DrugWise Daily |
27th May 2026 |
Thank you to our Premium sponsors:
|
|
Could you sponsor DrugWise Daily? Please Email Harry Shapiro to discuss |
|
UK news
Emily nearly lost access to her baby because of a hair strand test. Experts fear she's not alone
When social workers asked a mother to submit a sample of hair for a drugs test, she thought it would prove she was clean and sober. But it turned out to be the start of a legal battle to regain custody of her daughter. Emily - not her real name - was a former ketamine user, whose habit had resulted in her baby daughter being taken into care at the end of 2022 | BBC, UK
Hair Strand Tests in the Family Court - audio
Hair Strand Tests can show if parents have been using drink or drugs. Such tests play can a central part in Family Court hearings every year as judges decide whether children should go into care or not. Some barristers have been raising the alarm over the way the tests are presented and interpreted in the Famly Court. And, for the first time, File on 4 Investigates talks to mothers who nearly lost their babies – thanks to hair strand tests | BBC, UK
University of York to use pubs in study of social fabric
More than 100 years after Seebohm Rowntree’s landmark study of poverty and social life in York, researchers are once again using pubs to reassess the city’s social fabric | York Press, UK
WithYou celebrates opening of new service in Grangetown, Redcar & Cleveland
Last week we were thrilled to officially open our new WithYou service in the Grangetown area — a welcoming, accessible space for our staff, clients and partners across Redcar and Cleveland | WithYou, UK
SHARP Celebrates 21 Years of Recovery Support in Liverpool with Special Anniversary Event at The Brink Café
The Self Help Addiction Recovery Programme (SHARP), part of The Forward Trust, marked its 21st birthday with a heartfelt celebration at The Brink Cafe, bringing together past and present clients, staff, volunteers, family members and supporters to honour more than two decades of recovery, hope and transformation in Liverpool | Forward Trust, UK
'Long-term solution' needed for opioid treatment [Guernsey]
The availability of Opioid Substitution Treatment (OST) in Guernsey is a "significant concern" because of a shortage of pharmacists, according to a report | BBC, UK
GFN News #189 | How the UK Tobacco Bill Punishes Smokers Trying to Quit? - video
In this episode of GFN News, host Zuzanna Kopacz sits down with author and freelance writer Jacob Grier to unpack the practical realities and hidden dangers of the newly passed UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill | GFN, UK
Drone drugs problem persists at prison
A prison has once again been criticised by inspectors over failures to deal with illegal drugs being delivered by drone | BBC, UK
International news
“Everybody Working Together”: Five Years of National Drug Checking in New Zealand
For the past several years, while most countries around the world continued to ramp up the war on drugs and push criminalisation, Aotearoa New Zealand has been quietly positioning itself at the forefront of harm reduction, particularly when it comes to drug checking. Most of the time when you hear success stories like these, drug checking services are limited to music festivals or nightlife settings. But what New Zealand has developed is a national model that operates year-round across all major cities | Talking Drugs, UK
Government to oppose Social Democrats bill restricting ads for zero alcohol drinks
It argues that there is not enough evidence to tell us if advertising zero alcohol products is a harm or benefit to public health | Journal, Ireland
EUDA webinar: Ketamine in Europe
TODAY. 27 May 2026, Online. This webinar aims to provide insights into the European ketamine market and will expand on health-related harms caused by non-medical ketamine use | EUDA, Portugal
MARC B. AIXALÀ: Bad trips can transform into potentially positive outcomes
At ICPR 2024, we talked to psychologist and psychotherapist Marc B. Aixalà about how so-called “bad trips” can be reframed as difficult but potentially transformative experiences, and the importance of integration in psychedelic therapy | Drug Reporter, Hungary
US overdose mortality saw first drop below the Jalal-Burke exponential growth curve in 2024
Between 1979 and 2016, US overdose death rates rose in a smooth fashion, described by Jalal and Burke using an exponential growth curve that fit observed data nearly perfectly. Fluctuations above this curve have subsequently been seen during shocks related to drug supply and the COVID-19 pandemic. However, large-magnitude dips below the curve have never been demonstrated. Given that overdose mortality began sharply falling during 2023-2024, we assess updated overdose trends against the Jalal-Burke curve | IJDP, USA
Nutritional intervention improved dietary intake among patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment
Poor diet-related health among methadone patients prompted a trial in Israel of weekly group sessions led by a clinical dietitian | DADR, USA
Virtual Reality–Based Cue Exposure and Aversion Therapy for Alcohol Dependence: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Inpatients being withdrawn from alcohol in China felt less craving if they had been allocated to virtual reality experiences of the adverse consequences of drinking and of drinking environments in which they could practice non-consumption | Addiction Biology, USA
Digitally Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Interventions for Alcohol and Other Drug Use: Meta-Analysis Across Consumption and Psychosocial Outcomes
Cognitive-behavioural therapies share an understanding of addiction as learnt behaviour and are a mainstay of treatment, but can they work without a therapist across the table guiding the process? Pooling results of relevant studies suggests they can, offering a way to extend their reach | JMIR, USA
ASHES Vol. 22(6) – Nicotine pouch use patterns in the U.S.
This week, ASHES reviews a study by Olufemi Erinoso and colleagues that explored the use trends of nicotine pouches in the United States including their use as a tobacco cessation aid | CHA, USA
Teen Vaping Has Long Been Falling. Why Do Schools Think the Opposite?
Teen vaping in the United States has plummeted over the past six years, according to surveys from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Should Ireland copy the UK’s generational ban on smoking?
Debate: UK move seeks to balance personal freedom and benefits to individuals’ health and the common good | Irish Times opinion, Ireland