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Daily news - 15th April 2025

UK news

Low-level drinkers have increased cancer and cardiovascular risk, study finds

The charity Alcohol Change UK is calling on the government to introduce health risk labelling on alcohol | Sky News, UK

Could a safe injection site help tackle Belfast's addiction crisis?

The issue of drug addiction is not unique to any major city, but how a city tackles the issue is. Belfast Council recently voted in favour of installing needle disposal bins in certain areas of the city. In Dublin, the council has gone further by opening a supervised injection facility located at Merchant's Quay along the River Liffey | ITV, UK

Ordering illicit weight loss drugs is 'dicing with death' - GP

A leading GP has said that people ordering illicit weight loss drugs online are "dicing with death" after a BBC investigation found illegal injections are being sold over social media and sent to people in Northern Ireland | BBC, UK

52. UK's alcohol blind spot - podcast

Sir Ian Gilmore talks about a lifetime making the case for action on alcohol harm - for the NHS and our wider society. We talk the drinking culture in this country, the need for an alcohol strategy and the Swedish model! In pod surgery, the team talk men's health and NHS health-checks, emergency contraception and an NHS that might just knock on your door | Prevention is the new Cure, UK

Women’s perspectives on effective substance use treatment and support

Monday, April 28 · 12:30 - 2pm GMT+1. Join us on April 28 for the launch of new research on effective substance use treatment for women, introduced by Dame Carol Black | Centre for Justice Innovation, UK

The 5th Adolescent Alcohol and Drugs Education Conference

18th June 2024. Bournemouth University. Prices start from £25 for event recording. There will be a range of expert speakers including Dr Louise Parkin from RespectED on substance use and consent, Lisa Hooper from Escape Line on County Lines, Jane Keyworth from Face2Face on substance risk and the neurodiverse and Dr David Regis on trends and teen use from the School Health Education Unit. The morning will finish off with Q and A featuring an expert panel. The afternoon will consist of a range of exciting and hands-on workshops - including a full drugs alcohol and nicotine accredited CPD option! | Talk about Trust, UK

Becoming a trustee

Read about the opportunity to join the SSA’s Board of Trustees in 2025, and apply below by 4 May | SSA, UK

International news

New study sheds light on African alcohol industry activity

Research by the Stirling team found 61 examples of alcohol industry corporate social responsibility and marketing activity, across six African countries | University of Stirling, UK

The Bali Nine drug smuggling case - audio

In April 2005, nine young Australians were caught trying to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin out of Indonesia. The Bali Nine, as they became known, faced a maximum sentence of death by firing squad under Indonesia's strict drug laws. Bishop Tim Harris, who formed a close relationship with one of the Bali Nine families, and visited members of the group in prison has been speaking to Dan Hardoon | BBC, UK

Punishing China and Mexico via tariffs won’t solve the country’s drug problems

Dean Duggan is one of the people featured in RTÉ’s docuseries ‘Hooked’, which explores the personal stories behind addiction. Here, Duggan talks about how his drug use started, why it can happen to anyone and what made him agree to take part in the show | Irish Independent, Ireland

Routes of Marijuana Use — Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 22 U.S. States and Two Territories, 2022

In 2022, 15.3% of adults reported current cannabis use, approximately 80% of whom reported smoking. Eating, vaping, and dabbing (inhaling heated concentrated cannabis) were also common, and approximately one half of respondents reported multiple routes of use. Vaping and dabbing were most prevalent among adults aged 18–24 years | CDC, USA

Hospital visits for cannabis use linked to higher dementia risk

Individuals with an emergency department (ED) visit or hospitalization due to cannabis were at 23% and 72% greater risk of a new dementia diagnosis within five years compared to individuals with an ED visit or hospitalization for any other reason or the general population, according to a new study published in JAMA Neurology | Medical Xpress, USA

Rasch analysis of DSM-5 alcohol use disorder in a large inpatient sample

[Open access] The most recent US diagnostic manual re-conceptualised problem drinking as a continuum (“alcohol use disorder”), abandoning the supposed divide between between ‘dependence’ and ‘non-dependent’ abuse/misuse. That was broadly the right call, suggests this analysis based on over 1000 problem-drinking US patients starting inpatient treatment | ACER, USA

For opioid victims, payouts fall short while governments reap millions

Opioid settlements with companies like Purdue Pharma, Walmart, and Johnson & Johnson have led to headline-grabbing multibillion-dollar payouts, but most of the windfall is flowing to state and local governments, not directly to victims of the crisis | Medical Xpress, USA

If Trump Cares So Much About Fentanyl, Why Is He Cutting Addiction Treatment Funding?

Punishing China and Mexico via tariffs won’t solve the country’s drug problems | Mother Jones, USA

Researchers may have solved decades-old mystery behind benzodiazepine side effects

Benzodiazepines like Valium and Xanax are often prescribed to treat anxiety, insomnia and seizures. While these drugs can be effective as a short-term treatment, researchers are trying to better understand the impact of benzodiazepines after extended use | Medical Xpress, USA

LSD analog shows potential for treating schizophrenia

University of California, Davis researchers have developed a new, neuroplasticity-promoting drug closely related to LSD that harnesses the psychedelic's therapeutic power with reduced hallucinogenic potential | Medical Xpress, USA

Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia: early insights

This report presents key statistics about Australia’s publicly funded alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment services and their clients. Early insights is a companion report to the data and analysis presented in Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia: annual report | AIHW, Australia

Blogs, comment and opinion

Mr Excuse – an interview with Mikki M

Mikki M won second place at the Recovery Street Film Festival in 2024, for his entry, ‘Mamba Attack’. Today, he sits down to tell us more about how stigma has affected his life, and how it still affects for him today despite his recent success | AntiStigma Network blog, UK

Reflections on Our Dragons Den Event: Empowering Entrepreneurs with Lived Experience

On 3rd April 2025, we hosted our second Dragons Den-style event for entrepreneurs supported by our Enterprise Bootcamp programme, funded by the City Bridge Foundation | Forward Trust blog, UK

Promoting liver health in UK prisons – capitalising on every opportunity

In this blog, Alastair McCreadie, Prison Peer Support Lead for the West Midlands, discusses offering liver surveillance services to prison staff and how this helped overcome some of the challenges to offering blood borne virus and liver screening services in a prison environment | Hepatitis C Trust blog, UK