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Daily news - 18th April 2024 |
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UK news
Cheap booze prices to rise as MSPs vote to increase minimum cost
MSPs have voted to increase the minimum price at which alcohol can be sold by 30%. Scotland was the first country in the world to set a minimum price for alcohol - a move that came into force in May 2018. For the past six years, the price per unit of alcohol has been 50p but MSPs have voted to put it up to 65p from the end of September – a move designed to reflect rises in inflation | BBC, UK
Opioid dependence remains high but stable in Scotland, new surveillance report finds
Opioid dependence in Scotland remains high but largely stable, according to a new University of Bristol-led analysis published in Addiction today [18 April] and by Public Health Scotland. The study is the first to estimate the number of people dependent on opioid drugs (such as heroin), and who are in or could benefit from drug treatment, among Scotland’s population since 2015/2016 estimates were published | University of Bristol, UK
Characterising smoking and nicotine use behaviours among women of reproductive age: a 10-year population study in England
Tobacco smoking affects women’s fertility and is associated with substantial risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study found that among women of reproductive age, there appears to have been a rise in smoking prevalence in the more advantaged social grades over the past decade. Across social grades, there have been substantial increases in the proportion of women of reproductive age who vape and shifts from use of manufactured to hand-rolled cigarettes among those who smoke | BMC Public Health, UK [See also Smoking among middle-class women in England up by 25% in 10 years – study | Guardian]
Smoking-related deaths could be reduced if people attending lung cancer screening are offered stop-smoking support
A new study has found that by offering stop-smoking support as part of the national lung cancer screening program, there is potential to save lives, and dedicated funding must be considered by policymakers | Medical Express, UK
Oral statement to Parliament: Tobacco & Vapes Bill Second Reading
As delivered by Rt Hon Andrea Leadsom MP, Minister for Health: I want to start by thanking the many lung cancer and asthma charities, particularly ASH, for their advice, research and support. I personally pay tribute to the Chief Medical Officer for England for his commitment to making the strongest possible case for this life-changing legislation, and to Health Ministers across the UK for their collaboration in what will be a UK-wide solution for future generations... | Department of Health and Social Care and The Rt Hon Andrea Leadsom MP, UK
E-cigarettes and harm reduction: An evidence review
This new RCP report looks at several themes, including how e-cigarettes can be used to support more people to make quit attempts while discouraging young people and never-smokers from taking up e-cigarette use. It also examines trends in tobacco and vaping use, the effectiveness of e-cigarettes to treat tobacco addiction, and the differences in health effects of vaping in people who smoke, vape or do neither, the role of the tobacco industry in the rising use of e-cigarettes, and the ethical dilemmas presented by e-cigarettes | RCP, UK
Vaping: Give addicted kids nicotine patches, says report
Vape-addicted children should be offered nicotine patches to help wean them off, say health officials. A Public Health Wales report also urged a ban on disposable vapes and names like bubblegum or watermelon | BBC, UK
Sainsbury’s and Asda among supermarkets funding lobbying against vape ban
Major retailers and tobacco companies are funding a group that is urging MPs to raise concerns about the Government's plans | i News, UK
School pupils hospitalised 'after vaping'
Two teenaged school pupils who became unwell after reportedly vaping were taken to hospital for treatment | BBC, UK
Contingency management with Gabriela Khazanov, James, McKay and Richard Rawson - podcast
In this episode, Ben Scher talks to Dr Gabriela Khazanov, Professor James McKay and Professor Richard Rawson. They discuss what contingency management is and how effective it can be in treatment settings. They also talk about how contingency management can be used for stimulant use disorders; an area where there are relatively few evidence-based treatments | SSA, UK
A celebration of excellence with education finalists
Research is an important function of higher education and the contenders for the Research Project of the Year award include Edinburgh Napier University for its investigation into the carriage of Naloxone by police officers to address drug-related deaths in Scotland | Herald, UK
More than a thousand cannabis sweets found in Swindon
The sweets were found at a property in Park North as part of a separate Wiltshire Police investigation | ITV, UK
Drugs boss extradited from Portugal pleads guilty
A "senior leader" of an organised crime gang has admitted drug trafficking offences after he was extradited from Portugal | BBC, UK
Police officer turned 'cannabis gardener' jailed
A former police officer from Albania has been jailed for growing hundreds of cannabis plants in an industrial unit in West Lothian | BBC, UK
International news
Brazil: Reject Bill That Entrenches Failed Drug Policy
Brazil’s Congress should reject a proposed constitutional amendment that would entrench the criminalization of drug possession for personal use. The Senate is expected to vote in the coming days on an amendment to article 5 of Brazil’s Constitution, which guarantees the right to privacy, that would restrict that right by criminalizing the possession of illegal drugs regardless of quantity. If approved, the proposed amendment would be put to a second vote at the full Senate and then go to the Chamber of Deputies | Human Rights Watch, UK
From low-level drug dealer to human trafficker: are modern slavery laws catching the wrong people?
When I heard that a boy from my primary school had been convicted of trafficking, I had to find out what had happened to make him fall so far | Guardian, UK
An International Response to Combatting Synthetic Drugs
Assistant Secretary Todd Robinson briefs on the latest developments in the Department’s efforts to reduce the supply of illicit fentanyl and synthetic drugs coming to the U.S. from overseas, and efforts to reduce drug demand worldwide | US Dept of State, USA
Electronic health records unlock genetics of tobacco use disorder
By analyzing electronic health records, researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have identified hundreds of new genes associated with tobacco use disorder. They also identified hundreds of potential drug candidates that could help treat the disease | Medical Xpress, USA
Protecting brain cells with cannabinol: Research suggests CBN shows promise for treating neurological disorders
One in every 10 individuals above the age of 65 develops an age-related neurological disorder like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's, yet treatment options remain sparse for this population. Scientists have begun exploring whether cannabinoids—compounds derived from the cannabis plant, like well-known THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol)—may offer a solution | Medical Xpress, USA
Researchers Ask Court to Block DEA Bid to Ban Two Psychedelics
Researchers are asking a federal court to block the Drug Enforcement Administration from proceeding in its attempt to ban two psychedelics, arguing that the agency’s administrative approach to the proposed scheduling is unconstitutional | Filter Magazine, USA
The Campaign to Call Fentanyl Deaths “Poisoning” Is Working as Intended
Abasic concept of toxicology is that “the dose makes the poison.” Any substance becomes poisonous to the human body past a certain threshold—even oxygen—and any substance can be safely ingested at a sufficiently low dose. No substance is poison by nature | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Kratom in the us: worsening epidemic or a media scapegoat?
Kratom is a drug which has generated interest by consumers in the US over the past couple of years. Consumed in a similar way to coffee, it has now been used in several products to ease anxiety, improve energy levels, and in some cases provide psychoactive effects | Volteface, UK