Big Alcohol – Big Interference: Unnecessary Harm Podcast – SPECIAL DRY in JULY Episode – #alcoholawareness#soberinspiration
In this eye-opening episode of The Unnecessary Harm Podcast, we sit down with Kristina Spikova, President of Movendi International, a global network of over 170 organizations fighting alcohol harm across 63 countries. As we celebrate Dry July, Kristina reveals the shocking truth about Big Alcohol’s predatory tactics and their devastating impact on global development.
With her extensive experience in public health advocacy, Kristina exposes how alcohol directly affects 15 out of 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, from poverty and hunger to gender equality and climate change. She discusses the alarming rise in alcohol-related violence, the industry’s deceptive marketing targeting women and children, and the environmental destruction caused by alcohol production – including the staggering 270 liters of water needed to produce just one liter of beer.
Kristina also highlights recent scientific research which underscores the health risks associated with alcohol consumption, noting its classification as a Group 1 carcinogen, alongside substances like tobacco and asbestos. From the WHO’s “best buys” policies to Big Alcohol’s corporate interference at the UN level, this conversation provides crucial insights into the global fight against one of the world’s most harmful legal substances.
by Ingrid Fadelli, Phys.org – edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Robert Egan – The GIST – June 26, 2025
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Cannabis, also known as marijuana or weed, is widely consumed worldwide, whether for recreational or medicinal purposes. Over the past decades, the use of cannabis has been fully legalized or decriminalized in various countries worldwide, including Canada, many U.S. states, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Portugal.
While some studies have found that cannabis and especially cannabidiol (i.e., the non-intoxicating compound contained in it) can have medicinal effects, others have linked the abuse of its psychoactive variations (i.e., containing tetrahydrocannabinol or THC) with a greater risk of being diagnosed with psychiatric disorders.
As many individuals worldwide use cannabis on a regular basis, understanding the mechanisms that could link its consumption with psychiatric disorders could be highly valuable, as it might help to identify factors that increase the risk of developing specific disorders.
In a paper published in Nature Mental Health, researchers at Yale University School of Medicine, the Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System and Washington University School of Medicine shed new light on the genetic associations between cannabis use, cannabis use disorder (CanUD) and various psychiatric disorders.
CanUD is a mental health disorder characterized by a continued use of cannabis, difficulties experienced when trying to cut down its consumption or cease using it altogether, and an interference of the substance with daily activities, relationships or responsibilities.
“Increasing prevalence of cannabis use and CanUD may increase risk for psychiatric disorders,” wrote Marco Galimberti, Cassie Overstreet and their colleagues in their paper. “We evaluated the relationships between these cannabis traits and a range of psychiatric traits, running global and local genetic correlations, genomic structural equation modeling, colocalization analyses and Mendelian randomization analyses for causality.”
Genomic-SEM. Genomic-SEM analyses of cannabis traits (CanUD and cannabis use) and psychiatric disorders for a three-factor model. Credit: Galimberti et al. (Nature Mental Health, 2025).
The researchers analyzed genetic, psychiatric and psychological data collected as part of earlier studies, using various statistical techniques. First, they tried to detect genetic patterns that linked cannabis use with specific psychiatric and personality traits, using a technique known as genomic structural equation modeling.
Subsequently, they ran colocalization analyses, a statistical analysis that allowed them to uncover instances where two traits shared the same underlying genetic variant. Finally, they used a technique called Mendelian randomization to uncover causal relationships between traits, or in other words, if a sporadic or problematic use of cannabis caused specific disorders via genetic factors and vice versa.
“Global genetic analyses identified significantly different correlations between CanUD and cannabis use,” wrote Galimberti, Overstreet and their colleagues. “A variant in strong linkage disequilibrium to one regulating CHRNA2 was significantly shared by CanUD and schizophrenia in colocalization analysis and included in a significant region in local genetic correlations between these traits. A three-factor model from genomic structural equation modeling showed that CanUD and cannabis use partially map together onto a factor with major depressive disorder and ADHD.”
