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Daily news - 25th September 2023 |
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UK news
Rishi Sunak considers banning cigarettes for next generation
Exclusive: Sources say law would gradually increase smoking age to ultimately prevent sales to people born after 2008 | Guardian, UK
Superdrug to stop selling single-use vapes in UK and Ireland
Retailer responds to concerns about environmental impact of millions of e-cigarettes thrown away each week | Guardian, UK
‘Nicotine-free’ vapes sold on Amazon found to contain nicotine
Guardian investigation finds six of seven tested vapes were being sold in breach of UK law | Guardian, UK
Keir Starmer says no to UK drugs reform
U.K. Labour Party boss Keir Starmer said he has “no intention” of changing drug laws in the country if his party wins at the next election | Politico, UK
Cannabis brain effects study struggles to attract black UK users
Exclusive: Fears findings will represent only white population if too few people of colour take part | Guardian, UK
NHS Fife chosen to co-ordinate new £5m challenge to tackle drug deaths across the UK
The Health Board has been chosen to manage the UK wide Reducing Drug Deaths Innovation Challenge, which will see 12 projects from across the UK share £5 million funding to take forward potentially ground-breaking new approaches to help reduce fatal drug overdoses. NHS Fife was selected by the Chief Scientist’s Office and UK Office of Life Science following a competitive selection process involving a number of other Scottish Health Boards | NHS Fife, UK
Things people say about vaping… and the truth behind the myths
Nearly a third (32%) of teenagers aged 13-18 say they have vaped at least once. That’s according to a survey carried out for BBC Bitesize and BBC Radio 5 Live, which also found that of those who said they had vaped at least once, 55% said they were worried it would be bad for their health | BBC Bitesize, UK
Vaping and peer pressure: what you need to know
What’s the deal with vaping and your health? And what can you do if you feel under pressure to start vaping? Let’s take a look | BBC Bitesize, UK
Prisons: Drug Seizures
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many drug seizures took place in prisons from March (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23 in each institution | They work for you, UK
Prisons: Drugs
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many random mandatory drug tests were carried out by HM Prison and Probation Service from March 2022-2023 by institution | They work for you, UK
Wiltshire heroes recognised at Make a Difference awards
A nine year-old who has raised money from her wheelchair, a former drug addict who has become a mentor and a fundraiser who ran dressed as fruit have been honoured with awards | BBC, UK
Family tribute to girl who died after Inverkeithing drug incident
The family of a schoolgirl who died following an alleged drug incident in Fife said they have been left "devastated" by her death | BBC, UK
Sam Harrison: Ex-Leicester Tigers scrum-half opens up on alcoholism during career
Former Leicester Tigers scrum-half Sam Harrison says issues with alcoholism during his career led to him trying to take his own life | BBC, UK
Six sentenced after police break Somerset county lines drug network
Last year, five simultaneous police warrants were carried out at properties in Bath and Keynsham in Somerset | BBC, UK
Knives and drugs seized in police summer crackdown
Sussex Police have seized weapons and thousands of pounds worth of drugs during a crackdown on knife crime this summer. Officers carried out 100 stop and searches on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings between 20 July and 26 August | BBC, UK
International news
Angus Cloud cause of death: Euphoria star died of accidental drug overdose
Euphoria actor Angus Cloud died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and more, a coroner has confirmed | BBC, UK
‘Not just for summer’: France turns to rosé wine as a year-round tipple
Once dismissed as a swimming pool drink, rosé is becoming the go-to wine for the French as traditions change | Guardian, UK
Toxic chemicals found in vapes seized from NSW schools and retailers
Some of tested products contained toxic chemicals known to harm health, as $6.8m state crackdown announced | Guardian, UK
Methadone clinics and injection centres 'needed to counter fentanyl threat'
Ireland needs to prepare for the arrival of fentanyl which will be much harder to deal with than heroin, one of the country’s leading drug addiction experts has said | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Experiences of smokers who returned to smoking after exclusive electronic nicotine delivery systems use
While more than half of U.S. adult smokers attempt to quit every year, fewer than 10% actually succeed. Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS)—also known as e-cigarettes or vapes—may help people quit smoking cigarettes. But, as with other cessation methods, the majority of quit attempts are unsuccessful and smoking resumption is common. This week, ASHES reviews a study by Lindsay Robertson and colleagues that explored current smokers’ experiences with ENDS and return-to-smoking after exclusive ENDS use | BASIS, USA
“We’ll Find Ways”: TX Harm Reduction Alliance Navigates Eviction Threat
The Texas Harm Reduction Alliance (THRA) is fighting on after its landlord threatened it with eviction over the nature of its work. The group provides help and care to people who use drugs, but some local residents objected. Elected officials stepped in to mediate the dispute, but the health and wellbeing of hundreds of people served by THRA still hangs in the balance | Filter Magazine, USA
E-cigarettes are not a gateway into smoking: global study
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 vaping and alternative nicotine delivery products promote smoking | University of Ottawa, Canada
Waiting for a crisis: Fears as NSW enters festival season without drug reform
Drug reform advocates are concerned about NSW’s upcoming festival season, fearing drug deaths will reach crisis point before the government implements promised reforms | Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
NSW government allocates $6.8m to combat illegal vape sales and youth addiction
Services to support young people addicted to vaping will get a funding boost, as part of a $6.8 million NSW government package to crackdown on illegal e-cigarettes | abc.net.au, Australia
Should retailers pay more to sell tobacco?
New research into the impact of tobacco retailer licensing fees on tobacco availability has prompted public health experts to call on all Australian Governments to adopt a higher minimum standard of licensing regulation nationally to help drive down smoking rates | Medical Xpress, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Nitrous oxide and its neurological harms
Since 2019, the recreational use of nitrous oxide has increased. We are concerned by an apparent rise in the incidence of nitrous oxide-related myeloneuropathy and welcome the report on nitrous oxide by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. This report, commissioned by the UK Government, provides considerable insight into a complex topic. Hence, it is disappointing that the UK Government has decided to not follow the first recommendation: that the legal regulation of nitrous oxide should remain under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 | Lancet correspondence, UK
Should I worry about my recreational heroin use?
Yes, worry, says Philippa Perry – the ‘Addiction Monster’ will always find a reason for you to carry on. But there is help available to you | Guardian, UK
Could belgium become the next european country to legalise cannabis?
It appears that Belgium could become the next European country to legalise cannabis after the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy and Employment, Pierre-Yves Dermagne, recently declared that legalisation was ‘common sense’ | Volteface, UK
Caring Enough to Count – How We Die from Drug Misuse and Addiction in America
We improperly characterize what is occurring in America as an opioid epidemic, what we are experiencing is much broader than that. It is well past the time to properly account for how else the millions of Americans like me die from substance use disorders (SUDs). We fail them by not adding all the causes up and placing these losses where they would rank if we did, the number one cause of death in the United States. We need to properly frame what is occurring in order to formulate comprehensive solutions for what actually is occurring | Recovery Review blog, USA