DrugWise Daily |
2nd September 2026 |
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UK news
Alcohol consumption and harms dashboard
This release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) updates the Alcohol Consumption and Harms Dashboard (ACHD) with new estimates of partially attributable alcohol hospital admissions and partially attributable alcohol mortality statistics for persons aged 16 and over covering the calendar year 2024 | Public Health Scotland, UK [See also blog in blogs section below]
Retailers Urged to Prepare for Next Phase of Tobacco and Vapes Act
Joint statement from CTSI, ASH, ASH Northern Ireland and ASH Wales: Leading public health and trading standards organisations have joined forces to help retailers prepare for the next phase of the Tobacco and Vapes Act, as the Government publishes new guidance on changes coming into force from October 2026 and January 2027... | ASH, UK
Sign up for an Open Houses event
Open Houses is a national campaign in England to improve access to residential treatment services. We are extending an invitation to visit rehab centres and see recovery in action. It’s an opportunity for commissioners, clinicians, policymakers, partner organisations and anyone else with an interest to meet those who live and work in rehab, and understand the role it plays in supporting recovery, families and communities | Open Houses, UK
Southend councillors expected to approve a £6.3m extension for addiction service
A total of 1,108 adults and 86 young people sought help from Southend’s drug and alcohol treatment service last year. Now councillors are expected to approve a £6.3 million extension to keep the service running until March 2029 | Yellow Advertiser, UK
UK Recovery Walk 2026 Bradford
Friday, September 11-Sunday, September 13 • 9:30 AM-12 PM. We're delighted to welcome people from across the UK and beyond to Bradford for three days of learning, celebration and connection. Whether you're joining us as a person in recovery, family member, volunteer, practitioner, commissioner, researcher or supporter, you'll be part of a movement that demonstrates every day that Recovery is Possible | FAVOR, UK
People just brazenly ask: 'Have you got any cheap tobacco?'
Mohammed Rajak has run his family grocery store in Glasgow's East End for 35 years. He's seen his business change over that time, but he says the biggest threat to his livelihood right now are shops selling illicit tobacco and vapes | BBC, UK
Press release - One month until Vaping Products Duty and the Vaping Duty Stamps Scheme start
Businesses reminded to prepare for Vaping Duty and Stamps Scheme | HMRC, UK
A third of jail's inmates test positive for drugs
One in three inmates at a prison in South Yorkshire has tested positive for drugs in the last year, according to an inspection report | BBC, UK
Jersey man jailed for importing £45,500 worth of Class A drugs within coffee sachets
A Jersey man has been sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for importing heroin and cocaine concealed within eight coffee sachets | ITV, UK
International news
NSW government to resume pill testing at music festivals but rejects calls for wider community rollout
Use of sniffer dogs and searches will continue despite health and harm reduction groups arguing they could lead to riskier drug taking | Guardian, UK
Share your work. Shape the conversation - call for abstracts
The Harm Reduction International Conference is built by its community. Around 80% of the programme is selected through this call for abstracts, making your submission central to the conversations that will take place in Belfast. We particularly encourage submissions from people who use drugs, sex workers, Indigenous communities, people living with HIV and hepatitis, activists, peer workers, early-career researchers, practitioners, and people from regions that have traditionally been underrepresented | HRI, UK
HSE drug scheme will only help middle class users - expert
A criminologist and community worker has said the HSE's Health Referral Scheme will filter out a middle class or affluent drug user and not help those with previous drug possession convictions | RTe, Ireland
EUDA webinar: European drug situation through institutional and civil society perspectives
30 Sep 2026. Online. This webinar is organised in the context of EUDA's ongoing engagement with civil society organisations and the launch of the EUDA civil society platform on drugs. It will begin with a presentation by the EUDA Chief Scientist on the latest European drug situation, followed by a moderated discussion with invited civil society representatives | EUDA, Portugal
Africa tobacco growing increases despite global decline
New WHO analysis shows tobacco-leaf production continues to rise in Africa while global production falls, raising concerns for health, farmer livelihoods, the environment and sustainable development | WHO, Switzerland
Overdose Prevention Data Channel
CDC’s new Overdose Prevention Data Channel brings together key information from three CDC data systems to show what is happening with drug overdoses in the United States - the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS), the Nonfatal Drug Overdose Surveillance and Epidemiology System (DOSE), and the State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS). It highlights the most important trends and findings, including both fatal and nonfatal overdoses, in one place | CDC, USA
Low-dose THC keeps breast cancer cells in tumor models from reverting to an aggressive state
Recent discoveries have revealed that breast cancer cells are more flexible than previously thought. Some can change from a differentiated state, when a mature cell has taken on a specific function, back to a more stem-like state. From there, they can become more invasive and resistant to treatment | Medical Xpress, USA
Jeremy Douglas on Southeast Asia’s Drug Boom
“This is a region that is arguably now the largest epicenter of synthetic drug production in the world,” says the UNDOC deputy director | The Diplomat, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Alcohol's hidden impact on health in Scotland
The Alcohol Consumption and Harms dashboard provides a detailed picture across all alcohol-related harms and the impact that they have on Scotland’s health. In this blog, Craig Collins, Service Manager, Health Harms Intelligence, explores the latest data on partially attributable alcohol admissions and deaths, and explains why understanding these wider harms is important for reducing inequalities and improving health outcomes | Public Health Scotland, UK
Beyond national statistics: understanding alcohol harm and recovery in homelessness
With homelessness back in the spotlight following Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s pledge to end rough sleeping in England, an important question remains: do we fully understand the scale and nature of alcohol-related harms experienced by people without a stable place to live? | IAS blog, UK
Meet Roberta: from client to service manager
Roberta McClung spent more than 20 years struggling with substance use before she found her way into recovery. Now she manages WithYou's service in South Ayrshire, leading a team that helps people through exactly the kind of journey she once made herself | WithYou blog, UK
From an Inner Prison to a Life of Purpose: Recovery from Addiction
Billy McKay from Motherwell who is author of Who Turned the Light On, reflects on how a dysfunctional childhood, trauma and addiction can contribute to criminal behaviour – and how he transformed his life | CJS blog, UK
Politicians Ignore it but Drugs Policy Reform is Essential to Britain’s Future
The best that politicians can offer us is how ‘tough on drugs’ they will be. The best the media can offer is sensationalism. Neither takes any time to discuss alternatives to this failing policy. What other area of public policy has remained unchanged in over 50 years? | Peter Reynolds, UK