Prof Harry Sumnall

We co-developed a resource with people with living experience of using pharmacies for substance use services, to support pharmacy teams to better understand what it feels like & reduce stigma. Free, just need to download. Please do share:
express-licences.bristol.ac.uk/product/voic...

A novel psychedelic 5-HT2A receptor agonist GM-2505: The pharmacokinetic, safety, and pharmacodynamic profile from a randomized trial healthy volunteer - Gerard J. Marek, Soma Makai-Bölöni, Daniel Umb... Background: The treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) with available antidepressant drugs is characterized by considerable ineffectiveness. Classical psy...

First human PK data from a novel psychedelic (bretisilocin) just published. Massive landmark in psychedelic drug development.
> Looks good on standard measures.
> Fast onset (20-30 mins) and washout (2 hours). Maybe the perfect drug for psychedelic therapy?
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

Lecturer in Criminology at University of Sheffield Apply for the Lecturer in Criminology role on jobs.ac.uk, the top job board for academic positions in higher education. View details and apply now.

We need two new full-time lecturers in #criminology here at @sheffielduni.bsky.social. One permanent share.google/RuTNSJWfvkuK... and one 12 month maternity cover share.google/xzf5icskztO9...

I wrote a piece about the rise of “pink cocaine”, a drug for the modern age, in Colombia, Spain and now in the UK.

unherd.com/2025/10/why-...

Opportunity to join our team as a drug related deaths admin and research support officer (closing date 09/10/25). jobs.ljmu.ac.uk/vacancy/drug...

Britain is not yet an opioid nation but rising drug death... Policymakers are alert to the growing menace of opioids, if not to the most effective solutions

@profhrs.bsky.social & I sopke to @marthagill.bsky.social for this piece observer.co.uk/news/opinion...

🚨 Think you can stay one step ahead of emerging drug threats?

We’re hiring a Scientific analyst (AD 6) to help operate and develop the EU Early Warning System on new psychoactive substances.

📅 Apply by 17 October: euda.europa.eu/calls/2025/ad202506_en

#EUCareers

New CPD-accredited training from the Anti-Stigma Network & Adfam: tackling stigma around substance use. For frontline staff working with individuals and families.
📅 Wed 19 Nov 2025, 9.30–3.30 (online via Zoom) 🎟️ £95 members / £110 non-members 🔗 Book here: zurl.co/jAXsO
Questions: admin@adfam.org.uk

Cannabis-based products for medicinal use Call for evidence to support ACMD's review of changes to legislation on the use of cannabis-based products for medicinal purposes (CBPMs).

The ACMD has just published its call for evidence on cannabis-based products for medicinal use in the United Kingdom, as part of its ongoing review. www.gov.uk/government/c...

I seem to have been discussing pilot and feasibility studies a lot this week. One question often asked is how big should my pilot/feasibility study be? 1/6
#MethodologyMonday #124

Pleased to see that the 30th Royal College of General Practitioners & Addiction Professionals 'Managing Addictions in Primary Care Conference' will be held in Liverpool 26-27 February 2026

rcgp.my.site.com/s/lt-event?i...

This is a great summary of how the tobacco industry weaponises the illicit market to serve their own agenda.

There looks like a high number of retailers in the SW vs assumed lower population compared with the NW. Is this also the influence of ports? Liverpool's docks didn't develop until the early 18th C, which could explain lower than expected number...?

Alcohol Occasional 3: Scotland’s first Managed Alcohol Programme Join us online for our third seminar of the 2025 series, delivered by Dr Emma King, Dr Hannah Carver and Jessica Greenhalgh.

🔊Register now for our upcoming seminar on Scotland's first Managed Alcohol Programme.

12.45 - 2pm, Mon 1 Sep 2025 @sarnalcohol.bsky.social
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/alcohol-oc...

Evaluation of nitazene immunoassay test strips for rapid in-situ detection of nitazene and nitazene analogs in illicit drug samples - Harm Reduction Journal Background The detection of nitazene compounds in the United Kingdom has raised concerns among healthcare professionals, public health authorities, and law enforcement due to the increased risk of fat...

New paper published by Dr Victoria Marland and colleagues, an evaluation of nitazene test strips. Their conclusions recommend caution when used in front-line testing, and highlight false positive results associated with the presence of caffeine
harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

Ketamine harms assessment The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is calling for evidence on ketamine use, harms and interventions.

