Latest news with #LSD
Local France
12 hours ago
- Health
- Local France
Why has the UK banned imports of French and Italian cheeses?
Bad news for UK residents who like iconic French cheeses such as artisan-produced brie, roquefort and reblochon or Italian classics such as pecorino ... these will no longer be available after the UK banned their imports from France or Italy. However if you are in those countries - or any other EU country - you can enjoy them to your heart's content. So what's going on? The UK's agriculture ministry Defra says that all imports of cheeses made in France or Italy with unpasturised milk are now banned. This affects any cheese made with raw milk or unpasturised milk - including some of France's most famous cheeses such as Vacherin, Roquefort, Mimolette and Tomme. Brie made by small artisan producers is likely to be unpasturised, although factory-produced brie can be made with pasturised milk. Advertisement It affects fewer Italian cheeses as the big names such as Parmesan are made with pasturised milk, but artisan-produced mozzarella is often made with raw milk, as is pecorino. You can find a full list of the affected cheeses here . Any cheeses produced before May 23rd are exempt, if the importer can produce the necessary paperwork - meaning that shortages will become apparent gradually, as some aged cheeses will continue to be imported over the next few months. The rules mostly affect commercial imports, but theoretically also apply to holidaymakers wanting to bring back a wheel of lovely, stinky European cheese. All of the above cheeses remain on sale throughout the EU. So why the UK ban? It's due to an outbreak of a cattle disease with the imaginative name of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) which, you will be surprised to hear, causes lumps on the skin of affected cattle. In France the disease is known as dermatose nodulaire contagieuse (DNC). It is spread by the bites of flies and mosquitoes. Italy confirmed its first case in Sardinia on June 21st, 2025, leading the UK to revoke Italy's LSD-free status and suspend unpasturised imports. France reported its first LSD case near Chambéry on June 29th. Quarantine zones are in place in the affected areas with a vaccination programme for the cattle, but cheese sales have not been suspended. The UK's import ban also affects the import of live cattle. Can Lumpy Skin Disease be spread by eating cheese? No, there is no risk to humans from eating cheese that has been produced by a cow suffering from LSD, and in fact humans cannot get LSD under any circumstances. The UK government says that it is acting to prevent the spread of the virus among British cattle - hence the ban on live cattle imports. It says that the virus can survive in raw milk, including cheese made with raw milk. So if a British cow ate a brie sandwich then it could get Lumpy Skin Disease. That sounds like a small risk? Frustrated cheese sellers in the UK say that the ban is disproportionate. Cheese-mongers told The Grocer magazine that the ban is "costly, illogical and deeply frustrating", saying there is no risk to people from these cheeses. Advertisement Shane Holland, a cheese retailer based in London, told UK newspaper The Independent : "The bigger question is, what is the ban for? "We completely understand restricting the movement of live cattle. LSD is an infectious disease from cattle to cattle. But if we're talking about from cattle to milk, there's no cattle-to-human transmission at all. Even if there was the tiniest risk, it's not being consumed by cattle anyway." A Defra spokesperson stood by the ban, saying: 'This government will do whatever it takes to protect British farmers and their herds from disease,' adding that most Italian cheeses, such as Parmesan, Mozzarella and Gorgonzola, should be unaffected as they are largely pasteurised. However the UK is not the only country to impose a ban - Canada has also banned imports of unpasturised cheese from France, Italy and Switzerland. Advertisement Is this why Eurostar is telling me I can't take a ham sandwich on my journey from Paris to London? No, that's a different issue, it's because of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in continental Europe. Germany detected an outbreak in January but has since been declared FMD-free, however subsequent outbreaks in Hungary and Slovakia have persisted. In response, the UK recently announced that it has banned imports of meat or dairy products from European countries where the virus has been detected, as well as Austria due to the outbreak in neighbouring Hungary. However travellers are being advised that meat and dairy products from all EU countries are banned, which is why you may have received an email from Eurostar or ferry companies if you have recently travelled from France to the UK. Foot and mouth disease does not affect humans but is highly contagious among cattle. A major outbreak in the UK in 2001 led to the culling of more than six million animals and cost the economy billions, devastating the livestock industry and tourism.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Karnataka cops resume booking drug usersto cut demand & trace peddlers
