DrugWise Daily |
26th June 2026 |
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UK news
Hierarchy of harm: nicotine alternatives in a post-tobacco era
At a recent conference, clinical fellow pharmacist Darush Attar-Zadeh guided attendees through smoking cessation, vaping, and nicotine replacement options. Here, we distil the key insights from his session and explore the hierarchy of harm he outlined for nicotine alternatives in a post-tobacco era | The Pharmacist, UK
The great tinification: how Britain fell in love with canned cocktails
Forty years since Marks & Spencer started selling cans of gin and tonic, every supermarket and corner shop is full of ready-mixed mojitos, margaritas and negronis. Why are these so acceptable, given the moral panic over alcopops? | Guardian, UK
Nitrous oxide use on Bournemouth beach fuelling disorder
Officers have been dealing with large groups using laughing gas, or NOS, which is a Class C drug when used recreationally. Dorset Police shared images of officers confiscating boxes full of canisters and said they had also found people dealing NOS, while the beach was littered with empty cans and balloons | BBC, UK
Schoolboy 'possibly exploited' into drug dealing, murder trial told
A worker with the charity Action for Children, which supports young people who are victims of exploitation, told jurors that Amen was referred to the service five or six months before his death | BBC, UK
International news
Support. Don’t Punish - Global Day of Action 2026
26th June. The Support. Don’t Punish 2026 Global Day of Action — commemorated on 26th of June — is an opportunity to come together in transnational solidarity to show our strength, push back against harmful narratives, and connect with others to advance sustainable alternatives to the harmful ‘war on drugs’ | Support. Don't Punish, UK
Paris restricts alcohol consumption and sales as Europe's heatwave shifts east
French authorities have announced public alcohol consumption and sales bans in Paris, in a bid to ease pressure on the capital's hospitals during the heatwave | BBC, UK
Factors associated with the percentage of individuals who initiate and discontinue naltrexone as a relapse prevention pharmacotherapy in opioid use disorder: A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression
[Open access] In studies, one month later half those allocated to naltrexone (an opiate-blocker) tablets had already terminated their treatment. Retention was better on the long-acting, injectable form of the medication, but fewer than 1 in 5 potential patients started treatment | Addiction, UK
Screening, brief Intervention, and referral to treatment: Persistence of effects in adolescents at risk
[Open access] Considered particularly 'at risk', 10–20-year-olds in foster care in the USA were screened for substance use at a health check and briefly counselled or (rarely) referred for treatment. Initial post-intervention drops in substance use had rebounded by six months, a disappointing result: "Sustained effects were hypothesized and were not detected." | Addictive Behaviors, USA
Time for tailored harm reduction focus on new initiates to injecting drug use
[Open access] The recently updated operational guide for Needle and Syringe Programmes for People Who Inject Drugs from the World Health Organization (WHO), stresses that reaching new initiates requires “tailored, inclusive approaches”. In this commentary, we leverage the updated WHO guide to call for renewed focus on new initiates and the development of tailored harm reduction interventions | IJDP, USA
Evaluating the immediate impacts of the repeal of the Northern Territory minimum unit price on off-premises alcohol pricing: Findings from an observational study of online alcohol retailers
[Open access] A minimum unit price (MUP) of AUD$1.30 per standard drink was implemented in 2018 in the Northern Territory (NT), Australia, to reduce the availability of cheap alcohol. Despite evidence of its efficacy in decreasing alcohol consumption and harms, the MUP was repealed on 1 March 2025. This study aimed to determine the immediate impacts of the MUP repeal on the price of off-premises (i.e. takeaway) alcohol in Darwin, NT | Addiction, UK
CND Chair's Special Event to commemorate the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking and to launch the 2026 UNODC World Drug Report
On 26 June 2026, at 1 p.m. Vienna time the Chair of the 69th session of the CND will hold an event to mark the World Drug Day and to launch the 2026 World Drug Report. The Special Event, entitled “World drug problem: persisting issues, new challenges, innovative responses”, will mark the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking and will bring together Member States, the United Nations system, civil society and other stakeholders. The event will provide an opportunity to reflect on the continued and evolving impact of the world drug problem in all its dimensions and to exchange views on priority concerns and innovative, evidence-based responses | UNODC, Austria
Alcohol absorption nearly doubles after bariatric surgery, raising long-term misuse risk
Your body absorbs alcohol much more rapidly after bariatric surgery. Patients need to know this when they choose the kind of surgery they will have. "Bariatric surgery can come with a price. Patients have a significantly higher risk of developing alcohol problems than if they did not undergo surgery... | Medical Xpress, USA
DEA Plans Emergency Ban for O-DSMT, Active Compound in Tramadol
On June 24 the Drug Enforcement Administration announced that it’s preparing to temporarily place synthetic opioid O-desmethyltramadol (O-DSMT) in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. Administrator Terrance C. Cole is expected to issue the temporary order July 24, per the CSA requirement of a 30-day wait from when the notice of intent was published in the Federal Register. The agency claims O-DSMT is a “significant public health concern,” though the evidence for this is limited | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Have We Traded the Recovery Movement for a Peer Service Industry?
How can recovery-oriented systems distinguish between the meaningful integration of peer support and the token use of peers as a strategy to sustain business as usual services across our addiction treatment and recovery support service system that do not fundamentally change institutional culture or power structures? | Recovery Review blog, USA