Want to contribute to the ACMD review of ketamine related harms? Then why not participate in the call for evidence. Closes 19th August. www.gov.uk/government/c...

Introducing: The New Collective Voice Affected Others Group! - Collective Voice Adfam and Collective Voice are excited to announce the launch of a brand-new group, bringing together organisations supporting families affected by substance use and individuals with lived experience, to work together to improve support for affected others.

@adfam.bsky.social and Collective Voice are excited to announce the launch of a brand-new group, bringing together organisations supporting #families affected by #substance use and individuals with lived experience, to work together to improve support. www.collectivevoice.org.uk/news/introdu...

Financial Incentives for Substance Abstinence: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis AbstractIntroduction. Substance use disorder (SUD) increased by 45% globally in the past 10 years, representing one of the largest increases in risk factor

Offering financial incentives (including contingency management models) is an effective way to reduce substance use, particularly nicotine and alcohol. There's some emerging evidence around use of incentives for other drugs such as opioids and stimulants academic.oup.com/ntr/article/...

BBC Radio 4 - Understand, The Trip - Episode guide All episodes of The Trip

It seems I will feature in a few of the forthcoming episodes of the new 12-part BBC Radio 4 documentary about #psychedelics called "The Trip", which runs across two weeks starting next Monday, at 13:45 daily, Mon-Fri.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

I've written a piece for @addiction-ssa.org on Alcoholics Anonymous, exploring it's current role - and tensions - within the current recovery landscape 90 years after its first meetings were held. Please share 🙏

www.addiction-ssa.org/features/ess...

#alcoholicsanonymous #recovery #addiction

*PARTICIPANTS*
Have you been out /worked in bars, pubs, and clubs in Liverpool City Centre in the past 12 months? We want to hear about your perceptions of safety for LGBTQIA+ people in straight nightlife in Liverpool. You will be compensated for your valuable time. PM or email E.Hearne@ljmu.ac.uk

Tackling Stigma in Healthcare

Drum roll please...

Today I’m so excited to launch a new global network – Tackling Stigma in Healthcare.

Check out the website: tacklingstigmainhealthcare.com

Psychedelics in mental health: still a field full of hype, hope… & huge gaps in evidence buff.ly/nBGYa3B

New blog by leading experts sets out 5 priorities to move the field forward — from better trial design to preparing health systems. Let’s unpack them 👇

🧵 THREAD

#Psychedelics #MentalHealth

Risk of drug-related mortality among people receiving opioid-agonist treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland The COVID-19 pandemic led to changes in delivery of opioid-agonist treatment (OAT) and risk of drug-related harm in Scotland. This study aimed to (i) …

Our latest [open access] paper evaluated what happened to drug-related mortality risk among people with opioid dependence in Scotland during the Covid-19 pandemic. In short, they stabilised (at a very high level), and OAT remained highly protective. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

“At this stage, no clinical evidence of injection nor symptoms suggesting the administration of a psychoactive substance have been found."

New publication! ‘Exposure to #alcohol content in the media is a factor in experimenting with alcohol and continued use. This review extends this view to consider #SocialNorms and #SocialIdentity as a potential pathway through which alcohol marketing exerts its effect’

www.mdpi.com/3391466

We have published our new review 'Recent Innovations to Detect and Intervene to Prevent Opioid Overdose Deaths' led by Basak Tas and John Strang.

kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/pu...

Why is youth drinking in decline?

Listen to our latest podcast to hear why it's more than any one cause, and needs to be understood from a broader sociological position of generational change.
Ft. @jholmessheff.bsky.social and @amypennay.bsky.social

Listen here: www.ias.org.uk/podcast/why-...

Delighted to see our editorial on the medicinal and non-medicinal use of ketamine published today. @ssa-addiction.bsky.social @addictionjournal.bsky.social @rcpsych.bsky.social

Study shows 110k people affected by domestic abuse on Merseyside A report finds support services in the region are overstretched and need stable, long-term funding.

Great to see @bbcnewslive.bsky.social covering this vital research from LJMU and @womensaid.bsky.social which highlights that domestic abuse services in Merseyside are overstretched, with 117,000 affected annually.

Read more ➡️ www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...