DrugWise Daily |
1st October 2026 |
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UK news
Stoptober 2026
Stoptober is back with a new suite of resources to encourage people who smoke to make a quit attempt this October! With a whole calendar of both 'ready to use' and localisable resources, you will have the means to tailor this campaign to your specific audiences, from mid-September through to 1st November | DHSC, UK
Sober October
Challenge yourself to go alcohol-free for 31 days this October and feel the benefits and make a difference | Alcohol Change UK, UK
Why is there a ketamine crisis in the UK? | BBC News
The NHS is seeing an increase in young people with bladder damage from ketamine use. Prolonged use of the drug can lead to incontinence or uncontrolled peeing, and even kidney failure. The BBC visits a specialist NHS clinic designed to help people with signs of ketamine damage, and speaks to trained medical staff, and young people who have struggled with addiction to the drug | BBC, UK
Alcohol advertising puts people at risk of relapse say members of recovery community - New Report
People with lived experience of alcohol harm have called for a new approach to alcohol advertising and marketing, saying that its ubiquity acts as a potential trigger that puts them at risk of relapse | Alcohol Focus Scotland, UK
New Vaping Products Duty comes into effect
New Vaping Products Duty comes into force from 1 October 2026 | HMRC et al, UK
New vape tax needs careful monitoring to protect children without deterring smokers from quitting
A new tax on vaping products comes into force on 1 October, but Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) says consumers should not necessarily expect vape prices to rise overnight | ASH, UK
£650k opportunity to develop digital support for people affected by substance use
The Scottish Government's CivTech Accelerator is offering a
poential contract worth up to £650,000 for innovators to develop a digital solution which could transform how people affected by substance use access support | CivTech, UK
Call to make shops in Scotland keep vapes and nicotine pouches hidden
Scotland’s trading standards chiefs have joined forces with charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Scotland to call for nicotine and vaping products to be hidden out of view in shops | Herald, UK
Buckingham Palace staff given ‘alcohol awareness’ training to spot rogue colleagues
Charity Alcohol Change UK ran the sessions, which cover topics including mindful drinking and recognising excessive drinking in colleagues | Independent, UK
Precursor chemical import and export authorisation wallchart
Updated. This chart shows the regulation of precursor chemicals in the UK | Home Office, UK
What is sober curiosity? With Scott Woolley (Arclett) - video
What does it mean to question our relationship with alcohol? Founder and Director of Arclett, Scott Woolley, joins Drugs Unwrapped to share his personal journey to becoming alcohol-free and explore the growing world of sober curiosity | Barod, UK
Lawyer jailed for supplying cocaine after getting 'too close' to drug dealing client
The criminal defence solicitor of a drug dealer has been jailed for three years and six months after he became involved in supplying cocaine | BBC, UK
International news
Canada: Judge tosses drug trafficking convictions for B.C. compassion club founders after constitutional challenge
The founders of a Vancouver-based compassion club that sold uncontaminated drugs to its members have had their drug trafficking convictions stayed after they successfully challenged the constitutionality of Canada's drug laws | IDPC, UK
Psychosocial health and hazardous alcohol use among 50- to 70-year-olds: A cross-sectional latent profile analysis in south-east Melbourne, Australia
[Open access] We aimed to use Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) to identify distinct profiles of psychosocial health among adults aged 50–70 years in Victoria, Australia, to identify predictors of profile membership and determine if profile membership is associated with differences in hazardous alcohol consumption | Addiction, UK
5% of Europeans consumed alcohol daily in 2025
In 2025, 4.8% of people aged 16 or over in the EU consumed alcohol every day. The share of people who consumed alcohol every week was 19.2%, and 21.8% for those consuming every month | Europa, Belgium
Civil society platform on drugs launched today
The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) officially launched its Civil society platform on drugs today during a webinar: European drug situation through institutional and civil society perspectives. The launch marks an important milestone in the agency's efforts to strengthen cooperation with civil society organisations (CSOs) across Europe | EUDA, Portugal
New EUDA report highlights research priorities for preventing the recruitment of young people into criminal gangs
Young people across Europe are increasingly being recruited and exploited by criminal drug networks through a complex mix of social vulnerability, local circumstances and digital technologies, according to a new report published today by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA). The report highlights major gaps in current knowledge and calls for a new suite of evidence-informed responses that are designed, tested and adapted in real-world settings | EUDA, Portugal
Benzodiazepine prescriptions dropped sharply in the US over the past decade, research finds
The number of prescriptions dispensed for benzodiazepines like Xanax and Valium declined in the United States over the past 10 years, potentially suggesting that doctors have become more cautious about prescribing these sedatives, according to Rutgers Health researchers | Medical Xpress, USA
Modeling the effect of drug courts in North Carolina counties
[Open access] In the USA and in the UK, drug courts serve as an alternative to normal courts for offenders in possession of small amounts of illegal drugs, replacing punishment with judicially supervised treatment. In North Carolina their operation was associated with a lesser increase in opioid overdose deaths, especially in urban and high-crime counties | Harm Reduction Journal, USA
From binge eating to gaming: When everyday behaviors become addictions
When people think about addiction, they usually think about alcohol, drugs or gambling-related problems, but a major international study suggests some everyday behaviors, including excessive gaming, binge eating and compulsive sexual behavior, can share many of the same characteristics as recognized addictions | Medical Xpress, USA
Study shows how music may help tackle addiction
New research has found evidence that music can alter how the brain processes emotions in people receiving treatment for drug and alcohol addiction and reduce their cravings | Medical Xpress, USA
LSD guide from 1967 still has good advice, psychologists say
‘Session Games People Play' was one of the first pamphlets for taking hallucinogens | Popular Science, USA