Interestingly, the researchers found that although cannabis use and CanUD are in some ways related, they had different genetic relationships with psychiatric disorders. In fact, they found that variations in the regulation of the gene CHRNA2, which has also been linked to nicotine consumption and dopamine signaling, were common to both schizophrenia and CanUD, but not to casual or general cannabis use.
“In terms of causality, CanUD showed bidirectional causal relationships with most tested psychiatric disorders, differently from cannabis use,” wrote Galimberti, Overstreet and their colleagues. “Increasing use of cannabis can increase rates of psychiatric disorders over time, especially in individuals who progress from cannabis use to CanUD.”
Overall, the findings of this recent study suggest that there is a bi-directional genetic relationship between the abuse of cannabis, specifically CanUD, and various psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, ADHD, depression, and bipolar disorder. In other words, it appears that CanUD could increase the risk of developing mental health disorders, and being diagnosed with some psychiatric disorders could also prompt abuse of cannabis.
This recent work could potentially inform the development of public health interventions aimed at monitoring or limiting people’s consumption of cannabis early, to reduce the risk that they will later develop psychiatric disorders. In addition, the analyses could inspire other research groups to delve deeper into the genetic associations they uncovered, potentially by analyzing a wider pool of genetic, psychological and medical data.
Written for you by our author Ingrid Fadelli, edited by Gaby Clark , and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Egan —this article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You’ll get an ad-free account as a thank-you.
More information: Marco Galimberti et al, The genetic relationship between cannabis use disorder, cannabis use and psychiatric disorders, Nature Mental Health (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s44220-025-00440-4.
This is the first systematic review of the safety of ketamine in the treatment of depression after single and repeated doses. We searched MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Databases and identified 288 articles, 60 of which met the inclusion criteria. After acute dosing, psychiatric, psychotomimetic, cardiovascular, neurological, and other side-effects were more frequently reported after ketamine treatment than after placebo in patients with depresssion. Our findings suggest a selective reporting bias with limited assessment of long-term use and safety and after repeated dosing, despite these being reported in other patient groups exposed to ketamine (eg, those with chronic pain) and in recreational users. We recommend large-scale clinical trials that include multiple doses of ketamine and long-term follow up to assess the safety of long-term regular use.
by Steven T. Bell, Special Agent in Charge – Omaha Drug Enforcement Administration, and Emily Murray.
February 18, 2025
In an effort to build on drug education messaging to tribal communities, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Omaha Division worked with the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and Mandaree High School of North Dakota to develop a poster that blends Native Indian imagery with wording emphasizing the importance of culture over drug use.
During visits to tribal communities, DEA’s community outreach specialist noticed posters sounding the alarm to human trafficking, domestic violence and missing and murdered indigenous women at schools and buildings across Reservations. The common thread tying each poster together was an emphasis on native culture.
Looking to build on the Good Medicine Bundle
Culture-based prevention resources available through DEA’s Operation Prevention, conversation began on how best to help tribal communities relate to important messaging on drug use. Elders were consulted and the vision of a poster, reflecting youth, culture and the DEA mission, began to take shape.
With permission from the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, photos reflecting tribal values were taken in Norfolk. Youth from the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska highlighted the significant role dance plays in Native Indian Culture. Dancing is used to tell stories, honor ancestors and celebrate important events. A photo of a drum from Mandaree High School places importance on the sacred instrument often used to symbolize the heartbeat of the earth. The wording at the top of the poster, “Drumming and Dance: The Heartbeat of our Culture, NOTDRUGS,” was written for tribal members to feel connected with the poster.
“It’s critical that we find ways to communicate with all members of our communities about the dangers of drug use,” DEA Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge Steven T. Bell said. “Our hope is that this poster resonates with tribal communities and sparks conversation about life choices and their ensuing consequences.”
