DrugWise Daily |
8th January 2026 |
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UK news
Thousands of lives to be saved under bold new Road Safety Strategy
In 2023, 1 in 6 road fatalities involved drink driving, but a consultation will explore the use of preventative technology, such as alcohol interlock devices and new powers to suspend driving licences for those suspected of drink or drug driving offences. The government will also consult on lowering the drink drive limit in England and Wales, which has remained unchanged since 1967 and is currently the highest in Europe | Department for Transport, Lilian Greenwood MP and The Rt Hon Heidi Alexander MP, UK
Guidance - DATRIG housing support and rough sleeping services: privacy notice
This guidance provides information on data collected from housing support and rough sleeping services funded by the drug and alcohol treatment and recovery improvement grant (DATRIG) | DHSC, UK
'Sobriety programme helped me get my life back'
People recovering from alcoholism say a programme which uses alcohol to achieve sobriety is helping them transform their lives. Worthing-based substance misuse charity Turning Tides says its method of gradually reducing alcohol intake under clinical supervision leads to better outcomes | BBC, UK
Senior coroner warns 'no known side effects' of synthetic drugs on NI streets 'other than death'
An inquest has found that a Dungannon man died from taking a cocktail of five different drugs, including nitazenes. Michael Maguire was found dead by his sister in December 2024. One of Northern Ireland's most senior coroners told UTV that the synthetic opioid has a level of strength and danger previously unseen in the region | ITV, UK
Rise in students excluded due to ketamine use in Halton schools
More and more students are being suspended and excluded due to ketamine usage, a report has found. According to the report from Halton Borough Council, 24 students were suspended from schools in Halton linked to ketamine and 12 were permanently excluded during the 2024/25 school year. This was a huge rise from the year before when just one student was suspended and two were permanently excluded | ITV, UK
Blast death parents in cannabis factory warning
The parents of a seven-year-old boy killed in a house explosion are working with a local authority to warn about the dangers of cannabis manufacturing | BBC, UK
Home Office: Drinkaware Trust
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase collaboration between her Department and Drinkaware | They work for you, UK
Pregnancy: Alcoholic Drinks
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that pregnant women are (a) asked about alcohol use at the earliest point in their pregnancy and (b) given healthcare to abstain from alcohol use throughout the duration of their pregnancy | They work for you, UK
I couldn't go 20 minutes without gambling - my period made it worse
Abbie Harvey's gambling addiction was so severe that she could not drive for 20 minutes without pulling over to bet - and felt the urge became worse just before and during her period | BBC, UK
International news
Trump administration ditches advice to limit alcohol to 1-2 drinks per day
President Donald Trump's administration released new nutrition guidelines on Wednesday that abandon long-standing U.S. recommendations that Americans restrict alcohol consumption to two beverages a day for men and one for women in favor of simply advising they consume less to be healthier | Reuters, USA
Longer treatment with medications for opioid use disorder associated with greater probability of survival
A new study of over 32,000 US veterans has found that the longer people stay on medications for opioid use disorder (buprenorphine, methadone, or extended-release naltrexone), the greater the probability of short- and medium-term survival. This benefit continues to increase for at least four years of ongoing treatment, considerably longer than most patients currently stay in treatment | Medical Xpress, USA
Senate Confirms Fentanyl Conspiracy Theorist Sara Carter as “Drug Czar”
On January 6 the Senate confirmed Sara A. Carter Bailey as the new “drug czar,” the colloquial title for the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), by a vote of 52-48. The former Fox News contributor was nominated by President Donald Trump in March 2025 and is the first woman to lead the ONDCP. She will likely use the position to amplify fentanyl misinformation and conspiracy theories targeting immigrants | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
New Road Safety Strategy: A gear change
The Department for Transport has published a new Road Safety Strategy. The Strategy lists a number of reforms and plans, including a consultation on lowering the legal drink driving limit in England and Wales, which would represent the first change to this policy since 1967. The government will also consult on new powers to suspend driving licences for those suspected of drink or drug driving offences | Alcohol Change UK, UK
AHA responds to news of lower drink-drive limit
The government has announced its first road safety strategy in over a decade, with a plan to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads by 65% by 2035. The strategy will consult on introducing a lower drink-drive limit to reduce collisions | AHA, UK
Of course drink driving laws need to be updated in England and Wales
We are using antiquated regulations, and are out of step with much of the rest of the world | Suzi Gage, UK
Opinion: A simple question for ministers - what is the plan for Britain’s pubs?
Britain’s pubs are not perfect. No industry is. There are poor operators in every sector, and some businesses will inevitably fail when trading becomes challenging | Morning Advertiser, UK
Incentivised Substance Free Living prison Wings work well for prisoners and staff
Following on from the post on how Incentivised Substance Free Living wing (ISFL) help create a more stable living environment, this post covers a recent (14 December 2025) MoJ process evaluation of ISFLs in three prisons. Written by Lucy Strang, Harley Williamson, and Elle Wandsworth from RAND Europe, the study aimed to understand how well established ISFLs are being implemented in three male prisons in England in relation to safety, accountability and support; what is or is not working well in supporting a safe and stable environment; and what factors have contributed to driving or limiting progress towards desired outcomes | Russell Webster, UK
Are We Reading the Data Right? When “Ketamine Deaths Up Twenty-Fold” Tells the Wrong Story
Ketamine deaths have increased twentyfold since 2014.” It’s a powerful headline. It sounds definitive. And it’s technically true. I even wrote about it a few weeks ago. But if we stop there, we risk misunderstanding who is actually dying and why. That matters because misreading the data leads to misdirected policy, commissioning, and practice | Tony D'Agostino, UK