DrugWise Daily |
12th February 2026 |
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UK news
From Hope to Delivery: Five essential next steps for Government action on alcohol and other drugs
Our Chief Executive, Will Haydock, introduces the five key policy steps Collective Voice is asking Government to take to ensure we can save and improve lives | Collective Voice, UK
'His loss is massive': Inquests show spread of deadly synthetic drugs
Highly potent synthetic opioid drugs called nitazenes, which experts say can be many times more potent than heroin, have been linked to hundreds of deaths in the UK | BBC, UK
Alcohol-Specific deaths in Northern Ireland, 2014 to 2024
This report presents statistics on Northern Ireland (NI) alcohol-specific mortality in 2024. Figures are based on deaths registered in NI that are known to have an alcohol-specific cause. Some key points: 1) There was a total of 397 alcohol-specific deaths registered in Northern Ireland in 2024. 2)Since 2014, Northern Ireland has seen registered deaths due to alcohol-specific causes rise by 81.3% from 219 to 397 in 2024. 3)Over the past ten years, the three-year rolling average for registered alcohol-specific deaths rose from 223.0 between 2012 to 2014 to 364.7 between 2022 to 2024 | NISRA, UK
Middle-aged women from deprived backgrounds struggle to quit smoking
Middle-aged women from more deprived backgrounds in Great Britain are significantly more likely to smoke and face greater challenges when trying to quit, according to a new study from researchers at UCL | UCL, UK
Local Authority Public Health Grant allocations
Today the Government has published multi-year Public Health Grant allocations to local authorities in England...This investment will support local authority commissioned public health services such as smoking cessation, drug and alcohol prevention, treatment and recovery, health visiting, sexual health clinics and supervised toothbrushing | They work for you, UK
Addictions and Mental Health Services
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking help improve addiction and mental health treatment | They work for you, UK
Alcohol Consumption
Mr Wilson asked the Minister of Health for his assessment of the impact that excessive alcohol consumption has on the health service | They work for you, UK
Drugs: Sentencing
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the a) longest and b) shortest custodial sentence handed down for possession of a Class B drug with intent to supply was in each of the last five years | They work for you, UK
Driving under Influence: Yeovil
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce the number of drink driving incidents in Yeovil Constituency | They work for you, UK
Guidance - Prepare for Vaping Products Duty and the Vaping Duty Stamps Scheme
From 1 April 2026 if you make or intend to make vaping products in the UK, you must apply for approval for Vaping Products Duty and the Vaping Duty Stamps Scheme | HMRC, UK
Government publishes misleading information about the dangers of sunbeds
When announcing proposals for stricter sunbed rules last month, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) claimed that they are “as dangerous as smoking”. This is misleading. The WHO has classed both sunbeds and smoking as cancer-causing hazards, but that doesn’t mean they’re equally risky. Independent experts have told us that smoking is much more likely to cause harm | Full Fact, UK
Volunteer roles at Waythrough
Waythrough currently have a variety of exciting roles for volunteers. Find out more ... | Waythrough, UK
International news
“Sorted”: Leah Betts, ‘ordinariness’ and drugs in 1990s Britain - seminar
TODAY - 12th February, Online. This paper explores the circumstances of Betts’ death and media afterlife, and draws on recent oral history interviews with those who consumed Ecstasy in the 1990s. This paper examines what happened when the life of an “ordinary” young woman met an extraordinary end and was exposed to the glare of media attention, and what this history tells us about young womanhood in the 1990s, media culture, and the normalisation of drugs | UCD, Ireland
Illicit drugs in the era of technological change: implications for public health and security
How can Europe prepare for the impact of emerging technologies in the drugs field and their implications for public health and security? This question will be at the heart of our 'Technology foresight for EU security and resilience' workshop taking place in Lisbon from 11–12 February | EUDA, Portugal
EUDA webinar: #ScaleUp initiative — scalable interventions for the treatment and care of stimulant use disorders - video
Recording of the webinar now available | EUDA, Portugal
Study finds addiction consults led to opioid treatment for eye infection patients
People who use injection drugs are at a higher risk for eye infections, particularly endogenous endophthalmitis—a medical emergency caused by bacteria or fungi entering the bloodstream to reach the inside of the eye. These individuals may present to eye clinics or emergency rooms with severe, vision‐threatening disease. However, the underlying substance use disorder that led to their infection is often not addressed in a systematic way | Medical Xpress, USA
Seven-day injectable, daily tablet buprenorphine equally effective for ED patients with opioid use disorder
In a Yale study, researchers found that seven-day injectable buprenorphine and daily tablet buprenorphine are equally safe and effective in engaging patients with opioid use disorder in treatment after an emergency department visit | Yale News, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
LGA responds to Local Authority Public Health Grant allocations
We are pleased to see a real terms increase in the grant, alongside alignment with the Local Government Finance Settlement, the bringing together of key funding streams for services and continued investment in the Swap to Stop scheme | LGA, UK
NYT’s turn on marijuana is a victory for public health
Almost seven years ago, the New York Times invited me to speak to its editorial board about the dangers of legalising marijuana. I was excited to get the chance to tell this key institution of American life what I — and many other researchers — knew to be true: that legalising and commercialising the drug would be a public health disaster. Suffice to say, I didn’t receive much support. That is why this week’s turn of events is so significant | UnHerd, UK