Thank you to our Premium sponsors:
|
|
Could you sponsor DrugWise Daily? Please Email Harry Shapiro to discuss |
|
|
In date order, Monday to Friday
The Big Addiction Conversation – changing the way Britain talks about addiction
Addiction awareness week - 19th - 25th September 2026 Too many conversations about addiction never happen because of stigma, fear and misunderstanding. The Big Addiction Conversation is a new national movement from The Forward Trust, created to change that. Each year around 17,000 people die from alcohol- or drug-related causes in the UK. We’re aiming to start 17,000 conversations about addiction – one for every life lost | Forward Trust, UK
The deadly new drugs making Scotland's fight against addiction even harder
Efforts to bring down Scotland's sky-high rate of drug deaths are being frustrated by the arrival of hundreds of powerful new synthetic substances that experts warn are making the deadly drugs crisis even more dangerous. In the past three years, there has been an explosion in the supply of new synthetic cannabinoids and opioids, transforming the illicit drugs trade and increasing the risk of fatal overdoses | BBC, UK
'Children as young as 12 smoking cannabis'
Children as young as 12 years old are smoking cannabis outside Telford schools, a council meeting has heard. It seemed to be "common around the place" to smoke cannabis and vape outside of schools and that it was "almost accepted," Councillor Paul Thomas told a heath and wellbeing board meeting | BBC, UK
More than 3,000 fewer young people in Wales reporting regular vaping, data shows
New data from the Schools Health Research Network (SHRN) Student Health and Well-being Survey shows a significant fall in vaping among children and young people in Wales compared with 2023. The survey is completed every two years by more than 130,000 learners in years 7 to 11 in mainstream secondary schools across Wales | Public Health Wales, UK
ACMD autumn 2026 work program update
Letter to the Minister for Policing and Crime from the Chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) providing a work program update | ACMD, UK
A tale of two trap houses: being cuckooed ruined my friend’s life – but did it then help save him?
Duncan is a good friend of mine. He looks like a Dickensian rock’n’roller: tall and skinny, long hair, retro clothes...We met in secondary school in west London in the early 1980s. We got drunk, smoked Rothmans and banana skin spliffs and played Dungeons & Dragons | Guardian, UK
Adults with severe mental illness die 15 to 20 years earlier from diseases such as cancer
Exclusive: Stark health inequalities in terms of deaths before age of 75, NHS data reveals | Guardian, UK
Alcohol use and support receipt among people experiencing homelessness in England: a cross-sectional analysis with comparison to private household populations
[Open access] Compared to those more adequately housed, in England people sleeping rough were most likely to be experiencing alcohol use disorder but least likely to be receiving support. Same research team have also reported the views on that support of 32 of London's homeless current/former problem drinkers | BMJ Public Health, UK
Child ketamine users getting bladder damage describe 'peeing a jellyfish'
Children as young as 13 are getting ketamine bladder damage, doctors running a dedicated NHS clinic for it have told the BBC in an exclusive interview. Medics at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool say some patients - they have had over 100 referrals since opening last May - describe "peeing a jellyfish", which is some of the bladder's protective lining being shed | BBC, UK
World Cup viewers exposed to junk food, alcohol and gambling branding every seven seconds, study finds
More than 93,000 visible appearances of brands promoting unhealthy food and drink, alcohol, gambling and speculative products were recorded during coverage of the largest FIFA World Cup in history, new research has found. Unhealthy food and drink brands accounted for more than seven in ten, with 65,722 appearances | University of Bristol, UK
6 in 10 young people who have ever smoked regret it, as 100-day countdown to a smokefree generation begins
New data shows 62% of 11 to 17-year-olds who have ever smoked regret starting, while two-thirds of young people support the landmark Smokefree Generation law that will protect future generations from ever starting | ASH, UK
Vaping rates for schoolchildren appear to drop - is it falling out of favour?
For the first time in several years, the rates of vaping among schoolchildren in Wales appear to be falling. The most recent data from a survey of more than 130,000 young people in secondary schools showed that across all age groups, habits are changing for both vaping and smoking | BBC, UK
Summit on drug-related harm hosted by PHS on 19 June 2026 findings and recommendations
Findings and recommendations from the summit on reducing drug harms hosted by PHS on 19th June 2026. and glossary: Explanation of terms and abbreviations used in Summit on drug-related harm | Public Health Scotland, UK
Scotland's first drug-checking service to open in Glasgow
Scotland's first local drug-checking service is set to open in Glasgow next month in a landmark move aimed at reducing drug-related harm. The facility, opening on October 5, will allow individuals to submit drugs for testing to find out exactly what substances they contain | Glasgow Times, UK
Injecting equipment provision in Scotland
This annual release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) presents information on injecting equipment provision (IEP) services in Scotland. This includes the number of outlets; attendances and the types of injecting equipment distributed to people who used controlled drugs (including Novel Psychoactive Substances and Image and Performance Enhancing Drugs) in Scotland in 2025/26 | Public Health Scotland, UK
Baseline Implementation of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards in Scottish Prison
This release presents the first national baseline assessment of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards implementation across all 17 Scotland’s prison establishments in 2025-26. The MAT standards aim to improve access to, and quality of, treatment and support for people who use drugs | Public Health Scotland, UK
Police warn of rise in vape and medicine spiking
Predators are increasingly using prescription drugs, over-the-counter medication and drug-laced vapes to spike victims, the Metropolitan Police has said | BBC, UK
Drug-related deaths in Scotland, 2025
The number of deaths from drug use rose by 11% in 2025 compared to the previous year, according to new figures from National Records of Scotland (NRS). NRS recorded 1,133 deaths, 116 more than in 2024. The rate of 21.4 deaths per 100,000 people is four times as high as the rate in the year 2000 when current records began. There was a 19% increase in drug use deaths in males and a 5% decrease in females compared to 2024. The average age at death was 46 | NRS, UK
Drug deaths rise sharply in Scotland as figures remain worst in Europe
Deaths related to illicit drugs rose by 11% in Scotland last year to 1,133 as the country struggles to tackle the worst fatality rate in Europe. National Records of Scotland (NRS) said the figure for 2025 was 116 higher than the previous year, bringing the total deaths in a decade to more than 11,000. After adjusting for age, there were 214 drug-related deaths per million people | BBC, UK
Behavioural problems in trauma-exposed youth linked to later smoking, substance use and poor diet
Study co-led by Bath suggests tackling problem behaviours in adolescence could help reduce some of the long-term health impacts of childhood trauma | University of Bath, UK
Andy Burnham signals he may lift ban on alcohol in football stands
Prime minister says measure is discriminatory when fans of other sports are not similarly restricted | Guardian, UK
Tories would prevent long-term jobless spending benefits on alcohol and cigarettes
The Conservatives have promised to prevent long-term jobless benefit claimants from spending their welfare payments on alcohol, cigarettes and gambling | BBC, UK
Call for delivery app alcohol limits after man's death
The family of a man who died of alcohol abuse aged 33 is calling for restrictions on the amount of booze that can be bought on food delivery apps | BBC, UK
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
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
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
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