DrugWise Daily |
31st October 2025 |
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UK news
Ketamine use is increasing, and so are its harms - Information and advice for local Public Health Teams (PDF)
Ketamine use has increased in recent years and so have the related health harms. People now use ketamine in many different contexts, from party settings to self-medication. There are eight times more people going into drug treatment for ketamine use than there were a decade ago. People aged 18-24 have the highest rates of use. Ketamine can cause painful bladder problems and damage to the urinary tract, leading to incontinence and other complications, some of which can be irreversible. This is an increasing cause for concern among urologists | OHID, UK
'THC vapes' laced with other substances - Information and advice for educational settings (PDF)
So-called 'THC vapes' are becoming popular among young people and are illegally available through online platforms, including social media. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the main psychoactive ingredient in the cannabis plant. Possession is always illegal, unless precribed in a medicine by a doctor. Using THC has its own risks, but vapes claiming to contain it often contain more harmful substances, such as synthetic and semi-synthetic cannabinoids, often known as 'Spice.' The effects of synthetic cannabinoids can be very different to those of THC and have contributed to a number of overdoses, and even deaths, in recent years in the UK | OHID, UK
'THC vapes' likely to contain other drugs - Information and advice for local Public Health Teams (PDF)
So-called 'THC vapes' are becoming popular among young people and are illegally available through online platforms, including social media. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the main psychoactive ingredient in the cannabis plant. Possession is always illegal, unless precribed in a medicine by a doctor. Using THC has its own risks, but vapes claiming to contain it often contain more harmful substances, such as synthetic and semi-synthetic cannabinoids, often known as 'Spice.' The effects of synthetic cannabinoids can be very different to those of THC and have contributed to a number of overdoses, and even deaths, in recent years in the UK | OHID, UK
High risk of overdose from fake medicines - Information and advice for educational settings (PDF)
Highly potent synthetic opioids have caused a high number of overdose deaths in the UK in recent years. A class of synthetic opioids called nitazines, which are usually more potent than fentanyl, are the most common currently. These substances are appearing in fake pain-relief and other medicines. People are buying these medicines from illicit sources, often online retailers, unaware that they can be adulterated with dangerous substances | OHID, UK
High risk of overdose from fake medicines - Information and advice for local Public Health Teams (PDF)
Highly potent synthetic opioids have caused a high number of overdose deaths in the UK in recent years. A class of synthetic opioids called nitazines, which are usually more potent than fentanyl, are the most common currently. These substances are appearing in fake pain-relief and other medicines. People are buying these medicines from illicit sources, often online, unaware that they can be adulterated with dangerous substances | OHID, UK
Peer Mentoring Evaluation: A report on final research findings
The Peer Mentoring Programme offers one-to-one support from a mentor with lived experience of substance dependency to individuals with a dependency (‘mentees’) to help them to overcome barriers and make progress. Progress can mean different things for different mentees, for example around recovery from dependency, health, wellbeing or the labour market. This report presents findings from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) test of Peer Mentoring for individuals with a substance dependency | DWP, UK
Ambulance staff subjected to violence and harassment on alcohol-related callouts, study finds
The first-of-its-kind study by the University of Stirling reveals anxiety and frustration among ambulance staff and warns that alcohol-related ambulance callouts have knock-on effects on responses to other patients | University of Stirling, UK
The paramedic who wakes up wondering: 'Will I make it home tonight?'
The paramedic recalled his ordeal as new research found ambulance staff are frequently subjected to violence when responding to alcohol-related callouts | BBC, UK
Between fidelity and sustainability: a mixed-methods study of the implementation and healthcare utilization outcomes of two alcohol assertive outreach treatment models
[Open access] How and how successfully two outreach teams in England’s north west region sought to reduce the harm experienced by very heavy drinkers and to reduce the load they imposed on hospitals and emergency departments | DEPP, UK
A novel interdisciplinary approach to understanding how contextual factors influence alcohol consumption
This project will develop a novel modelling infrastructure to advance our understanding of how contextual factors influence alcohol reduction attempts and inform policy interventions addressing alcohol-related harm | SARG, UK
ASH briefing on the polluter pays tobacco levy (PDF)
Four manufacturers are responsible for over 95% of UK tobacco sales. Their monopoly-like power combined with a highly addictive product produces excessive profits that require regulation.
