DrugWise Daily |
13th May 2026 |
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UK news
Hepatitis C in England 2025
This report summarises England’s progress towards the World Health Organization (WHO) elimination targets for hepatitis C virus infection with data to the end of 2024 | UKHSA, UK
When will Britain face its opioid crisis?
Our data reveals new overdose hotspots. But how many people are dying? The Government doesn't know | Dispatch, UK
Almost two-thirds of Brits would back smoke and vape-free pub gardens, poll says
The move would be one of a handful of "common sense" next steps to "support a smoke-free generation", according to the charity Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) | ITV, UK
Our piloted and trialed Key Stage 2 vaping resources are now available for all to download free of charge
The free comprehensive vaping resources for Key stage 2 for schools include a suite of stand alone games, pictures, activities, lesson plans, PowerPoints and implementation guidance available for you to download and use! | Talk About Trust, UK
Health and homelessness briefing
The briefing outlines the current health and homelessness landscape in Scotland, describing the scale, causes and impacts of homelessness. It highlights the severe health inequalities faced by people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and the wider systemic factors that increase vulnerability | Public Health Scotland, UK
WithYou in Scotland named finalist for Scottish Charity of the Year
WithYou in Scotland has been named as a finalist for the SCVO's Scottish Charity of the Year for its dedicated work supporting people facing challenges with drugs and alcohol. Last year, staff in 13 community-based services across the country helped 14,000 people. Referrals rose 21% year-on-year, and teams held more than 63,000 appointments, up 17%. WithYou's online webchat, available 364 days a year, connected with a record 1,987 people seeking support, up 28% year-on-year | SCVO, UK
Congratulations to our 2026 prize winners
The SSA is pleased to announce that Dr Anya Topiwala has been awarded this year’s Impact Prize and Dr Emmert Roberts has won the Fred Yates Prize for Early Career Researchers | SSA, UK
International news
Trump’s sudden cut in substance testing is ‘going to kill people’, experts warn
Samhsa said funding cannot be used to purchase or distribute fentanyl test strips or other drug test kits | Guardian, UK
FedEx driver accused of delivering cocaine to customers while on the job
Kenneth Hicks was arrested last week after a sting operation by detectives from the Gillespie County Sheriff’s Office | Independent, UK
Modelling the impact of cuts in US PEPFAR funding for opioid agonist therapy and needle and syringe programmes on drug-related deaths and HIV and hepatitis C transmission among people who inject drugs
[Open access] The US government paused funding for the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2025, including disruptions in funding for opioid agonist therapy (OAT) and needle and syringe programmes (NSP). We evaluated the impact of these disruptions on HIV/HCV transmission and drug-related deaths (DRDs) among people who inject drugs (PWID) for 9 countries where PEPFAR funds OAT | IJDP, USA
Once-weekly semaglutide versus placebo in patients with alcohol use disorder and comorbid obesity: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
[Open access] "Timely and compelling data indicating efficacy of semaglutide ... for alcohol use disorder", said US commentators of the results of this Danish trial comparing a weight-loss medication against a placebo | Lancet, USA
Edible Cannabis and Pain, Sleep, and Mental Health Management in Older Adults
The findings of this study suggest that older adults are increasingly turning to cannabis for symptom management; health care systems should consider motivations and concerns in physician guidance and resources | JAMA Network Open, USA
Cannabis compounds beyond THC may help reverse metabolic problems during weight loss
A University of California, Riverside preclinical study is shedding light on a long-observed but poorly understood phenomenon: chronic cannabis users tend to have lower body weight and a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes, despite the drug's well-known tendency to increase appetite | Medical Xpress, USA
Their son died of a drug overdose after consulting ChatGPT. Now they're suing OpenAI
A Texas couple whose son died of an overdose in 2025 after using OpenAI's ChatGPT tool to get information about drugs sued the technology company on Tuesday, blaming the AI platform for his death | CBS News, USA
The magic of mushrooms: Psychedelic psilocybin shows promise for treating cocaine addiction
Cocaine addiction treatment has found a surprising new contender in the highly regulated substance psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in mushroom species popularly known as magic mushrooms or shrooms | Medical Xpress, USA
Rural–urban divide: Neighborhood conditions shape teen smoking
A new University of Michigan study highlights a distinct rural–urban gap in adolescent health. It reports that the link between neighborhood disadvantage and cigarette use appears only in rural areas. Teens in poor rural neighborhoods are more likely to smoke cigarettes than their peers in less disadvantaged rural areas. These results suggest that urban areas may offer different social influences | Medical Xpress, USA
What’s Next for South Africa’s Drug-User Rights Movement?
Shaun Shelly is a prominent figure in South Africa’s drug policy landscape. He is a founding member of the South African Network of People Who Use Drugs, which has been instrumental in bringing harm reduction into the public narrative and making sure people with lived experience have a voice in political discussions about substance use and criminalization | Filter Magazine, USA
More than two million Australian middle-aged men are drinking at risky levels
The first national in-depth study to examine alcohol use among Australian middle-aged men has found that more than 2 million are drinking at levels that put their health at risk of harm. The new Flinders University research, in partnership with the Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF), analyzed national data from the 2019 and 2022/23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey to identify factors linked to risky drinking among midlife men aged 30–59, comparing the younger (30–44) and older (45–59) age groups | Medical Xpress, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Screening for addiction in the dental office: The bottom line
Though dentists are well placed to identify substance-related oral health problems, their engagement in screening and referring patients "remains suboptimal". US public health specialists argue that remedying this should start with training in dental schools and continue post-qualification | Addiction, UK
Hepatitis C Trust reacts to new data on hepatitis C in England
Last month, the Government published its latest set of data on hepatitis C in England. Whilst there is still a lot of work to be done, this release demonstrates that we are still on track to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030 | Hepatitis C Trust, UK
The alcohol industry targets women – but alcohol policies are largely gender-blind
This blog post by Prof Carol Emslie reveals how little we know about how policies to reduce alcohol-related harm impact similarly or differently on men and women | SHAAP blog, UK
Insights from British American Tobacco’s AGM: PR spin can’t hide huge tobacco profits
A few weeks ago I attended the British American Tobacco’s Annual General Meeting. I’ve never been to a tobacco company AGM before so wasn’t quite sure what to expect, I guess lots of people in very shiny suits? For anyone who doesn’t know the AGM is where the board of a company reports back to shareholders and allows them to ask questions relating to activities that year | ASH blog, UK