacological treatment for chronic pain usually involves potentially addictive substances such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, gabapentinoids, and opioids. Increased prescription levels of such pain relief medications have been associated with heightened levels of overdose and misuse | University of Surrey, UK

Closes 22 Nov 2023. The Scottish Government is consulting on whether MUP should be continued as part of the range of policy measures in place to address alcohol related harm, and, in the event of its continuation, the level the minimum unit price should be set going forward | Scottish Government, UK

Prescribing Cannabis - with University of Birmingham Medical School

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 19:00 - 21:30 GMT. Join us at the University of Birmingham Medical School in collaboration with Birmingham Psychiatry Society, as we hear from current UK prescribers of cannabis-based medicines. These are clinicians at the forefront of cannabis prescribing at a time when there is still a lot of stigma around the use of cannabis | Drug Science, UK

Red-wine headache explained - and it is not about volume

US researchers say they may have discovered why some people get a headache after just one small glass of red wine, even though they are fine drinking other types of alcohol | BBC, UK

Organised crime gang flooded Midlands with cocaine worth £1m

Members of an organised crime gang have been jailed for more than 70 years for their roles in a major drug dealing network | BBC, UK

Dispersal order after drug use and abuse in town centre

Complaints about youths openly smoking drugs and verbally abusing passers-by have prompted police to bring in new controls in a town centre | BBC, UK

Brandon church's alcohol bid prompts drink-driving concern

A church hall's bid to serve alcohol at wakes and fetes has been deemed "highly irresponsible" with fears of "drunk and disorderly behaviour" | BBC, UK

International news

Cannabis addiction may be partly down to genetics

An analysis of genetic data from more than 1 million people shows that those with cannabis use disorder share similar markers | New Scientist, UK

Australian retail lobby groups refuse to disclose amount of funding from tobacco and vaping industries

Representatives for convenience and grocery stores tell Senate inquiry details of any funding were commercial in confidence | Guardian, UK

More than 200 mobsters convicted in Italian mafia ‘maxi trial’

Specially built courtroom in Calabria heard evidence of ruthless tactics of ’Ndrangheta crime syndicate | Guardian, UK

Ban on alcohol ads before 9pm to come into effect in 2025

A ban on alcohol ads on TV before 9pm will come into effect in 2025, the Department of Health has confirmed | Newstalk, Ireland

The spread of misinformation on Twitter regarding vaping

In a recent study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, researchers examine the discourse of misinformation related to electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) on social media. Pro-vaping and anti-vaping narratives were evaluated to identify key actors involved in spreading or countering such misinformation | News Medical, USA

Study finds high school students no more likely to use marijuana after legalization

High schoolers who perceive that their parents, siblings or friends use marijuana were much more likely to use marijuana themselves—but no more so after cannabis was legalized in the commonwealth in 2016, according to University of Massachusetts Amherst research | Medical Xpress, USA

China to Target Fentanyl Precursors, Deepening the Synthetic Drug War

China has reportedly agreed to crack down on companies that manufacture and export fentanyl precursors, a key deliverable for President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign and another supply shift for people who use and sell drugs. In exchange for China’s cooperation, Biden will reportedly lift sanctions on a Chinese police forensics agency that the State Department currently has blacklisted for genocide. The announcement is expected November 15, at Biden and President Xi Jinping’s summit in San Francisco | Filter Magazine, USA

Blogs, comment and opinion

5 reasons why climate change may see more of us turn to alcohol and other drugs

Climate change will affect every aspect of our health and wellbeing. But its potential harms go beyond the body’s ability to handle extreme heat, important as this is | Conversation, Australia

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