Australia Raises Alcohol Excise Taxes – A Win for Public Health
The Dalgarno Institute proud to be part of this successful advocacy, not only by our direct lobbying of government, but also as members of National Alliance for Action on Alcohol and Movendi International #DemandReduction and #SupplyReduction go hand-in-hand!
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Australia has raised its alcohol excise taxes by 4% bringing the price of a pint of beer to $15. Currently, Australia increases excise taxes on beer twice a year according to inflation, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Big Beer has for years been lobbying aggressively to secure tax cuts. The most recent attempt was a few months ago, prior to the Australian Budget. But inspired advocacy by communities halted this ill-advised proposal.
The industry proposed beer tax cut would have cost the Australian government $150 million per year. Over three years, this could amount to almost half a billion dollars lost. Meanwhile, Big Beer giants Lion and Asahi, which control almost three-quarters of the beer market in Australia, would have benefitted the most with windfall profits
For more click here.
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What level of alcohol is safe?
Latest research suggests even moderate drinking carries health risk
“Alcohol has a domino effect,” said Shivendra Shukla, a professor in the Medical Pharmacology Physiology department at the University of Missouri. “Once in the body, it has multiple pathways by which it can exert damaging effects. It’s just like a cluster bomb. The consequences can be very injurious.”
Despite being legal in most countries, alcohol “is one of the most addictive substances consumed worldwide”, said the America Addiction Centre. Harmful use of alcohol results in more than three million deaths every year.
A 2019 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that binge drinking can significantly increase the risk for high blood pressure, stroke and congestive heart failure.
Brain damage is another potential risk of drinking above the recommended limit. A 2021 study by Oxford University researchers who studied data on more than 25,000 middle-aged adults suggested that even “moderate consumption is associated with more widespread adverse effects on the brain than previously recognised”.
The academics reported that “no safe dose of alcohol for the brain was found” and advised that “current ‘low risk’ drinking guidelines should be revisited”. (For more What level of alcohol is safe? | The Week UK)
Further Research
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FASD Awareness Day 2022: 9th hour – 9th Day – 9th Month
Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder – Sadly Incurable, but Totally Preventable
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FASD - A Global Overview of Children and Youth Inflicted: In this meta-analysis of 24 unique studies and 1416 unique children and youth with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, approximately 8 of 1000 in the general population had fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and 1 of every 13 pregnant women who consumed alcohol during pregnancy delivered a child with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder was found to be notably higher among special populations
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Moderate Drinking Can Protect Your Heart? No, it’s due to other lifestyle factors – Research
Some observational studies demonstrate a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) with light-moderate alcohol intake compared with abstinence or heavy consumption. However, confounding lifestyle factors may explain these patterns.
Comments: Using a novel method to reduce confounding, this study supports a causal and exponential association between alcohol intake and CVD, beginning at low levels of consumption. These findings suggest that the apparent cardioprotective effects of moderate alcohol consumption found in some observational studies are due to confounding lifestyle factors. Moreover, this study supports the theory that no amount of alcohol is protective against CVD.
For complete research Moderate Drinking Can Protect Your Heart? No, it’s due to other lifestyle factors – Research
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Study of cannabis and other drugs as risk factors for female breast cancer USA 2003-2017
Breast cancer (BC) is the commonest human cancer and its incidence (BC incidence, BCI) is rising worldwide. Whilst both tobacco and alcohol have been linked to BCI genotoxic cannabinoids have not been investigated…Data show that exposure to cannabis and the cannabinoids Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, (THC) CBD, CBG and alcoholism fulfil quantitative causal criteria for BCI across space and time. Findings are robust to adjustment for age and several known sociodemographic, socio-economic and hormonal risk factors and establish cannabinoids as an additional risk factor class for breast carcinogenesis. BCI is higher under cannabis-liberal legal paradigms.
For complete Research Study of cannabis and other drugs as risk factors for female breast cancer USA 2003-2017
How long can you detect marijuana (cannabis) in the body?
Research on the amount of time a test can detect cannabis shows a wide range of averages. Research from 2017 estimates a detection window for a single cannabis cigarette of about 3 days.
The same study emphasizes that detection windows vary and depend on how often a person smokes.
It showed:
- For someone smoking cannabis for the first time, tests may detect it for about 3 days.
- In someone who smokes cannabis three or four times per week, the detection window is 5–7 days.
- For people who smoke cannabis once a day or more, tests may detect it in their system for 30 days or longer.
Detection windows also depend on the kind of test a person undertakes. General estimates for various cannabis tests are as follows:
- Urine tests can detect cannabis in the urine for approximately 3–30 days after use.
- Saliva tests can detect cannabis for approximately 24 hours after use. Some saliva tests have detected cannabis for up to 72 hours.
- Hair tests are the most sensitive tests, detecting THC for up to 90 days after use. However, these tests are testing the oil in skin that transfers to hair, and so they may occasionally show a false positive. A person who comes into contact with a THC user could, theoretically, test positive on a hair test.
- Blood tests can only detect THC for 3–4 hours.
For more How long does marijuana stay in your system? Blood, urine, and hair (medicalnewstoday.com)
Death risk for individuals with cannabis use disorders is Higher with alcohol use disorders
Key Takeaways
• There are few studies on mortality on individuals entering treatment for cannabis use disorders (CUD).
• We highlight higher CMRs (Crude Mortality Rates)and SMRs (Standard Mortality Rates) for individuals with both cannabis and alcohol disorders.
• High and statistically significant SMRs were from circulatory system diseases, for men, women, and among CAUDs.
• The results of our study show that individuals with only cannabis use disorders have a lower mortality risk compared to those with cannabis and alcohol use disorders.
Conclusions: The results of this study show that individuals with only cannabis use disorders have a lower mortality risk compared to those with both cannabis and alcohol use disorders.
For complete research click here.
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Vaping: The Latest ‘Blow Back’ - Juul Labs must pay $438.5million (about $800 million AUD) to end a probe of its vape advertising to underage buyers… The deal with over 30 states also restricts Juul’s marketing, for example barring use of people under the age of 35 in its adverts. Click here for more.
One of the latest innovations in the fight against youth vaping, is a game coming out of Yales University, called… SmokeScreen: The Game! https://www.smokescreengame.org/
Take a T-Break to Lower Your High Cannabis Tolerance (Then Quit!)
Reducing your CB1R receptor density is as easy as taking a cannabis break. This is also known as a T-break. The “T” stands for tolerance. This is the best way to lower your cannabis tolerance.
It takes approximately 3 weeks for THC to leave your system. So your cannabis tolerance break should be at least 21 days long.
You may experience withdrawal symptoms if you use cannabis regularly. These typically peak within the first week and can last for up to 2 weeks. Avoiding alcohol and drugs, eating healthy food, exercising, and staying hydrated can help prevent withdrawal. The most common symptoms include:
- Irritability
- Mood changes
- Sleep difficulties
- Decreased appetite
- Cravings
- Restlessness
For more How to Take a Break From Cannabis (webmd.com) and I need to stop this - Help!
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