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Daily news - 29th August 2025 |
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UK news
New guidance to help people with poor mental health and substance dependence get out into nature
Experts in substance use at the University have created how-to guidance manuals for nature-based programmes, otherwise known as greenspace programmes, that promote health through activities such as gardening, conservation, and forest walks. This builds on previous work by the team that has evidenced why these types of programmes appear to work for poor mental health and substance dependence | University of Stirling, UK
'Stigma is a barrier': Father of boy with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder calls for more awareness
A Jersey father is calling for more informed training, knowledge and support for children living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder - known as FASD | ITV, UK
The missing policies in the UK’s 10-Year Health Plan - podcast
This month’s episode is a special cross-post from The Alcohol Debate Podcast, hosted by alcohol-freedom coach Tabbin Almond. In this episode, Tabbin is joined by Jem Roberts, Head of External Affairs at the Institute of Alcohol Studies, for a wide-ranging discussion on alcohol policy in the UK and Ireland. From Ireland’s world-first alcohol labelling law and its recent delays, to the UK Government’s 10-Year Health Plan and the omission of minimum unit pricing, Jem explains how political choices – and industry lobbying – shape the nation’s response to alcohol harm | IAS, UK
One in four UK late-night venues have closed since 2020, figures show
Industry body calls for urgent tax cuts to save ‘cornerstones of community life’ and halt rise of ‘night-time deserts’ | Guardian, UK
Recovery Walk Scotland Stirling 2025
Sat, 27 Sep 2025 11:00 - 16:00 BST. Recovery Walk Scotland is the largest recovery event in Scotland and has been held in different locations across our beautiful country since 2013. The event is comprised of three parts: Roses in the River Memorial, Recovery Walk Scotland procession through the town and a Recovery Festival and Village in King's Park, Stirling | Recovery Walk Scotland, UK
Misuse of medication 'intractable problem' at jail
Tackling the misuse of drugs, including prescribed medication, remains an "intractable problem" at a Dorset prison a report into a prisoner's death has found | BBC, UK
International news
MDMA circulation sparks Electric Picnic warning
The Health Service Executive (HSE) has urged Electric Picnic festival goers to engage with its drug harm reduction teams, as it remains on alert for high-strength drugs in circulation at this year's festival | BBC, UK
Caning and fines for those caught in Singapore drug vape crackdown
Singaporean authorities have announced tougher penalties for vaping as they try to crack down on the increasing use of drug-laced vapes in the country | BBC, UK
How Elon Musk’s billionaire Doge lieutenant took over the US’s biggest MDMA company
Antonio Gracias is part of the growing movement among Silicon Valley’s right wing enamored with the therapeutic and commercial potential of drugs like MDMA | Guardian, UK
Consumer group seeks total alcohol advertising ban in Poland
Alcohol advertising in Poland is subject to stringent regulations which limit how alcoholic beverages can be promoted. While there is some allowance for advertising beer, these promotions must adhere to very strict conditions designed to prevent targeting vulnerable groups and avoid associating drinking with positive traits or activities. However, according to the Consumer Forum’s latest report, "Nabici w butelkę – państwo bezradne wobec nielegalnej reklamy piwa" ("Taken for a Ride – The State Helpless Against Illegal Beer Advertising"), producers have found work-arounds to advertise beer | Euractiv, Belgium
Evaluation of a Novel Patient-Centered Methadone Restart Protocol
[Open access] In this cohort study, a new clinical protocol that individualized methadone restart doses by accounting for maintenance of opioid tolerance after a gap in methadone treatment was associated with significantly higher restart doses without any changes in opioid-related harms or treatment retention | JAMA Network Open, USA
Exploring the promise of human iPSC-heart cells in understanding fentanyl abuse
In recent years, fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine, has been a main contributor to the opioid crisis. One of the worst adverse effects of fentanyl abuse is opioid-induced cardiac arrest. Although it is well known that opioid abuse can induce arrhythmias, the effects of fentanyl abuse on heart rhythms have not yet been thoroughly investigated | Medical Xpress, USA
From environmental disasters to emerging drugs; a framework to understand, map and assess drug-related early warning systems
Unregulated drug markets are fast expanding and increasingly mediated through digital technologies. There are pronounced concerns about the harms posed by substances such as synthetic opioids like fentanyl and nitazenes. The coordinated activities of stakeholders who attempt to identify, prepare for and mitigate rapidly emerging drug-related harms are often collectively described as early warning systems (EWSs). We consider the ways in which routine drug monitoring and horizon scanning may bolster drug-related EWSs and outline the imperative to meaningfully involve people who use drugs within data collection | IJDP, USA
Broad use of psychedelic MDMA could ease devastating psychological trauma in Ukraine, study says
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has killed tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians, and injured hundreds of thousands more. But the war has also taken a less visible toll, with millions suffering from acute PTSD. Now a study co-authored at UC Berkeley proposes that use of the psychedelic MDMA, under close clinical supervision, could bring relief to millions of patients—with fewer therapists, lower costs and better results than conventional care | Medical Xpress, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Modelling the case for alcohol pricing policy in the USA
Alcohol has become increasingly affordable in the USA in recent decades, coinciding with rising alcohol related harms. Yet, in contrast to many other high-income countries, and despite increased alcohol pricing being identified as a WHO best buy policy, there has been scarce research on the potential effects of price changes on alcohol-related outcomes in the USA. In this context, the study by Carolin Kilian and colleagues provides timely and policy-relevant evidence | Lancet comment, UK
Why losing weight or cutting alcohol isn’t always best after illness strikes
The health advice that keeps you from getting sick might actually harm you once you’re already ill. This counterintuitive medical reality has a new name: “Cuomo’s paradox”, coined by Professor Raphael Cuomo at UC San Diego School of Medicine after analysing findings across numerous studies | Conversation, UK