DrugWise Daily |
7th October 2026 |
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UK news
DDN Magazine October 2026
Is support reachable on a difficult day? If someone misses an appointment or stops responding to messages, how easy do we make it for them to reconnect? Do we find out what’s been happening? If recovery isn’t a straight road, then support needs to be reachable on a difficult day, when confidence is low and asking for help feels hardest | DDN, UK
Adult smoking habits in the UK: 2025
Around 4.9 million people aged 18 years and over (9.8% of the population) smoked cigarettes in the UK in 2025. This is a decrease from 2024 (10.6%), which follows a long-term downward trend. The proportion of current smokers has fallen by 10.4 percentage points since this data time series began in 2011 (20.2%), based on our estimates from the Annual Population Survey (APS) | ONS, UK
Smoking profile: statistical commentary, October 2026
An overview of the extent of smoking, smoking-attributable harm and the measures being taken to reduce that harm at a local level in England | OHID, UK
Proportion of people in Great Britain vaping who never smoked doubles in four years
More than 1 million people in Great Britain now vape despite never having been regular smokers, with rates nearly doubling in just four years, according to figures that health experts describe as concerning | Guardian, UK
New vape tax 'could push stronger alternatives'
Government guidance states that a duty of 22 pence per millilitre of vape liquid bought will now be added, whether the liquid contains nicotine or not | BBC, UK
Rehabilitation charity to close after multiple funding rejections
A charity working with people who have been in prison has announced that it will close this month after repeatedly failing to secure funding in recent months. The West Yorkshire Community Chaplaincy Project (WYCCP), which operates a resettlement service, said it would close on 16 October | Civil Society, UK
They found tumours on my lungs - I thought I was going to die
When Mel McKechnie was first told she had cancer, she said she "suddenly went cold". She said she had been a 40-a-day smoker of cigarettes when she was diagnosed with lung cancer following an invitation for screening | BBC, UK
'I was at the pub - then my wife's bag exploded'
A man is warning about the dangers of "knock off" batteries after his wife's vape blew up "like a firework" | BBC, UK
Why are councillors trying to stop vape, phone and barber shops?
There are 16 mobile phone outlets, 11 vape units and nine barber shops on Southend's High Street, according to James Rourke, a Reform UK councillor who is backing the motion. It seems "a little excessive", Rourke says | BBC, UK
Drug addict who murdered man in his own home jailed for life
Terence Welsh, 42, stabbed 59-year-old Stuart Kennedy in the chest as he sat in a chair at his flat in Ardrossan | BBC, UK
International news
Utah officials warn of fatal overdoses involving kratom and cat’s claw after Ole Miss deaths
U.S. poison control centers have reported a 1,200 percent increase in calls about kratom from 2015 to 2025 | Independent, UK
No Progress After 2 Years of South African Cannabis Act
South Africa is often described as one of the African countries that decriminalised cannabis, but that description becomes less straightforward the closer one looks at what followed the Constitutional Court’s 2018 judgment | Talking Drugs, UK
EUDA webinar: Building local partnerships for community health and safety: a whole-of-society approach
TODAY. 7 Oct 2026. Online. This webinar explores how whole-of-society partnerships strengthen local response systems for community health and safety. Drawing on experiences from three countries, the session will illustrate how local partnerships are built, coordinated and sustained | EUDA, Portugal
Cannabis products associated with sustained improvements in patients with inflammatory arthritis
The sustained use of medical cannabis preparations provides safe and effective relief for patients with inflammatory arthritis, according to observational data published in the journal Clinical Medicine Insights: Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Disorders | News Medical, USA
Patient Travel Experiences for Methadone Dosing Visits
This qualitative study found that patients spent a mean 82.5 minutes round trip and $15.80 in travel-related costs for each dosing visit and experienced multiple structural barriers beyond travel distance alone that stagnated progress toward treatment and life goals | JAMA Network Open, USA
The DRAM, Vol. 22(10) – How does treatment relate to the use of protective behavioral strategies for drinking?
This week, The DRAM reviews a study by Kevin Montes and colleagues that explored PBS use among a sample of heavy drinkers, including some who had sought help for their drinking | CHA, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
It’s time to show alcohol and junk food sponsorships the red card
As someone who has been enjoying this year's packed sporting calendar, Melissa Dando, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer, explores how the promotion of health-harming products has come to dominate major sporting events, and what can be done to reclaim sport from industry influence | WCRF blog, UK
George De Leon - Obituary
It is with profound sadness that we mark the passing of George De Leon, one of the most influential figures in the history of Therapeutic Communities and addiction treatment | Phoenix Futures, UK