DrugWise Daily |
2nd November 2026 |
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UK news
Free NHS app support to quit vaping launched as new sales restrictions enforced
People in Wales who want to stop vaping can now get free, evidence-based help to manage their cravings, cut down and plan their quit through a new app module launched by Public Health Wales. It comes as new laws extending restrictions on the sale and promotion of vaping and non-medicinal nicotine products take effect. The vaping module in the NHS Wales Help Me Quit app allows users to set goals, track their progress and tackle the habits that can make quitting vaping difficult | Public Health Wales, UK
Charity celebrates 40 years as 'a beacon of hope'
It took ex-punk metal drummer Alison 25 years to find her love of music again while managing her drug use. She was supported by the Bristol Drugs Project (BDP), established in 1986, which stuck by her through the good and bad days. The charity has since reached 40 years of service and within that time started an arts-based recovery scheme called Creative Communities | BBC, UK
Smokers offered free lung cancer screening
Dr Stefano Santini, clinical director for the lung cancer screening programme for the trust, said: "Lung cancer is often difficult to detect early, and many people do not realise anything is wrong until the disease is more advanced. That's why this programme is so important." | BBC, UK
Will we ever beat our booze problem? - audio
The number of people who died from conditions caused by alcohol fell slightly last year, to the lowest rate since the pandemic. Laura talks to the Director of Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems Elinor Jayne about Scotland's relationship to alcohol | BBC Sounds, UK
Citizens’ juries and alcohol policy: what do people really think? - podcast
This month we’re joined by Professors Katherine Smith (University of Strathclyde) and Jeff Collin (University of Edinburgh) to discuss their citizens’ juries on alcohol, tobacco and unhealthy food in Glasgow, Wakefield and Doncaster | IAS, UK
Friends of The Bridges Welcomes Supporters for a Memorable Evening of Fun, Fundraising and Recovery
Supporters of The Bridges attended our annual 'Friends of The Bridges' fundraising quiz to help raise vital funds for this longstanding residential rehabilitation centre, whilst celebrating the power of recovery, community, and connection | Forward Trust, UK
How a plot to smuggle cocaine in cheese and chocolate spread was smashed
To the unsuspecting eye, the delivery of everyday foodstuffs like cheese or chocolate spread to a nondescript trading estate would barely register - yet, the industrial-scale quantities of those goods which arrived in several former mill towns in northern England in just over a year contained a far more sinister ingredient - and they concealed what was later described as a "vast and complex criminal operation" with its roots in South America | BBC, UK
Council's plea after vape sparks bin lorry blaze
A council in Nottinghamshire has urged residents to put items in the correct bins after a lithium battery believed to have come from a vape sparked a bin lorry fire | BBC, UK
International news
Oral nicotine pouch use among United States middle and high school students, 2021 to 2025
[Open access] Oral nicotine pouch use among United States middle and high school students remains uncommon. Current use rose between 2021 (0.8%) and 2023 (1.6%) and has since levelled off, while ever use continued to increase. Use is largely concentrated among users of other tobacco or nicotine products, but a minority report no current or lifetime use of other products | Addiction, UK
How flawed drug quantity thresholds can criminalise personal use: lessons from Spain’s chemsex context
In Spain, drug use and possession solely for personal consumption are not criminal offences, although public use or possession can incur administrative fines. Trafficking, however, carries prison sentences, and drug control schedules identify the substances subject to control. The amount someone carries is used as evidence of whether it is intended or personal use or supply. The scientific basis of those quantities can therefore affect whether someone is treated as a person who uses drugs or prosecuted as a dealer | C-EHRN, The Netherlands
First prize for diversity and inclusion
We are proud to announce that this month we were awarded first prize in the ‘Diversity and Inclusion’ category of the 2026 EU Agencies Network Awards. The award recognises the evolution of our Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) group from 2023 to 2026, and its work to embed these principles across our organisation | EUDA, Portugal
Reducing opioid medication during pregnancy may not ease neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome
Pregnant patients receiving medication to treat opioid use disorder should not reduce their medication dose out of fear that it will worsen withdrawal symptoms in their newborns, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) | News Medical, USA
Team publishes largest-ever dataset on real-world psychedelic support interactions
"The Fireside Database: Large-Scale Evidence from 25,419 Psychedelic Support Interactions," published in Science Advances, provides researchers and policymakers with an empirical window into psychedelic use and support outside clinical settings | Medical Xpress, USA
E-cigarette, heated tobacco, and cigarette preferences among Canadian e-cigarette users and nonusers: A discrete choice experiment
[Open access] On-product warnings (separate from traditional warnings on the package) may reduce experimentation and use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes, while higher prices may reduce use | Canadian Journal Public Health, Canada
Blogs, comment and opinion
A new strategy is needed to address the harms related to cocaine and other drugs
Dr Will Haydock calls for a new government plan with clear priorities, while a reader in Ecuador points to the devastating impact of UK cocaine use there | Guardian letters, UK
New vape and nicotine rules explained
New rules on selling and promoting vaping and nicotine products take effect across the UK on 29 October 2026. They extend protections for under-18s, restrict promotional giveaways and substantial discounts, ban most vending-machine sales and give enforcement authorities additional fixed penalty powers. Here is what is changing, why we are making these changes and what happens if the law is not followed | DHSC blog, UK
The UK’s legal cannabis market is booming – so why can’t this talented artist get any to treat his epilepsy?
Companies have rushed to supply the drug as a wellness treatment, but patients with serious illnesses aren’t able to get NHS prescriptions | Guardian opinion, UK
Three Budget takeaways: investing in lasting change
Beneath the headlines, the Budget 2026 contains a promising shift towards prevention, alongside welcome investment in housing and measures to help people into work. For The Forward Trust, three announcements stand out | Forward Trust, UK
£4.4bn for homelessness: people with alcohol dependence must not be left behind
The Government’s extra funding to tackle rough sleeping is welcome news but to have the greatest impact it must reach everyone in need, including those with alcohol dependence | Alcohol Change UK blog, UK
Instagram addicts and alcoholics have something in common
As with alcohol, it is important to establish and follow certain rules when using social media, says John Kirkwood | Guardian letters, UK