DrugWise Daily |
28th October 2026 |
Thank you to our Premium sponsors:
|
|
Could you sponsor DrugWise Daily? Please Email Harry Shapiro to discuss |
|
UK news
Alcohol-specific deaths fall 3%
The number of deaths wholly attributed to alcohol fell by 3% in 2025, according to new figures from National Records of Scotland. There were 1,152 alcohol-specific deaths registered last year, 33 fewer than in 2024. The fall was driven by a decrease of 43 in the number of deaths among males while there was an increase of 10 deaths among females. The rate of deaths among males is still twice that of females | NRS, UK
Women's alcohol deaths are increasing - my daughter died after fighting for decades
The number of women who died last year in Scotland from alcohol-related illnesses was up by 3% on the year before, official figures show | BBC, UK
Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) quarterly report
Drug-related harm in Scotland remains high. Between June and August 2026, ambulance naloxone administration incidents were stable, while suspected drug deaths decreased compared with the previous quarter. Cocaine was the most frequently reported drug across treatment and toxicology data. The benzodiazepine market continued to evolve, with frequent detections of novel benzodiazepines. Nitazenes were detected in 8% of deaths positive for a controlled drug. Reports and detections of nitazenes have decreased across several indicators | PHS, UK
Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) Alert: Nitazenes Briefing
Nitazenes are a group of potent synthetic opioids that are now widely detected across Scotland. Nitazenes pose a high risk of overdose, hospitalisation and death. Different types have been detected. Some are hundreds of times more potent than heroin. Nitazenes are most commonly found as an unexpected contaminant in drugs sold as heroin, benzodiazepines and oxycodone. Services supporting people who take drugs should promote and discuss harm reduction measures. All staff should be aware of the signs of overdose and the immediate actions required, in particular the use of naloxone | PHS, UK
Prescribing for opioid dependence in Scotland
This release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) provides updated statistics on opioid agonist therapy (OAT) prescribing in Scotland. OAT is an evidence-based treatment for opioid dependence that aims to reduce illicit opioid use and associated harms. This report provides an overview of OAT prescribing in both community and prison settings in Scotland, including data on prescriptions dispensed and estimates of the number of individuals receiving treatment | PHS, UK
E-cigarettes help smokers quit even without behavioral support sessions
A new study by Queen Mary University of London, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), has found that e-cigarettes can help people quit smoking even without ongoing behavioral support | News Medical, UK
AI bots flooded 2023 UK government consultation on disposable vapes ban
Three-quarters of all responses were machine-generated in failed attempt to stop bill from passing into law, research finds | Guardian, UK
Criminalisation of hard drugs e.g. heroin - YouGov survey
Latest answers to a range of questions on the decriminalisation of drugs. Scroll down the YouGov page to see all opinion data on the topic | YouGov, UK
Death initially probed as murder was drug overdose
The death of a woman that initially prompted a murder arrest was caused by an unintentional drug overdose, a coroner has said | BBC, UK
Men jailed after underground cannabis farm found
Police officers found an "inconspicuous" shipping container near Wolston in August. Inside it they discovered an entry hatch which led them down into a subterranean farm with an estimated £500,000 crop of cannabis growing | BBC, UK
International news
Even just two drinks a day can be far riskier for health than previously thought, study warns
Any possible benefits of drinking small quantities of alcohol do not translate into overall health benefit, study says | Independent, UK
Chronic pain treatment experiences and barriers among opioid agonist treatment participants who inject drugs: A qualitative study
[Open access] Co-occurring chronic pain affects nearly half of people receiving opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment. Although this pain is often severe, it is usually inadequately managed. Stigma and clinical complexity associated with OUD are thought to further restrict access to pain care. This study examined barriers to pain treatment from the perspectives of people with both chronic pain and OUD | Addiction, UK
Changes in the transition from cannabis use to use disorder by decade of first use: Findings from the Australian National Mental Health and Wellbeing surveys
[Open access] As cannabis becomes increasingly accessible and products more potent, it is critical that we understand how this may impact the risk of transitioning from cannabis use to cannabis use disorder (CUD). We aimed to examine whether the risk and speed of transition from cannabis use to CUD differ by decade of first cannabis use | Addiction, UK
National study finds decline in drug use–associated heart infections but growing share involves stimulants
A new national study found that hospitalizations for serious heart infections associated with drug use are declining after years of increases, driven largely by a decrease in opioid-associated cases | Medical Xpress, USA
Beer, wine or spirits: A large study finds different mortality patterns for each
From beverage choice to drinking with meals, researchers followed more than 340,000 adults to investigate how different alcohol consumption patterns relate to long-term mortality | News Medical, USA
Black Dog Institute announces Australian-first ketamine treatment trial for Australia’s emergency service workers
Black Dog Institute has today announced a new clinical trial investigating whether ketamine, combined with evidence-based psychological therapy, can improve treatment outcomes for Australia's emergency service workers living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | News Medical, USA
Alberta’s recovery pipeline: A critical policy analysis
[Open access] Recovery policy is gaining legislative momentum as a proposed solution to address the 'addiction' crisis. As the first province in Canada to formally design and implement a recovery-oriented system of care, Alberta represents a key jurisdiction to critically explore this policy shift, commonly referred to as the ‘Alberta Model.’ | IJDP, USA
Recovery has entered the chat: Can a digital recovery community support abstinence?