Tobacco companies make an estimated £900m per year in UK profit, with an average net operating profit margin of about 50%, compared to a 10% average for UK manufacturing. They currently pay very little corporation tax in the UK | ASH, UK
Low Alcohol Drinks: Labelling
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to respond to the consultation entitled Updating labelling guidance for no and low-alcohol alternatives, published on 28 September 2023 | They work for you, UK
Alcohol harm: A hidden productivity crisis in the UK workforce - podcast
On this month’s podcast we spoke to Dr Jamie O’Halloran, senior research fellow at the influential progressive think tank IPPR, the Institute for Public Policy Research. We discussed their new report Taking Stock: Counting the economic costs of alcohol harm (https://www.ippr.org/articles/taking-stock-economic-costs-alcohol). The report looks at the impact of alcohol harm on people’s productivity at work. We also spoke about why the public health economic arguments can be harder to make than the industry arguments, and what employers and the government can do to reduce alcohol harm and improve productivity | IAS, UK
Sustaining Success: The future of hepatitis C elimination in England
Nov 26 from 12:30pm to 2pm GMT. Online. This session will explore how we can build on the remarkable progress of the hepatitis C elimination programme to date – and what it will take to sustain success in the years ahead | Hepatitis C Trust, UK
Swift roadside drug tests rolled out by police
A project which sees quick-fire roadside test kits deployed by police in a bid to catch drug-drivers is being rolled out to two further parts of Scotland | BBC, UK
Cocaine driver jailed for six years for killing woman in crash
Christopher Lynn, 32, hit the back of a Vauxhall Astra driven by Yvonne Nichol - forcing it into the path of an oncoming vehicle on the A7 near the village of Ashkirk | BBC, UK
International news
Mavericks' Williams apologises for marijuana arrest
Dallas Mavericks guard Brandon Williams has apologised for "being a distraction" after he was arrested on a charge of marijuana possession at Dallas Fort Worth Airport on Saturday | BBC, UK
Minister Jim O’Callaghan announces allocation of over €4 million from proceeds of crime to 42 community projects across the country
The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan has announced the allocation of €4.4 million through the Community Safety Fund to 42 community safety projects nationwide | Gov.ie, Ireland
Registration opens for European Drugs Winter and Summer Schools 2026
The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) and Iscte — University Institute of Lisbon are delighted to announce the opening of registration today for two upcoming joint events in 2026: the European Drugs Winter School (EDWS) and the European Drugs Summer School (EDSS). These flagship training events bring together students, professionals and researchers from across the globe to deepen their understanding of Europe’s evolving drug phenomenon | EUDA, Portugal
Managing competition in hybrid drug markets: How Snapchat mediates opportunities and risks for drug dealers’ practices
[Open access] Social media platforms have come to play a key role in facilitating retail-level drug sales. While much existing research has focused on how digital technologies shape seller-customer relations, this article draws on a postphenomenological approach to explore how the affordances of digital technologies mediate and re-organize drug dealers’ interactions with competing dealers | DEPP, USA
Fentanyl and the U.S. Opioid Epidemic
Opioid addiction has become one of the United States’ biggest killers, endangering public health, the economy, and national security. But closing the floodgates on fentanyl poses a significant foreign policy challenge | CFR, USA
Americans have widespread misbeliefs about the cancer risks of alcohol, study finds
Despite clear evidence linking alcohol use to increased cancer risks, public awareness of this connection remains low in the U.S., according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Researchers found that more than half of American adults (52.9%) did not know alcohol affects cancer risk | Medical Xpress, USA
Halloween Cannabis Candy Panic Returns. But Are Fears Overblown?
Ahead of the Halloween holiday this year, officials in multiple states issued warnings to parents to check trick-or-treater candy for cannabis-laced candy. But some experts aren’t convinced the problem is as widespread as some warnings have claimed | Forbes, USA
The hidden dangers of vapes: Study reveals chemicals, risks and teen use
Recent testing by a Virginia Commonwealth University forensic toxicology research lab is uncovering the hidden dangers of vapes and cannabis products used by more than a million school-age children across the country each year. The study also highlights the rise of vaping in schools, where unregulated devices are increasingly found among students | Medical Xpress, USA
Tobacco industry’s policy interference on the rise: report
The tobacco industry’s influence on public health policymaking in the U.S. is growing according to the latest report by the anti-smoking organization Action on Smoking & Health (ASH) | The Hill, USA
Some States Try to Ban 7-OH, Others to Regulate Kratom. Some Try Both
On October 27, New Jersey Senator Shirley K. Turner (D) introduced a bill that would criminalize 7-hydroxymitragynine as a Schedule I drug under the state’s Controlled Dangerous Substances Act. Commonly known as 7-OH, the opioid-like compound has been increasingly targeted by state legislators since July, when the Food and Drug Administration recommended placement under Schedule I of the federal Controlled Substances Act | Filter Magazine, USA
More than 130 killed: How did a Brazil raid on a Rio favela turn so deadly?
Residents of favelas gather bodies after police operation turns to ‘slaughter’ in predawn assault | Aljazeera, Qatar
Blogs, comment and opinion
Recovery Management Nestled in a Recovery Grounded System of Care – an Interview with Dr Michael Flaherty
In April of 2024, I had the distinct honor of being asked by William White author and thought leader of the new recovery advocacy movement to present his words as the keynote to open up the first annual NIDA Consortium on Addiction Recovery Science (CoARS) conference. The paper was titled Frontiers of Recovery Research. It is one of his most important writings. It should serve as a blueprint for the future of recovery research in America | Recovery Review blog, USA
Drinking tequila and mezcal sustainably on The Day of the Dead
People in Mexico and elsewhere will soon be marking the annual Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) on Nov. 2. Many will celebrate the day with the quintessential Mexican beverage, tequila; perhaps in the form of a slushy margarita or a shot | Conversation, USA