October 21st, 2020A University of Oxford study has provided greater confidence that e-cigarettes with nicotine can help more people to quit smoking than traditional nicotine replacement therapy (such as gums or patches) or e-cigarettes without nicotine, reports The...
Criminals in Wales who commit alcohol-fuelled crimes can be banned from drinking and ordered to wear a ‘sobriety tag’ by judges from 21 October. The anti-crime system will be extended to England early next year, the United Kingdom government...Harm Reduction
A new study has shown that the serum metabolite profile can be used to identify individuals likely at risk of developing an alcohol-related disease in the future, reports the University of Eastern Finland. The finding also opens up new avenues for...
October 14th, 2020Cannabis users appear to need more anaesthesia than non-users during surgery, and also more opioids to relieve pain after surgery, according to a University of Colorado preliminary study, writes Dennis Thompson for HealthDay. Patients should let...
October 14th, 2020The World Health Organization estimates that the number of smokers in the world – 1.1 billion – will not materially change by 2025. This tells us that, while a smoker’s best choice will always be to quit nicotine and tobacco altogether, the...
A consortium involving researchers from six countries has published two studies that identify risk factors associated with alcohol-related cirrhosis, the University of Liverpool reports. The GenomALC Consortium was established more than 10 years ago...Harm Reduction
With growing interest in its potential health benefits and new legislation favouring legalisation in more states in America, cannabis use is becoming more common among older adults. University of California – San Diego researchers found that 15%...Harm Reduction
Most parents know or suspect when their child smokes, but they are much more likely to be in the dark if the child vapes or uses other tobacco products, according to a large national study by researchers at the University of California, San...
October 7th, 2020Using e-cigarettes triples the chance of a non-smoker taking up regular cigarettes, a review of the public health impacts of vaping has found, with very one of 25 studies examined by researchers led by the Australian National University found that...
An evidence-based guideline from the American Thoracic Society addresses several pharmacotherapy-initiation questions for treating tobacco use and dependence. The overall message is a recommendation in favour of varenicline over other forms of...
September 30th, 2020Early results of an experimental vaping study in rodents show significant lung injury from e-cigarette devices with nickel-chromium alloy heating elements, reports the University of California – Irvine. Previously it was thought that nicotine,...
Demographic data shows rising cannabis use among older people. What is the likely effect on cognitive function and brain health in this group? Two studies published this month, from Israel and Canada, shows no cause for alarm – people consuming...Harm Reduction
A study from the Centres for Disease Control in the United States suggests that adolescent marijuana use is associated with numerous other health risk behaviours in high school students, including other substance use, injury and violence, and sexual...Harm Reduction
A large United Kingdom analysis covering a 10-year period found that regardless of multi-morbidities, engaging in a healthier lifestyle was associated with up to 6.3 years longer life for men and 7.6 years for women. Not currently smoking was...Harm Reduction
Research from the University of Sydney has found that any alcohol use during pregnancy, even low levels, is associated with subtle yet significant behavioural and psychological effects in children including anxiety, depression and poor...
September 23rd, 2020Twenty months after cannabis-based products for medicinal use were legalised in the United Kingdom, and with some 1.4 million users, attitudes towards using them are still highly sceptical in the health care sector and need to change. There should...