Digital recovery support services can provide on-demand access to peer support while overcoming practical obstacles like geographic distance and personal factors like stigma. But does participating in these digital services actually support recovery? This study examined whether time spent on a popular online recovery community was prospectively associated with abstinence and quality of life | Recovery Research Institute, USA
"It works if you work it": Different mutual-help groups may offer similar benefit for those who get involved
12-step groups like Alcoholics Anonymous have long been the go-to support option for people seeking recovery from alcohol problems, but attendance at newer options like SMART, LifeRing, and Women for Sobriety are rising. Their growth has accelerated since the COVID-19 pandemic expanded access to online meetings. This study examined whether participation in these newer options helps improve alcohol abstinence as much as 12-step groups | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
In the shadow of drug deaths, Scotland’s alcohol crisis persists
Last year, 1,152 people in Scotland died from conditions caused by alcohol. That’s 3% fewer than the year before. Any fall is welcome, but every one of those deaths leaves a family grieving, and each could have been prevented with the right help at the right time. Today my thoughts are with them all | WithYou, UK
Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems welcomes fall in alcohol deaths but raises concern over rising deaths among women
Dr Alastair MacGilchrist OBE, SHAAP Chair, commented: “We are pleased to see alcohol deaths in Scotland fall for a second year, with 1,152 people dying from alcohol-specific causes in 2025, down from 1,185 in 2024. Any reduction is welcome, and shows that the right policies can make a difference | SHAAP, UK
Can pubs offer alcohol-free beer without hurting their bottom line?
Pubs are an important part of British social life. But drinking habits are changing. More people are choosing to moderate their alcohol consumption, while others prefer not to drink alcohol at all. According to research by KAM and Lucky Saint, around one-third of pub visits involve no alcohol consumption and more recently, a 2025 KAM survey found that 37% of UK adults had either left a hospitality venue early or felt disappointed because of its limited low- and no-alcohol options | IASD blog, UK
Pablo Escobar tried to bomb me in Bogotá. To stop the cartels infiltrating Europe, we should legalise cocaine
Responding to a Guardian investigation into trafficking, former British ambassador to Colombia Keith Morris says the ‘war on drugs’ has failed | Guardian letters, UK
Do more cannabis stores near schools mean more teens use cannabis? Our research suggests the answer is complicated
When Canada legalized recreational cannabis in October 2018, one concern was that more legal stores would make cannabis easier for young people to access and encourage adolescent use. But does having more cannabis retailers near high schools actually mean more students use cannabis? | Conversation, Canada
Peptide users don’t think of themselves as injecting drug users. 5 safety basics injectors need to know
There’s a whole new population of injecting drug users. They buy peptides online for muscle building, weight loss, to aid workout recovery, or improve their skin or sleep. Few see themselves as injecting drug users. But these peptides are drugs, injected like any other. They’re often distributed by illicit online sellers and don’t come with safety advice | Conversation, Australia