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Daily news - 25th April 2025 |
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UK news
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
Second reading of the Bill in the House of Lords at 4:02 pm on 23 April 2025 | UK Hansard, UK
Hepatitis C 'micro-eliminated' by drugs charity
A drug and alcohol charity in Leeds has said it has "micro-eliminated" hepatitis C - meaning it has identified, treated and cured individuals most at risk of the virus. Forward Leeds has worked with partners including NHS services and drug providers to tackle the blood-borne virus in the city | BBC, UK
Discrimination and detainment: the stark realities behind medical cannabis
In light of this year’s 4/20, a leading medical cannabis clinic published research which shows while recreational use of cannabis can be tolerated for one day, patients following clinical routes continue to experience prejudice | Social Care Today, UK
Woman who overcame addiction now helping others
A mother-of-two who was helped by a rehabilitation organisation said she is "overrun" with gratitude now her life is back on track | BBC, UK
Mark Evans – I am a…
Mark Evans is a post-treatment recovery worker at WithYou. We asked him about his career path and role | DDN, UK
Illegal vape dangers highlighted after BBC probe
Trading standards teams have spoken out about the dangers of illegal vapes after a BBC investigation found more than six million non-compliant products were seized over three years | BBC, UK
Peer ‘stocking up’ on disposable vapes before summer ban
Baroness Fox of Buckley said banana and strawberry vapes ‘worked a treat’ when she stopped ‘chain smoking’ | Standard, UK
Vaping on college campus is to be banned
A sixth form college in Hull is to ban students from vaping on campus after the issue became "a real problem over the past three years" | BBC, UK
Government launches call for evidence on men’s health
Call for evidence will inform England’s first ever men’s health strategy to tackle the life expectancy gap | Department of Health and Social Care and The Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP, UK
Together for Families Conference
Mon, 28 Apr, 11:00 - 15:00 BST. Online. We are excited to welcome you to Harper House for a day of thought-provoking research, discussion, and lived experience. This one-day conference brings together academics, practitioners, and those with lived experience to explore innovative, evidence-based, and compassionate approaches to whole-family support | Phoenix Futures, UK
Students, Alcohol and Drugs Survey 2024-25 Report Launch
Wednesday 14 May 2025 12:00-13:00. Online. This research is designed to identify students’ relationships with alcohol and drugs at institutions across the UK and Ireland. Additionally, it provides a means to understand changes in attitudes and behaviours towards alcohol and drugs, and develop responses to support students and staff in higher education. The launch event will present the most recent research. This event will be of interest to students and staff across higher education and students' unions, colleagues in further education and secondary education, and those working in wider drug and alcohol related fields | SOS-UK and the Drug Education Forum, UK
The Loop Drug Checking Service
Every last Saturday of the month from 12pm – 8pm. 11 Brunswick Square, St Pauls BS2 8PE. The Loop Drug Checking Service gives an opportunity to receive a tailored harm reduction intervention based on information about what drugs are currently in circulation in the city | BDP and The Loop, UK
"The Thing About Trauma We Don't Talk About..." Listen UP Episode 2 - Darren McGarvey - podcast
In Listen UP Episode 2, author and broadcaster Darren McGarvey shares his powerful journey through addiction recovery, highlighting the complexities of trauma, and the importance of genuine self-reflection in sobriety | Abbeycare, UK
Victorian Narcos: Tea Starts A Drug War (Ep 1) - podcast
How did the British taste for tea start a war over the right to sell drugs to China? When did tea become fashionable in Britain? How did the Dutch bring tea to India? William and Anita explore how the nation’s love of tea created a domino effect that led to the East India Company running a more prolific international drug cartel than Pablo Escobar… | Empire, UK
Extending licensing hours for the 80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe Day
The Government will move forward with the proposal to issue a Licensing Hours Order under Section 172 of the Licensing Act 2003, following growing and overwhelming support from the public to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. To confirm, this Order will extend licensing hours in England and Wales for the 80th Anniversary of VE Day | They work for you, UK
Cannabis with street value of £1m seized
Essex Police said it was called to reports of a "suspicious incident" on Perry Wood in Witham on Wednesday morning | BBC, UK
Councils fear bankruptcy amid homelessness crisis
