Weekly news - 24th December 2021 |
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Jackie and Harry would like to wish all our readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you again on January 7th 2022!
In date order: Monday to Friday
ACMD advice on consumer cannabidiol (CBD) products
Report from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) on consumer cannabidiol (CBD) products. The ACMD was commissioned in January 2021 to advise the government on establishing a legal framework for consumer CBD products. To respond to this commission, the ACMD formed a Working Group who have reviewed the literature, consulted with industry and analytical laboratories, issued a public call for evidence and sought information regarding testing from the Government Chemist’s Team and Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, amongst others | ACMD, UK
Activist 'cannot support Right to Rehab Bill' in Scotland amid split between drug reform groups
Drugs campaigner Peter Krykant has told Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross he cannot support the party’s “Right to Recovery” Bill | Daily Record, UK
New EMCDDA miniguide on responding to opioid-related deaths highlights approaches and evidence that can help save lives
Health and social responses to opioid-related deaths are explored in a new EMCDDA miniguide launched today. The resource is the ninth in a series of miniguides, making up the agency’s latest overview of actions and interventions to respond to the consequences of illicit drug use | EMCDDA, Portugal
NHS drug pledge broken for asthma sufferers and smokers, report reveals
A promise to ensure that people with severe asthma and smokers who want to quit can get the drugs they need has been broken by ministers and the NHS, a health service report reveals | Guardian, UK
The NHS vs nicotine: Could prescription e-cigarettes be the solution?
Whilst smoking rates have been steadily declining over recent years, from 20% of UK adults in 2011 to 14% in 2019, recent evidence suggests that there was a 25% increase in young adults 18-34 who smoked during the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. Unfortunately, smoking is not a temporary vice, and this increase remains today | The Mancunian, UK
Push to protect and vaccinate rough sleepers with £28 million government funding boost
The Protect and Vaccinate scheme will help to increase vaccine uptake among people who are homeless and sleeping rough | Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Eddie Hughes MP, UK
The Dumbest Drug Scare Stories of 2021
2021 was another vintage year of irritating nonsense about the world of drugs | VICE, UK
No Christmas tipples for 770 alcohol-tagged offenders
Around 770 offenders will be wearing alcohol tags on Christmas Day as part of the Government’s drive to protect the public from drink-fuelled violence |
Ministry of Justice and The Rt Hon Kit Malthouse MP, UK
Gaming disorder: Inside the clinic helping addicted teens
Alex's compulsive desire to play first-person shooters like Counter-Strike late into the night, has caused years of anguish for the family. He has also recently been diagnosed with autism. He has been a patient at the NHS's specialist clinic for treatment of addiction to video games, since earlier this year | BBC, UK
Another drug strategy in the UK (PDF)
In 2017, we described the previous UK drug strategy as full of “false claims and empty promises.” The new 10 year strategy, announced in early December, brings much needed money to rebuild drug treatment services but lacks any real reform | BMJ editorial, UK
ACMD annual report 2017 to 2019
Provides a summary of the main issues the ACMD considered between January 2017 and December 2019 | ACMD, UK
ACMD annual report 2013 to 2016
Provides a summary of the main issues the ACMD considered between April 2013 and December 2016 | ACMD, UK
Holiday heart syndrome: binge drinking can cause heart problems
Many people enjoy a tipple over the festive season, but overdoing it could cause “holiday heart syndrome”, a condition where the heart beats abnormally – known as atrial fibrillation or AF. This is often experienced as a fluttering in the chest. If it continues for a while and is left untreated, it could lead to a heart attack | Conversation, UK
Why are young people drinking less than their parents’ generation did?
As we head towards the end of the year, office get-togethers, Christmas lunches and New Year’s parties are upon us. It seems like a prime opportunity for young people to be drinking the night away | Conversation, UK and Australia
And finally...
Cat burglar: New Zealand pet steals bong, bag of white powder and lacy underwear
Keith the cat is known locally for making off with everything from live eels to tradesmen’s boots | Guardian, UK