DrugWise Daily |
12th June 2026 |
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UK news
Contaminated cocaine and heroin batches cause alarm
The incidents in Somerset have prompted a call for a debate around whether there should be more widely available checking of drugs for contamination. Alison Bell, director of public health at Somerset Council, said "more harm" was being caused to drug users by the contaminated batches which was giving her "really significant concern" | BBC, UK
Starmer meets mum whose teen son died from ecstasy
A mother whose 18-year-old son died after taking ecstasy in an Ibiza nightclub has met with Sir Keir Starmer to raise more awareness of the danger of drugs | BBC, UK
Sisters look to break addiction stigma after loss
A woman whose father died days after her wedding, following a long battle with addictions, wants to "break the stigma" around them and men's mental health | BBC, UK
Free flu jabs for people experiencing homelessness
The government will offer flu vaccination to those experiencing homelessness beginning in Autumn | DHSC et al, UK
Drug use among Somerset's young people 'becoming normalised' - audio
Somerset's director of public health says a national conversation is needed | BBC Sounds, UK
Key considers imposing alcohol ban on England team
Director of cricket Rob Key is considering imposing an alcohol ban on the England team and has given no assurances Ben Stokes will remain Test captain | BBC, UK
Hooked film – private screening event in Sheffield pays a fitting tribute to Caleb
A Forward Trust-partnered film project, Hooked, poses thought-provoking questions about prescription drugs and their safe dispensation across England’s health and care system | Forward Trust, UK
Cannabis: Misuse
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to increase policing powers to help tackle cannabis smoking within homes | They work for you, UK
Armed Forces: Smoking
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what comparative assessment his Department has made of smoking prevalence among armed forces personnel | They work for you, UK
Drug use and rough sleepers found at city car park
A city council is considering bringing a dedicated security team to a car park after the BBC found evidence of drug taking and homeless people sleeping there | BBC, UK
'Gambling gave me self esteem until I lost £100k'
A man who overcame a decade-long sports gambling addiction has described how he copes during major sporting events such as the World Cup, as the 2026 tournament begins on Thursday | BBC, UK
Detection dog helps sniff out illegal cigarettes
A gifted detection dog helped sniff out 13,000 illegal cigarettes from a shop that has been closed after it continued to operate illegally | BBC, UK
International news
Family blame teenage son's death in Spain on vape oil
A teenage boy from Dundee has died while on holiday in Spain after a possible reaction to vape oil, his family have said | BBC, UK
Alcohol-related psychiatric inpatient admissions in Ireland – characteristics, trends and factors associated with first and repeat admissions, 2015-2024
New HRB report finds an overall decline in admissions as treatment shifts to community settings. Press Release here | HRB, Ireland
Family-centered interventions for people with substance use disorders in low-and middle-income country settings: a scoping review
De-centres from the developed 'west' countries to ask what the less wealthy world has trialled to help overcome substance use problems via the user's family | IJDP, USA
People who use illicit fentanyl consume daily doses equivalent to nearly 9,000 mg of morphine, study finds
People in Los Angeles who use illicit fentanyl regularly consume quantities of the drug equivalent to morphine doses hundreds of times higher than fentanyl doses used in hospitals. This use is far beyond what addiction treatment protocols were designed to address | Medical Xpress, USA
Lower dopamine may drive teen risk-taking that fades with age
Teenage risk-taking, such as experimentation with alcohol, cannabis, nicotine and other substances, may reflect a compensatory response to lower baseline dopamine, the brain chemical for reward activity, a new University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study published in Nature Communications suggests | Medical Xpress, USA
When cannabis feels within reach, teens are far likelier to start using it
Led by Marie-Pierre Sylvestre, a professor at the School of Public Health at the Université de Montréal, the researchers drew on Quebec data from COMPASS, a pan-Canadian longitudinal study of the health behaviors of secondary school students | Medical Xpress, USA
Not just a label: Teens’ perceptions of what elements of cannabis product packaging appeal to underage individuals
As cannabis legalization expands, so does product marketing, raising concerns about its appeal to underage audiences. Although previous studies have focused on marketing violations or adult perceptions of cannabis products, few studies have examined how teens perceive cannabis packaging | IJDP, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Approach Bias Modification for smoking cessation: NHS contender or game over?
Smoking has a remarkable ability to disguise itself. For some people, it feels like stress relief, comfort, routine, or even a “friend” during difficult moments. Yet behind the ritual sits one of the deadliest commercial addictions ever created: around half of long-term smokers will die from smoking unless they quit | Mental Elf blog, UK
Jeremy Maddocks: Why Conservatives should not surrender our parks to cannabis smokers
I was recently elected for the first time as a Conservative councillor in a central London ward on the Thames: a beautiful part of the capital with a historic palace, a Premier League football club, green parks and elegant streets. Like many places in London, it is outwardly prosperous and desirable. Yet one issue came up repeatedly on the doorstep during the election campaign: residents increasingly felt that anti-social behaviour was becoming normalised | Conservative Home, UK
Let's be clear, teen drinking is a form of self-harm, and it's on the rise
As exam season starts, the reality is that soon, hospitals will start to see the devastating consequences of teenage binge-drinking | Journal, Ireland
Using cannabis for sleep isn’t harmless – a neurologist explains how it can trap people in a cycle of dependency
For millions of people, cannabis has become the unofficial prescription for lost sleep. But what feels like a solution may be quietly making the problem worse | Conversation, USA