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Daily news - 18th October 2023 |
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UK news
Nitrous oxide: Laughing gas possession to be illegal in three weeks
The ban will come into force on November 8, and will make nitrous oxide a controlled Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 | BBC, UK
Addressing the leading risk factors for ill health – a framework for local government action
For us to be healthy, the building blocks of good health need to be in place in our communities – things like decent homes, good schools, and sound business practices. When these building blocks of health are weak or missing, our health can suffer; for example, when businesses promote unhealthy products like alcohol and junk food | Health Foundation, UK
Nurse views sought on UK alcohol treatment guidelines
The key role played by nurses in supporting people with alcohol-related problems is highlighted in first-of-its-kind UK clinical guidance for alcohol treatment services | Nursing Times, UK
The Revival of Grimy Drugs
Are mcat and speed back? Plus, meet their glam new cousin once removed, 3-MMC | VICE, UK
Into the wild to fight Scotland’s addiction problems – video
Scotland has some of the highest drug deaths in Europe, a deepening mental health crisis and loses between three and four people a day to suicide. Yet at the same time, services are being stripped back leaving a gap in support that is often filled with volunteers who have a personal experience of addiction. Guardian reporter Danny Lavelle, joined one of those organisations, Fire & Peace, which aims to encourage bonds with nature to help people beat the cycle of addiction, on a trip to the Scottish Highlands. As a natural sceptic of alternative therapies, could he be convinced of the benefits? | Guardian, UK
NHS trusts work together to tackle lung problems in recovering addicts in Northumberland
A new project making it easier to get vital health care to those struggling with addiction has been launched, with positive reviews | Chronicle Live, UK
Alcohol Alert - September - podcast
In this month's podcast we spoke to economist Nicholas Woolley about a new report by Frontier Economics, which found that 184,000 preventable cancers diagnosed in 2023 will cost the UK economy £78 billion. We also spoke to Robert Stebbings of Adfam, about their new report: State of the Family Support Sector | IAS, UK
Panoramic Associates - Substance Misuse Breakfast Briefing #2 - LEROs, Engagement & Recovery Cities!
Nov 22, 2023 08:15 - 9.30am, London. During this event, we are honoured to welcome Stuart Green, Service Manager with Lived Experience, and David Best, Professor of Addiction Recovery, who will lead discussions on the following key topics: - Maximizing LEROs in the community - Engaging with LEROs - Addressing stigma and effective engagement with individuals dealing with substance misuse - Exploring the KFC Model (Kirkham Family Connectors), which focuses on continuity of care by harnessing the strengths and assets of families - Insights into Recovery Cities | Panoramic Associates, UK
UK medical cannabis patients: tell us about your experiences with police
Despite legalisation in November 2018, there is a lack of clarity over who can access medical cannabis – and where they can consume it | Guardian, UK
Police find machete in Peterborough drug dealer's trousers
A drug dealer has been fined £500 after police officers found a machete in his trousers | BBC, UK
International news
‘The tsunami just keeps coming’: Europe’s growing cocaine market
Customs officials face losing battle as €10bn cocaine trade leads to dramatic increase in violent crime in north-west Europe | Guardian, UK
As more states legalize cannabis, the market for seeds is in full bloom
The messy intersection of botany and the law contributes to the murky legal status of seeds used to grow THC-rich cannabis | Guardian, UK
‘I drank to self-medicate’: Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan on panic attacks, addiction and rock’s fallen heroes
The bassist suffered in silence with a panic disorder and alcohol problems took him to the brink of death. He explains how he turned his life around | Guardian, UK
Fentanyl: Could the killer drug reach our streets?
The HSE has said illicit fentanyl has not been detected or seized in Ireland recently but is its arrival inevitable and are we prepared? | RTe, Ireland
Social media and mental health linked to rising e-cigarette use in American teens
In a recent study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, researchers from Pennsylvania investigated the role of indicators of mental health conditions in the relationship between the use of social media and e-cigarette use among the youth. They found that the symptoms of anxiety and depression mediate the association between the use of social media and e-cigarettes among the youth | News Medical, USA
Recovery checkups in primary care settings linked to increased substance use treatment and reduced drug abuse
Highly vulnerable patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) or substance use disorder (SUD) who received regular assessments after their initial intervention had substantially better outcomes a year later than those who did not receive the same follow-up, according to a new study | Medical Xpress, USA
Use of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide by Major Depression Status
In this survey study of data from 478 492 adults aged 18 years or older who were administered the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, between 2008 and 2019, the proportion of adults who reported past-year LSD use increased more among those with depression than those without depression. Disproportionate increases in past-year LSD use were more pronounced among young adults with depression than their older counterparts | JAMA Psychiatry, USA
Florida researchers are giving depressed, anxious people psychedelics
A therapy session with Patricia Brown starts like any other. She leads her clients into a peaceful, quiet room, draped in beige and generic, calming artwork | Medical Xpress, USA
ASHES, Vol. 19(11) – Ending the epidemic: Assessing the impact of e-cigarette flavor and strength restrictions
This week, ASHES reviews a study by Fatma Romeh Ali and colleagues that examined the effects of state-level restrictions on e-cigarette flavor and strength on the weighted mean nicotine strength of all units sold (average strength), and per capita total unit sales (per capita sales), of e-cigarettes | BASIS, USA
Watch: Stigma Hampers Recruitment for Nicotine Research
Dr. Paul Newhouse has been studying nicotine for three decades, but it’s only in the last few years that he’s had difficulty recruiting participants | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Harry’s blog 121: International tobacco control and the search for intelligent life
KAC has published an updated version of our Briefing Paper on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control’s Conference of the Parties (FCTC COP) meeting due to take place in Panama in November. While a billion people still smoke, the WHO and allies deflect attention away from the failure of traditional tobacco control policies to put a significant dent in death and disease from smoking by instead attacking tobacco harm reduction | NSP, UK
What’s going on with the uk cbd industry?
The regulatory landscape for CBD in the UK can be confusing. What does the latest guidance from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) mean? | Volteface, UK
Drug Use in the Ancient World
Evidence of drug use in the ancient world is diverse, including archaeological artefacts, ancient writings, and occasionally, preserved human remains. Worldwide, archaeological sites have unveiled tools for the preparation, storage, and use of various substances, such as pipes, containers, and grinding implements, alongside ancient plant remnants, like cannabis seeds found in Scythian burial sites | Tony D'Agostino, UK
How should peer recovery coaches think about client cannabis use?
This article has been on my mind since it came out earlier this year. I didn’t write anything at the time, but my mind kept coming back to it, in part because it’s representative of a lot of contemporary academic activity. The article focuses on the attitudes of peer recovery coaches toward cannabis use by their clients | Recovery Review Blog, USA
The roots of the North American opioid crisis, and 3 key strategies for stopping it
The Netflix series Painkiller recently depicted how the over-prescribing of the medicine OxyContin wreaked havoc on American society. Today the grim reality is that opioid-related deaths in North America reached a record level in 2022, with more than 109,000 fatalities in the United States. The same year in Canada, deaths exceeded 7,400, a number equivalent to 20 opioid-related deaths every day, and this is likely to continue to increase over the coming years | Conversation, Canada