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Daily news - 14th June 2024

UK news

Restricting flavoured vapes could harm smoking cessation efforts, finds study

Restricting the choice of flavoured vapes, also known as e-cigarettes, could have an adverse effect on the many adults who use them to reduce or quit smoking, according to a new University of Bristol-led study published in the journal Harm Reduction | University of Bristol, UK

The Recovery Festival 2023

Thursday 20th June, 12 - 7pm, Trinity Centre, Trinity Road, Bristol BS2 0NW. The Recovery Festival is the biggest recovery focused event in the South West. Each year we create an atmosphere of fun, hopefulness and inclusivity, allowing us to meet as equals and be inspired by one another. We celebrate the achievements of our community and offer the opportunity to learn new skills and build support networks | Recovery Festival, UK

Join Us in Bristol to Stand for Drug Policy Reform

Tuesday 25th June, 11am – 1pm, College Green, Bristol. Come along to show support for reform of the UK’s failed drug laws as we plant over 4,000 ‘forget-me-not’ flowers to remember those who have died | Transform / Anyone's Child, UK

Demo Safer Consumption Site

Wednesday 26th June, 5 - 8 PM, Pelican House, 144 Cambridge Heath Road, E1 5QJ. The upcoming demonstration site at Pelican House, which joins the 2024 Support. Don’t Punish global day of action, aims to highlight the need for harm reduction responses to the UK's worsening drug-deaths crisis | Support. Don't Punish, UK

Drug Education Forum Summer 2024

Wed, 3 July, 15:30 - 17:00 BST. The DEF is a new national community of drug education professionals from across the UK who are committed to the provision of excellent, evidence-based, age-appropriate drug education to children and young people. The keynote speaker is Prof Fiona Measham, Chair in Criminology at the University of Liverpool, and Founder and Chair of The Loop, who will be speaking about the role of drug checking and harm reduction at clubs and festivals | Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation, UK

Gardening equipment donated after cannabis raid

Hundreds of gardening items found at a cannabis farm have been donated to community causes | BBC, UK

Drugs gang guilty of ammonia attack murder

Andrew Foster, 26, suffered a fatal asthma attack after being sprayed in the face at his home in Gateshead in August, Newcastle Crown Court heard | BBC, UK

Vulnerable man's home used as drugs line base

Officers discovered the exploitation of the man - known as 'cuckooing' - after a "lengthy investigation" into drug dealing in Gloucester, Gloucestershire Police said | BBC, UK

Shop owners fined for selling vapes to child

Two shop owners have been fined for selling vapes to a child during a council crackdown on illegal trading in North Yorkshire | BBC, UK

International news

Wild footage shows El Salvador cops burn an enormous pile of cocaine worth $67 million after drug boats seized

The government said its military seized two boats transporting 2,699 kilos of cocaine about 1,000 miles off the Pacific coast south central department of La Paz last month | Mail Online, UK

US woman faces up to 30 years in prison over bong water: ‘It’s just so wrong’

Minnesota police charge Jessica Beske, 43, after traces of methamphetamine found in drug paraphernalia in her car | Guardian, UK

Citizens’ Assembly on drugs calls for ‘urgency’ to implement its recommendations

State should respond to drug use as public health issue rather than criminal justice issue, panel found | Irish Times, Ireland

Dealer who caused overdose epidemic in Cork by selling 'highly dangerous' drug is jailed

Accused was responsible for 17 overdoses in the city by passing off nitazene as heroin, court heard | Irish Examiner, Ireland

EMCDDA webinar: Safe festivals and healthy nightlife — sharing experiences among practitioners - video

The main aim of this webinar is to share experiences of interventions which support safety at music festivals and nightlife events | EMCDDA, Portugal

[Open access] Surprisingly, in Malmö in Sweden, having a specialist addiction nurse on-site to refer patients to did not clearly lead primary care clinicians to diagnose more drinkers as needing treatment. It seems even extensive support may prove ineffective in some practices, turning the spotlight on their receptivity to support | Addictive Behaviors Reports, USA

[Open access] Replicates a British study of college students who drank heavily to cope with negative feelings. A brief online intervention offering other ways to cope had some intended effects, but could not be shown to have actually reduced drinking | Addictive Behaviors Reports, USA

Why FDA Panel Rejected MDMA Therapy—And What’s Next For Psychedelic Medicine

High hopes that psychedelic medicines were finally on the pathway to regulation were dashed last week when an FDA advisory panel voted against approving MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. The decision has put a spotlight on the field—and those at the center of it—raising questions about the credibility of the research being conducted and the safety of those involved in the trials | Forbes, USA

ADHD meds may help pregnant patients control opioid use disorder

Opioid overdoses for pregnant patients are at an all-time high in the United States, even as overall numbers are improving. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is highly correlated with substance use disorders, yet treatment protocols to help expecting parents manage opioid use disorders and ADHD together are essentially nonexistent | Medical Xpress, USA

Massachusetts reports largest single-year decline in opioid-related overdose deaths in two decades

Massachusetts experienced a 10% drop in opioid-related overdose deaths from 2022 to 2023, the largest single-year decline over the past two decades and a trend that is expected to continue based on early data from 2024, according to a report released June 12 | Medical Xpress, USA

National ‘Give Up For Good’ campaign launched to tackle smoking and vaping

The ‘Give Up For Good’ campaign empowers Australians to give up cigarettes and vapes for good – or not start in the first place – so they can live healthier lives. The campaign includes a series of creative approaches which raise awareness of the harms of smoking and prompt people to consider if nicotine addiction from vaping has a hold on them. The campaign encourages Australians to keep trying to quit and to take advantage of newly expanded quit support services | Australian Government, Australia

Blogs, comment and opinion

Blog: Helping providers to deliver high quality education, vocational training and employability programmes

The General Election 2024 is in full swing, and the main parties are setting their policies and potential programmes for vocational training and employability | Forward Trust, UK

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