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Daily news - 28th June 2024

UK news

Davey defends support for legalising cannabis and smoking ban

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has insisted his support for legalising cannabis is not "inconsistent" with backing a phased smoking ban | BBC, UK

Anyone for a mocktail? Keeping ads for alcohol and alcohol alternatives compliant

In May a new set of rules were launched for alcohol alternatives - defined as drinks between 0.0-0.5% ABV - such as non-alcoholic beer and wine. The new rules (18.18–18.24) in Section 18 of the CAP Code, will apply to ads that specifically show alcohol-free drinks as alternatives to alcohol. However, the full alcohol rules will still apply if an ad at or below 0.5% ABV has the effect of promoting an alcoholic drink, such when a range of drinks is featured which includes alcoholic drinks too | ASA, UK

My son’s death turned me into a campaigner | Hilary’s Story

Caring for someone who is dependent on drugs is one of the most exhausting, emotional and confusing experiences, it’s like living on a rollercoaster that you can’t get off of, you are constantly full of hope one minute and the next you are sick with worry | DDN, UK

'I tried vaping and it was like breathing in fire'

Vaping is recognised as an effective way of getting adult smokers to quit tobacco, but the rise of disposable e-cigarettes has seen children picking up the habit. BBC News went to one primary school trying to fight a rise in under-11s becoming hooked | BBC, UK

UK public support ban on gambling ads at sports events, says charity

GambleAware says government has ‘overlooked’ the problem and calls for pre-watershed advertising ban | Guardian, UK

GP suspended for being on drugs while on shift

Nathan Sandles, who worked as a GP at Church Langley Medical Centre in Harlow, Essex, was found acting "drowsy, sleepy and disorientated" while on shift | BBC, UK

Cannabis worth almost £2 million seized from shipping container at Liverpool docks

More than 365kg cannabis in vacuum packed bags - which would sell for between £1.28m and £1.92m - was intercepted when it arrived at Royal Seaforth Dock in a shipping container in April 2024 | ITV, UK

International news

Australia recalls mushroom gummies after hospitalisations

Australia has recalled two mushroom gummies products that have left several people hospitalised with symptoms such as "disturbing hallucinations" and "persistent vomiting." | BBC, UK

Drug policy is 'literally killing people' and Ireland should decriminalise use, committee hears

The Oireachtas Drugs Use Committee is examining different approaches to drug use, and what Ireland can learn from other countries | Journal, Ireland

New analysis reveals highly dynamic and resilient market for new psychoactive substances

The EU market for new psychoactive substances (NPS) is highly dynamic and resilient, characterised by a high turnover of potent, cheap and available substances. This is according to a new study released today by the EMCDDA and Europol: EU Drug Market: New psychoactive substances | EMCDDA, Portugal

Harm reduction over punishment: ending discrimination in drug policies - video

Tlaleng Mofokeng, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health shares her insights on the impact of current drug policies and practices, and suggests using the right to health framework to shift the paradigm from “war on drugs” to harm reduction | UN Human Rights, Switzerland

[Open access] By channelling attendees into treatment for hepatitis C infection, the needle exchange opened in Sweden’s capital city in 2013 substantially contributed to a fall in the prevalence of the infection | IJDP, USA

Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: Population Estimates — United States, 2022

Although medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) substantially reduce mortality, they are underused | CDC, USA

The effects of alcohol container labels on consumption behaviour, knowledge, and support for labelling: a systematic review

Our objectives were to establish the effects of alcohol container labels bearing one or more health warnings, standard drink information, or low-risk drinking guidance on alcohol consumption behaviour, knowledge of label message, and support for labels | Lancet, USA

Extended-Release Injection vs Sublingual Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder With Fentanyl Use

In the parent US trial buprenorphine injections with effects lasting up to a month suppressed illegal opioid use more effectively than the standard daily sublingual regimen. At issue in this new analysis was whether that held for the roughly a quarter of patients using the potent opioid fentanyl. To a modest but worthwhile degree it did, despite their greater problems | JAMA Network Open, USA

[Open access] In a finding that may apply to other areas, the distribution and use of take-home naloxone kits to reverse opioid overdose were greatly underestimated by official figures in British Columbia in Canada, meaning that the programme’s contribution to public health was also underestimated | IJDP, USA

How Trump and Biden Compare on Cannabis Policy

As election day approaches, drug policy has again emerged as a key campaign issue for incumbent President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump—with each candidate’s policy positions around cannabis coming back into focus | Filter Magazine, USA

She died in a New York jail. Her family still has questions, alleges medical neglect

Capaci's case draws attention to the challenge facing the U.S. of caring for jailed people with addictions who are struggling with withdrawal, addiction experts told NPR. Jails and prisons are frequently ill equipped to handle the medical needs required to safely wean someone off addictive substances like opioids, in Capaci's case | npr, USA

New study shows alcohol rehabilitation and abstinence reduce the risk of alcohol-associated cancers

Nationwide cohort study in France first to draw direct link between alcohol treatment and a nearly 40 per cent reduction in certain types of cancers | CAMH, Canada

Blogs, comment and opinion

“we just didn’t harm reduction hard enough”

A conversation with a colleague yesterday brought to mind the recent study that found no statistically significant impact from an NIH-funded project distributing naloxone, increasing access to MOUD, and providing overdose education | Recovery Review blog, USA

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