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Reports May |
RCP calls for opt out quit support across all NHS services
A new report from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) sets out the unequal and devastating health and economic impact of smoking in the UK, shaped by poverty, poor housing, employment insecurity and industry practices. The report calls on government to introduce opt out tobacco dependency treatment across all NHS services | RCP, UK
Alcohol-specific deaths in the UK: registered in 2024
In 2024 there were 9,809 deaths from alcohol-specific causes were registered in the UK, the lowest number since 2021 (9,641 deaths), and the rate of alcohol-specific deaths (14.8 per 100,000 people) decreased to its lowest recorded number since 2020 (13.9 deaths per 100,000 people) | ONS, UK
New report highlights impact of drug-related intimidation in Ireland
Findings from the first national publication on drug-related intimidation (DRI) show 1,027 cases of DRI among people engaged with addiction and/or family support services in Ireland during the 2025 data collection period*. The data was collected using the Health Research Board’s (HRB) National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS) on behalf of the DRIVE project, which aims to respond to DRI and associated violence in Ireland. Cocaine is the main drug linked to DRI (59%) | HRB, Ireland
Hepatitis C in England 2025
This report summarises England’s progress towards the World Health Organization (WHO) elimination targets for hepatitis C virus infection with data to the end of 2024 | UKHSA, UK
Drug use in ethnic minority groups: a review and recommendations
This report reviews drug use in ethnic minority groups and outlines recommendations for further data collection | ACMD, UK
Drug-Related and Drug Misuse Deaths 2014-2024 [Northern Ireland]
There were 251 drug-related deaths registered in 2024, 219 (87.3 per cent) of which fell within the definition of drug misuse. Like previous years, males accounted for more than two-thirds of drug-related deaths in 2024. The 35-44 age group had the highest age-specific drug-related and drug misuse mortality rates. Opioids was the most mentioned drug group. Benzodiazepines (which include drugs such as temazepam and diazepam) were the next most common group. Pregabalin was the specific drug mentioned most often, appearing on the death certificates of 101 (40.2%) of drug related deaths | NISRA, UK
More than 12,300 motorists caught drug-driving three or more times in the last 11 years
More than 12,300 drivers have been caught drug-driving on at least three separate occasions in the last 11 years – five times the number caught repeat drink-driving over the same period – new RAC analysis of DVLA data shows | RAC, UK
Smoking attributable hospital admissions and deaths
There were an estimated 1,107 smoking-attributable hospital admissions per 100,000 population (38,675 admissions). This is a 36% decrease since 2008 (1,735 per 100,000). Men had a higher rate of admissions (1,224 per 100,000) than women (1,006 per 100,000). As measured by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), those living in the 20% most deprived areas had a rate of admissions (2,247 per 100,000) 4.4 times higher compared to those living in the 20% least deprived areas (505 per 100,000) | PHS, UK
Process evaluation of Combating Drugs Partnerships
Findings from a process evaluation of Combating Drugs Partnerships, exploring local delivery of the national drug strategy through a whole system approach | Home Office, UK
Falling through the cracks: Closing the gap in stop smoking support for people with common mental health conditions
This report examines the inequalities in smoking among people with mental health conditions. It draws together evidence on smoking prevalence, barriers to quitting, examples of emerging practice, and sets out recommendations for national government, the NHS, local authorities and the voluntary sector to improve access to tailored support, strengthen partnerships and ensure people with mental health conditions are not left behind | ASH, UK
Ketamine Report 2025-2026
Our Ketamine Report 2025-2026 offers a look at our collective work over the past year and highlights the initiatives and differences we are making locally, regionally and nationally | WithYou, UK
Guidance on the management of clusters of drug-related harms
This guidance sets out how you can prepare, monitor, identify and respond to clusters of drug-related harm. The guidance recommends a public health incident management approach to short-term increases in drug-related harm. This approach may be led locally by alcohol and drug partnerships (ADPs) or by NHS public health directorates. Incident management principles are well established and this guidance should be read along with the guidance on the management of public health incidents (MPHI) | Public Health Scotland, UK
Smoking among people facing problems with drug use
Over the last two decades, the prevalence of smoking among general adult populations has been declining, particularly in wealthier nations. But across both high-income countries (HIC) and low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), smoking has a significant and often disproportionate impact on marginalised communities. In this Briefing Paper, we consider how smoking affects one such group, people who are facing problems with their drug use | GSTHR, UK