DrugWise Daily |
22nd April 2026 |
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UK news
Smoking ban for people born after 2008 in the UK agreed
Children aged 17 or younger will face a lifelong ban on buying cigarettes, as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill clears Parliament. Both the Commons and Lords have settled on a final draft of the "landmark" legislation, that aims to stop anyone born after 1 January 2009 from taking up smoking to create a smoke-free generation. When it gets royal assent, ministers will also have new powers to regulate tobacco, vaping and nicotine products, including their flavours and packaging | BBC, UK
Success of women’s health strategy will depend on its ability to help the most marginalised, says Change Grow Live
The success of the government’s new women’s health strategy will depend on its ability to ‘deliver impact for the most marginalised and vulnerable women in society’, said Change Grow Live deputy chief executive Nic Adamson – women who are frequently missed by mainstream health services | DDN, UK
Grangetown gets new drug and alcohol service as WithYou in Redcar and Cleveland expands
A new centre supporting adults, young people and families struggling with drugs and alcohol has opened in Grangetown. WithYou in Redcar & Cleveland has expanded into the area from its current service on Redcar High Street, looking to meet more clients where they are and increase access to free, confidential, and non-judgemental help across the area | WithYou, UK
Bristol Drug Checking Calendar 2026
Our Bristol drug checking service takes place on the last Saturday of every month | We are The Loop, UK
Unity Day in East Kent Celebrates the Power of Recovery
Friday 17 April 2026 marked a truly inspiring day in East Kent, as the community came together to celebrate Unity Day, a powerful event highlighting the journeys, creativity and resilience of individuals in recovery from drugs and alcohol | Forward Trust, UK
Nitrous Oxide: Misuse
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase public awareness of the health risks associated with inhaling nitrous oxide | They work for you, UK
Homicide: Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether murder victims are posthumously (a) drug and (b) alcohol tested as a matter of routine | They work for you, UK
Drugs: Research
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the scheduled January meeting of the cross-government working group on how best to reduce barriers to clinical research with Schedule 1 drugs took place, and whether minutes will be available on public record | They work for you, UK
Nitrous Oxide: Sales
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the unlawful (a) sale and (b) supply of nitrous oxide | They work for you, UK
Smoking: Social Rented Housing
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to support smokers who live in social housing to quit | They work for you, UK
Black children in England and Wales almost eight times more likely to be strip-searched than white peers – report
Demographic also overrepresented when police officers use force such as handcuffs, firearms or Tasers, says children’s commissioner | Guardian, UK
Thousands of illegal cigarettes found during Trading Standards raids in Oxfordshire
Official figures show legal sales of tobacco have more than halved since 2021, but fewer people smoking is not the only reason why. Instead, it’s thought smokers are opting for cheaper and riskier alternatives | ITV, UK
Jersey receptive to campaigner’s call for recreational cannabis trials
The Health Minister has said he will do all he can to support a campaigner’s call for regulated trials of recreational cannabis in Jersey – if it aligns with States decisions | Jersey Evening Post, Jersey
International news
Ketamine, psychedelics, GHB: is the US falling out of love with cocaine?
Use of the illicit drug has plummeted in recent years among gen Zers, compared with their parents’ generation | Guardian, UK
The Opioid Safety Toolkit: An interactive prescription opioid safety toolkit to increase opioid safety literacy and behaviours among people prescribed opioids for pain—a randomised controlled trial
[Open access] Prescription opioid-related harm remains a significant public health concern. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the Opioid Safety Toolkit, a co-designed, interactive online resource, in increasing naloxone uptake and healthcare provider discussions among adults prescribed opioids for pain | Addiction, UK
Two US officials who died after Mexico drug raid reported to be CIA agents
Mexico to investigate possible breach of its constitution and assess US’s role in anti-drug operation near Chihuahua | Guardian, UK
Voices of addicts 'written out' of new National Drugs Strategy
The draft National Drugs Strategy (NDS) has been widely criticised as side-lining community drug services and failing to recognise the link between poverty, inequality, and drug-related harm | Dublin Live, Ireland
Kratom use is surging in the US, with life-changing consequences, study reveals
Kratom is a plant with psychoactive properties that, when taken at high doses, can produce effects similar to opioids. A new study published in Addiction has found that kratom use—measured as kratom exposures reported to US poison centers—and cases of severe medical outcomes linked to kratom use have surged in the US over the past decade | Medical Xpress, USA
Combining cannabis with opioids offers no added pain relief for knee arthritis patients, study concludes
Combining cannabis with an opioid did not improve acute pain for people with knee arthritis, according to results of a study published in Anesthesiology | Medical Xpress, USA
The DRAM, Vol. 22(4) – Perspectives on return-to-use prevention among those with alcohol-related liver disease
Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to alcohol-related liver disease (ArLD), such as cirrhosis and hepatitis. When living with conditions like this, abstinence from alcohol is recommended but return-to-use is common. Return-to-use prevention strategies (e.g., medication and psychosocial support) are available for those with ArLD, however, these strategies are often underused. This week, The DRAM reviews a study by Christopher Oldroyd and colleagues that explored how people diagnosed with advanced ArLD perceive return-to-use prevention strategies | CHA, USA
Trends in vaping prevalence and mental health associations among Australian youth: Cross-sectional analysis 2016–2023
Growing international concern about youth vaping highlights the need for comprehensive surveillance, particularly given associations between vaping, smoking, and mental health. This study examined trends in vaping prevalence and associated factors among Australians to inform policy responses | IJDP, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Harry’s blog 130: Follow the science not the money
I arrived into the world of tobacco harm reduction (THR) from drugs and HIV harm reduction in 2015. I was invited into KAC by two valued colleagues from my previous world who were perfectly up front (and have never hidden the fact) that the funding for the organisation came from the Foundation for a Smoke Free World which in turn was funded by Philip Morris International. And the reason that they were prepared to use this money to further the cause of THR was that no other prospective funders for a harm reduction project were interested | NSP blog, UK
How Violence Prevention Teams in A&E are supporting patients, improving access to healthcare for vulnerable groups, and saving the NHS money
Violence is a significant public health issue. It costs the NHS over £2.9 billion each year treating and supporting those affected by violence, and there are long-term effects on individuals, families and communities. Many of those who are seriously injured by violence will go straight to A&E. A&E is therefore a sensible location in which violence prevention can be implemented. However, staff in A&E are exceptionally busy, they do not necessarily have time to take on additional tasks | IAS blog, UK
Keep Britain Tidy’s income tripled after receiving tobacco industry money: conflict of interest questions are inevitable
In this blog, ASH CEO Hazel Cheeseman explains why Keep Britain Tidy’s acceptance of tobacco industry funding is problematic and risks putting local authorities in breach of Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control | ASH blog, UK
Is Belgium a narco-state? Cocaine gangsterism has infected Europe
In October 2016, a wedding scandalised Antwerp. A bride and her groom, the scion of a prominent Belgian-Moroccan family, celebrated with a parade through Borgerhout, a shabby neighbourhood a few hundred metres from the city’s cathedral-like main station. Nothing strange there — but this wasn’t any old parade. For this was a gangster wedding, with the husband a member of the infamous “Turtle Clan” of cocaine smugglers, where flaunting wealth and power was far more important than love. | UnHerd, UK
Surviving Earth review – bruising portrait of addiction and redemption
Thea Gajić’s debut is an assured, intelligent drama of a father’s endless quest for contentment outside his heroin dependency | Guardian, UK