Bengaluru: In a policy shift, police have resumed the practice of booking drug users too, in addition to taking action on peddlers and their networks. Officials say the move under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act is intended to curb demand and extract critical leads to track peddlers. Monday, police arrested a Kerala-based man in Avalahalli, on the city's outskirts, with 32 LSD pills in his possession. Alongside him, a suspected buyer—a young professional—was also taken into custody. Both are now facing charges under the NDPS Act and are being interrogated. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru For the past few years, Bengaluru police had largely refrained from booking drug consumers, citing concerns over alleged corruption in investigations. During the period, consumers were usually produced before magistrates, fined, and let off without criminal prosecution. However, this method had a side effect — investigations often stopped at the consumer level, making it hard to track the peddling networks operating in the city. City police commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said the revised approach is part of a broader strategy to crack down on the drug trade more effectively. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo "Consumers are vital links in the drug network. By booking them, we can trace the source. A case is a case, and every participant should be brought to justice," he told TOI. DG&IGP MA Saleem confirmed that the policy shift is being implemented statewide. Police superintendents and commissioners across districts have been asked to work closely with public prosecutors, both at the chargesheet stage and during trials, to secure more convictions in drug cases. Records show that from Jan 2021 to Feb this year, Karnataka registered 23,869 NDPS cases. Of these, 9,534 led to convictions, while around 300 suspects were acquitted. Bengaluru and its surrounding areas accounted for 13,115 of these cases, with 5,587 convictions, underscoring the city's role as a prime target for drug networks. ADGP (law and order) R Hitendra said conviction rates in cities like Mangaluru, Belagavi, and Mysuru remain lower compared to Bengaluru. "We are focusing on minimising errors in booking cases and filing chargesheets. Often, suspects secure acquittal because of procedural lapses. That needs to change. We are training the staff," he said. Advocate Srinivasa Rao also backed the move to prosecute consumers and said the NDPS Act provides for punishment for possession, even in small quantities meant for personal use. "However, in practice, consumers are often left out of criminal cases. By bringing everyone under the legal framework, investigations can become more thorough and may lead to unmasking the supply chain," he added. Police officials acknowledged that with the addition of consumers to NDPS cases, the total number of reported cases is expected to rise. But they argue that this will provide a more accurate picture of the drug problem, allowing law enforcement agencies to mount stronger and more targeted crackdowns.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
RFK Jr. and other Trump officials embrace psychedelics after FDA setback
WASHINGTON (AP) — For decades, proponents of psychedelic drugs have come to Washington with a provocative message: Illegal, mind-altering substances like LSD and ecstasy should be approved for Americans grappling with depression, trauma and other hard-to-treat conditions. A presidential administration finally seems to agree. 'This line of therapeutics has tremendous advantage if given in a clinical setting and we are working very hard to make sure that happens within 12 months,' Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently told members of Congress. His suggested timeline for green-lighting psychedelic therapy surprised even the most bullish supporters of the drugs. And it comes as psychedelics are making inroads in deep red states like Texas, where former Trump cabinet secretary and ex-governor Rick Perry has thrown his full support behind the effort. The administration's embrace of psychedelics has sparked both excitement as well as concern from those in the field, who worry the drugs might be discredited if they appear to be rushed onto the market or are too closely linked with Kennedy, who is known for controversial views on vaccines, antidepressants and fluoride. 'I'm quite optimistic,' says Rick Doblin, whose organization has pursued the medical use of MDMA (or ecstasy) since the 1980s. 