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Daily news - 22nd September 2023 |
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UK news
Proposed site of Scottish drug room pilot revealed
The proposed site for the UK's first sanctioned drugs consumption room has been revealed. Hunter Street Health Centre in the east end of Glasgow has been earmarked as the location for a pilot scheme | BBC, UK
Alcohol: Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP): Continuation and Future Pricing: Consultation
Closing date of 22nd November 2023. The Scottish Government is conducting a public consultation to gather views from people, businesses, public bodies and interested parties on the proposal to continue the effect of the MUP legislation and, if continued, to set a new price of 65ppu of alcohol going forward | Scottish Government, UK
Open call for evidence: Drug use in ethnic minority groups
The deadline to respond has been extended to Friday 27 October 2023. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has previously investigated vulnerability and risk factors to developing drug dependence and vulnerability of specific groups including young people, homeless, and LGBT communities. Following this work, the ACMD has agreed to begin a self-commissioned workstream investigating drug use in ethnic minority groups | ACMD, UK
New Turning Point report 'A Sobering Thought' exposes alarming scale of alcohol-related harm
A new report published by Turning Point reveals that harmful drinking is costing the NHS over £1 billion per year. The report, titled "A Sobering Thought," highlights the devastating impact of alcohol-related harm and calls for urgent action to address the issue | Turning Point, UK
E-cigarettes are not a gateway into smoking
The most comprehensive study to date investigating whether e-cigarettes are a gateway into or out of smoking finds that, at the population level, there is no sign that e-cigarettes and other alternative nicotine delivery products promote smoking | Queen Mary University of London, UK
Quitting smoking: the latest evidence about what works
We answer some questions you may have if you’re trying to quit smoking – based on the latest trustworthy evidence from Cochrane | Evidently Cochrane, UK
Vaping renders immune cells unable to move to meet threats
Even moderate exposure to nicotine-free vapour causes suppression of neutrophil’s typical activity | University of Birmingham, UK
Experts fear Fentanyl slipping into drugs 'under the radar' - as at least 70 types found in UK
At least 70 versions of the synthetic opioid, Fentanyl, have now been detected in the UK, a former Government drug advisor has told LBC | LBC, UK
Priests overwhelmed by scale of drug-bereaved families
A priest in Londonderry has said he and fellow clerics have been overwhelmed by the number of families bereaved through drug abuse | BBC, UK
Children England to close after 81 years as the collective body for children’s charities
Ever since it was founded in 1942, Children England (or NCVCCO as it was called until 2008) has been the infrastructure body created, and democratically governed, by charities working with children and families. Its trustee board has announced that the charity will close later this year, saying that the financial challenges of sustaining the charity in the current context have become impossible to juggle any longer | Children England, UK
Irish soldier appears in court over £60k cocaine find
A soldier in the Irish Army has appeared at Londonderry Magistrates' Court following the discovery of cocaine valued at up to £60,000 | BBC, UK
Greater Manchester Police officer charged with drugs and conspiracy offences
A PC has been charged with 13 offences after a drug supply and corruption investigation, a force has said | BBC, UK
International news
South Africa: 'Cannabis muffins' given to 90 schoolchildren
Officials said the pupils bought the muffins from a street vendor on their way to Pulamadibogo Primary School, north-west of Pretoria | BBC, UK
Naomi Campbell addresses drug and alcohol addiction in candid interview
Naomi Campbell has revealed she turned to drugs and alcohol in her early modelling days to deal with her childhood trauma. The 53-year-old opens up about her battle against drug and alcohol addiction in the new Apple TV+ documentary The Super Models. Ms Campbell claims she started to use drugs and alcohol as a way to deal with the grief of her childhood abandonment issues, as well as the death of her close friend Gianni Versace | Independent, UK
More fentanyl found under trapdoor in New York daycare where infant died
Police make discovery in investigation after child dies and three others hospitalized after appearing to have been exposed to drug | Guardian, UK
Limerick frontline addiction workers provide building blocks towards recovery
The Staff on the frontline of the Ana Liffey Drug Project believe that recovery is about much more than stopping using drugs or putting the cork back in the bottle | Limerick Post, Ireland
Debunking the myth that vaping causes popcorn lung
There is no evidence that e-cigarettes cause popcorn lung. In fact, all of the evidence points to the contrary | Reason, USA
Family support vital to prevent teen substance use in border regions, study says
New research from the University of Arizona Health Sciences Comprehensive Pain and Addiction Center found that high levels of family support may prevent substance use among teens who live in border towns on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border | Medical Xpress, USA
New sensor technology measures THC levels in saliva
University of Texas at Dallas researchers have developed a hand-held rapid saliva test that can measure the level of THC, the major active component in marijuana, with 94% accuracy | Medical Xpress, USA
Thailand’s prime minister vows to end ‘free use’ of cannabis in 6 months
Thailand’s prime minister on Wednesday vowed to restrict the use of cannabis for medical purposes after thousands of weed shops opened across Thailand since it became the first in Asia to decriminalise cannabis in 2022 | Straits Times, USA
Mayor Adams Oversees Huge Increase in NYPD Drug Arrests
New York City cops are arresting far more people for drugs under Mayor Eric Adams—reversing what had previously been a long decline | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Rethinking Scotland’s Drug Policy: A Comparative Analysis with European Models
Scotland’s drug policy landscape is currently in the spotlight as the government explores the possibility of decriminalisation, drawing inspiration from European countries like Portugal, Germany, and Switzerland. While these European nations are often cited as success stories, it’s vital to recognise that comparing their drug policies to Scotland’s is far from straightforward | FAVOR, UK
Youth vaping: a risk-benefit analysis
Kids should not smoke or vape or drink alcohol or use drugs. However, in the real world, some will do these things. To understand the overall risk from vaping by young people, I did a risk-benefit analysis and presented the evidence today at the Global Forum on Tobacco and Nicotine Conference* in Seoul, Korea [slides and references here]. The findings may surprise you | Colin Mendelsohn, Australia
And finally...
Herd of Sheep Eat 100kg of Cannabis in Greece
A herd of sheep grazing in the semi-flooded plain of Thessaly, Greece “invaded” a greenhouse that cultivated medicinal cannabis, and ate around 100 kg, reports say | Greek Reporter, Greece