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Daily news - 1st July 2024 |
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Many thanks to Drinkaware who have kindly renewed their sponsorship to DrugWise Daily.
UK news
About Alcohol Awareness Week
1st -7th July 2024. Alcohol Awareness Week is a chance for the UK to get thinking about drinking. It’s a week of awareness-raising, campaigning for change, and more... | Alcohol Change UK, UK
Seven people treated in UK hospital after taking sleep medication zopiclone
Police warn of ‘potentially contaminated batch’ after adults taken to hospital in County Durham | Guardian, UK
Revealed: how Sunak dropped smoking ban amid lobbying from tobacco firms
Investigation details industry campaign including legal threats and charm offensive aimed at Tory MPs | Guardian, UK
Bereaved families call for drug law change
Thousands of homemade flowers have been left on a city centre green space this week by bereaved families calling for drug regulation. Each of the 4,305 paper flowers laid on College Green in Bristol on Tuesday represented a life lost to drugs in the UK. Organised by charities Transform Drug Policy Foundation and Anyone's Child, the event saw families share their stories publicly | BBC, UK
Almost 10,000 British troops treated for alcohol abuse in past five years, shock figures reveal
A top military insider warns: 'Abuse of alcohol has long been a chronic problem in the Army – more so than misuse of drugs' | Sun, UK
Combatting challenges for veterans accessing drug and alcohol treatment
We want to learn more about the experience of veterans who use treatment services. This is why, in partnership with Liverpool John Moore's university and other veteran providers, we’re evaluating treatment outcomes for veterans vs. non-veterans. This project, due to complete later this year, will help us better understand and evidence what support is most effective for those who’ve left the UKAF | Change Grow Live, UK
Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Month
Motion submitted by Rona Mackay, Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party: That the Parliament notes that September 2024 is International Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Month; recognises that alcohol exposure in pregnancy may lead to permanent harm to the unborn child; understands that FASD is the most common preventable neurodevelopmental condition in Scotland... | Scottish Parliament, UK
'Recovery didn't start by swapping a pint for a 10k'
A man who five years ago was hospitalised for addiction issues will mark a year of running 10k every day next month | BBC, UK
'Fishing has always been my escape from addiction'
A man who has been sober for 10 years after dealing with addiction and alcoholism said "fishing has always been my escape" | BBC, UK
Hospital decaf pilot aims to reduce falls
Caffeine, a natural stimulant found in tea and coffee, can exacerbate bladder sensitivity, leading to frequent urination and disruptions in daily life, the Tust said | BBC, UK
Operation launched to educate people on the dangers of mixing alcohol and cocaine
The patrols are part of Operation Cognition, which began last month, and is set to run over the next year across the county including Newark, Nottingham city centre, West Bridgford and Beeston | Nottinghamshire Police, UK
Cumbria Police working with Well Communities on county lines
A new approach to tackling county lines has put Cumbria in a "great place" as Cumbria Police sees significant improvement on the situation | News & Star Cumberland News, UK
Council warns students over cannabis parties
Students and their landlords are being handed anti-social behaviour warnings after neighbours complained about loud parties and cannabis use | BBC, UK
Random drug testing planned for city taxi drivers
Investigators posing as customers could carry out spot checks by the roadside, Southampton councillors were told | BBC, UK
Drug gang jailed for £24.5m importation
An organised crime gang has been jailed after the largest ever seizure of illegal drugs in East Sussex | BBC, UK
Cannabis farmer 'paying debt to people smugglers'
An Albanian cannabis farmer who said he was forced to grow drugs to pay back people smugglers has been jailed for eight months | BBC, UK
International news
How politics affects the wine we drink
Duty on alcohol and tobacco is nothing new, but pegging tax to the abv level of wine is changing the way producers work | Guardian, UK
Tobacco giant accused of ‘manipulating science’ to attract non-smokers
Leaked documents from Philip Morris reveal ‘secret’ strategy to market its heated tobacco product IQOS | Guardian, UK
‘I’m like a fine wine connoisseur’: the vapers fuming at Australia’s tough new laws and lack of flavours
The so-called toughest vape laws in the world are unfair and might create a new black market, seasoned vapers say | Guardian, UK
Crazy Town singer Seth Binzer died of accidental overdose, band manager says
Frontman, who spoke before about substance addiction, said to have taken mix of pharmaceutical and street drugs | Guardian, UK
Beer advertisements shown to kids during streamed TV programs like Lego Masters
David Pocock urges government to fix gap in the law after 28 complaints, but Labor says it will not support amendment | Guardian, UK
Michael Russell Award 2024 - video
The Michael Russell Award 2024 is presented to Dr. Colin Mendelsohn by Professor Gerry Stimson | GFN, UK
Two arrested following €1.25m cannabis seizure in Kildare
Gardaí also found suspected cocaine valued at €12,000 in follow-up search | Irish Times, Ireland
Drug injection centres will be considered for Cork and Limerick if pilot programme a success
Supervised drug injecting rooms for Cork and Limerick will be considered if the pilot in Dublin proves to be working well, the Department of Health has said | Irish Examiner, Ireland
The countdown to the EU Drugs Agency (EUDA) is on!
