DrugWise Daily |
21st October 2026 |
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UK news
Guidance - Children and young people's alcohol and drug services: framework
This national framework sets out clear expectations for how local areas should design, commission and provide high-quality alcohol and drug support for children and young people. It covers interventions for: 1)children aged 17 and under, delivered by children and young people’s specialist drug and alcohol treatment services. 2) young people aged 18 to 24, as part of transitional arrangements in children and young people’s alcohol and drug services or in adult alcohol and drug treatment services | DHSC, UK
Tobacco giants exaggerate the size of Britain's illegal cigarette market threefold
New report - Beyond the headlines: the reality of illicit tobacco in the UK - reveals stark gulf between tobacco industry claims and official figures, as illegal cigarette consumption falls almost 90% | ASH, UK
Smoking rates rise in Hull, despite England fall
Data from the Annual Population Survey (APS) showed 19.5% of adults in Hull smoked in 2025. It is the highest rate in the country and up from 16.6% in 2023 | BBC, UK
Heroin seized as nine arrested in drug raids
Heroin and cannabis have been seized in early morning raids targeting suspected drug dealers in Birmingham and Walsall | BBC, UK
Cannabis 'gardeners' jailed over grow worth £3m
More than 20 so-called "growing rooms" and 3,000 cannabis plants were found when police raided a warehouse unit at Station Mills on Station Road in Wyke in July 2025 | BBC, UK
International news
Trends in vaping in the US population between 2013 and 2023: changes in vaping days among youth versus adults
Vaping consumption, measured as either the prevalence of daily vaping or total vaping, increased since 2013–14 in the US. This suggests that since 2013–14, not only are more individuals in the US vaping, but those who vape are doing so more frequently | BMJ Tobacco Control, UK
High-nicotine e-cigarettes and nicotine dependence among United States young and older adults, 2017–2022
Vaping high-nicotine e-cigarettes surged between 2017 and 2022, particularly in 18–24-year-olds. Among 18–24-year-olds this was associated with increased daily vaping and a large increase in nicotine dependence. The US Food and Drug Administration’s assessment of benefits versus harms of vaping high-nicotine e-cigarettes needs to be reassessed | BMJ Tobacco Control, UK
Microdosing LSD can improve your brain function – if you’re a woman
Taking microdoses of LSD can improve cognitive performance and focus – but only if you are a woman, according to groundbreaking new research. In a clinical study published in Nature, scientists investigating the cognitive impacts of low-dose psychedelics found that fractional doses of LSD enhanced sustained attention in female participants, while male participants showed no significant change | Independent, UK
Lisbon to host Europe’s leading conference on addictive behaviours and dependencies
The call for abstracts for Lisbon Addictions 2027, the Sixth European Conference on Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies, opens today under the theme ‘Addiction in times of disruption: science, technology and whole-of-society responses’. The conference will take place from 20–22 October 2027 at the MEO Arena, Lisbon | EUDA, Portugal
What Is Cychlorphine, a New Kind of Drug Taking Over the Illegal Market at an ‘Exponential Rate’?
The potent synthetic opioid is part of a new class of drugs, called “orphines,” that are causing alarm | Rolling Stone, USA
Review finds targeted support for expectant fathers could improve smoking cessation during pregnancy
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 58 studies, including 41 randomised controlled trials, found that behavioural support can help pregnant women stop smoking, with individual counselling showing the strongest results among the formats examined | Bio Engineer, USA
Hunger may play a role in alcohol addiction, new study finds
Researchers at Brown University have discovered a molecular link between hunger and the formation of "reward" memories that play a role in alcohol addiction. The insight could inform strategies for treatment and prevention, the scientists say | Medical Xpress, USA
Initial Treatment for Acute Low Back Pain and Risk of Opioid Use Disorder and Overdose
In this cohort study of 399 500 opioid-naive adults with Medicaid insurance, the cumulative incidence of OUD or overdose diagnosis was 2% at 13 months after initiating treatment for aLBP. Initiating higher-dose opioids (>50 mg of morphine equivalent) was associated with the highest risk, whereas chiropractic work was associated with the greatest risk reduction | JAMA Network Open, USA
STASH, Vol. 22(11) – Coping with complicated grief: Substance misuse among people surviving a loved one’s suicide
This week, STASH reviews a study by William Feigelman and colleagues that explored the possibility that suicide-bereaved adults report more problematic substance use than others, potentially as a coping mechanim | CHA, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Removing the cliff edge: why housing and employment support must work together
To help people rebuild their lives, many things need to fall into place; progress rarely happens in neat, separate stages. For example, a safe home can provide the stability needed to think about work. Employment, in turn, can bring financial security, build skills, confidence and independence, while opening up future housing choices | Forward Trust, UK
The Scotch Whisky Association: a century of alcohol industry influence
Scotch whisky is a globally recognised spirit, with an array of long-established and highly visible brands. How did an industry based in a country of less than six million people gain the influence it sees today? | IAS blog, UK
Stacey Dooley: Down the K Hole review – the weird tale of how you can order ketamine quicker than pizza
From incontinence to reconstructive bladder surgery, ketamine’s popularity with the young is a public health crisis in motion. But is Dooley the right person to get to grips with it? | Guardian, UK