DrugWise Daily |
25th September 2026 |
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UK news
Swinney backs decriminalisation of drugs after spike in deaths
First Minister John Swinney has reaffirmed his government's support for decriminalising all drugs for personal use following a spike in drugs deaths | BBC, UK
OUT OF REACH: Declining Access to Needle and Syringe Programmes and the Threat to Public Health
Needle and Syringe Programmes are one of the most effective interventions for preventing the transmission of bloodborne viruses, including hepatitis C. Yet despite this, our new research has found alarming gaps exist in provision and oversight | Hepatitis C Trust, UK
Study sheds new light on how ketamine may act rapidly in the human brain
Researchers have identified a brain mechanism that could help explain ketamine’s unusually rapid antidepressant effects, providing new clues for the development of faster and potentially more targeted treatments for depression | University of Oxford, UK
Glasgow drug services to be combined in £2m savings drive
The city's Integrated Joint Board, which includes councillors and NHS officials, voted to close the Enhanced Drug Treatment Service (EDTS) and Complex Needs Service. The EDTS provides supervised treatment for chronic opioid dependency, while the the complex needs service helps people with trauma and mental illness | BBC, UK
Alcoholic former GP saved by Salvation Army
A former GP who spent six years of his career battling alcohol addiction, said his life was saved by a treatment centre run by The Salvation Army | BBC, UK
Should alcohol be allowed in football stands? - video
BBC Sport's Sam Harris speaks to fans about Andy Burnham's suggestion the ban on alcohol in football stands should be lifted and explains where it came from | BBC, UK
Pair jailed over £1.5m drugs supply hub in warehouse
Two men have been jailed for large-scale drug supply after police recovered more than £1.5m of drugs from a warehouse in Moray | BBC, UK
International news
Briefing note: PMMA detected in ecstasy tablets in Europe (PDF)
Since July 2026, drug-checking services in several European countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Spain and Switzerland, have reported PMMA (paramethoxymethamphetamine) in tablets sold as ecstasy. PMMA can cause severe and potentially fatal toxicity. There is currently no evidence from the available data that these tablets are circulating in the UK, however, ecstasy tablets in the UK market are typically sourced from EU countries. This briefing is intended to support early awareness and reporting of suspected detections or harms | OHID, UK
Packaged kratom found at death scenes of two Ole Miss students. How dangerous is the drug?
Investigations are underway into the deaths of two University of Mississippi students after packages of kratom, from a retail store, were found at both scenes | Independent, UK
EUDA and China address current and emerging drug-related challenges
The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) is hosting a meeting with representatives from China to exchange knowledge and experience on current and emerging drug-related challenges. The meeting forms part of a broader programme of events focused on EU-China dialogue on drug issues taking place this week | EUDA, Portugal
EuroHePP: The European Toolkit to Strengthen National Responses for the Elimination of Viral Hepatitis in Prisons
People living in prison are disproportionately affected by hepatitis B and C, yet access to prevention, testing, and treatment services remains inconsistent across Europe. Addressing this gap is critical to achieving viral hepatitis elimination targets by 2030. EuroHePP is a European toolkit developed to support national responses to viral hepatitis in prison settings | Liver International, USA
Cannabis and cannabinoids for the treatment of mental and substance use disorders and symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis of experimental and observational studies
[Open access] It's not that the potential therapeutic benefits of cannabis and its derivatives have not been investigated – this review found nearly 200 studies – but that those studies have generally been limited in their methodology and/or found little or no benefit | Psychiatry Research, USA
Australian Drug Trends 2026: Key findings from the Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS) interviews
When many Australians think of heroin, they picture the steep increases in use and harms of the 1990s. But new annual data, released today, shows samples of people who use heroin are doing so more often, at a frequency not seen for decades. Other drug trends revealed include expanding stimulant markets, rising use of illicit tobacco, and shifts in the way nitrous oxide is used | NDARC, Australia [Conversation article here]
Drug Trends output: Trends in Drug Markets, Use and Health Impacts in Australia: Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine use and related harms are substantial and have continued the concerning upward trajectory observed before COVID-19, with several indicators now at record levels. Increasing manufacture has been reported globally, with recent large seizures reported in Australia. While we do not have a strong understanding of prevalence of use across the population, reports suggest that Australia may have some of the highest recorded use globally | NDARC, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
More than one in three illicit drug samples contain unexpected substances, testing finds
More than one in three samples submitted to the Welsh Emerging Drug Identification Service (Wedinos) where the buyer had said what substance they believed they had purchased, contained something other than what they expected. Between April 2025 and March 2026, 36.6% of samples submitted to Wedinos did not contain the expected substance | Conversation, UK
The Vaping Products Duty comes in on 1 October - here's what you need to know
From 1 October 2026 there will be a new tax of £2.20 per 10ml of e-liquid for vaping products, known as the Vaping Products Duty (VPD). It was announced at Budget 2024 and will come into effect from 1 October 2026. It is sometimes referred to as the Vape Tax or Vape Duty | ASH blog, UK
How the pro-nicotine ‘wellness’ movement rebranded an addictive drug
An ironic development emerging alongside the “Make America Healthy Again” movement is the portrayal of nicotine as a wellness and performance-enhancing product. Across social media, podcasts, wellness communities and tech startups, prominent wellness personalities and other influencers are portraying nicotine as a misunderstood compound whose potential benefits have been overshadowed by its negative association with cigarette smoking | Conversation, USA