On 2 July 2024 the EMCDDA will become the EUDA. Learn more about what this change means for the agency and its work and find practical information to ensure a smooth transition | EMCDDA, Portugal
DrugNet Europe - June 2024
Latest monthly drug news round-up published by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction | EMCDDA, Portugal
The role of cities in promoting more just and effective drug policies
Jul 15, 2024 09:00 AM London. As interest in a new approach to deliver more just and effective drug policies grows, cities face significant challenges in finding room to design new drug policies and in their implementation, due to political resistance, public opposition, and the rise of populist 'zero tolerance' and ‘tough on drugs’ politics across Europe. This webinar will address the important role of cities in forming progressive drug policies and discuss how cities can collaborate and push for positive change | Correlation-European Harm Reduction Network et al, The Netherlands
Legal weed limps into next phase in Germany
So-called cannabis clubs will be allowed to sell the drug legally in Germany starting Monday, but in practice it will be some time before the associations get up and running | Medical Xpress, USA
Effect of alcohol health warning labels on knowledge related to the ill effects of alcohol on cancer risk and their public perceptions in 14 European countries: an online survey experiment
[Open access] Across 14 European countries and different types of people with different drinking habits, labels warning that alcohol increases the risk of cancer improved knowledge of this risk and were seen as having greater impact and relevance than non-specific health-harm and ‘drink responsibly’ messages | Lancet, USA
Estimated effects of opioid agonist treatment in prison on all-cause mortality and overdose mortality in people released from prison in Norway: a prospective analysis of data from the Norwegian Prison Release Study (nPRIS)
[Open access] Dependence on opiate-type drugs is the primary risk factor for death after release from prison in Norway, but in the first six months overall and overdose deaths were nearly halved if the ex-prisoner had been treated with methadone or buprenorphine in prison | Lancet, USA
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs About Opioid Use Disorder Treatment in Primary Care
[Open access] Results from a national survey, appearing in JAMA Network Open, indicate that many Americans, 61%, are unaware that primary care physicians can prescribe medications for opioid use disorder, and 13% incorrectly believed that they could not | JAMA Network Open, USA
Smoking Cessation Pharmacotherapy Use in Pregnancy
In this cohort study of 1.7 million pregnancies in New South Wales, Australia; New Zealand; Norway; and Sweden from 2015 to 2020, use of varenicline and bupropion during pregnancy was low, while prescription nicotine replacement therapy was used during a larger proportion of pregnancies. For most pregnancies in which these medications were used, use occurred at least partly during the first trimester | JAMA Network Open, USA
State Cannabis and Psychedelic Legislation and Microdosing Interest in the US
[Open access] In this cross-sectional study, an analysis of Google Trends data from January 2010 to December 2023 revealed a notable increase in searches for microdosing across the US. This uptrend was associated with legislative changes concerning both psychedelics and cannabis, as indicated by a dynamic event-time difference-in-difference time series analysis | JAMA Health Forum, USA
Young adults' visual attention to features of social media marketing for disposable e-cigarettes and associated perceptions
[Open access] E-cigarette marketing exposure on social media influences perceptions; however, limited knowledge exists regarding marketing features attracting the most visual attention. This study examined visual attention to features of social media marketing for disposable e-cigarettes and related product perceptions | Addiction, USA
Smoking-Cessation Hope for People With Mental Health Conditions
In 2015, Richard Pruen spent time staying in a mental health hospital ward in England. “One thing that was evident when I was in hospital for treatment was that almost everyone smoked,” he told Filter. “It was clear that this was the norm, and little or no effort was made to help people with mental illness quit—it was just accepted, there was no advice or anything.” | Filter Magazine, USA
US Supreme Court rejects opioid settlement that shields Sackler family
The US Supreme Court on Thursday rejected Purdue Pharma's $6 billion opioids settlement immunizing the Sackler family, which controlled the drugmaker, from future litigation | Medical Xpress, USA
$4M worth of prescription opioids disappeared from an Ontario pharmacy. No one can say where they went
CBC analysis shows rise in dangerous and addictive drugs categorized as lost — without explanation | CBC News, Canada
Changes to vaping in Australia from 1 July
From 1 July 2024, vapes can only be sold in Australia by pharmacies | Australian Government, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
When I use a word . . . The languages of medicines—defining a street drug operationally
The term “street drug” is hard to define, but three definitional methods can be considered: intensional definition, extensional definition, and operational definition. An intensional definition is one that embodies all the attributes contained in the concept being defined in a single short statement | BMJ opinion, UK
Britain is on the brink of an opioid crisis. Punishing addicts won’t work
It’s time to abandon cruel and costly policies that merely satisfy a severe, moralistic approach to drugs and their users | Guardian opinion, UK
Scott’s story: ‘No longer was Pride about how drunk I could get, or how many clubs I could attend, it was about staying present.’
My first Pride was in 2008 and if I’m honest I don’t remember any of it. I didn’t see the march, or the community led performances. I stayed in Soho the entire day and night, drinking from the earliest moment I could. In hindsight I didn’t have any pride and I am embarrassed to say I didn’t know what the day was about. I just assumed it was a good excuse to get wasted. I repeated that pattern every year until 2013 | Alcohol Change UK blog, UK
Opinion: Here’s why marijuana should not be reclassified as a lower-risk drug
The Biden administration is moving toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug, which will foreseeably embolden Mexican cartels and Chinese legal growing operations to generate millions in profit while creating greater strains on law enforcement and increasing health-related risks, from severe depression to impairing psychosis | CNN opinion, USA
Not quite medicine, not quite food: how a product like mushroom gummies can fall through the regulatory cracks
Several people across the country have recently been hospitalised after consuming mushroom gummies distributed by Australian brand Uncle Frog and made in the United States. Their reported symptoms included elevated heart rate, nausea, anxiety and hallucinations | Conversation, Australia