Stephen Husbands
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stevehusbands.bsky.social
Stephen Husbands
@stevehusbands.bsky.social
Prof of Medicinal Chemistry, Life Sciences, Uni of Bath. Neuropharmacology, pain, illicit drugs, harm reduction. All views my own.
Very proud to be part of the Harm Reduction team at the University of Bath and have our work recognised by the Royal Society of Chemistry
www.rsc.org/standards-an...
Harm Reduction
2025 Analytical Science Horizon Prize: awarded for the application of portable technologies to identify synthetic drugs with positive impact on policing and harm reduction.
www.rsc.org
June 30, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Reposted by Stephen Husbands
We @libdems.org.uk have long called for the government to tackle the alarming rise in vaping among young people.

While this is a positive step, far more must be done to tackle harmful spice spiked vapes, which are almost all refillable, as research by @uniofbath.bsky.social has revealed.
Disposable vapes ban: What you need to know as changes come into effect
The government is banning the sale of single-use disposable vapes in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland
www.independent.co.uk
June 2, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Difficult to give timely harm reduction advice if you don't know what you are dealing with. This will help:
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Field-Portable Device for Detection of Controlled and Psychoactive Substances from e-Cigarettes
Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) are novel psychoactive substances (NPS) that are highly potent and associated with a range of severe toxicities. SC use, which is common in UK prisons and homeless communi...
pubs.acs.org
March 1, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Cold, damp but rather beautiful day on the banks of the Loire. At La Taudiere
December 27, 2024 at 6:13 PM
Visited the wonderful Chateau de Serrant (Loire) today. They even let the dog inside 🙂 Not sure exactly why, but this horse made me laugh
December 26, 2024 at 10:10 PM
Some wildlife photography in Saint Florent le Vieil, under a bridge over the Loire
December 26, 2024 at 12:15 PM
Found some sun (and wind) on La Côte Sauvage Comite
December 23, 2024 at 11:58 AM
Wind and rain due, so probably time to move on from Normandy
December 21, 2024 at 5:38 PM
Nice spot for the night, overlooking Mont St Michel
December 20, 2024 at 5:53 PM
Through the tunnel and heading west. Parked up in Saint-James for the night
December 19, 2024 at 6:23 PM
Lovely clear air over Bath after the storm.
December 8, 2024 at 8:34 PM
www.ft.com/content/6b19...
Good to see opioid deaths in the US falling, even if it's not clear why,....
Fentanyl deaths are falling. What’s behind the decline?
The evidence points to changes in the drug supply
www.ft.com
November 30, 2024 at 9:17 PM
Enjoyed the walk up to the University of Bath today.
November 28, 2024 at 1:00 PM
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
They do say gnomes possess magical powers,.....
Dutch police find 2kg gnome made of MDMA during drug bust
Police say they tested the gnome after finding it among suspected narcotics.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 23, 2024 at 9:34 AM
www.bath.ac.uk/announcement...

We've become really interested in vapes/vaping after finding such a high percentage of vapes confiscated in English schools had synthetic cannabinoids in them. Really easy to pick up with the right technology.
English school children unwittingly smoking spice-spiked vapes, finds University of Bath
Testing hundreds of confiscated vapes in 38 schools in England reveals 1 in 6 (16.6%) contained spice
www.bath.ac.uk
November 18, 2024 at 4:19 PM
It's the weekend, so a non work post of the dog, Dakin
November 16, 2024 at 7:52 PM
open.substack.com/pub/iandunt/...

Excellent. Harm reduction for social media.
Twitter is dead. Long live BlueSky.
The exodus is real.
open.substack.com
November 15, 2024 at 5:58 PM
With lots of vapes from schools being found to contain synthetic cannabinoids and with some ketamine and MDMA turning up, how are vapes viewed in terms of #harmreduction ? Might attract more to using drugs, but perhaps safer with less chance of overdose??
November 12, 2024 at 10:33 PM
Better quality centres would help reduce drug use, but in the meantime better drug testing/checking
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024...
Death in UK immigration removal centre is the first believed to be linked to the drug spice
Staff at Brook House had warned it was ‘only a matter of time’ before someone died as a result of taking the drug
www.theguardian.com
November 10, 2024 at 7:49 AM
Bath was looking dramatic the other night
November 9, 2024 at 6:18 PM