'But I'm also worried that the message the public might get is 'Well, RFK likes psychedelics and now it's approved.'' FDA may reconsider MDMA Under President Joe Biden, the FDA rejected MDMA as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, citing flawed data and questionable research. Regulators called for a new study, likely taking several years. It was a major setback for Doblin and other advocates hoping to see the first U.S. approval of a psychedelic for medical use. But the agency appears ready to reconsider. FDA chief Marty Makary, who reports to Kennedy, has called the evaluation of MDMA and other psychedelics 'a top priority,' announcing a slate of initiatives that could be used to accelerate their approval. One new program promises to expedite drugs that serve 'the health interests of Americans,' by slashing their review time from six months or more to as little as one month. Makary has also suggested greater flexibility on requirements for certain drugs, potentially waiving rigorous controlled studies that compare patients to a placebo group. That approach, considered essential for high-quality research, has long been a stumbling point for psychedelic studies, in which patients can almost always correctly guess whether they've received the drug or a dummy pill. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and FDA also recently hired several new staffers with ties to the psychedelic movement. 'These are all very promising signs that the administration is aware of the potential of psychedelics and is trying to make overtures that they're ready to approve them,' said Greg Ferenstein, a fellow at the libertarian Reason Foundation, who also consults for psychedelic companies. 'We didn't hear anything about that in the Biden administration' A spokesperson for HHS did not respond to a request for comment. As a presidential candidate, Kennedy discussed how his son and several close friends benefited from using psychedelics to deal with grief and other issues. A number of veterans lobbying for psychedelic access have already met with Trump's Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Doug Collins. 'What we're seeing so far is positive,' Collins told House lawmakers in May. But some experts worry the hope and hype surrounding psychedelics has gotten ahead of the science. Philip Corlett, a psychiatric researcher at Yale University, says bypassing rigorous clinical trials could set back the field and jeopardize patients. "If Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the new administration are serious about this work, there are things they could do to shepherd it into reality by meeting the benchmarks of medical science," Corlett said. 'I just don't think that's going to happen.' Texas goes all-in on ibogaine research As officials in Washington weigh the future of psychedelics, some states are moving ahead with their own projects in hopes of nudging the federal government. Oregon and Colorado have legalized psychedelic therapy. And last month, Texas approved $50 million to study ibogaine, a potent psychedelic made from a shrub that's native to West Africa, as a treatment for opioid addiction, PTSD and other conditions. The research grant — the largest of its kind by any government — passed with support from the state's former GOP governor, Perry, and combat veterans, some who have traveled to clinics in Mexico that offer ibogaine. Ibogaine is on the U.S. government's ultra-restrictive list of illegal, Schedule 1 drugs, which also includes heroin. So advocates in Texas are hoping to build a national movement to ease restrictions on researching its use. 'Governmental systems move slowly and inefficiently,' said Bryan Hubbard of Americans for Ibogaine, a group formed with Perry. 'Sometimes you find yourself constrained in terms of the progress you can make from within.' Ibogaine is unique among psychedelics in both its purported benefits and risks. Small studies and anecdotal reports suggest the drug may be able to dramatically ease addiction and trauma. It was sold for medical use in France for several decades starting in the 1930s, but the drug can also cause dangerous irregular heart rhythms, which can be fatal if left untreated. Some veterans who have taken the drug say the risks can be managed and ibogaine's healing properties go far beyond antidepressants, mood stabilizers, counseling and other standard treatments. Marcus Capone struggled with anger, insomnia and mood swings after 13 years as a Navy Seal. In 2017, at the urging of his wife Amber, he agreed to try ibogaine as a last resort. He described his first ibogaine session as 'a complete purge of everything.' 'But afterward I felt the weight just completely off my shoulders,' he said. 'No more anxiety, no more depression, life made sense all of a sudden.' A nonprofit founded by the Capones, Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions, or VETS, has helped over 1,000 veterans travel abroad to receive ibogaine and other psychedelics. But federal scientists have looked at the drug before — three decades ago, when the National Institute on Drug Abuse funded preliminary studies on using it as an addiction treatment. The research was discontinued after it identified 'cardiovascular toxicity." 