DrugWise Daily |
18th December 2025 |
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UK news
Nicotine pouch rise driven by young men
Use of nicotine pouches has risen substantially in Great Britain over the last five years, particularly among young men, with one in 13 (7.5%) men aged 16 to 24 now using them, according to a new study led by researchers at UCL | UCL, UK
One in nine teens are approached to sell drugs - and a quarter of them go through with it
Thousands of teenagers are being targeted and lured into criminal activities such as storing weapons, drugs or money, new research has found | Independent, UK
Autumn Budget 2025: Analysis of tax and policy changes across alcohol, tobacco and gambling
The Autumn Budget 2025 delivered several key announcements with direct implications for alcohol policy, tobacco and vape taxation, and gambling regulation in the UK. In this post, SARG experts Professor Colin Angus, Dr Duncan Gillespie and Dr Ellen McGrane, analyse the key policy decisions. They explore the effects of maintaining inflation-linked alcohol duties and licensing policy changes, new tax policies and duty stamp scheme for tobacco and vaping products, and the reforms aligning gambling taxes with risk | SARG, UK
Prisons: Drugs
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the supply of illegal drugs into prisons, including through improved searching, staff screening and security technology | They work for you, UK
Doctoral Award (Cohort 2)
Closing date: 15 January 2026 at 1:00 pm. The Doctoral Award is a 3-year funding opportunity designed to support the career development of all health and social care professionals through PhD research. The award supports research in any scientific discipline or sector that contributes to improving health, including public health and social care, within the NIHR’s funding remit | NIHR, UK
Development and Skills Enhancement (DSE) award (Cohort 9)
Closing date: 11 March 2026 at 1:00 pm. The DSE award is a postdoctoral-level funding opportunity. If you are an early to mid-career researcher, it can support you to gain specific skills and experience to underpin the next phase of your research career | NIHR, UK
The Backdater – Live Performance
Dec 23 · 7:30 pm GMT. £5. Johnstone Town Hall, 25 Church Street, Johnstone PA5 8EG. Join us for a powerful, funny and deeply human performance of The Backdater — by participants of our Abbeycare Buddies creative workshops | Recovery Collective, UK
Teacher discussed cocaine with pupils and called Islam 'satanic'
A teacher who described Islam as "satanic" and told pupils that "cocaine was purer back in the day" has been found guilty of professional misconduct | BBC, UK
Man had 'drugs sweetie shop' disguised as candle
A man who imported a "sweetie shop" of drugs with a street value of more than £74,000 to the Isle of Man hidden in a plant pot disguised as a candle has been jailed | BBC, UK
International news
Shedding light on drug-related hospital emergencies in Europe
Every year, thousands of people across Europe require hospital treatment for drug-related poisoning and other acute harms. In a new analysis published today, European Drug Emergencies Network (Euro-DEN Plus): data and analysis, the EUDA provides the latest findings on people who present with acute drug-toxicity to hospital emergency services | EUDA, Portugal
Reported use of most drugs remains low among U.S. teens
For the fifth year in a row, use of most substances among teenagers in the United States has continued to hover around the low-water mark reached in 2021. The findings come from the latest report of the Monitoring the Future Survey, an annual survey of drug use behaviors and attitudes among eighth, 10th, and 12th graders that has been supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for 51 years | University of Michigan, USA
SLU Research Shows Surge in Alcohol-Related Liver Disease Driving ‘Deaths of Despair’
Researchers at Saint Louis University School of Medicine say deaths from alcohol-related liver disease have surged in recent years, and the increase is hitting people without a college degree the hardest | Saint Louis University, USA
Vapes, pouches, shisha, cigarettes: Nicotine in all forms is toxic to the heart and blood vessels, say experts
Nicotine is toxic to the heart and blood vessels, regardless of whether it is consumed via a vape, a pouch, a shisha or a cigarette, according to an expert consensus report published in the European Heart Journal. The report brings together the results of the entire literature in the field and is the first to consider the harms of all nicotine products, rather than smoking only | Medical Xpress, USA
Comparison of Extended-Release Buprenorphine Doses for Treating High-Risk Opioid Use
In this randomized clinical trial including 436 participants with moderate to severe opioid use disorder, both the 100-mg and 300-mg maintenance doses improved opioid abstinence and were well tolerated without any new safety signals. In post hoc analyses, the 300-mg dose performed better than the 100-mg dose among participants who used fentanyl daily, 14 times or more per week, or both | JAMA Network Open, USA
Robotic Methadone Tech Not the Answer to Clinics’ Culture of Cruelty
The methadone clinic cartel is increasingly turning to technology in order to stay in control and expand its reach. Opioid treatment programs (OTPs) were content with the 1970s status quo, but changes were forced onto them as a result of COVID. For tech companies, the pandemic opened up opportunities to change the way methadone is delivered and generate profits for investors | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Are tobacco and nicotine product sales falling?
New data reported in The Grocer from NIQ shows a significant decline in tobacco and nicotine product sales in the 12 months ending September 6, 2025. In this article we explore what the data can and can’t tell us and what is driving this shift and what it means for public health | ASH blog, UK
Time to lower the limit: Tackling the toll of drink and drug driving
Driving in December can bring heightened risk. Conditions are often worse due to dark and wet roads and seasonal festivities mean more drivers are likely to get behind the wheel under the influence. In this blog, Joy Allen, Police and Crime Commissioner for Durham, and David Sidwick, Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset, explain why the Government’s upcoming Road Safety Strategy must include reforms on drink and drug driving to reduce road deaths and improve safety for all | IAS blog, UK
Punishing safer nicotine alternatives backfires on public health
Taxing products equally, despite their unequal risks, is the exact opposite of desirable fiscal and public health policy | Reason Foundation, USA