DrugWise Daily |
21st April 2026 |
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UK news
Oral nicotine pouches and oral health – an update for the dental team
Oral nicotine pouches (ONPs – also referred to as nicotine pouches) are a tobacco-free product, held between the user's lip and gum to provide a source of nicotine. They are pre-portioned small, permeable bags sold in various nicotine strengths, with other ingredients, such as additives and flavourings | British Dental Journal, UK
Takeaway to be turned into addiction recovery hub
Northumberland County Council has approved an application from Charter Recovery Housing (CRH) to turn a derelict unit on Coomassie Road, Blyth, into a drop-in centre | BBC, UK
Andrew Lloyd Webber says his late son Nicholas was also an alcoholic as composer reveals how he had to get sober after his drinking left his family 'in a desperate state'
Andrew Lloyd Webber has revealed that his late son Nicholas was an alcoholic, after the composer spoke about his own drinking struggles for the first time. The West End mogul, 78, revealed on Saturday that he was a 'recovering alcoholic', and that he realised he needed help after he began to drink in secret | Mail Online, UK
SARG professors appointed to Institute of Alcohol Studies Expert Advisory Panel
The Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG) is pleased to announce that Professor John Holmes and Professor Colin Angus have joined the Expert Advisory Panel for the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) | SARG, UK
Vaisakhi Celebrations at The Forward Trust
On 17 April, The Forward Trust’s HQ was transformed into a vibrant, festive space as the Race ERG hosted a special event to celebrate Vaisakhi. Marked across various parts of India and around the world, Vaisakhi is both a harvest festival and a New Year celebration | Forward Trust, UK
Branding the Game: Alcohol Sponsorship, Sport, and Young People
Monday 18 May • 12:45 - 14 GMT+1. Dr Richard Purves will deliver the first Alcohol Occasional seminar of 2026, focusing on sport, alcohol sponsorship, and youth drinking | SHAAP, UK
Mapping the advice on alcohol-free drinks that alcohol treatment and recovery service providers give to their service users - survey
The aim of this study is to understand what advice alcohol treatment and recovery service providers in the UK give to their service users on their use of alcohol-free drinks, as well as their own beliefs about the benefits and risks of people in recovery using alcohol-free drinks | University of Sheffield, UK
New campaign to combat gambling addiction
A public health campaign warning young people about the risks of gambling is being rolled out across Bradford | BBC, UK
Tequila overtakes gin as the UK’s favourite warm-weather spirit
Publicans say celebrity-backed brands have helped the take-up of a ‘slightly lighter alternative’ to the classic G&T | Guardian, UK
Drug-use remains problem at prison, inspectors say
An unannounced inspection of a Dorset prison has revealed that it still has problems with drugs, self-harm and preparing prisoners for release | BBC, UK
Albanian brothers jailed over £3m cannabis factory in West Lothian
Two brothers from Albania have been jailed for running a £3m cannabis factory in West Lothian | BBC, UK
UK-wide cocaine conspiracy stopped as gang jailed
A multimillion-pound cocaine operation has been dismantled by police after two men were caught with 50kg of the drug in Staffordshire | BBC, UK
International news
Teen cannabis use linked to slower gains in memory and focus
Teenagers who use cannabis in any way have a harder time developing critical brain skills like thinking and memory, according to Monday's findings from the largest long-term study of brain development in U.S. youth | Independent, UK
The Global Story: The medications that can trigger sex and gambling addictions - audio
A BBC investigation has heard from hundreds of people who say they developed sex and gambling addictions after taking a category of prescription drugs called dopamine agonists. Millions of people in the US and around the world have been prescribed these medications, which are used to treat various illnesses, from Parkinson’s to depression | BBC Sounds, UK
Meta pulls Facebook ads recruiting for social media addiction lawsuits
Meta says it has removed adverts by law firms on its social media platforms which seek clients for future lawsuits related to social media addiction | BBC, UK
Sweden records one of Europe’s lowest smoking rates amid policy debate
Sweden has reached one of the lowest smoking rates in Europe, with recent estimates placing daily cigarette use at around or below 5% of the adult population. This threshold is widely used by public health researchers to define a “smoke-free” society | Euroweekly News, UK
From Legalisation to Limbo: Thailand’s Turbulent Cannabis Industry
Four years ago, Thailand became the Weed Wonderland of the East. You couldn’t turn a corner in Bangkok or Pattaya without seeing a big green neon cannabis leaf. In Southeast Asia, which is notorious for having some of the world’s harshest drug laws, it was a first | Talking Drugs, UK
Revenues from tobacco excise duty falls despite recent hikes
The government received less revenue from the tobacco excise duty last year, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported based on preliminary figures. In 2025, tobacco excise duty yielded €2.55 billion for the treasury, down from nearly €3 billion a year earlier | NL Times, The Netherlands
PAREA is Translating Psychedelic Science Evidence to Policy at the EU Level – An Interview with Tadeusz Hawrot
Tadeusz Hawrot is the founder of the Psychedelic Access and Research European Alliance (PAREA), a Brussels-based initiative working to prepare Europe for the integration of psychedelic-assisted therapies into healthcare systems. In this interview, he reflects on the policy landscape, regulatory challenges, and the future of access to these emerging treatments in the EU | Drug Reporter, Hungary
“Embarrassing”—Experts Slam EU’s Self-Congratulatory Smoking Report
AEuropean Commission report on smoking and nicotine use is being condemned for unjustified self-contragulation, anti-scientific opposition to tobacco harm reduction and biased authorship. Advocates fear for its impact on future EU policy | Filter Magazine, USA
More than half of the victims of violent deaths in Brazil had consumed alcohol or drugs shortly before, study finds
A Brazilian study based on postmortem toxicological analyses found that 53% of violent death victims had alcohol or drugs in their systems shortly after death. The study examined 3,577 cases in Belém (North), Recife (Northeast), Vitória (Southeast), and Curitiba (South), representing the four regions of the country | Medical Xpress, USA
Here’s what happens when you give salmon cocaine
It turns out that salmon exposed to cocaine through water pollution do a lot of swimming—which may not be a good thing | Scientific American, USA
Recreational ketamine use is on the rise
The study analysed wastewater samples collected between December 2020 and April 2025. Daily influent wastewater samples were collected from treatment plants across capital city and regional sites in all states and territories, covering on average 53 per cent of the total population. “We found that ketamine mass loads increased across Australia from 2022 to 2025, particularly in sites with higher socioeconomic status,” said Professor Cobus Gerber from Adelaide University’s School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences | Adelaide University, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Scotland’s health can’t wait: why prevention must be at the heart of the next parliament
In just under 3 weeks’ time, voters in Scotland head to the polls. Yet despite strikingly poor health outcomes and wide inequalities, party manifestos fail to advocate for the step change in policy that would support a healthier, more equal Scotland | The Health Foundation, UK
‘Safe drug sites’ don’t work. The data proves it
Cities with supervised drug use sites saw the same amount of overdoses | Washington Post opinion, USA
Dying for a drink? How midlife NZ women think about alcohol – and its long‑term risks
For many midlife women busily juggling work and care responsibilities, an evening glass of wine can feel like the perfect antidote. But that everyday habit comes with real risks. Beyond the familiar hangover, alcohol is linked to at least seven types of cancer, including breast, bowel, mouth and throat cancer. Even one drink a day increases that risk, and it rises further with each additional drink | Conversation, New Zealand