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Daily news - 24th July 2024 |
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UK news
Expanding our understanding of long-term trends in alcohol abstention and consumption in England (2001–19) using two age–period–cohort approaches
[Open access] Alcohol consumption has decreased in England in recent decades, while alcohol-specific death rates have remained relatively stable. Age–period–cohort (APC) models offer the potential for understanding these paradoxical trends. This study aimed to use an APC model approach to measure long-term trends in alcohol abstention and consumption in England from 2001 to 2019 | Addiction, UK
UK must move towards disease prevention to save economy and NHS, says expert
Personalised ‘pre-NHS’ could stop onset of disease and offer health checks in places people live, work and socialise | Guardian, UK
Plan to work with schools to assess rise in vaping
A scrutiny panel - which includes councillors, public health teams, hospital medics and Barnsley Youth Council representatives - have been working together since last autumn | Barnsley Chronicle, UK
Met Police boss sacked over drugs test launches appeal
A senior police officer has launched an appeal after he was sacked for failing to provide a sample for a drugs test when he was accused of smoking cannabis | BBC, UK
Improving care for women who use drugs during the perinatal period
Monday, September 23 · 10:30am - 3:30pm GMT+1, London. Join us to learn more about how health and social care providers and services can best meet the needs of women who use drugs and the needs of their babies | Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, UK
England goalkeeper denies nitrous oxide possession charge
The 20-year-old, of Manchester, was charged with possession of a class C drug on 18 June after an investigation by Greater Manchester Police | BBC, UK
Raid finds house 'packed to the brim' with cannabis
Police raided a house that was "packed to the brim" with cannabis, after receiving intelligence that the property was housing drugs | BBC, UK
'Ring and bring' drug dealers given jail sentences
Ringleader Josh Ashton and "workers" Logan Day, Billy Alexander and Adie Cliff ran a "ring and bring" drugs line supplying Conisbrough, Denaby and Mexborough, near Doncaster | BBC, UK
Eight jailed for county lines drugs plot
The group was sentenced after being convicted of conspiring to supply heroin and crack cocaine in Barrow and Manchester, between September 2022 and January 2023 | BBC, UK
International news
Alcohol rehabilitation and cancer risk: a nationwide hospital cohort study in France
Even though alcohol consumption is an established risk factor for cancer, evidence regarding the effect of a reduction or cessation of alcohol consumption on cancer incidence is scarce. Our main study aim was to assess the effect of alcohol rehabilitation and abstinence on cancer incidence in people with alcohol dependence | Lancet, UK
More German teenagers smoke than vape, new research reveals
In Germany, 14.9 per cent of 14 to 17-year-olds now smoke while just 2.3 per cent vape, new research reveals. While most countries have seen a decline in smoking with more people turning to vaping to quit the more dangerous habit, Germany has seen the opposite trend. The German Smoking Behaviour Survey (DEBRA) has looked at the consumption of tobacco and nicotine alternatives such as vapes in the German population since 2016 | Clearing the air, UK
Thailand decides not to re-criminalise cannabis as it eyes $1bn medicinal industry
Thailand will regulate cannabis for medicinal use instead of re-listing the plant as a narcotic, the deputy prime minister said on Tuesday, in the government's U-turn on its previous policy | Independent, UK
National Drug Treatment Reporting System: 2023 alcohol treatment demand
A total of 8,163 cases were treated for problem alcohol use in 2023, according to the latest data from the Health Research Board (HRB) – an increase of 10% on 2022 figures and the highest annual total in over a decade. One in four cases also reported problem use of another drug along with alcohol in 2023. Cocaine remains the most common additional drug reported with 1,310 cases mixing alcohol and cocaine in 2023 compared to 607 in 2017 | HRB, Ireland
Alcohol treatment cases at highest level in over a decade - HRB
[See item above] The number of cases treated for problem alcohol use last year was the highest in over a decade, according to the Health Research Board | RTe, Ireland
'One in three' Danes decide to stop drinking alcohol
A survey conducted by the Voxmeter institute on behalf of charity Blue Cross Denmark has found that almost 35 percent of Danes consciously chose not to drink alcohol during the last year. Others said they were considering making the same decision | Local, Denmark
