DrugWise Daily |
27th August 2026 |
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UK news
Stigma around drug and alcohol use in the criminal justice system - Anti-Stigma Policy Briefing
People who use drugs and alcohol are often harmed by stigma, meaning negative and unfair beliefs which contribute to the discrimination they face and limit their opportunities. This briefing draws on a wide range of evidence – including personal testimony shared through the Anti-Stigma Network – to describe how stigma interacts with people’s experiences of the criminal justice system, and explain how policy makers can respond | Anti-Stigma Network, UK [See also blog below]
Stigma towards people who use alcohol and other drugs in healthcare settings
Stigma towards people who use alcohol and other drugs is pervasive. Negative and unfair beliefs contribute to discrimination, poorer quality of care and worse healthcare outcomes. This briefing draws on a wide range of evidence – including personal testimony shared through the Anti-Stigma Network – to describe how stigma affects access to and experiences of health care, and how policy makers can respond | Anti-Stigma Network, UK [See also blog below]
Bank holiday weekend puts Britain’s moderation habits to the test
New research from UK alcohol charity Drinkaware paints a nuanced picture of Britain's drinking habits, as data shows binge drinking is on the rise | Drinkaware, UK
Autumn Budget Submission 2026
The ask: A targeted rise in non-draught alcohol duty, delivered through a one off increase in the first financial year, and a long-term duty escalator, with pubs protected and supported through draught relief | IAS, UK
North Somerset Recovery Festival
5th September 2026. 11am to 10pm. Italian Gardens, Weston-super-Mare, BS23 1HS. Join in for a day of unity, hope, recovery and connection as our community comes together to celebrate recovery and challenge stigma. The day includes: Live music; Singers, including Rising Voices Choir; Recovery groups and service providers; Wellbeing tents; Main Share Tent with inspiring recovery stories; The recovery walk and more... | North Somerset Recovery Festival, UK
The Strength Arms Race: How the Strongest Nicotine Pouches Became the Fastest-Moving Corner of UK Retail
Walk into any independent convenience store in Britain this year and the shelf behind the till tells a story about where the nicotine market is heading | Business Matters, UK
Calls for deposit return scheme to dispose of vapes after bin lorry fires
Officers were asked if a scheme could be introduced to help deal with the issue surrounding lithium ion batteries | STV News, UK
Man given unpaid work after drugs found in child's pocket at nursery
A man has been ordered to carry out 160 hours of unpaid work after a toddler was found with two packets of drugs in her pockets at nursery | BBC, UK
International news
Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation
Electronic cigarettes (EC) are handheld electronic vaping devices that produce an aerosol by heating a liquid. People who smoke, healthcare providers, and regulators want to know if EC can help people quit smoking, and if they are safe to use for this purpose. This update was conducted as part of a living systematic review | Cochrane Library, UK
Getting High on Perfume in the Favelas of Rio de Janeiro
On the side of the street, next to the pop-up bars serving cervezas and caipirinhas, stood a table with bags upon bags of stupefying substances laid out as if they were trinkets at a souvenir stall: weed (maconha), coke, crack, ecstasy, ketamine. A vial of cocaine branded with the gang’s logo cost 50 reais ($10). But it was a bundle of plastic spray tubes filled with a see-through fluid that caught my attention | Talking Drugs, UK
Children addicted to HHC vapes can be denied access to Camhs support
Children and teenagers who are experiencing serious mental health problems because of hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) vapes can be refused access to State support services because of their addiction to the illegal drug | Irish Times, Ireland
HSE calls for new psychoactive substance rules
HSE calls for agile legislation after synthetic cannabinoids are found in vapes, vape juices and edibles sold in Ireland | Shelflife, Ireland
The health and social effects of nonmedical cannabis use: technical brief
Cannabis is globally the most commonly used psychoactive substance under international control. There is an increasing attention to health and social consequences of nonmedical cannabis use, including cannabis use disorders. This technical brief provides an evidence update on the impact of nonmedical cannabis use on health, building on the previous publication from 2016 | WHO, Switzerland
What's the latest on 7-OH and kratom availability and addiction care?
For two years, anyone has been able to walk into a vape shop or convenience store in Michigan and other states, hand over cash or a credit card, and walk out with as much of a substance called 7-OH and other related products as they can afford. Or they can click online and get it shipped to them | Medical Xpress, USA
Supervised consumption service use and high-frequency public injecting among people who inject drugs in Toronto: A cross-sectional analysis (2018–2020)
[Open access] Public injecting increases the risk of adverse drug-related outcomes. Supervised consumption services (SCS) have been associated with improvements in individual and public health outcomes. However, evidence of their impact on public injecting within current risk environments remains limited | IJDP, USA
What’s in the “secret sauce”? Adults in long-term recovery describe how Narcotics Anonymous supports lasting change
Alcoholics Anonymous has been studied extensively, and researchers have identified several mechanisms that may explain why it helps people achieve and sustain abstinence. Narcotics Anonymous (NA), though widely used, has received far less research attention, leaving its underlying mechanisms poorly understood. To help close this gap, this study interviewed long-term NA members about aspects of the program they believed were most influential in supporting their recovery | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Building a Movement for Stigma-Free Systems
New free resources to help you move from Awareness to Action. Across the UK, momentum is growing. More people are recognising the harms of stigma and discrimination. More organisations are questioning assumptions that have gone unchallenged for many decades. More professionals are asking how they can create services that are genuinely person-centred, inclusive and effective. We are pleased to be launching our first briefings focus on healthcare and the criminal justice system | Anti-Stigma Network, UK
Op-Ed: Harry Shapiro – Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction
As the new Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction report shows, THR inexorably marches on, but the spectre of denial is ever present | Clearing the air, UK
English cricket’s latest shame raises deeper question about sport’s relationship with alcohol
The fast bowler Brydon Carse is under investigation after an incident at a nightclub. Harry Latham-Coyle asks why England do not seem to be learning the lessons of a troubled period | Independent, UK
How Ecuador became a global cocaine hub
For decades, discussions about Latin America’s cocaine trade have tended to focus on the same places. Colombia and Peru produce much of the world’s coca, while Mexico’s cartels dominate trafficking into the US. But between these known parts of the supply chain, another country has quietly become important: Ecuador | Conversation, UK