DrugWise Daily |
24th August 2026 |
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UK news
Slimming jab study aims to help alcohol dependency
A £2.7m clinical trial will investigate if a weight-loss jab can help patients living with alcohol dependency and obesity, which the NHS said were two of the biggest causes of liver disease | BBC, UK
The three ‘primary drivers’ behind cancer cases in men, according to scientists
The study examined how cancer risk and mortality differed between men and women over more than 25 years | Independent, UK
Pubs and hotels could see business rates reformed after review
A review is being launched into the way business rates are calculated for pubs and hotels in England and Wales, and could lead to a reform of the system | BBC, UK
Why GHB is spilling into London’s mainstream nightlife
Long linked to gay clubs, GHB is now spilling into London’s mainstream nightlife — but it’s perilously easy to overdose | Evening Standard, UK
Gloucestershire Recovery Festival is back for 2026!
Friday 28th August, 11am to 9pm, Gloucester GL1 4NJ. After the success last year, we’re coming together
once again for a fantastic day of fun, inspiration and connection with the entire recovery community.
We have a lineup of exciting speakers, live entertainment, activities for the whole family, fellowship meeting, stall holders and opportunities to connect with others from across the community in a safe and inclusive space.
Delivered in partnership with Emerging Futures, Via and Abbeycare, the event is open to all and completely FREE! | The Nelson Trust, UK
‘A feudal relationship’: Stonegate Pub Partners under scrutiny after complaints of tenant mistreatment
UK’s largest pub company with the lowest satisfaction rating accused of entrapping landlords into financial loss situations | Guardian, UK
Home Office could be blocked from deporting trafficking victims to Albania
Many males are returned even if they have been trafficked but Home Office must now consider new legal guidance | Guardian, UK
Over 1.4m illegal cigarettes and vapes seized in Glasgow in five years
Following the Union Street fire in March, Trading Standards undertook a series of targeted registration visits across the city centre | STV News, UK
Battery fires at recycling centres are costing UK £1bn a year, figures show
Experts say fires caused by wrongly discarded lithium batteries, such as those in vapes, are putting lives at risk | Guardian, UK
Cannabis farm fly-tips a 'plague' on countryside
The dumping of waste from illegal cannabis farms in the countryside has been described as a plague and a growing problem by a councillor | BBC, UK
Man, 83, offered morphine to woman who later died
Lily Gomes, 27, from Hatfield, Hertfordshire, died in hospital on 18 February 2025 from morphine toxicity. She had fallen unconscious at the home of Arthur Sutton, of Cotswolds, Hatfield, four days after he had offered her the drug | BBC, UK
International news
Redefining success in cannabis use disorder treatment with Toby Atkin - podcast
In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr Tobias (Toby) Atkin, psychiatrist and a research fellow in Addiction Psychiatry at Columbia University in the US. The interview covers Toby’s opinion and debate piece on redefining success in cannabis use disorder treatment | SSA, UK
Drugs at their fingertips, intense pressure: Why child stars fall into addiction
Hayden Panettiere was 16 when drugs first arrived in her life in Hollywood. Ahead of a red carpet event for the hit series Heroes, she has said someone on her team handed her a pill to help amp up her energy. The hit sci-fi NBC series had catapulted the teen into a household name - and that brought with it intense pressure and exhaustion she says felt overwhelming | BBC, UK
How Drug Checking Services Around the World Navigate Prohibition
Amidst an ever turbulent political environment in North America that has all but written off harm reduction and drug checking efforts from rural Western Canada to New Jersey, the Alliance for Collaborative Drug Checking (ACDC) summit was a music-filled and optimistic step in the right direction | Talking Drugs, UK
Compassion v Criminalisation: DULF Awaits Verdict in Canada over Safe Drug Supply
On 24 July, final arguments concluded the Drug User Liberation Front‘s (DULF) trial challenging Canada’s constitution. If they win, this would mean proving that laws preventing the formation of their “compassion club” to distribute safe drug supply are a barrier to protecting people who use drugs. Failure means being sentenced for trafficking charges and the court standing behind Canada’s current drug prohibition laws | Talking Drugs, UK
When police stormed a Penn State frat house, one brother thought it was a prank
They came to Penn State from across the US, varsity athletes and top students drawn to the university's strong academic reputation and social opportunities | BBC, UK
Two Mexicans arrested as police uncover big meth lab on South African farm
Two Mexicans have been arrested in South Africa after police uncovered a multi-million dollar crystal methamphetamine laboratory in the north of the country | BBC, UK
Trends in the Prevalence and Severity of Alcohol and Cannabis Use Disorders Among US Adults
This study presents some uplifting statistics. Alcohol use disorder among U.S. adults dropped from 28.8 million to 27.1 million between 2021 and 2024. However, a new problem has emerged. The number of U.S. adults with cannabis problems rose from 15.3 million to 19.4 million during the same period | JAMA Psychiatry, USA
Tobacco Firms Overwhelmed Federal Comments, Delaying Proposed Menthol Cigarette Ban
The public comment process is designed to give citizens a voice in federal rulemaking. But a new Rutgers Health analysis suggests that the extraordinary response to proposed U.S. restrictions on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars was driven largely by mass-produced form letters rather than a broad wave of individually written public opposition | Bioengineer, USA
More than 2,300 psilocybin users report real-world outcomes in Oregon and Colorado
Over the past few decades, some psychiatrists and medical researchers have been running controlled clinical trials to assess the potential therapeutic value of psychedelics, substances that alter perception, mood and thinking patterns. One of the most widely studied is psilocybin, a compound found in some species of mushrooms | Medical Xpress, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Nicotine nonsense
t is not unheard of for politicians to say one thing and do another, but you would hope that a government that has made it its mission to banish “dodgy vape shops” and clean up the high street would be doing all it can to support legitimate retailers | The Critic, UK