Lockdown easing sees spike in alcohol-related incidents | NSW festival regulations deemed ineffective | Melbourne Council rejects injection room
We’re back for round two of Drugs Wrap, a weekly compilation of the top stories in drug policy from across Australia and around the world.
This week saw alcohol, cannabis, and laughing gas in the headlines and I spoke with Dr Andrew Chadeayne on the publication of his new work patenting novel tryptamines.
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Let’s get to it.
Post-Lockdown Partying Blamed for Rising ED Admissions in WA
Alcohol-related emergency department admissions are up 21 per cent in Western Australia after three weeks of relaxed lockdown regulations, Department of Health figures show. Police and The Alcohol and Drug Foundation suspect that people have a lower alcohol tolerance after lockdown and are trying to drink at pre-lockdown levels in celebration.
In related news, the alcohol and drug support service Odyssey House has called on the government to keep providing lockdown treatment measures to assist Australians with addiction issues once restrictions are lifted.
NSW Festival Regulations Have No Impact on Drug Overdoses
A new report into the efficacy of the Music Festivals Act 2019 has found ‘no real change in the number of serious drug-related presentations’ since the rules came into effect, according to The Industry Observer. The act wasintroduced by the Berejiklian government to combat drug overdoses at music festivals. The report itself argues there has been some safety improvements but that the shorter festival season makes comparison difficult.
Melbourne City Councillors Reject Injection Room Site
On Tuesday, councillors decided that the state’s preferred safe-injection site is ‘inadequate’ and that the government had not properly consulted with the council in choosing it. Former police boss Ken Lay will lead a community consultation on the selection of a new site. 51 people died of overdoses in the City of Melbourne between January 2015 and September 2019.
Indigenous Alcohol Agreement Prompts Fall in Incidents
In more uplifting news, the town of Newman in the Pilbara region of WA has seen incidents of alcohol-fuelled violence drop after indigenous elders have stepped in to enforce a community liquor agreement. Over the past month, Martu elder Colin Peterson has visited the local liquor store every day to ensure his community are following the rules which state alcohol can only be purchased between 12:00pm and 3:00pm. Intoxicated admissions to the Newmans Women’s Shelter has dropped by ‘about 75%’.
More Big Moves in Medical Cannabis
This week, Asterion Cannabis Inc has confirmed plans to purchase 75 acres of land in Toowoomba and construct the world’s largest medical cannabis greenhouse.
The Office of Drug Control has granted Little Green Pharma an expanded cultivation licence to increase production in WA tenfold. The company plans to produce over 100,000 bottles of cannabis oil each year.
European MGC Pharmaceuticals has signed a binding term sheet to acquire Australian Medical Cannabis Clinic. The Australian company is one of the countries leading medical cannabis clinics and the new merger will see MCG Pharma own the entirety of its clinic-based assets, data, and intellectual property.
Around the world
Mexican Transport Minister Resigns
Transport Secretary Javier Jiménez Espriú has resigned in protest after last week’s decision by President Obrador to put the country’s customs operations in the hands of the military. Obrador hopes to stop cartel imports of fentanyl and methamphetamine precursors from Asia via Pacific coast ports with the move. There are concerns however over the increasing military influence in the president’s cabinet and across the country in general.
Drug Overdoses Soar in the US
The Centre for Disease Control released figures last week showing a 4.6% increase in drug overdose deaths in 2019 from 67,000 to 71,000. One policy expert said the rise is largely to do with synthetic opioids like fentanyl. As mentioned last week, the soaring unemployment rate due to the pandemic is likely to be the cause of the recent spike in overdoses.
California Pushes to End Mandatory Minimum Sentencing for Minor Drug Offences
Staying with the US, a senator in California has introduced a bill aiming to repeal mandatory minimum prison terms. The new law would give judges more freedom in ruling on non-violent drug offences.
Terminal Patients in Canada Request Magic Mushrooms
Canadian advocacy group TheraPsil has helped four cancer patient file applications with the federal government to use magic mushrooms to treat end-of-life anxiety. Psychotherapist Bruce Tobin argues terminally ill patients deserve compassionate access to drugs like psilocybin which have been shown to assist people in this way.
Colombian Cannabis Producer Granted First EU Licence in Latin America
The Colombian operation of the ‘global’ cannabis company Clever Leaves is the first medical cannabis facility in Latin America to receive a European Union Good Manufacturing Practices certification. The certification is generally required to sell import goods into the EU.
UK Labour MP Wants Increased Restrictions on Nitrous Oxide
Rosie Duffield MP has made calls for the government to tighten regulations around the sale and use of nitrous oxide — known as ‘laughing gas’ or, in Australia, ‘nangs’. In a lengthy opinion piece, she has claimed laughing gas is the ‘gateway drug of the summer’, though some suggest this is far more a litter issue than a public health one. VICE has done a good piece on the UK’s ‘obsession’ with the drug here.
The Drugs Wrap feature
CaaMTech Patent Novel Tryptamines Derived from Magic Mushrooms
This week I spoke with Dr Andrew Chadeayne about the publication of his new work on novel tryptamines. Dr Chadeayne is CEO of Canadian pharmaceutical company CaaMTech who specialise in identifying the chemical compositions of naturally occurring psychedelics.
Listen: Fantastic Fungi Director Announces New Podcast
Louie Schwartzberg, director of hit documentary Fantastic Fungi, has today announced the launch of his new podcast, Wonder and Awe. The first episode features superstar mycologist Paul Stamets and Entangled Life author Merlin Sheldrake and will go live on the 4th of August.
Watch: The 2020 Elevate Conference hosted by Psych Congress
The fourth-annual psychiatry and mental health conference will be taking place virtually this weekend. The three-day programme offers cutting-edge practical psychopharmacology for early career and forward-thinking mental health clinicians.
I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which I live and work, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and pay my respects to elders past, present, and emerging.
Thanks for reading, have a great weekend, and I look forward to sharing all the latest with you next Friday — Jack.
Have a story you would like to share in next week’s wrap? Get in touch.
Originally published at https://drugswrap.substack.com.
