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Daily news - 22nd April 2024 |
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UK news
Deadly nitazene drug adverts on X and SoundCloud, BBC finds
Thousands of posts offering deadly drugs known as nitazenes have been found on X and the music platform SoundCloud by a BBC investigation | BBC, UK
5 minutes on Nitazenes - audio
Simeon McAnoy used to work as a door-to-door window salesman in Birmingham - until he died of a drug overdose. It’s believed he thought he was taking heroin. But he wasn't. It was a new super-strength synthetic opioid. They’re known as nitazenes and the BBC has learned they’re behind dozens of recent deaths across the UK. Data from The National Crime Agency shows that nitazenes have been linked to at least 54 deaths in the last year, while an additional 40 cases are awaiting forensic toxicology | BBC, UK
Vaping amongst Children and Young People in Wales Incident Response Group (PDF)
In July 2023, Public Health Wales convened an Incident Response Group (IRG) to investigate the rise of vaping amongst children and young people. The IRG drew on health protection approaches to managing outbreaks of communicable disease to drive a rapid response to an issue perceived as urgent amongst key stakeholder groups in Wales | Public Health Wales, UK
Coroner calls for change after co-codamol overdose
A coroner is calling for paramedics to have GP records "readily available" after the death of a 57-year-old who accidentally overdosed on co-codamol | BBC, UK
Plaid decriminalise drugs call in police elections
Plaid Cymru has called for the decriminalisation of drugs, in its pitch for the police and crime commissioner elections | BBC, UK
UK Medical Cannabis - Patient Incident Questionnaire
Release is launching a vital initiative. We are launching the #ReleaseOurMeds campaign to protect the rights of patients to access their medicine. There has been an increase in reports of patients having negative encounters with the police due to their possession of prescribed cannabis medication | Release, UK
'Ketamine meant I didn't know my son any more'
Ketamine use is estimated to have more than doubled in England and Wales since 2016. Clare Rogers' adult son Rian died a year ago after taking the drug, but she says she felt like she "lost" him much earlier because of his addiction | BBC, UK
'A bottle of wine a night was normal for me'
For almost 20 years it was not unusual for Anna Donaghey to drink a bottle of wine every night. The advertising professional said it was a part of normal life, nothing "atypical or abnormal", until it began to impact her relationships with her husband and children | BBC, UK
Big Drop successfully challenges ‘Dry January’ trademark application by Alcohol Change UK
Big Drop Brewing Co has successfully challenged an attempt by Alcohol Change UK to extend its ownership of the trademark ‘Dry January’. | Grocer, UK
Electronic Cigarettes
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of her legislative proposals on vaping on trends in the level of (a) smokers who will quit and (b) ex-smokers who will relapse | They work for you, UK
9: LSD, Bicycle Day and psychedelic history: A conversation with Alan Piper - podcast
To mark ‘Bicycle Day’, April 19th, a special episode on LSD and psychedelic history. The focus is on a new book of essays by Alan Piper which deconstructs some of the myths around the discovery of LSD, as well as taking a new look at some other aspects of the history of psychedelics | Toby Seddon, UK
Cannabis-laced chocolate bars seized in Doncaster drugs raid
Three people have been arrested after 50 cannabis-laced chocolate bars were found during a police raid in Doncaster | BBC, UK
Football manager charged with drug supply
Redditch United manager Matt Clarke has been charged with being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis | BBC, UK
Arrest after 1.2m 'illegal' cigarettes seized from A19 van
A man has been arrested after police stopped a van containing more than 1.2 million suspected illegal cigarettes | BBC, UK
International news
The Best Ever VICE Drug Stories
From investigations into why people in the UK don't use meth to interviews with drug dealers telling us how much they actually make | VICE, UK
Number of Australians attempting to quit vaping doubles, Quitline data shows
Quitline Victoria national data shows 14% of vaping clients attempted to quit in 2024 first quarter – twice the amount as last year | Guardian, UK
Magic mushrooms: 200 tubs of psilocybin seized at suburban Queensland house, police allege - video
A commercial quantity of psilocybin, a hallucinogenic drug commonly known as 'magic mushrooms', has been found at a suburban property south of Brisbane, police allege. | Guardian, UK
How New Zealand’s smoking ban got stubbed out – and what the UK can learn
Big tobacco ‘working in the shadows’ has been blamed for killing off NZ’s pioneering plan to keep cigarettes from future generations | Guardian, UK
Alcohol-induced blackouts may be linked to how a person drinks, not just how much
Certain drinking behaviors beyond just the quantity of alcohol consumed may predict the likelihood a person will experience an alcohol-induced blackout, a condition where someone is conscious and engaging with their surroundings but will be unable to remember some or any of what occurred. While in this condition, people are at higher risk for a range of consequences, including violence or sexual assault | Medical Xpress, USA
New study confirms community pharmacies can help people quit smoking
A new study shows community pharmacies may play a key role in helping people quit smoking. The findings came out in the article "Closing the Tobacco Treatment Gap," published in the 10th anniversary special issue of Pharmacy. The results provide valuable insights into the implementation of tobacco cessation services within community pharmacies while identifying barriers to further improvements | Medical Xpress, USA
How does the world view ‘Dry January’?
