DrugWise Daily |
2nd June 2026 |
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UK news
£44.8 billion goes up in smoke each year as cost of smoking to society in England revealed
Published by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), the figures highlight the significant economic and social impact of smoking across England, underlining the substantial burden it places on individuals, communities, public services and the wider economy | ASH, UK
Disposable vape use falls sharply during the first year of the ban
YouGov survey data, commissioned from Action and Smoking and Health shows that in 2026, just 13% of 11–17-year-olds who vape say they mainly use disposable products, down from 42% in 2025 before the ban, and substantially lower than the peak of 69% recorded in 2023 | ASH, UK
ITV Tonight - Over the Counter: Our Hidden Drug Addiction - video
Sam Holder examines how over-the-counter drugs present significant dangers of becoming habit-forming and even addictive if not used correctly. Dr Prun Bural, Medical Director at Change Grow Live is interviewd at 8:13 and 21:20 | ITV, UK
‘Ultra-strength’ cocaine hits UK streets as deaths surge to record high
Cocaine deaths have hit record levels, with more than 1,000 people dying last year. Alex Ross finds the purity of the street drug has increased amid a boom in production in Latin America | Independent, UK
Exploring long-acting injectable buprenorphine in rural and coastal contexts: A retrospective cohort study of individuals’ outcomes from treatment outcome profile data in an opioid substitution service in Cornwall, South West of England
[Open access] Compared to those in usual treatment with oral methadone, patients prescribed long-acting injections of buprenorphine exhibited less opioid use and drug use overall and a higher quality of life. However, there were no significant differences in cocaine/crack use, employment or (despite this happening on fewer than half the number of days) injecting | DAD, UK
Bristol Recovery Festival 2026
We're back! This year's Recovery Festival will be held at Trinity Centre on 18th June 2026. We're back! The Recovery Festival is a free, volunteer-led event bringing together people from recovery communities across the South West, along with local peer-led communities and treatment providers. While our original focus was on recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, we now include recovery from all forms of addiction or other major life disruption | The Recovery Festival, UK
Service expansion in Wales – Forward to provide specialist on-site support in three prisons
The Canol service launched on 1 June across Cwm Taf Morgannwg and Cardiff and the Vale – with Forward supporting prisoners at HMP Cardiff, HMP Usk and HMP Prescoed | Forward Trust, UK
Prisons: Drugs and Violence
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to tackle (a) violence and (b) drug use in prisons | They work for you, UK
11: Research Handbook on Drugs & Society: book launch episode
This episode marks the publication of the new Research Handbook on Drugs & Society, edited by me and published by Edward Elgar Publishing | Toby Seddon, UK
PC dismissed after letting suspect drink alcohol
A police officer has been dismissed without notice after allowing a suspect to drink alcohol while under arrest | BBC, UK
Drug use and self-harm rife at prison
Inspectors have found psychoactive drugs were "freely available" at a prison, and there were "very high" levels of self-harm among inmates | BBC, UK
International news
DUP MP calls on PHA to scrap safe drug use campaign but move derided as ‘dangerous and backward’
Carla Lockhart says health agency is sending ‘wrong message’ but Green Party’s Brian Smyth says messaging about ‘reducing harm and saving lives’ | Irish News, Ireland
EUDA webinar: Ketamine in Europe
Recording of the recent webinar that set out to provide insights into the European ketamine market and will expand on health-related harms caused by non-medical ketamine use | EUDA, Portugal
New tool identifies blackouts during drinking
It's not surprising if someone experiences memory loss, or a "blackout," while drinking alcohol. While common, blackouts are considered a public health concern linked to injury, arrest, assault, and overdose. Given these consequences, the ability to identify and intervene in a blackout could reduce people's risk for alcohol-related harm | Medical Xpress, USA
Vape flavor and device type may drive changes in gene expression
People who vape regularly show altered activity in 3,124 genes across the genome compared with people who do not smoke or vape. While some of those changes (28.8%) relate to how often or how much people vape, a much greater portion (66.6%) is linked to the type of flavors and devices they use | Medical Xpress, USA
World Health Organization Misses the Whole Point About Nicotine Pouches
The World Health Organization has released its first-ever report on nicotine pouches, portraying the safer nicotine products as a health threat and Big Tobacco marketing ploy. This has been met with a barrage of criticisms from scientists and tobacco harm reduction advocates, including a litany of community notes on social media | Filter Magazine, USA
Screening for high-risk drinking and alcohol use disorder: update of the 2023 national clinical practice guideline
[Open access] Canadian guidance on alcohol and health has been updated in respect of screening 12–25-year-olds for risky drinking. Universal screening by clinicians is recommended. Patients drinking above national guidelines should be graded for risk level by asking if they ever find it difficult to control drinking despite problem | CMAJ, Canada
Blogs, comment and opinion
Will the UK's Generational Tobacco Ban Survive?
Britain's ban on tobacco sales for people born after 2008 could spell the end of smoking—if regulators can figure out enforcement | Think Global Health, UK