'Holiday heart syndrome': Researchers explore binge drinking and arrhythmia link at times of celebration
Binge drinking (five drinks within two hours for men and four drinks within two hours for women) is common around the world. Recent research has also found the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AFib), the most common type of irregular heart rhythm or arrhythmia, continues to rise, according to the study | Medical Xpress, USA
Prenatal Cannabis Use and Maternal Pregnancy Outcomes
In this cohort study of 316 722 pregnancies, prenatal cannabis use was associated with increased risk of gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, weight gain greater and less than guidelines, and placental abruption as well as reduced risk of gestational diabetes. No association was found with eclampsia, placenta previa, placenta accreta, or severe maternal morbidity | JAMA Internal Medicine, USA
Marijuana and Alcohol Use Trends are Changing —Tips for Smart Cannabis Use
Attitudes toward marijuana have undergone a seismic shift in recent years. Most Americans now live in a state where recreational marijuana is legal. It’s now clear that people’s behaviors are changing along with attitudes. New research from Carnegie Mellon University found a 15-fold increase in the rate of people reporting daily or near-daily marijuana use in the U.S. In 2022, for the first time ever, daily marijuana use became more common than daily alcohol use | Mass General Brigham, USA
Policy paper calls for evidence-based public health approach to cannabis regulation
A public health approach is necessary to address the legal, medical, and social complexities of cannabis use, says the American College of Physicians (ACP) in a new policy paper | Medical Xpress, USA
Where Does Kamala Harris Stand On Marijuana?
With U.S. President Joe Biden stepping aside for the presidential race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, her potential candidacy for the 2024 election against Donald Trump brings attention to her stance on multiple issues, including marijuana | Forbes, USA
With Psilocybin Microdosing, My PTSD Slowly Slipped Away
As a teenager, I was abused for four years by an older man. I nearly died. I developed full-on PTSD, with flashbacks and nightmares and crippling anxiety and suicidal depression. I used heroin to cope. I nearly died several times from overdose | Filter Magazine, USA
'Cocaine Sharks' Discovered in Brazil Raise Alarm Over Ocean Pollution
Brazilian sharpnose sharks swimming in South America's coastal waters have been found to have significant levels of cocaine and its metabolites in their system, according to a team of researchers in Brazil | Science Alert, USA
Cocaine added to roadside tests in SA as police link drug to 'unacceptable' number of fatal crashes
Police in SA currently conduct roadside tests for cannabis, methamphetamine and MDMA, also called ecstasy — but cocaine can only be detected at hospitals, where drivers involved in fatal or serious injury crashes are tested for drugs. From early next year, random roadside drug testing conducted by police will also screen for cocaine | abc.net.au, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
New research suggests estrogen and progesterone could play role in opioid addiction and relapse
Research indicates that for many people with opioid use disorder, misuse starts with prescription painkillers. As neuroscientists who study the effects of addictive drugs on the brain, we are working to better understand why some people are at greater risk for developing opioid dependence and addiction when taking prescribed opioids | Conversation, USA
Research Article Review: “Healthy lifestyle and cognitive decline in middle-aged and older adults residing in 14 European countries”
In this Open Access article, the authors note, Data from 32,033 cognitively-healthy adults aged 50-104 years participating in prospective cohort studies of aging from 14 European countries were used to examine associations of lifestyle with memory and fluency decline over 10 years... | Recovery Review blog, USA
Counter-drug strategies in Central America are worsening deforestation, threatening many species of birds
Activities associated with cocaine trafficking threaten two-thirds of the most important landscapes in Central America for 196 forest bird species, including 67 migratory species. This is the key takeaway from a study that colleagues and I published in June 2024 in the journal Nature Sustainability | Conversation, USA
Alcohol companies must stop 'pink washing' cancer danger
I stared at my phone in disbelief at what I was seeing. In the image, a wine bottle with a sticker on it saying that $2 from every bottle of this special edition rosé was going to help fund breast cancer research | Examiner opinion, Australia