Homelessness represents the "single biggest risk" to council finances and may cause effective bankruptcy, according to the organisation that represents London boroughs | BBC, UK
International news
'Don't let it be your best friend that dies from methanol poisoning'
The best friend of a woman who died from methanol poisoning on holiday has called on the government to do more to educate teenagers in schools about the dangers of drinking alcohol abroad | BBC, UK
Spain risks undoing smoking success with vape ban, report warns
Last year, Ministry of Health statistics revealed an impressive 22 per cent decline in Spain’s daily smoking rates, which dropped from 33.1 per cent of the adult population in 2022 to 25.8 per cent in 2024. At the same time, the Ministry also reported a 30 per cent increase in daily vaping rates over the same period, rising from one per cent of the adult population to 1.3 per cent | Clearing the air, UK
Police intercept 11kg of cocaine hidden in wheelchair at airport - video
Police in Spain discovered 11kg of cocaine hidden in a wheelchair at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport, video posted on X | Independent, UK
Australian politician fined for supplying cocaine
An Australian politician has been convicted of supplying drugs after he initially dismissed a video showing him snorting a white substance as a "deepfake" | BBC, UK
Crackdown planned on use of loyalty cards to buy discounted alcohol
The Government is set to crack down on customers using supermarket loyalty cards to obtain discounts on alcohol. While existing laws prohibit using loyalty card points to purchase alcohol, further regulations are now planned for their use to buy cut-price booze | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Hardy Bucks actor Alan Carter's death was due to heart failure caused by cocaine, inquest hears
Evidence was given in today’s hearing that the deceased took DMT (Dimethyltryptamine), a hallucinogenic drug, in the early hours and went into a seizure from which he failed to recover | Journal, Ireland
Nitazenes in Europe – How Should We Prepare? - webinar
May 9, 2025 11:00 AM in London.
In recent years, Europe has seen early warning signs of an emerging synthetic opioid crisis. Unlike traditional opioids, nitazenes are often found in counterfeit medications or mixed with other substances, increasing the risk of overdose and complicating harm reduction efforts. To explore this topic in more detail, Correlation-European Harm Reduction Network (C-EHRN), in collaboration with the Ana Liffey Drug Project, the Trimbos Institute and the City of Zurich, is organising a webinar with leading European experts. The webinar will provide an evidence-based overview of the situation around nitazenes in Europe, examine emerging trends, and discuss which policy, healthcare, and harm reduction responses are needed to prepare | C-EHRN, The Netherlands
The effects of smoking, drinking and lack of exercise are felt by the age of 36, new research indicates
Bad habits such as smoking, heavy drinking and lack of exercise must be tackled as early as possible to boost the odds of a happy and healthy old age | Medical Xpress, USA
Cannabis Use and Misuse Following Recreational Cannabis Legalization
Over 1,400 adults were repeatedly surveyed from before cannabis was legalised in Canada to five years later. Use of the drug increased modestly, but problem use decreased and contrary to concerns, the “results do not suggest increased adverse outcomes for adults who were actively using cannabis before legalization” | JAMA Network Open, USA
Characteristics of Medical Cannabis Patients and Clinicians in 7 US States
In the US, medical cannabis (MC) is legal in 39 states and the District of Columbia, with over 4.1 million registered US MC patients and 29 500 clinicians authorizing MC licensure as of December 2022. However, little is known about county-level factors associated with rates of MC patient licensure and MC authorizing clinicians. Drawing from a social determinants of health framework, we investigated county-level sociodemographic characteristics associated with MC licensure and authorization in 7 US states | JAMA Network Open, USA
The real reasons Generation Z is drinking less alcohol
Generation Z is drinking less compared to prior generations. We break down what is driving the declines and assess whether lower consumption levels will persist | Rabobank, USA
Will Minnesota, Which Authorized OPC, Actually Open Them?
Minnesota was just the second US state (after Rhode Island) to authorize overdose prevention centers allowing supervised drug use in safe conditions, at least in theory. Whether these services will actually open, at least anytime soon, now seems to be in doubt | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Revisiting Support for Long term Recovery and the Reversed Tragedy of the Commons
Expanding access and retention of people in long term recovery within every community group in America across multiple pathways of recovery is a goal that would reap huge benefits for our entire society | Recovery Review blog, USA