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Daily news - 19th April 2024 |
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UK news
Ketamine bladder: Special clinics as young addiction 'explodes'
Chronic ketamine usage affects the lining of the bladder, and can shrink it. As a result, some urology departments have set up specialist clinics to help the increasing number of young people with bladder issues. Southmead Hospital in Bristol is currently helping around 60 patients from across the West - some as young as 19 | BBC, UK
Alibi marketing? Surrogate marketing? Brand sharing? What is the correct terminology to discuss marketing for alcohol-free and low-alcohol products which share branding with regular strength alcohol products?
[Open access] "We should distinguish between alibi marketing, which promotes regular-strength alcoholic drinks without mentioning the brand name, and surrogate marketing or brand-sharing through promotion of alcohol-free and low-alcohol products that use the core branding of a regular-strength product. This distinction matters for developing and enforcing clear policies to control alcohol marketing." | Addiction, UK
'Health Benefits of Drinking Moderately: Too Good to be True?' Lecture by Professor Tim Stockwell - video
Professor Tim Stockwell discussed evidence on the belief that drinking small amounts of alcohol can be good for you in the public lecture co-organised by SHAAP and the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS), in collaboration with the RCPE | SHAAP, UK
Can Rishi Sunak create a smoke-free generation? - podcast
MPs voted this week to ban anyone aged 15 or younger in 2024 from ever buying cigarettes. If the legislation passes and is enacted, it would be a world first. Ben Quinn reports | Guardian, UK
Breaking barriers: Lessons from Ophelia House six months on
Last year, Phoenix Futures opened an important new residential service, Ophelia House. Six months into the journey, the charity shares its insights, learning, and some of the challenges it faced along the way | DDN, UK
Graduates celebrate success as National Traineeship turns twenty
Graduates from the Scottish Drugs Forum’s award-winning National Traineeship celebrated their achievements at a prestigious ceremony in the Glasgow City Chambers on Wednesday 17th April. The event marked the achievements of 30 people who, over the course of a 9-month salaried traineeship with SDF, undertook field placements in local partner agencies across Scotland | SDF, UK
Guernsey '420' event planned amid concerns over cannabis misuse
Medicinal cannabis users in Guernsey are to host the island's first "420" event at the weekend despite concerns over misuse of the drug | BBC, UK
The Nuances of Psychedelics and How to Regulate Their Non-Medical Use
Thursday, May 16 · 2 - 5pm GMT+1. Manchester Metropolitan University - Manchester School of Art - Benzie Building. This half-day workshop in collaboration with the Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research (CADR), Aarhus, Denmark, Transform UK, the Department of Sociology, Manchester Metropolitan University and the Department of Criminology, University of Manchester, will explore the nuances of the non-medical use of psychedelics and how they can be regulated to reduce harm and the negative impacts of criminalisation | MetroPolis, UK
Suspected slaves found locked in Cambridgeshire building in drugs raid
Two men found locked in an outbuilding are being treated as potential victims of modern slavery | BBC, UK
'Dangerous' drug dealer sent to prison for 15 years
Naqash Ali, 33, of Stirling Road, Luton, was caught in an international operation which investigated criminals' use of encrypted devices to organise drug deals and launder money | BBC, UK
International news
Why a deluge of Chinese-made drugs is hard to curb
When Sammy left her village in Sichuan province to attend university in northern China more than a decade ago, she was following a well-trodden rite of passage | BBC, UK
Australian states and territories united in support of federal bill banning non-prescription vapes
Governments concerned vapes are attractive to children while not helping hardened smokers to quit | Guardian, UK
Man charged over cocaine bricks washed up on New South Wales beaches
AFP allege Brisbane man was part of international crime group plotting to bring 900kg of drug to Australia | Guardian, UK
Amsterdam mayor wants to regulate cocaine: AFP interview
Hard drugs like cocaine and ecstasy should be regulated, according to the mayor of Amsterdam, who believes this is the only way to defeat narco-trafficking and its "disastrous" effect on her city | France24, France
Cannabis Use Greatest Among Lower-Income and Less Educated
Nine percent of U.S. adults report that they use cannabis regularly, defined as at least 10 days of consumption per month. Regular usage differs by education and income, with the highest rates seen among those with a high school education or less (13%) and those living in households earning less than $24,000 per year (16%). These consumption levels are about three times the rates found among those with postgraduate work or degrees (5%) and those living in households earning $180,000 or more annually (5%) | Gallup, USA
Cannabis legalization and rising sales have not contributed to increase in substance abuse, study finds
The results of a new study, utilizing the most recent data on adolescent substance use to evaluate the effect of recreational cannabis legalization and retail sales on youth's use of cannabis, tobacco, and alcohol, appear in JAMA Pediatrics | Medical Xpress, USA
Psychiatric and legal considerations for ketamine treatment within prison settings
This article presents the authors’ perspective on the accessibility of ketamine treatment in prison settings, discussing psychiatric and legal considerations as well as current challenges in this context. Implementing novel psychopharmacological interventions may alleviate the distress experienced by individuals struggling with depressive symptoms and suicidality | Frontiers in Psychiatry, USA
Two-drug combo curbs drinking for people battling severe alcoholism
A combo of an allergy drug and a blood pressure med appears to lower daily drinking in folks battling severe alcoholism, French researchers report | Medical Xpress, USA
A common pathway in the brain that enables addictive drugs to hijack natural reward processing identified
Mount Sinai researchers, in collaboration with scientists at The Rockefeller University, have uncovered a mechanism in the brain that allows cocaine and morphine to take over natural reward processing systems | Medical Xpress, USA
A Close Look at Denial of Pain Meds to People Who Use Drugs
For people who use drugs, accessing prescription pain medication when needed can be a severe challenge. A new paper digs into this issue by investigating factors that may cause a doctor to prescribe or not prescribe to people who use drugs (PWUD)—and what people do if they’re turned away | Filter Magazine, USA
Trends in cannabis availability, use, and treatment in Australia, 2013–14 to 2021–22
Cannabis is the most widely used illegal drug in Australia, with 2.5 million people in 2022–2023 having used it in the previous 12 months. Between 2013–14 and 2021–22, 221,000 clients received treatment for their cannabis use from publicly-funded drug treatment agencies. This report draws together data from multiple sources to describe trends in cannabis availability, use and treatment in Australia, including the characteristics of people who use or receive treatment for cannabis | AIHW, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Estimating a hidden population: Determining the number of people with opioid dependence in Scotland
In our latest blog, Lee Barnsdale, Programme Portfolio Manager in the Drugs Team at Public Health Scotland, discusses the development of a new methodology to estimate the number of people who are dependent on opioids in Scotland and why this is important | PHS blog, UK
Yet again, we in Scotland have the lowest life expectancy in western Europe. Here’s how to improve it
The Scottish government is right to target smoking, drinking and drug misuse. But the root cause remains: deprivation | Guardian opinion, UK
Grey area drinking: what is it and does it add anything to the alcohol debate?
Every so often it seems a new term or label emerges used to describe our drinking. The latest one, which you may have come across in newspapers or lifestyle magazines, is 'grey area drinking'. But just what does it mean, and is it actually helpful? | Alcohol Change UK blog, UK