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Daily news - 26th February 2024 |
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UK news
Press release: New court approach helping get offenders off drugs
Offenders with drug and alcohol problems are being put back on the straight and narrow through a new US-inspired sentencing approach to cut reoffending | Ministry of Justice and The Rt Hon Alex Chalk KC MP, UK
Single-use vapes could be banned in Scotland by April 2025
The sale and supply of single-use vapes in Scotland could be banned by 1 April next year. It follows a UK-wide consultation last year, with the date agreed by the devolved governments and Westminster | BBC, UK
Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will (a) make an assessment of the potential impact of the provisions in the Licensing Act 2003 on levels of alcohol harm and (b) take steps to accordingly amend provisions in that Act to reduce alcohol harm | They work for you, UK
Smoking: Young People
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the inclusion of heated tobacco products in the generational smoking ban on the Government's smokefree 2030 ambition | They work for you, UK
Electronic Cigarettes: Waste Disposal
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made a recent assessment of the impact of disposable vapes on (a) wildlife and (b) the wider environment | They work for you, UK
Do You Smoke or Vape and Want To Quit?
Channel 4 is currently casting for a new digital series and we’re looking to speak to people who want to quit smoking or vaping and are ready to take the next step | Channel 4, UK
‘Am I surprised Pete Doherty is still alive? No, he’s too smart to die’: the Libertines on feuds, friendship – and their unlikely sober reunion
It’s 20 years since they topped the charts – then fought, stagnated and imploded. But now Pete Doherty and Carl Barât are back. Was it easy recording together again? Depends who you ask … | Guardian, UK
Prince Harry 'may have lied' about drug use in Spare to sell copies, US lawyer argues in visa case
Duke said in book that he took cocaine, cannabis and psychedelic mushrooms | Evening Standard, UK
Online slot machine stakes to be capped at £5 in Great Britain
Maximum will be £2 for younger adults but campaigners say government has not gone far enough | Guardian, UK
Man jailed after discovery of £2m Gloucester cannabis factory
Police said more than 2,300 cannabis plants were found at a previously disused office space in Eastgate Street, Gloucester, in August 2023 | BBC, UK
Thousands of illegal vapes seized at Humber port
North Lincolnshire Council said it had seized around 320,000 illegal e-cigarettes worth £2.5m since 2022 | BBC, UK
International news
Germany legalises cannabis, but makes it hard to buy
The German parliament has backed a new law to allow the recreational use of cannabis. Under the law, over-18s in Germany will be allowed to possess substantial amounts of cannabis, but strict rules will make it difficult to buy the drug | BBC, UK
Are we moving into a new era for alcohol policy globally? An analysis of the Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022-30
The Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022-30 (GAAP) represents an important milestone in policy implementation at the global level on alcohol and health. There has, however, been little attention paid to the GAAP in the research literature. With a focus on the alcohol industry, this analysis examines the content of, and prospects for, the GAAP | BMJ, UK
The Impact of Raising Alcohol Taxes on Government Tax Revenue: Insights from Five European Countries
Reducing the affordability of alcoholic beverages by increasing alcohol excise taxation can lead to a reduction in alcohol consumption but the impact on government alcohol excise tax revenue is poorly understood. This study aimed to (a) describe cross-country tax revenue variations and (b) investigate how changes in taxation were related to changes in government tax revenue, using data from Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland | Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, UK
Amid fentanyl crisis, Oregon lawmakers propose more funding for opioid addiction medication in jails
A bipartisan group of Oregon lawmakers are working to boost funding for jails to provide medication used to treat opioid addiction | Independent, UK
Synthetic opioid preparedness. Fact sheet for medical care providers
This update has been developed by the HSE National Clinical Lead for Addiction Services and the National Red Alert Group (NRAG) in response to the emergence of N-pyrrolidino protonitazene on the Irish drug market. This fact sheet is dated February 2024 with the content and guidance subject to change based on possible future developments in this area | HSE, Ireland
Drug dealers 'testing' heroin market with dangerous synthetics
Health experts believe drug dealers were “testing the market” when they supplied a batch of a highly dangerous synthetic opioid drug into the Dublin and Cork heroin scene, the country’s top addiction expert has said | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Frostbite injuries from recreational nitrous oxide use
Recreational use of inhaled nitrous oxide is rapidly increasing. As nitrous oxide (N20) is cooled to it’s gaseous form for inhalation , container mishandling can cause frostbite injuries to the face and extremities | Irish Medical Journal, Ireland
‘Coffin tablet’: Renewed calls for prescription drug feared to be ‘new OxyContin’ to be reclassified
Pregabalin is licensed in Ireland to treat epilepsy, nerve pain and general anxiety disorders and has been implicated in many postmortem | Irish Times, Ireland
Former prisoners are most at risk from drug overdose after jail release or cash windfall
Former prisoners were most at risk from a drug overdose following a cash windfall, or immediately after leaving rehab or jail, a campaign to combat drug deaths said | Irish Independent, Ireland
Young workers' injuries rise after recreational marijuana sales made legal
U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics for 2006 through 2020 show that legal "recreational marijuana sales were associated with a 10% increase in workplace injuries among individuals aged 20 to 34 years," the study authors concluded | Medical Xpress, USA
Poll shows strong support among Black voters for menthols ban
Black voters support a ban on menthol cigarettes by a wide margin, refuting claims that such a ban would be strongly opposed by Black Americans, a new survey shows | Medical Xpress, USA
How Portugal eased its opioid epidemic, while U.S. drug deaths skyrocketed
Talk to people addicted to street drugs in Lisbon, Portugal's capital, and you hear confusion and dismay over the carnage of overdose deaths taking place an ocean away in the U.S. | NPR, USA
Deadly opioid detected in wastewater for the first time
Dr Richard Bade from UQ’s Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences led a team which analysed wastewater samples from eight locations in seven US states: Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington. Dr Bade said wastewater from two of the sites, in Illinois and Washington, recorded a type of opioid called protonitazene | University of Queensland, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
The Toxic Voyeurism Behind Tranq Tourism
Since 2021, Kensington, North Philadelphia, has been seriously impacted by the use of xylazine, a sedative also called ‘tranq’. Xylazine, originally a sedative used in veterinary settings, is a non-opioid tranquiliser which has been used in combination with fentanyl, commonly called “tranq dope”. The sedative effects of xylazine combined with fentanyl can be particularly life-threatening as it slows down people’s breathing and heart rate, as well as their blood pressure | Talking Drugs, UK
Thailand seeks to ban recreational cannabis
Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalise cannabis in 2022. However a lack of regulation and health concerns have sparked backlash, with officials stating that recreational cannabis will be prohibited once again by the end of the year. Will a new framework banning recreational use help or hinder the cannabis industry in Thailand? | Volteface, UK
A Wolfpack Called Ernesto review – disembodied stories from Mexico’s drug gangs frontline
Young gang members tell their chilling, occasionally poetic stories in Everardo González’s documentary. But without seeing their faces, it’s hard to engage emotionally | Guardian, UK
Nicotine pouches are being marketed to young people on social media. But are they safe, or even legal?
Flavoured nicotine pouches are being promoted to young people on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram | Conversation, Australia