'It would be dead in the water,' in terms of winning FDA approval, longtime NIDA director Nora Volkow said. But Volkow said her agency remains interested in psychedelics, including ibogaine, and is funding an American drugmaker that's working to develop a safer, synthetic version of the drug. 'I am very intrigued by their pharmacological properties and how they are influencing the brain,' Volkow said. 'But you also have to be very mindful not to fall into the hype and to be objective and rigorous in evaluating them.' ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 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Time of India
6 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
RFK Jr. and other Trump officials embrace psychedelics after FDA setback
Washington: For decades, proponents of psychedelic drugs have come to Washington with a provocative message: Illegal, mind-altering substances like LSD and ecstasy should be approved for Americans grappling with depression, trauma and other hard-to-treat conditions. A presidential administration finally seems to agree. "This line of therapeutics has tremendous advantage if given in a clinical setting and we are working very hard to make sure that happens within 12 months," Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently told members of Congress. His suggested timeline for green-lighting psychedelic therapy surprised even the most bullish supporters of the drugs. And it comes as psychedelics are making inroads in deep red states like Texas, where former Trump cabinet secretary and ex-governor Rick Perry has thrown his full support behind the effort. The administration's embrace of psychedelics has sparked both excitement as well as concern from those in the field, who worry the drugs might be discredited if they appear to be rushed onto the market or are too closely linked with Kennedy, who is known for controversial views on vaccines, antidepressants and fluoride. "I'm quite optimistic," says Rick Doblin, whose organization has pursued the medical use of MDMA (or ecstasy) since the 1980s. "But I'm also worried that the message the public might get is 'Well, RFK likes psychedelics and now it's approved.'" FDA may reconsider MDMA Under President Joe Biden, the FDA rejected MDMA as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, citing flawed data and questionable research. Regulators called for a new study, likely taking several years. It was a major setback for Doblin and other advocates hoping to see the first U.S. approval of a psychedelic for medical use. But the agency appears ready to reconsider. FDA chief Marty Makary, who reports to Kennedy, has called the evaluation of MDMA and other psychedelics "a top priority," announcing a slate of initiatives that could be used to accelerate their approval. One new program promises to expedite drugs that serve "the health interests of Americans," by slashing their review time from six months or more to as little as one month. Makary has also suggested greater flexibility on requirements for certain drugs, potentially waiving rigorous controlled studies that compare patients to a placebo group. That approach, considered essential for high-quality research, has long been a stumbling point for psychedelic studies, in which patients can almost always correctly guess whether they've received the drug or a dummy pill. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and FDA also recently hired several new staffers with ties to the psychedelic movement. "These are all very promising signs that the administration is aware of the potential of psychedelics and is trying to make overtures that they're ready to approve them," said Greg Ferenstein, a fellow at the libertarian Reason Foundation, who also consults for psychedelic companies. "We didn't hear anything about that in the Biden administration" A spokesperson for HHS did not respond to a request for comment. As a presidential candidate, Kennedy discussed how his son and several close friends benefited from using psychedelics to deal with grief and other issues. A number of veterans lobbying for psychedelic access have already met with Trump's Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Doug Collins. "What we're seeing so far is positive," Collins told House lawmakers in May. But some experts worry the hope and hype surrounding psychedelics has gotten ahead of the science. Philip Corlett, a psychiatric researcher at Yale University, says bypassing rigorous clinical trials could set back the field and jeopardize patients. "If RFK and the new administration are serious about this work, there are things they could do to shepherd it into reality by meeting the benchmarks of medical science," Corlett said. "I just don't think that's going to happen." Texas goes all-in on ibogaine research As officials in Washington