DrugWise Daily |
29th October 2026 |
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UK news
Budget 2026: Time to raise our ambitions
[Yesterday](28 October 2026), the Chancellor announced that alcohol duty will continue to match inflation for a third consecutive Budget. While welcome, the decision does not match the scale of alcohol harm across the UK. Greater action could improve the nation's health and prosperity, raise much-needed revenue and help the Government deliver its ambitions for a healthier, safer and more productive society | Alcohol Change UK, UK
Identification and quantification of Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and the synthetic cannabinoid MDMB-4en-PINACA in edible products seized by United Kingdom police in 2024
[Open access] Cannabis edible products are increasingly being sold on the illicit market around the world. Use of these products, typically labelled as containing THC, has been linked to adverse health effects, particularly amongst adolescents. Here, we aimed to conduct the first study to quantify the THC content of cannabis edibles seized by United Kingdom (UK) police forces. We also sought to identify and quantify other drugs present, perform a visual analysis of packaging designs and evaluate the effectiveness of a field-portable device for rapid drug identification | Addiction, UK
Alcohol consumption and health-related economic inactivity among working-age adults in England: A population study, 2014 to 2025
[Open access] In England, the proportion of adults not in work due to long-term illness or disability has risen sharply in recent years. This study examined differences in trends in health-related economic inactivity between 2014 and 2025 by level of alcohol consumption | Addiction, UK
Lung cancer screening to begin for 90,000 people
People at high risk of developing lung cancer will be among the first to take part in a new screening service, which it is hoped will reach about 90,000 people in Leeds | BBC, UK
Northampton people recovering from drug and alcohol addiction share stories in new poetry book
The collection, Bridge Selected Poems Volume 2, was launched earlier this month at the Bridge recovery hub in Gold Street, where contributors read their work to fellow members, staff and supporters | Northampton Chronicle, UK
How do you feel about people smoking on the sidelines when you're playing sport?
Gracie plays for a youth girls team in Cheshire and has been campaigning for a change in the law to ban smoking and vaping at sports matches when children are playing | BBC, UK
International news
FDA scientists opposed Trump administration’s move to ease peptide access
Effort to loosen rules on unproven peptide drugs, favored by RFK Jr, faced fierce pushback from agency scientists | Guardian, UK
Coroner calls for TGA to review unapproved peptides after death of Australian actor
Richard Norton, 75, went into cardiac arrest in March 2025 after injecting prescribed but unapproved CJC1295 and ipamorelin | Guardian, UK
Drugnet 96
Drugnet Ireland is the Health Research Board’s quarterly drug and alcohol research and policy newsletter. It provides summaries and analysis of recent publications and policy developments and well as overviews of particular issues relating to the drug and alcohol situation Ireland. Experts from the EUDA national focal point and from the HRB Evidence Centre contribute content to the newsletter | HRB, Ireland
Afghanistan opium production jumps fivefold as farmers find ways round Taliban ban
Opium production in Afghanistan has risen fivefold in a year. According to a UN survey released on Thursday, it’s the first significant increase since the Taliban banned poppy cultivation in 2022. Estimated production rose by 400 per cent, from about 300 tonnes to just under 1,500 tonnes | UNODC, Austria
Mindfulness-based therapy may reshape brain responses to opioid cues during addiction treatment
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE), a behavioral therapy used alongside medication treatment, may help people with opioid use disorder respond differently to drug-related cues and natural rewards, according to a randomized clinical trial led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The findings offer insight into how MORE may reduce opioid craving and support recovery | Medical Xpress, USA
Single dose of fast-acting psychedelic nasal spray shows promise for stubborn depression
One in three individuals with major depressive disorder does not get relief from standard daily antidepressant medications. The up-and-coming psychedelic therapeutics like psilocybin or LSD do show promise of quick relief, even for difficult-to-treat depression. The psychedelic effects, however, are often strong and linger for a long time, requiring patients to remain under medical supervision in a clinic for four to 12 hours | Medical Xpress, USA
LSD and psilocybin push brain blood flow in opposite directions, study suggests
Researchers at Rigshospitalet, the University of Copenhagen and other institutions recently combined different imaging techniques to investigate the effects of LSD on the brains of healthy volunteers, comparing their findings with data collected as part of an earlier study with psilocybin | Medical Xpress, USA
How do funding strategies affect implementation of a youth substance use treatment program?
Funding can go directly to treatment organizations or first to state agencies. This study compared these 2 funding approaches to see which one helped more clinicians and supervisors become certified to deliver a youth substance use treatment approach | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Can an online alcohol intervention help older adults reduce drinking and cognitive decline?
Alcohol use and related health risks, including cancer, cognitive decline, and dementia, are an increasing concern among adults over 60, highlighting a critical need for accessible interventions designed specifically for this age group. This study tested whether an online alcohol intervention for older adults could reduce alcohol use and potentially improve cognitive functioning over 12 months | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
How big is the UK cocaine market?
What was once seen as a more exclusive and glamorous drug has, since the 1990s, increasingly penetrated a much wider set of demographics and social environments. UK data, for example, highlights that cocaine use in 2000 was twice as prevalent in London as elsewhere in the UK, but rates had equalised a decade later | Transform blog, UK
Drinkaware response to alcohol-specific death statistics for Scotland 2025
Drinkaware CEO, Karen Tyrell responds to the publication of alcohol-specific deaths registered in Scotland in 2025 by the National Records of Scotland | Drinkaware, UK
Vaping: holding two truths at once
While new evidence strengthens the case for nicotine vapes as an effective smoking cessation aid, a major review highlights the risks for children and young people. As Stoptober draws to a close, Darush Attar-Zadeh and Nazir Hussain stress that for pharmacists the task is to communicate both messages clearly at the same time | The Pharmacist, UK
Private equity is buying up more methadone clinics – access to the lifesaving drug isn’t getting easier
Three times a week, Amber Titus wakes up at 5 a.m. to get ready for the 45-minute drive to the methadone clinic. Titus, 38, and her husband live with their two young children in Bisbee Junction, Arizona, a rural community near the U.S.-Mexico border. The couple started taking methadone, a medication that treats opioid addiction, in early 2025 | Conversation, USA