Dry January is a movement started by Alcohol Change UK encouraging a period of abstinence from alcohol use to improve general health. The campaign has grown in popularity each year since it began in 2013, with millions participating in 2024. This study examined social media posts about Dry January from 2020 to 2022 to better understand public sentiment | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Can adolescents be “in recovery”? Findings from a large state-wide study
One in ten American adults have resolved a significant substance use problem, and half of them identify as being in recovery, yet much less is known about adolescents in this regard. This study investigated the recovery status of adolescents | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Weaving community-based participatory research and co-design to improve opioid use treatments and services for youth, caregivers, and service providers
Integrating the voices of service users and providers in the design and delivery of health services increases the acceptability, relevance, and effectiveness of services. Such efforts are particularly important for youth opioid use treatments and services, which have failed to consider the unique needs of youth and families | PLOS One, Canada
Dolphins tape over medicinal cannabis sponsor on legal advice
The Dolphins have taped over their front-of-jersey sponsor Alternaleaf – a medicine clinic that prescribes medicinal cannabis – on legal advice while a review of the groundbreaking partnership is conducted by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) | Age, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
The UK’s smoking ban is government meddling at its worst and most pointless
Tobacco is already on its way out. The state should not deny adults the right to make personal decisions for themselves | Guardian opinion, UK
Logical step or overreach? Guardian readers share their views on Sunak’s smoking ban
While most who wrote in favoured some sort of action to reduce the damage caused by tobacco, some warned about the UK becoming a ‘nanny state’ | Guardian, UK
Saving us from ourselves: how Britain is learning to accept the nanny state
Despite detractors, the tobacco bill shows the public will support policies that would once have been thought draconian | Guardian, UK
Living in a Social and Racial Apartheid in Brazil’s Favelas
Anyone born in a favela or on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro has to quickly develop psychological mechanisms similar to any human being who has the displeasure of living in war. The recurrent shootings and confrontations traumatise and sicken a poor, Black population, which for this reason lives under the continuity of oppression and remnants of dictatorship | Talking Drugs, UK
Tony Duffin: The trauma of war is fuelling drug abuse among soldiers in Ukraine
ON 22 MARCH 2024, in Vienna, a significant resolution was passed during the 67th session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND). This resolution marked the first acknowledgment, by the CND, of ‘Harm Reduction’ as a crucial component of successful public health strategies | Journal voices, Ireland
Five things our research uncovered when we recreated 16th century beer (and barrels)
t’s true that our 16th-century ancestors drank much more than Irish people do today. But why they did so and what their beer was like are questions shrouded in myth. The authors were part of a team who set out to find some answers | Conversation, Ireland
Opioids more potent than fentanyl have been detected in Australia. So what are nitazenes?
A new group of drugs called nitazenes has been detected in Australia. They have been sold as heroin as well as other drugs like ketamine. Concerns about the potential harms associated with these drugs, and users not knowing what they’re taking, have led to government health alerts and coroners recommendations for drug-checking | Conversation, Australia