DrugWise Daily |
21st July 2026 |
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UK news
Recovery, Work and Housing: Why We Must Join the Dots
Following the publication of Addiction in the UK, a landmark report by The Forward Trust and Crest Advisory, Asi Panditharatna MBE, our Executive Director of Employment Services, explains why recovery, employment and housing are inseparable when supporting people affected by addiction | Forward Trust, UK
Models of care for the management of alcohol use disorder in general hospital settings and transition to the community: a scoping review
[Open access] Early detection of alcohol use disorder (AUD) amongst people admitted to general hospitals offers an opportunity for early intervention and accesses to evidence-based care. However, current operational models for the management of AUD in these settings are poorly defined, limiting the ability to assess their impact on individual patient outcomes, treatment effectiveness, or healthcare system efficiency. This scoping review aims to identify and characterize existing models of AUD management within hospitals | Alcohol and Alcoholism, UK
Family want change in the law around drug driving
The family of a father-of-three who died after being hit by a car have launched a campaign to change the law around drug-related driving offences. Dean Miles, 49, was killed on the A6120 Ring Road in Horsforth, Leeds on 12 May 2022.The driver was over the legal limit for cannabis, but no charges were brought against him | BBC, UK
Consultation outcome - Mandating vehicle safety technologies in GB type approval: government response
The government will not mandate AIIF (alcohol interlock interface facilitation) technology as part of this package. Responses showed more support than opposition for not mandating AIIF at this stage and many respondents considered that it would be disproportionate to proceed ahead of a wider policy framework for alcohol interlocks in GB. The government will keep this issue under review in light of future evidence, wider policy development and relevant technical standards | Dept for Transport, UK
Steroid Drugs: Young People
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to WPQs 2849, 2850 and 2851 answered on 9 June 2026 about Steroid Drugs: Young People, if he will have discussions with UK Anti Doping on the findings of their 2026 Clean Sport Survey on trends in the use of SARMs by young people | They work for you, UK
Driving under Influence
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department has made on reducing deaths and serious injuries caused by drink-driving | They work for you, UK
Electronic Cigarettes: Packaging
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of introducing standardised plain packaging for vaping products on rates of youth vaping | They work for you, UK
Brown 'making sure' cigarettes stubbed out at Open
England's Dan Brown says he is being extra vigilant when disposing his mid-round cigarettes in order to avoid creating a fire risk at Royal Birkdale | BBC, UK
Cannabis farm's planning permission refused [Jersey]
The Government of Jersey said the application for building work at Retreat Farm, St Lawrence, owned by Northern Leaf, was granted by the former planning committee in December. Following a third-party appeal against the decision against the committee's decision, the case was reviewed by independent planning inspector Sue Bell who recommended it should be refused | BBC, UK
Drug dealer exploited 14-year-old boy into selling drugs for him
A drug dealer has admitted exploiting a schoolboy to sell drugs for him in one of the first convictions of its kind in Scotland. Matteullah Siddiqi preyed on the 14-year-old boy after having initially met him at a games arcade in Glasgow last year | BBC, UK
Five men admit smuggling £34m of cocaine at sea
Five men have pleaded guilty to importing 425kg (937lb) of cocaine into Eastbourne Marina on a fishing boat | BBC, UK
International news
The Next Chapter of Cannabis Regulation in Thailand with Rasmon Kalayasiri - audio
In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Professor Rasmon Kalayasiri, Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. The interview covers Rasmon’s editorial that asks the question: Can Thailand replace a commercialised cannabis market for adult use with a medical prescription model? | SSA, UK
Mexican drug lord ‘El Mayo’ sentenced to life in prison in US federal court
Case against Ismael Zambada García, who helped co-found and lead the violent Sinaloa cartel, unfolded in New York | Guardian, UK
A generational smoking ban looks to be on the cards for Ireland - but will it work?
While it aims to reduce tobacco harm, retailers worry a ban will boost illegal sales | Journal, Ireland
The Pioneers of Polish Harm Reduction: Interview with MONAR Kraków
C-EHRN focal point MONAR Kraków is a Polish organisation that provides a range of services for people who use drugs, from harm reduction services to substance dependence psychotherapy. It is a part of the MONAR Association, Poland’s largest NGO working with drugs and people who use drugs since late 80’s. To delve deeper into the organisation’s projects and the challenges of working within a conservative and traditional society, we interviewed Judyta Put, MONAR’s psychotherapy specialist and social worker, and Grzegorz Wodowski, the manager of the organisation | C-EHRN, The Netherlands
What’s Behind the UK’s Migration to Nicotine Pouches?
People in the United Kingdom are using nicotine pouches in rapidly growing numbers—both to quit smoking, where these low-risk options have a strong track record, but also in some cases as an alternative to vapes | Filter Magazine, USA
Unveiling treatment targets for slow breathing from fentanyl use
Fentanyl causes symptoms that can lead to death from overdose. One of these symptoms is slow breathing, which deprives drug users of oxygen. In new research in JNeurosci, Erica Levitt and colleagues from the University of Michigan Medical School explored mechanisms for combating fentanyl-induced slow breathing | Medical Xpress, USA
ER opioid prescriptions unlikely to be significant drivers of future substance use among adolescents
The pendulum may have swung too far in the direction of caution when it comes to limiting opioids for adolescents who are in pain, according to new research from a University of Alberta emergency medicine team published in Pediatrics | Medical Xpress, USA
Three-year cardiovascular risk prediction among people who use cocaine or methamphetamine
[Open access] Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction tools have not been developed or validated for adults who use nonmedical stimulants (cocaine or methamphetamine), despite substantially elevated event rates and pathophysiologically distinct risk profiles in this population. Accurate estimation of absolute risk is needed to support individualized clinical decision-making | DADR, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
The beautiful game versus our favourite drug
The link between alcohol and football is strong, but can create a trail of harms, say William Gilmore and Ian Gilmore | BMJ opinion, UK