DrugWise Daily |
22nd October 2026 |
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UK news
Gen Z visiting bars more frequently than national average, study finds
Gen Z consumers are visiting bars more frequently than the national average, despite changing social habits and rising expectations around the on-trade experience, new research from Heineken has found | Morning Advertiser, UK
TikTok failing to remove nearly all accounts reported for advertising drugs, study finds
The platform decided more than 95 per cent of accounts reported by researchers for purporting to sell drugs did not violate its policies | Independent, UK
Campaign targets 'laughing gas' sales as people urged to report illegal nitrous oxide sellers
A new Crimestoppers campaign is raising awareness of the risks of nitrous oxide and is asking the public to tell the charity who is selling canisters illegally | Chronicle Live, UK
Metal detecting 'saved me', says former addict
Karl Monks, 40, from Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire, believes metal detecting is the "best hobby in the world" for ex-addicts who want to turn their lives around | BBC, UK
How to Catch a Harm Reductionist – At the National Harm Reduction Summit 2026
While some may say the association with drugs is detrimental to the image of Bristol, for others, it’s a proud celebration of its harm reduction history. Bristol is home to an ecosystem of people using drugs from all walks of life, living alongside one another with a foundation built from mutual understanding and care | Talking Drugs, UK
The Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 (Age of Sale Notices and Consequential Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2026: impact assessments
Assessments of the impacts of proposals for age of sale notices and related amendments under the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 | Gov.Wales, UK
Nitrous oxide canisters and vapes seized in raid
Fifty-nine nitrous oxide canisters, six boxes of suspected steroids, illegal cigarettes and vapes have been seized by police during a shop raid in West Yorkshire | BBC, UK
More than one in five year 11 boys in Wales report gambling in the past week
New findings from the Secondary School Children’s Health and Well-being Dashboard, published by Public Health Wales in partnership with The School Health Research Network (SHRN) at Cardiff University funded by the Welsh Government show that rates of self-reported gambling in year 11 boys aged 15 and 16 in Wales have significantly increased from the last survey in 2023 | PHW, UK
International news
Ex-prosecutor charged with treason in Mexico over US drug raid
Federal prosecutors in Mexico have charged a former state prosecutor with treason for allowing US agents to join a raid on a suspected drugs lab in April without proper authorisation | BBC, UK
'It starts fun': Four women on cocaine's impact on their lives
Cocaine use among women in Ireland is increasingly coming to the attention of addiction services, with the number seeking treatment rising sevenfold in eight years. Four women have spoken to Prime Time about their experiences with the drug, from recreational use on nights out to addiction, isolation and recovery. Their accounts also highlight a less widely discussed aspect of cocaine use: women taking the drug to suppress their appetite and manage their weight | RTe, Ireland
Fewer overdoses, not increased naloxone use, may help explain decline in US overdose deaths
Increased use of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone may not be a major reason opioid overdose deaths have fallen sharply across the U.S. since 2023, according to a study that challenges a leading explanation for the decline | Medical Xpress, USA
LSD speeds up brain waves and increases neural complexity, study finds
After being the subject of extensive psychiatric studies in the 1950s and 1960s, and then long associated with recreational or spiritual use, LSD has attracted renewed scientific interest over the past decade, driven by research into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for treating depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder | News Medical, USA
New study explores psychedelic therapy for co-occurring cocaine addiction and depression
A team of UTHealth Houston researchers has been awarded a five-year, $3.4 million grant to study whether psilocybin-assisted therapy is a viable treatment option for individuals with co-occurring cocaine use disorder and major depressive disorder | News Medical, USA