DrugWise Daily |
15th June 2026 |
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UK news
Drug diversion schemes cut reoffending rates more than prosecution, study says
Exclusive: Research in England shows people a third less likely to reoffend under decriminalisation-style schemes | Guardian, UK
New £100 street drinking fine to curb 'irresponsible' alcohol use in north London
The new powers were approved by Camden Council on Tuesday and are set to come into effect from July | Standard, UK
HelloFresh suspends alcohol samples after campaign
A meal kit delivery company has stopped sending out alcohol samples following a Suffolk woman's campaign | BBC, UK
Campaigners warn on child-friendly alcohol branding
North East health campaigners are warning that brightly packaged alcoholic drinks are making booze look more like sweets and soft drinks, amid fears this “kiddification” of alcohol could fuel under-age drinking | Northern Echo, UK
Bournemouth charity honours two local volunteers with awards
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole charity WithYou presents Peter Lee-Overy, 33, and Debbie Millward, 63, with volunteer awards for going above and beyond supporting people struggling with drugs and alcohol | WithYou, UK
Scots sleep out in support of £1m recovery centre as campaign passes £150,000
More than 40 people slept outside this weekend in solidarity with a recovering drug addict preparing to spend six months sleeping rough to raise £1 million for a “vital” new recovery facility | TFN, UK
States investigating cannabis-related admissions [Guernsey]
Guernsey's director of public health has said the States is investigating the rise of cannabis-related admissions to the island's mental health ward over the last four years | BBC, UK
‘Football saved me’: Street Soccer coordinator Sarah Rhind on life after heroin addiction
Charity worker’s unsparing book explains how the game created support networks and ‘beautiful friendships’ | Guardian, UK
‘He outlived four of his doctors’: David Hockney’s lifelong love of smoking – and the 2,000 cigarettes he kept at home ‘for emergencies’
His passion got him into scraps with the Paris Metro and numerous other bodies. Was it a social crutch? A Freudian response to his father? | Guardian, UK
Former police officer ran county lines drug ring ‘worth hundreds of thousands of pounds’
Gary Parkinson, who served with Greater Manchester police for 15 years, was jailed for conspiracy to supply class A narcotics to small towns in Devon | Observer, UK
International news
Tobacco and cannabis use in the young ‘Not in Employment, Education or Training’ population: A systematic review and meta-analysis
This study aimed to characterise tobacco and cannabis use within the NEET population, taking into account the diversity of profiles, and to compare it with that of the general population, including employed youth and students, in order to inform targeted prevention strategies | Addiction, UK
FDA memo reveals fruit-flavored e-cigarettes aren’t better for quitting smoking
The six-page FDA memo suggests regulators sidestepped previous concerns about the risks associated with sweet vaping flavors | Independent, UK
Aiding Executions?: How Aid Donors and the United Nations Enable the Death Penalty for Drug Offences’
Jun 24, 2026 09:30 AM in London. Report launch. The new report, Aiding Executions?: How Aid Donors and the United Nations Enable the Death Penalty for Drug Offences, examines the underexplored issue of international aid supporting narcotics control programmes in countries that retain the death penalty for drug-related offences, a practice in violation of international law and standards | HRI et al, UK
Needle and syringe coverage per injection and factors associated with needle sharing among clients of the Stockholm Needle and Syringe Program, 2013–2023
[Open access] A major Swedish needle exchange service estimated the number of needles issued per injection reported by its users. Increasing ratios over the years were associated with reduced sharing of injecting equipment and therefore reduced risk of the spread of infection, a core finding across such services | IJDP, UK
Czechia at a Crossroads: Experts Defend a Cross-Sector Drug Policy Model
For more than three decades, Czech drug policy has stood out for its integrated, interdisciplinary approach. Rather than treating drug use solely as a health issue or a criminal justice concern, the Czech system has combined prevention, harm reduction, treatment, social reintegration, and market regulation | Talking Drugs, UK
Impact of cannabis legalization on drug possession offences among people who experience incarceration in Ontario, Canada
[Open access] Canada's legalisation of cannabis possession in 2018 had a surprisingly minor impact on imprisonment for drug and other offences, perhaps because in practice possession of small amounts of drugs was already being decriminalised before the formal law change | IJDP, UK
Effect of the online Rethink My Drink alcohol intervention on alcohol use and cognition in older adults in Australia: a randomised controlled trial
Alcohol use is increasing among older adults and is associated with cognitive impairment and dementia. The efficacy of scalable approaches to reduce alcohol use and related harms in older adults has not been tested. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of an online alcohol intervention in reducing alcohol use and cognitive decline in older adults | Lancet, UK
Watch: Peru police dress up as World Cup mascots during drug raid
Officers from the Peruvian National Police’s Green Squad disguised themselves as 2026 World Cup mascots during a dramatic drug raid in Peru | BBC, UK
Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy Among Women Aged 18–49 Years — United States, 2021–2024
According to 2021–2024 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 15.2% of pregnant women in the United States reported current drinking, 4.9% reported binge drinking, and 2.2% reported heavy drinking during the past 30 days | CDC, USA
A continuum of disconnection: the impacts of safer supply program closures on continuity of care, transition, and total loss of service access
[Open access] In Ontario in Canada, funding and regulatory decisions led to the restriction/closure of low-threshold, harm-reduction oriented prescribing and allied services for people dependent on opioid-drugs. The result was "profound social, clinical, and structural harms" where these lifelines could not be replaced by similar services | Harm Reduction Journal, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
FDA Approves Reduced Drinking Endpoints for Alcohol Trials: A New Road for Alcohol Treatment?
Reduction in drinking (not only abstinence) has been included as a secondary outcome measure in most clinical trials for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Still reduction in drinking was never a formally approved treatment goal for AUD in clinical trials used for drug approval by the US Food and Drug Administration. Using only total abstinence as the only valid treatment outcome has led to an undeserved negative attitude towards the treatment of AUD as many do not reach this goal | European Addiction Research editorial, UK
Magic mushrooms and Alzheimer’s: what one remarkable case can tell us
Magic mushrooms are better known for producing hallucinations and altering people’s sense of reality than for treating brain diseases. Most people associate them with tripping, rather than Alzheimer’s disease. But a report on an individual patient has prompted scientists to ask whether psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms, could have unexpected effects on the ageing brain | Conversation, UK
Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Therapy for Addiction?
AI can assist addiction therapy, but the therapeutic relationship is irreplaceable | Psychology Today blog, USA
Why drinking alcohol makes you reach for chips and nachos
Have you ever wondered why savoury foods like chips, nachos and salted nuts go so well with a beer or glass of wine? And why sometimes you feel an insatiable appetite for junk food while drinking? | Conversation, Australia