DrugWise Daily |
28th April 2026 |
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UK news
Impact of later trading hours for bars and clubs on alcohol-related ambulance call-outs and crimes in Scotland: a controlled interrupted time series study
[Open access] Later alcohol trading hours had a significant negative impact on alcohol-related ambulance call-outs and reported crimes in Aberdeen (where more premises had longer extensions) but not in Glasgow, suggesting the number, capacity and type of premises moderated outcomes. This is important for the design of future national and local licensing policies and regulations | BMJ Public Health, UK
Longer pub hours bring 'more crime and ambulance call-outs'
When 38 bars were given permission to sell alcohol up to 03:00 between March 2017 and October 2020 there was a 11.4% increase in ambulance calls on weekend nights | BBC, UK
The Silence Ends With Us: National LGBTQ+ Campaign and Theatre Tour Launch to Address Suicide and Drug-Related Harm
A major new national campaign aimed at tackling rising levels of suicide, loneliness and drug-related harm within LGBTQ+ communities has been launched across the UK. The Silence Ends with Us, is led by the non-profit You Are Loved and is combining a nationwide theatre tour, digital outreach and a new support platform designed to connect people with vital services | Forward Trust, UK
Gear has changed
‘Gear Has Changed’, an unapologetically hard-hitting public health campaign launching in April 2026, aims to protect drug users from accidental overdose caused by street drugs adulterated with lethal illicit substances such as nitazenes. Press release here (PDF) | Ethypharm, UK
People in UK spend fewer years in good health than a decade ago, study finds
Exclusive: Health Foundation says Britain is ‘going backwards’ compared with most other rich countries | Guardian, UK
Hannah Spencer riles fellow MPs with attack on parliament’s drinking culture
Green party byelection winner says ‘you can smell the alcohol when people are in between votes’ | Guardian, UK
Bid for 'citizens' jury' to consider drug policy
Manx leaders will be asked to set up a panel of lay people to look at modernising drugs policy on the Isle of Man - including future regulation of cannabis | BBC, UK
One of Northern Ireland's biggest drug seizures as £4m suspected cannabis found at Larne Port
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and An Garda Síochána investigation uncovered the suspected drugs on a lorry travelling from Scotland to Larne, Co Antrim, on Monday | ITV, UK
International news
GFN Insights #13 | PICTURING PROGRESS | Building the Global Tobacco Harm Reduction Image Library - video
In this episode of GFN Insights, Jon Derricott from Knowledge Action Change (KAC) joins Joanna Junak to discuss the development of the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR) image library. Hosted on Flickr, this unique initiative aims to document the rapidly evolving world of tobacco and nicotine products. From modern vape shops to traditional tobacconists and local products like gutka or negrimbo, the library serves as a vital, royalty-free resource for activists, journalists, and presenters worldwide | GFN, UK
Sri Lankan monks arrested after 110kg of cannabis discovered in their luggage
Customs officials said each monk was found with around 5kg of Kush - a particularly potent form of the drug - hidden within "false walls" in their luggage when they arrived in the capital Colombo on Saturday | BBC, UK
‘It’s like a slow death’: a jailed mother and her daughter on why prison is a sentence for them both
Valentina was seven when Ivonne first went to jail in Ecuador for selling drugs. Nine years later, as Ivonne faces another prison sentence, they discuss the trauma of living apart – and their lasting bond | Guardian, UK
Police Busts and Moral Panic: How Urdu Media Represents Drug Use in Pakistan
Buried within the recesses of 100 articles about drugs from leading Urdu news outlets in Pakistan is a unique specimen: a solitary piece that speaks of drug use as a health issue, framed in concern and compassion. The other 99? A relentless mix of seizures and busts, briefs on crimes, and celebrity scandals | Talking Drugs, UK
Spain reopens tobacco debate after UK approves lifetime sales ban
Spain is again facing questions over whether it should tighten tobacco laws after the United Kingdom approved a measure that will permanently prevent younger generations from legally buying cigarettes. The British Tobacco and Vapes Bill bars sales to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, creating a rolling age limit that rises each year. It has cleared Parliament and is awaiting final formal approval | EuroWeekly News, Belgium
Symptom-Based Dosing for Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal
In this cluster, crossover randomized clinical trial including 383 infants cared for with the Eat, Sleep, Console approach, time to medical readiness for discharge was 2.3 days shorter for infants treated with symptom-based dosing compared with a scheduled opioid taper. No difference was noted in safety outcomes through 3 months of age | JAMA Network Open, USA
From release to recovery: Rapid telemedicine access to opioid use disorder treatment after incarceration
Incarcerated individuals face barriers to continuing treatment for opioid addiction post-incarceration, resulting in a high risk of overdose death. This study describes the implementation and preliminary results of a program designed to provide medications for opioid use disorder via telehealth services immediately after release from jail or prison | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Does cannabidiol (CBD) reduce alcohol use?
Cannabidiol or “CBD”, a therapeutic compound of cannabis, has been publicized for its potential as a treatment for a range of mental health concerns. This study explored the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of cannabidiol in reducing alcohol use and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder among people with alcohol use disorder | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Reinfection following direct-acting antiviral therapy for hepatitis C infection among people in prison with recent injecting drug use: the SHARP-P study
[Open access] Even while still in prison, injectors in Australia who had completed prison-based treatment for hepatitis C infection became reinfected at a worryingly high rate – for analysts, an indication that the country's ban on needle exchange behind bars needs to be lifted | IJDP, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Claim check: does your pint of beer really come with a ‘surprising health benefit’?
Beer could come with a “surprising health benefit”, according to a new report from the BBC. This must be pleasing news for beer drinkers everywhere. But what did the new study the BBC report was based on actually say? And does it stand up to scrutiny? | Conversation, UK
Exclusion of LGBTQ+ people from the UK's alcohol and other drug-related death response
Drawing on the first such national statistics for England and Wales analysts argue that substantially higher substance-related death rates among LGBTQ+ populations signal that the UK "has failed to meaningfully recognise and operationalise" their needs | IJDP, USA