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Daily news - 8th August 2025 |
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UK news
Introducing: The New Collective Voice Affected Others Group!
Adfam and Collective Voice are excited to announce the launch of a brand-new group, bringing together organisations supporting families affected by substance use and individuals with lived experience, to work together to improve support for affected others | Collective Voice, UK
Prison to Rehab Protocol
The Prison to Rehab Protocol sets out the process for prison based staff, residential rehabilitation providers and individuals on accessing the Prison to Rehab Pathway. The pathway supports individuals leaving prison who would benefit from accessing abstinence based treatment on release | Scottish Government, UK
Extra-strong nicotine pouches packaged like children's sweets
Extra-strong nicotine products designed to appeal to children – including some which have ripped off the logos of popular sweet brands – are being openly sold in shops, BBC Scotland has found | BBC, UK
Health experts urge ban on school materials backed by food, drink and gambling firms
Exclusive: Education secretary told sponsored resources misrepresent evidence about diets, alcohol and betting | Guardian, UK
How to stop smoking and stay stopped
This booklet is for smokers who are seriously thinking about stopping smoking. Reading this booklet will help smokers decide if they are ready to stop and then how to go about it | Public Health Scotland, UK
Daytimes on BBC Radio York - Ian Hamilton on helping people and researching addiction - audio
Ian Hamilton, Associate Professor in addiction at the University of York, talks about addiction, the drugs currently being used in the UK and how he started out in his career in the drugs field | BBC Sounds, UK
Father and son 'flooded' England with cocaine
Malcolm Hoyland, 80, and son Richard, 45, were sentenced to seven years and three months and 10 years respectively at Manchester Crown Court after admitting drug dealing | BBC, UK
Drug dealer's cash to be shared among charities
More than £18,000 seized from a drug dealer's home will be donated to charities in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire, including organisations supporting abuse victims and rough sleepers | BBC, UK
Big Mags: The paedophile-hunting granny who built a heroin empire
In January 1997, long before the modern phenomena of online "paedophile hunters", a Scottish grandmother found overnight fame when she successfully drove a convicted child sex offender out of the Raploch housing estate in Stirling | BBC, UK
International news
More than a dozen arrested in Spain over animal feed drug smuggling
Spanish police say they have broken up a criminal gang suspected of smuggling cannabis hidden in bags of animal feed into the Republic of Ireland | BBC, UK
US embassy worker accused of smuggling cocaine into New York disguised as packages of cigarettes and candy
The security officer helped to recruit couriers who would transport the drugs into multiple New York area airports, according to prosecutors | Independent, UK
Painkiller addiction warning as opioid prescriptions rise by 25% in eight years
The use of painkillers has jumped, with a 25% rise in opioid use and 50% increase in medication containing oxycodone, experts have said as they warn of addiction risks | Irish Examiner, Ireland
New European toolkit launched to help eliminate viral hepatitis B and C in prisons
The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have jointly produced a European toolkit for the elimination of viral hepatitis in prisons. This new practical online resource, launched ahead of Prisoners’ Justice Day on 10 August, aims to support local efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis in prison settings, in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal on Good Health and Well-Being | EUDA, Portugal
Many smokers have misperceptions about nicotine. Researchers harness curiosity to correct them
Misperceptions about nicotine abound. Nicotine is not the main cancer-causing component in cigarettes; still, many believe it is. Nicotine makes cigarettes addictive; many people believe it does not | Medical Xpress, USA
Study finds affordable trial programs prevent youth substance misuse
The earlier someone starts substance use, the more likely they are to have substance use problems later in life. So, it is important to work with young people to prevent substance use early in life | Medical Xpress, USA
Self-Reported Cannabis Prices and Expenditures From Legal and Illegal Sources Five Years After Legalisation of Non-Medical Cannabis in Canada
Though for most cannabis products legal prices remained higher than on the illegal market, “most consumers reported purchasing from the legal cannabis market, reflecting considerable progress towards Canada's objective of displacing illegal sources through the creation of a legal cannabis market” | DAR, USA
The ancient origins of the addiction-prone mind—and what it means for us today
Why do so many people struggle to stop drinking, quit smoking, or resist endless scrolling on their phones? Addiction touches millions of lives, yet it's often misunderstood as a personal weakness or moral failing. In reality, addiction is rooted in the ancient architecture of the human brain | Medical Xpress, USA
Relationship Between Patient-Reported Experiences and Treatment Satisfaction Among Men and Women in Residential Substance Use Treatment
[Open access] In an Australian therapeutic community, “increased awareness and understanding of [substance] use, involvement in care planning, feeling supported … and being supported to cope with everyday life, emerged as more important to overall treatment satisfaction than treatment or process-based experiences like the structure of the program …” | DAR, USA
Prescription opioid supply-restricting policies and hospital use by people prescribed opioid medications, Victoria, 2018–22: a controlled interrupted time series analysis
[Open access] In Australia laws to tighten up on prescribing of opioid medications for pain and other conditions had the intended effect of reducing harm related to those medications, but at the cost of increased harm related to alternative medications. This effect was short-lived, leaving overall health benefits | MJA, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Olivia’s story: “OCD, BPD, and Booze- the worst cocktail”
In this blog, Olivia discusses how living with OCD and BPD impacted her drinking | Alcohol Change UK blog, UK
‘Roots to Routes’ – A personal reflection on South Asian Heritage Month
As we celebrate South Asian Heritage Month, I find myself reflecting deeply on the theme ‘Roots to Routes’—a phrase that perfectly captures the journey of identity, belonging, and growth that so many of us experience | Forward Trust blog, UK