DrugWise Daily |
28th September 2026 |
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UK news
PM rejects drugs decriminalisation after Swinney backs it
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he does not support decriminalising drugs for personal use, days after Scotland's first minister backed it | BBC, UK
Public support alternatives to prison according to new Forward Trust polling
Forward Trust has today released major new polling showing public support for the use of rehabilitation programmes as an alternative to prison sentences | Forward Trust, UK
The Princess of Wales visits The Forward Trust to mark Addiction Awareness Week
We were delighted to welcome HRH The Princess of Wales to Southend-on-Sea on Thursday 24 September to mark Addiction Awareness Week and launch The Big Addiction Conversation - our year-long campaign to get people talking more openly about addiction | Forward Trust, UK
Football police's alcohol tragedy link 'sickening', MP says
An MP has criticised a football policing organisation over comments, he said, linked the Hillsborough disaster to the debate over alcohol restrictions at matches | BBC, UK
Alcohol Action Day for Scotland
The first ever Alcohol Action Day will take place on Thursday 12 November. Alcohol Action Day will be an annual event that will, over time, provide opportunities to explore different aspects of the issue, draw attention to relevant campaigns, policy ideas and initiatives, and empower people with lived and living experience to share their stories and views | Alcohol Focus Scotland, UK
Campaign to help people quit smoking
A new regional campaign has been launched to help people quit smoking permanently. The What Will You Miss? campaign has been launched by Smokefree South West, a partnership of 15 local authorities working alongside the NHS | BBC, UK
Freedom of Information request reveals concerns over city shops selling vapes to children
Figures obtained from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request have revealed that of 22 outlets caught selling vapes to children in Sunderland in the last three years, none were given any punishment other than a written warning | Sunderland Echo, UK
I stole £1,000 a day to feed my addiction - now I've turned my life around
A former shoplifter who stole goods worth up to £1,000 a day to fuel his drug addiction says his life has been turned around by a support scheme | BBC, UK
Was the British Empire really built on drugs? The unlikely rise of an imperial superpower
Grown in India and sold into China, opium generated substantial revenues for British rule – and much more | History Today, UK
Men charged over £10m village ketamine haul
West Yorkshire Police said 500kg (1,102lb) of the drug, worth an estimated £10m, was found at a property on Rose Avenue in the the Upton area of Pontefract. The largest find was worth an estimated £17m and was found in Merseyside in 2025 | BBC, UK
International news
Gang jailed for plotting to smuggle £20 million worth of cocaine into London fish market
Four men involved in a plot to smuggle over £20m worth of cocaine into a London fish market inside frozen shipments have been given prison sentences | Independent, UK
What is kratom, the 'gas station heroin' alarming officials in the US?
Jeffrey Deaver, a 58-year-old retired timber cutter in the state of Washington, has taken kratom for four years to help with severe chronic hip and knee pain | BBC, UK
Gen X is drinking more as younger Americans cut back on alcohol, study finds
While younger generations are drinking less, adults aged 50 to 64 are drinking more, causing a shift reshaping the US bar scene | Guardian, UK
A framework to determine naloxone saturation with simulation modeling and cost-effectiveness methods
Mathematical model for the USA, but adaptable to other jurisdictions, which estimates how many more naloxone kits a locality would need to distribute to prevent an additional overdose death. The more already distributed, the more needed to prevent an extra death, so policymakers may want to limit distribution due to diminishing returns | Addiction, UK
Brain reward responses in young people with cannabis use disorder with Martine Skumlien and Valentina Lorenzetti - podcast
In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim talks to Dr Martine Skumlien and Professor Valentina Lorenzetti. Martine is a research fellow at King’s College London in the UK and Valentina is a professor at the Australian Catholic University in Australia. The interview covers Martine and Valentina’s research article on brain reward function in young people with cannabis use disorder | SSA, UK
Rise in prescription opioid use under public drug scheme
The estimated consumption of opioid pain medication under the General Medical Services scheme increased by more than 10% between 2018 and 2025, according to a new RTÉ Investigates analysis of HSE data | RTe, Ireland
Treating depression with Ketamine: Inside Vienna's center for augmented therapy
What happens when an altered state of consciousness becomes part of psychotherapy? We visited a new clinic in Vienna offering ketamine-assisted therapy. Dr. Claus Derganc showed us around and discussed the treatment’s potential, its risks, and how patients work through difficult experiences | Drug Reporter, Hungary
Celebrating multilingualism at the EUDA
Every day, the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) works to ensure that reliable, evidence-based information reaches people across Europe and beyond. On European Day of Languages, we celebrate the diversity of the languages we speak, but also something equally important: our ability to share knowledge across linguistic and cultural boundaries | EUDA, Portugal
One in nine older adults who use cannabis may meet criteria for cannabis use disorder
Cannabis use is becoming increasingly common among older adults in the United States, but less is known about how often it becomes problematic in this population | Medical Xpress, USA
New York Proposes Opioid Antagonist Requirements for the Workplace
On December 12, 2025, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a law requiring certain employers to include opioid antagonists in their first-aid supplies. The law was amended on February 13, 2026, to narrow the opioid antagonist requirement to employers federally mandated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to have first-aid kits | National Law Review, USA
Getting paid to vape? Researchers say that's a dangerous combination
Vaping products are becoming smarter—and potentially more addictive. Some new devices now reward users with cryptocurrency and other incentives tied to vaping behavior | Medical Xpress, USA
1967 guide for LSD use still relevant as psychedelics gain in popularity
As psychedelic drugs such as LSD gain new momentum as treatments for severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and even headaches, a University at Buffalo researcher is exploring safety education for recreational users | Medical Xpress, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Changing the script
Today’s blog post features a new information leaflet designed by people with experience of using opioids to help others who might want to use medication to help start their recovery journeys. I was lucky enough to be involved with a group of experts by experience convened by Revolving Doors to co-produce the leaflet | Russell Webster, UK
I love a drink in the stands, but Burnham’s beer proposal feels out of step with modern football
Focusing on the right to drink at your seat is an odd place to start when discrimination in the game runs much deeper | Guardian opinion, UK
Burnham’s booze ruse is a non-starter: just keep doing your drinking in the pub
The prime minister, a life-long football fan, was just restating a personal opinion about having a drink in the stands, not trying to make policy | Guardian, UK
If people on benefits are struggling to quit smoking, then the cost-effective, compassionate solution is cessation support
This week, the Conservative Party announced plans to change benefits so that recipients get pre-paid cards that can’t be used for certain goods and services, including tobacco. In this blog, ASH Senior Policy Officer Noah Traill explains why the best solution is targeted quit support and access to free and cheap alternatives for those on low incomes or benefits | ASH blog, UK