DrugWise Daily |
8th June 2026 |
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UK news
A Clear Way Forward: The Case for Better Alcohol Labelling
A Clear Way Forward represents the most comprehensive audit to date of alcohol labels in the UK and demonstrates why mandatory alcohol labelling is so needed. Looking at over 530 products, this analysis shows what information the alcohol industry prioritises, what information is missing or inconsistent between products, and where improved alcohol labelling could benefit consumers and the public | AHA, UK
The 2026 Tobacco and Vapes Act: on to the tobacco endgame
The goal of the tobacco endgame is that no one starts to smoke, that everyone who smokes is supported to quit and that reductions in consumption and profitability mean that the tobacco industry, which continues to be the main barrier to progress, ceases to be commercially viable | BMJ, UK
Harms and benefits of discussing the brain disease model of addiction in therapeutic settings
[Open access] In Devon in England, people in treatment for substance use problems were asked to imagine they were in an introductory support group which focused either on addiction as a biological vulnerability ('brain disease') or as a response to social stress. Brain-disease formulations would, they thought, lead to reduced expectations of recovery and a tendency not to try so hard to stop using | DAD, UK
Guidance for recording tobacco exposure in pregnancy in BadgerNet Maternity
Clear recording of tobacco smoking in pregnancy in electronic patient records is essential for patient management and to understand ongoing service needs and effectiveness. The current sections for recording tobacco smoking in the BadgerNet Maternity system are not clearly labelled. There is also not a separate section for recording electronic cigarette use in pregnancy | Public Health Scotland, UK
My drinking days are over - here are my tips for an alcohol-free World Cup
Sam O'Brien West, 32, always knew he was a problem drinker, often the drunkest person in the room at social events. Now sober, the football fan shares his advice for having a great alcohol-free World Cup | BBC, UK
Swapping smoking for vaping in England with Vera Buss and Leonie Brose - podcast
In this episode, Annika Theodoulou speaks to Dr Vera Buss, a Senior Research Fellow at University College London, and Professor Leonie Brose, a Professor of Addictions & Public Health at King's College London, UK. The interview covers Vera and Leonie’s research article examining the association between the national ‘Swap to Stop’ programme offering free vapes for smoking cessation and quit attempts in England | Addiction, UK
Forward Growing: A New Partnership with Garon Park
The Forward Trust is delighted to announce an exciting new partnership with Garon Park in Southend, launching a community initiative called Forward Growing | Forward Trust, UK
PhD and fellowship funding opportunities
We are currently inviting applications for PhD studentships and fellowships. If you have an idea that will advance the scientific understanding of addiction, and the use of this knowledge in policy and practice, please consider applying. In this round of funding, there are no limitations on the type of method, approach, population, or type of addiction in your research | SSA, UK
Future Leaders in Addiction Science
Tickets are now available for Future Leaders in Addiction Science – an event hosted by Addiction Healthcare Goals, the Medical Research Council, and the Society for the Study of Addiction that will explore the latest developments in addiction research and discuss emerging leadership pathways within the field | SSA, UK
Police to kick-off World Cup drink and drug checks
As the football tournament kicks-off on 11 June, Durham Police said officers would be increasing operations across the county | BBC, UK
Man who 'discreetly supplied' class A drugs jailed
Mohammed Bham, from Gloucester and of no fixed address, was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison at Gloucester Crown Court on Tuesday. He had previously admitted to Class A drug and criminal property offences | BBC, UK
International news
Charting the decline of the fourth wave: US overdose deaths by race, ethnicity and substance involvement
[Open access] All four previously defined waves of the US overdose crisis appear to be in decline, as deaths involving illicit fentanyl, with and without stimulants, dropped sharply between 2023 and 2024. Concurrently, the fraction of overdose deaths involving stimulants without fentanyl and those involving xylazine continued to increase. While racial disparities in drug overdose death rates narrowed slightly, large gaps remain, with the highest overdose death rates among American Indian, Alaska Native, and Black individuals | Addiction, UK
ESCAPE syringe analysis highlights evolving patterns of injecting drug use in Europe
The latest patterns of injecting drug use in a selection of European cities are presented in a new analysis from the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA). The findings are from the agency’s ESCAPE project, which investigates the substances used by people who inject drugs (PWID) by chemically analysing the content of used syringes. An estimated 500 000 people inject drugs in the EU, and they face elevated risks of overdose and infectious diseases | EUDA, Portugal
EUDA webinar: Conceptualising drug market-related violence
16 Jun 2026, Online. This webinar seeks to inform participants on the concept of drug market-related violence, how to conceptualise it and how to measure it | EUDA, Portugal
Help us shape EUDA Strategy 2030: public consultation opens!
The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) has launched a public consultation to help shape its forthcoming Strategy 2030. The consultation forms part of a broader stakeholder engagement process supporting the development of the strategy, which will define the agency’s strategic priorities for the coming years | EUDA, Portugal
Alcohol is the root of 62 diseases and a partial cause of dozens more
Dozens of diseases are partially if not entirely attributable to alcohol consumption—but many can be slowed or reversed by cutting down on or quitting drinking, according to a new review co-authored by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health | Harvard TH Chan, USA
Cychlorphine Is Not the Problem
Over the course of 2026 a growing number of headlines have invited the public to panic about cychlorphine, a relatively recent addition to the drug supply that’s been implicated in overdose deaths across the country | Filter Magazine, USA
Effect of the online Rethink My Drink alcohol intervention on alcohol use and cognition in older adults in Australia: a randomised controlled trial
[Open access] 60–75-year-olds concerned about their risky drinking reduced consumption slightly but significantly more if allocated to a 36-lesson online alcohol treatment programme than to an online alcohol information booklet | Lancet, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Psilocybin-assisted therapy for difficult-to-treat depression: underwhelming, but still vital?
Psychedelics were once, not so long ago, held up by select vocal advocates as a New Panacea for difficult-to-treat (or treatment-resistant) depression, as psychological ‘antibiotics’ that would revolutionise psychiatry. Then came the naysayers, those with vehement reservations about the science of psychoactives | Mental Elf blog, UK
Post-trial Psilocybin Access: Reflections on R (On the Application of EB)
EB whose name is protected by an anonymity order – has had anorexia nervosa since she was a teenager. It has shaped almost every aspect of her life. She has tried multiple treatments, but none of them has worked. Then, in 2022, she took part in a clinical trial investigating psilocybin as a potential treatment. For the first time, something helped. Then the trial ended, and she was left with no means of lawfully accessing the treatment | Drug Science, UK