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Daily news - 10th April 2024 |
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UK news
Xylazine has infiltrated the UK's illicit drug market
Xylazine, a powerful animal tranquiliser linked to horrific side effects, is now widespread in the UK illicit drug market | KCL, UK
'Zombie' drug xylazine found in cannabis THC vapes in UK
People using cannabis THC vapes risk inhaling a very dangerous substance called xylazine, UK experts warn after discovering some confiscated products contained the "zombie" drug | BBC, UK
Investing in the public health grant
Additional but time-limited funding for drug and alcohol treatment and smoking services and support has been allocated to local authorities. Taking account of this additional spend leaves broader public health funding 21% lower on a real-terms per person basis since 2015/16 | The Health Foundation, UK
NHS testing initiative to eliminate hepatitis C in England by 2025
Liver scanning and portable testing units to be rolled out in communities where people may be at a higher risk | Guardian, UK
Community pharmacy contractor activity
Open Data files enable independent analysis of Community Pharmacy activity and the direct pharmaceutical care services they provide, including Smoking Cessation Services and Methadone dispensing | Public Health Scotland, UK
Reform to the fees applicable under the hemp licensing regime
The government commissions the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to review the fees applicable under the hemp licensing regime | Home Office, Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, and The Rt Hon Chris Philp MP, UK
Former alcoholic who nearly died aged 32 completes gruelling charity challenge
Will Clifford has been five-and-a-half years sober and was given a 'second chance at life' - he now completes two charity challenges each year as his way to give back to others | Grimsby News, UK
Danny Murphy: Former Liverpool and England midfielder became addicted to cocaine after retirement
"When you don't have football, problems become huge," 47-year-old Murphy told the Ben Heath Podcast | BBC, UK
‘Endometriosis left me bedbound. Medical cannabis gave me my life back’
Research suggests cannabis has a protective effect on the gut, which is linked to the progression of endometriosis | i news, UK
Health Benefits of Drinking Moderately: Too Good to be True?
Wed, 17 Apr 2024 18:00 - 19:00 BST. Professor Stockwell will present the latest evidence of the effect of moderate drinking on our cardiovascular health at this hybrid event | SHAAP, UK
Organised Crime: Cross Border Cooperation
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to address the problem of criminal gangs intentionally crossing police force borders to exploit weaknesses in policing methods | They work for you, UK
Disposable vapes could be banned in Guernsey
The Committee for Health and Social Care (HSC) has made the recommendations to create a "healthier environment for children and young people" | BBC, UK
£160k cannabis-in-suitcase man jailed
A man who appeared to be "confused and lost" at a railway station has been jailed after he was found to have cannabis with a street value of £160,000 in his suitcase | BBC, UK
Weymouth: Thousands of illegal vapes and cigarettes seized
Around 1,000 illegal vapes and 18,000 cigarettes have been seized from two sites during a trading standards operation | BBC, UK
International news
World Health Organization slammed by fact-checkers for claiming vaping can cause a seizure within 24 hours
The World Health Organization was slammed last night for claiming vaping can lead to a seizure within hours. The global health agency was fact checked on X by users, prompting the social platform to post a Community Note. The note said: 'This post is based on inconclusive evidence utilizing studies that have not been peer reviewed | Mail Online, UK
Exclusive: Outcry as Philip Morris International funds smoking cessation courses on Medscape
A leading medical information company has been urged to cancel a series of new education courses on smoking cessation funded by the tobacco industry giant Philip Morris International (PMI) | BMJ, UK
Bavaria mulls cannabis-free Oktoberfest beer party
Munich's beer-soaked Oktoberfest may be declared a "cannabis-free" zone, even though the drug was just legalised | BBC, UK
Crackdown on smoking and vaping in Spain: These are the new measures being taken by the government
Spain has started the process to introduce its new anti-smoking plan by announcing a public consultation on Monday over instigating plain cigarette packets and banning vape flavourings | The Olive Press, Spain
Job insecurity in early adulthood linked to heightened risk of serious alcohol-related illness in later life
Experiencing the sort of job insecurity in early adulthood that is often linked to the gig economy, is linked to a heightened risk of a serious alcohol-related illness in later life, suggest the findings of a long term study published online in Occupational & Environmental Medicine | Medical Xpress, USA
How Ketamine May Be The Answer To Treatment-Resistant Depression
Although it is not yet approved by the FDA, off-label, supervised use of ketamine, a Schedule III substance, is allowed on a case-to-case basis in mental health treatment. What is FDA-approved, however, is esketamine, a close relative of ketamine that has shown promise in treating depression that isn’t responding to the usual treatment methods including therapy and medication | Forbes, USA
Protonitazepyne and Medetomidine? More Unfamiliar Drugs in Our Supply
North America’s unregulated drug supply has grown ever more unpredictable, which often means deadly. Since the arrival of fentanyl, the likes of benzodiazepines, other tranquilizers and nitazenes have all become more prevalent in the mix. I’ve overdosed on “benzo dope” myself | Filter Magazine, USA
New study explores video game addiction rates
Using data from a top video game streaming service, Puneet Manchanda, Isadore and Leon Winkelman Professor of Marketing, and Ph.D. student Bruno Castelo Branco have challenged preconceived notions of high addiction rates in the video game-playing community | Medical Xpress, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Tying health taxes to health promotion is popular and effective in Thailand
The ringfencing of alcohol and tobacco consumption taxes for spending on health promotion has coincided with reductions in risk factors for non-communicable disease, the ThaiHealth programme shows, write Viroj Tangcharoensathien, Prakit Vathesatogkit, and Supakorn Buasai | BMJ Open opinion, UK
Crystal by Ellen Cranitch review – a devastating insight into drug dependency
The poet’s uncompromising second collection, about her husband’s addiction to crystal meth, is fascinating and troubling | Guardian, UK