DrugWise Daily |
7th May 2026 |
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UK news
Do the Reasons People Drink Alcohol Aid Our Understanding of Sociodemographic Differences in Alcohol-Free and Low-Alcohol Consumption? A Path Analysis on a Cross-Sectional Study of Adult Alcohol Drinkers in Great Britain
In the UK, consumption of alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks is more prevalent among heavier drinkers and socially advantaged groups. If heavier drinkers are substituting alcoholic drinks with NoLo drinks, this could improve public health. However, socioeconomic differences in consumption could exacerbate alcohol-related health inequalities. Socioeconomic groups vary in their reasons for drinking alcohol, with less advantaged individuals more likely to drink to cope. This study examined whether alcohol drinking motives can help explain differences in NoLo consumption | Addiction, UK
Ryanair boss calls for ban on early-morning airport drinks as bad behaviour rises
Michael O’Leary says his airline has to divert one flight a day on average because of disruption from passengers | Guardian, UK
EAT rules rail worker’s drug test result was disability discrimination
An employment tribunal was wrong to dismiss a disability discrimination claim lodged by a rail worker who had been prescribed medical cannabis | Personnel Today, UK
'I wrote The Cage to understand my brother's addiction'
The Bafta-nominated writer of a new "high-energy crime story" about gambling has said he wanted to write about addiction to better understand his late brother's battles with alcohol | BBC, UK
Drug Education Forum Event – Summer 2026
Thursday 21 May • 3:30 PM - 5 PM GMT+1. Join our online Drug Education Forum to learn, share, and connect about drug awareness. The keynote speaker is Will Lawn, senior lecturer in psychology at King’s College London who specializes in adolescent cannabis use and its impacts. Also appearing will be Agnes Wootton, head of We Are With You’s services for young people in the South region, who will be talking about Re-Frame, a police-led diversion programme for young people aged 10-17 years found in possession of Class B or C drugs | DEF, UK
Motherwell FC sponsors jailed for running £12m cocaine operation
David Stephen and Shaun Brown sponsored Scottish Premiership club Motherwell FC through their firm DX Home Improvements | BBC, UK
Man faces deportation after cannabis farm raided
A man has been sentenced to almost three years in prison and now faces being deported after he was caught growing cannabis and being in breach of a deportation order | BBC, UK
International news
Australian director Phillip Noyce shoots feature film for Saudi Arabia celebrating ‘heroism of security men in combating drugs’
Regime, which executed 243 people last year for drug offences, accused of investing in entertainment to whitewash its human rights record | Guardian, UK
Federal authorities arrest 18 people in Los Angeles raid amid drug crackdown
Justice department targets MacArthur Park, which has long struggled with fentanyl use, overdoses and homelessness | Guardian, UK
HRB and Pobal report shows strong link between deprivation and addiction
The report, An Exploration of the Relationship Between Addiction Treatment and Geographic Deprivation, was produced by the Health Research Board (HRB) and Pobal on behalf of the Department of Health. It shows Ireland’s most disadvantaged* communities experience significantly higher levels of drug and alcohol treatment than affluent ones.Areas classified as very disadvantaged and disadvantaged represent 14% of Ireland’s population, and account for 35% of all treatment cases. By contrast, affluent areas represent 15% of the population, but account for only 8% of all treatment cases | HRB, Ireland
Fact Sheet: 2026 National Drug Control Strategy
President Trump’s Drug Czar Sara Carter has released the National Drug Control Strategy. The Strategy is a road map for the United States to defeat the scourge of illicit drugs and achieve a safe and healthy America, where a drug-free life is the prevailing norm | The White House, USA
Adolescents view cannabis as less harmful than cigarettes, nicotine vapes, and alcohol: Findings from two California school surveys
[Open access] The findings show a clear and persistent pattern: Cannabis is viewed as the least harmful substance among respondents. In the earlier survey, about two-thirds of adolescents considered regular cannabis use harmful, compared to higher proportions for alcohol, vaping and cigarettes | DADR, USA
Higher steroid use linked to poorer mental health
Riskier anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use has been linked to poorer mental health symptoms, new Griffith University research has found. Ph.D. Candidate Ben Bonenti from Griffith's School of Applied Psychology examined the mental health and psychological factors associated with higher AAS-related risk among people attending alcohol and other drug treatment services | Medical Xpress, USA
FDA Finally Authorizes Fruit-Flavored Vapes. Here’s What It Took
On May 5, the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) did something it has never done before: It authorized fruit-flavored vaping products for the United States market, deeming them “appropriate for the protection of public health.” | Filter Magazine, USA
Magic mushrooms make mean fish lazier and more chill
Psilocybin may selectively lower aggressive behavior in the the notoriously nasty mangrove rivulus | Popular Science, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Alcohol Harm in the Age of Delivery Apps: My uncle’s struggle
In this personal blog, Cassie, a lived experience campaigner and advocate, shares her family’s experience of alcohol addiction and how online alcohol delivery apps have made alcohol easier than ever to access. She reflects on how a system built for convenience is failing to protect people at their most vulnerable, and considers what needs to be done about it | AHA blog, UK
We label medicine to save lives – it’s time to do the same for alcohol
Currently in the UK, a bottle of orange juice is required to display more nutritional information than a bottle of alcoholic beer | Politics Home, UK
The Tobacco and Vapes Act has passed, but what happens next?
The Tobacco and Vapes Act is now officially law and the smokefree generation will become a reality. Starting on the 1st January 2027 the UK will begin phasing out the sale of tobacco products to anyone born after 2008. The scale of what has been achieved here cannot be overstated. The UK is leading the world in the fight against tobacco! | ASH blog, UK
Alcohol reduced my anxiety – but at a cost
Paula McInally responds to an extract from Gemma Correll’s book on her relationship with booze | Guardian letters, UK
Expert reaction to systematic review and meta-analysis on ketamine infusions for rapid reduction of suicidal and depressive symptoms in treating major depressive episodes (MDEs)
Experts give their opinion on a systematic review and meta-analysis that looked at ketamine infusions for the reduction of suicidal and depressive symptoms | SMC, UK
Donations, access and secrecy: 3 tactics tobacco companies use to influence smoking laws
In April, the United Kingdom passed landmark laws that aim to create a “smokefree generation”. This means anyone born on or after January 1 2009 can never legally be sold tobacco products. The law is a triumph for public health. And it puts the financial interests of the tobacco industry in the rear window | Conversation, Australia