weigh the future of psychedelics, some states are moving ahead with their own projects in hopes of nudging the federal government. Oregon and Colorado have legalized psychedelic therapy. And last month, Texas approved $50 million to study ibogaine, a potent psychedelic made from a shrub that's native to West Africa, as a treatment for opioid addiction, PTSD and other conditions. The research grant - the largest of its kind by any government - passed with support from the state's former GOP governor, Perry, and combat veterans, some who have traveled to clinics in Mexico that offer ibogaine. Ibogaine is on the U.S. government's ultra-restrictive list of illegal, Schedule 1 drugs, which also includes heroin. So advocates in Texas are hoping to build a national movement to ease restrictions on researching its use. "Governmental systems move slowly and inefficiently," said Bryan Hubbard of Americans for Ibogaine, a group formed with Perry. "Sometimes you find yourself constrained in terms of the progress you can make from within." Ibogaine is unique among psychedelics in both its purported benefits and risks. Small studies and anecdotal reports suggest the drug may be able to dramatically ease addiction and trauma. It was sold for medical use in France for several decades starting in the 1930s, but the drug can also cause dangerous irregular heart rhythms, which can be fatal if left untreated. Some veterans who have taken the drug say the risks can be managed and ibogaine's healing properties go far beyond antidepressants, mood stabilizers, counseling and other standard treatments. Marcus Capone struggled with anger, insomnia and mood swings after 13 years as a Navy Seal. In 2017, at the urging of his wife Amber, he agreed to try ibogaine as a last resort. He described his first ibogaine session as "a complete purge of everything." "But afterward I felt the weight just completely off my shoulders," he said. "No more anxiety, no more depression, life made sense all of a sudden." A nonprofit founded by the Capones, Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions, or VETS, has helped over 1,000 veterans travel abroad to receive ibogaine and other psychedelics. But federal scientists have looked at the drug before - three decades ago, when the National Institute on Drug Abuse funded preliminary studies on using it as an addiction treatment. The research was discontinued after it identified "cardiovascular toxicity." "It would be dead in the water," in terms of winning FDA approval, longtime NIDA director Nora Volkow said. But Volkow said her agency remains interested in psychedelics, including ibogaine, and is funding an American drugmaker that's working to develop a safer, synthetic version of the drug. "I am very intrigued by their pharmacological properties and how they are influencing the brain," Volkow said. "But you also have to be very mindful not to fall into the hype and to be objective and rigorous in evaluating them."
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
Trump signs bill to keep tough sentences for fentanyl traffickers
The law places fentanyl on the Drug Enforcement Administration's list of most serious drugs with no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. The list includes drugs such as heroin, cocaine and LSD. Fentanyl has been temporarily assigned to the Schedule 1 category since 2018. The law makes the designation permanent. The law also makes permanent mandatory minimum penalties of five years in prison for trafficking 10 grams of fentanyl and 10 years for 100 grams. "It doesn't sound like much, but it's a big deal," Trump said. The Department of Homeland Security seized 27,000 pounds of fentanyl and arrested 3,600 criminal suspects in 2024. More than 105,000 people nationwide died of drug overdoses in 2023, including nearly 73,000 from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The crackdown on fentanyl distribution is also at the heart of current U.S. trade disputes with China, Mexico and Canada. Trump imposed tariffs on those countries, citing the threat of cross-border fentanyl trafficking. "We are delivering another defeat for the savage drug smugglers and criminals and the cartels," Trump said. Parents of several people who died after overdosing on fentanyl spoke at the event. Anne Fundner, whose 15-year-old son Weston died of an accidental fentanyl overdose in 2022, previously spoke at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last year. "It is a lifeline for families across America for keeping our families safe," Fundner said of the legislation. "This is what we voted for, Mr. President." Gregory Swan, whose 24-year-old son Drew died of fentanyl poisoning, started a group known as Fentanyl Fathers, in which parents tell their story to high schools across America. "His passing ruined, I thought, my life," Swan said. "There's despair and there's hopelessness. But we've been able to find some repose in going out and advocating."
