DrugWise Daily |
23rd April 2026 |
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UK news
High Street mini-marts selling cocaine, cannabis and prescription drugs, BBC secret filming reveals
Cocaine, cannabis, laughing gas and prescription pills are being offered for sale in mini-marts on UK High Streets, a BBC investigation can reveal. They were readily offered to our undercover researchers who secretly filmed in shops across four neighbouring West Midlands towns. One street we visited was described as "lawless" by an anonymous law enforcement source. Just a few miles away, in a town where we found illegal drugs being sold in shops, legitimate businesses told us they had been intimidated by gangs - and witnessed knife and gun violence | BBC, UK
London has a frostbite plague. What’s behind it?
he cases first appeared in late 2024, each following the same mystifying pattern. A patient would present in A&E with a large wound: a circular shaped cold burn cutting deep into the fatty tissue on their inner thigh. But what was even stranger was that none of the victims would explain what caused it. In fact, many had waited days before coming to A&E, even as the sore festered and infection set in | The Londoner, UK
Plan to roll out network of drug consumption rooms
A network of safer drugs consumptions rooms should be rolled out to tackle drug deaths according to the Scottish LibDems. The party wants more centres like the Thistle in Glasgow, to contribute to “world class drug services”. Alex Cole Hamilton, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, called for the extension as part of his plan for homelessness and drugs | Glasgow Times, UK
Is the smoking ban right? - audio
A new law will mean children aged 17 or younger will face a lifelong ban on buying cigarettes. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill aims to stop anyone born after 1 January 2009 from ever taking up smoking by making it illegal for shops to sell them tobacco. The Government says it will create a smoke-free generation but critics say it will hard to enforce and takes away the right to choose. Nicky Campbell asked 5 Live listeners if the smoking ban is right? | BBC Sounds, UK
Concern as Arsenal fans given free vapes
Free vapes were being handed out outside the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, as campaigners warn that “irresponsible” companies are exploiting a “loophole” in legislation | Camden New Journal, UK
Prisons: Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support prisoners with long term dependency on drugs or alcohol with the management of withdrawal of drugs and alcohol | They work with you, UK
Sentencing: Drug Dealing
I beg to move That this Assembly expresses serious concern with the growing number of drug-related deaths in Northern Ireland, which have increased by 47% in a decade; recognises that addiction is a complex public health issue requiring early Intervention and timely access to treatment; acknowledges the need for coordinated efforts between the Department of Health, the Department of Justice, the Department of Education and the Department for Communities to improve prevention and recovery pathways... | They work for you, UK
Shipping: Smuggling
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce international maritime drug smuggling through British ports | They work for you, UK
What journalists look for in research stories
Fiona Hughes attended a Stempra training day for science communicators and came away with a much clearer sense of what journalists want from research stories. Getting research into the media isn’t just about the quality of the science – it’s about how clearly, quickly, and compellingly the story can be told | SSA, UK
Future Leaders in Addiction Science
Tickets are now available for Future Leaders in Addiction Science – an event hosted by Addiction Healthcare Goals, the Medical Research Council, and the Society for the Study of Addiction that will explore the latest developments in addiction research and discuss emerging leadership pathways within the field | SSA, UK
Unity Day in East Kent Celebrates the Power of Recovery
Friday 17 April 2026 marked a truly inspiring day in East Kent, as the community came together to celebrate Unity Day, a powerful event highlighting the journeys, creativity and resilience of individuals in recovery from drugs and alcohol | Forward Trust, UK
SARG to showcase latest public health research at UKSBM Annual Scientific Meeting
Members of the Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG) will join researchers from across the country next week to present work on alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks, agent-based modelling, systems mapping and food insecurity | SARG, UK
Man with cannabis conviction given alcohol licence
West Yorkshire Police objected to an application for the licence on the basis of a drug-related conviction from 2024 and said Joseph Roy Pickles was not a fit person to have the responsibility of an alcohol licence. But after hearing from Pickles, Bradford Council's District Licensing Panel decided he "no longer has the propensity to reoffend" and granted the licence | BBC, UK
International news
First large-scale survey estimates that 2.8% of US population used psilocybin in the past year
The use of psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound found in "magic mushrooms," is rising in the United States alongside de-criminalization efforts in several states. Researchers have also taken an interest in the drug for its potential to treat depression. Now, a study by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and New York University Grossman School of Medicine has found that around 2.8% of U.S. residents over the age of 12—about 8 million people—used psilocybin in the past year | Medical Xpress, USA
Standard treatment falls short for privately insured pregnant women with opioid use disorder, study finds
Opioid use disorder during pregnancy remains a critical yet under-addressed public health issue in the U.S., according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Although effective, evidence-based treatments exist, many pregnant individuals face barriers to accessing timely and appropriate care | Medical Xpress, USA
Patterns of medical comorbidities among aging people receiving heroin-assisted treatment: A 10-year single-center repeated cross-sectional study
[Open access] This study examined the patterns of medical comorbidities among aging people who use drugs (PWUD) enrolled in a heroin-assisted treatment (HAT) program in Bern, Switzerland, over ten years | DADR, USA
Cascade of Care for Opioid Use Disorder Among Medicaid Beneficiaries
This cross-sectional study found a substantial increase in the percentage of individuals with OUD who received MOUD among almost all states. The increase in MOUD use may have contributed to reductions in overdose deaths, but more research is needed | JAMA Network Open, USA
Poppers, apps, and pleasure: From set to setting among sexually diverse men in Mexico
[Open access] Poppers (alkyl nitrites) are widely used among sexually diverse men to enhance sexual pleasure. However, research has historically been dominated by risk-centered frameworks such as associations with HIV or other STIs, overlooking user motivations related to hedonic reward, intimacy, and agency. This study explores the benefits, motivations, and social meanings of poppers consumption among sexually diverse men in Mexico, emphasizing its relationship with dating applications | IJDP, USA
“Blaming Down”: A Decade of Overdose Crisis in British Columbia
Scotty Archondous, a resident of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES), is frustrated by the way his neighborhood is portrayed in the media. Public figures like former Vancouver mayor Larry Campbell, who in 2025 was hired by the British Columbia provincial government to study the DTES, talk about people who use drugs “laying on the sidewalk” as others step over them | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Is Joe Rogan too confident about ibogaine?
On Saturday, Donald Trump signed a major drug-policy executive order directing the fast-tracking of psychedelics such as ibogaine as potential treatments for severe mental health conditions, including addiction and PTSD. Research into novel treatments is important. But so far the evidence supporting the miraculous claims made by advocates such as Joe Rogan — who says he played a central role in getting Trump to sign this order — is weak | UnHerd, UK