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Daily news - 3rd December 2025 |
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UK news
Study finds wide variation in strength and content of illicit diazepam tablets
A study from King’s, in collaboration with TICTAC Communications and Nanalysis, tested seized tablets containing the sedative diazepam and found considerable variation in strength and content, highlighting the dangers of recreational drug us | KCL, UK
How to implement a naloxone supply approach in hospitals
An overview of how the distribution of naloxone in hospitals can be implemented to reduce drug-related deaths and overdoses in vulnerable communities | Pharmaceutical Journal, UK
Alcohol profile: December 2025 update
December 2025 includes new data for: alcohol-specific mortality; alcohol-related mortality; under 75 mortality rate from alcoholic liver disease; mortality from chronic liver disease; potential working years of life lost (PWYLL) due to alcohol-related conditions | OHID, UK
Smoking profile: December 2025 update
An overview of the extent of tobacco use, tobacco-related harm, vaping use and the measures being taken to reduce this harm at a local level in England | OHID, UK
Social Media: Drugs
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will meet with (a) Meta, (b) TikTok and (c) other social media platforms on regulating the (i) promotion and (ii) marketing of (A) unlicensed and (B) counterfeit (1) weight-loss drugs and (2) medicines | They work for you, UK
Cannabis: Medical Treatments
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made a recent assessment on the potential merits of allowing the use of prescribed medical cannabis within NHS buildings | They work for you, UK
'Vape Brain' sculpture highlights dangers to teens
A sculpture of a brain made from boxes of seized illegal vapes is touring schools in Hertfordshire to highlight the impact on mental health of nicotine dependency | BBC, UK
Vapes still causing rubbish fires despite disposable ban, major waste firm says
A major waste firm has warned that wrongly discarded vapes are still causing fires in its rubbish trucks and waste facilities, six months on since disposable vapes were banned | BBC, UK
Police raid 'thriving' mail-order drugs business
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the acquisition of drugs in online forums has opened up significantly over the last year | BBC, UK
Cannabis farm worth £2m uncovered in police raid
Six people have been arrested after a cannabis farm with an estimated street value of more than £2m was picked up by a drone camera | BBC, UK
International news
Surge in Myanmar opium poppy farming as conflict pushes farmers into illicit trade
The UN office on drugs and crime said in a report the growth underscores Myanmar’s position as the world’s main known source of illicit opium | Guardian. UK [See UNODC report below]
WHO upholds coca leaf ban, defying evidence and ignoring Indigenous rights
The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) expresses deep dismay at the World Health Organization’s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) recommendation to keep the coca leaf in Schedule I of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs | IDPC, UK
Indonesia to repatriate two Dutch men, including one on death row
Indonesia and the Netherlands have signed a deal to return two elderly Dutch nationals jailed in Indonesia for drug offences - one on death row and the other serving a life sentence | BBC, UK
The students restricting food in favour of alcohol: ‘It isn’t seen as a big deal’
Experts warn it is a slippery slope to dependence, poor dieting and worsening social anxiety | Irish Times, Ireland
Myanmar Opium Survey 2025 Cultivation, Production, and Implications (PDF)
This report presents the results of the twenty-third Myanmar opium survey, covering the 2024/2025 opium growing and harvesting season. With a year-on-year increase in cultivation area of 17%, the previous downward trend appears to have reversed | UNODC, Austria
Hospital-based care for hallucinogens and risk of mania and bipolar disorder: A population-based cohort study
Hallucinogen use for both recreational and medical purposes is rapidly increasing globally, raising concerns about potential adverse effects. This study examined the risk of incident mania or bipolar disorder (BD) diagnosis associated with having an emergency department (ED) visit or hospitalization involving hallucinogens | PLOS Medicine, USA
From cessation to celebration: Nicotine pouches go viral on TikTok
While originally created as a way to help people stop smoking, a UBC Okanagan researcher is raising concerns about oral nicotine pouches being portrayed as trendy and pleasurable, especially among young people | Medical Xpress, USA
Are pop stars who light up making smoking cool again?
Pop star Sabrina Carpenter leans over a sink, a cigarette between her fingers, dressed in a corset made entirely of cigarette packs | Medical Xpress, USA
Baltimore Drug Users Want Safe Supply, Know How It Should Look
People who use drugs in Baltimore, overwhelmingly support prescribed safe supply programs, according to new research. Published in the International Journal of Drug Policy in October, the study highlighted how the most vulnerable respondents were the most supportive of the idea—and dug into the specifics of what people want | Filter Magazine, USA
ASH Year 10 Snapshot Survey
The ASH Year 10 Snapshot surveys 20,000–30,000 students every year – one of the largest independent youth smoking and vaping surveys in the world | ASH, New Zealand
Blogs, comment and opinion
Introducing the Dry January® Doctor, Dr Jeevan Fernando
With the Dry January® challenge just one month away, Alcohol Change UK is welcoming Dr Jeevan Fernando as the Dry January® Doctor for 2026 | Alcohol Change UK, UK
Leicester: Take Drugs Seriously - Experts and Families Call for Legal Control and Regulation in Leicester
The evening was hosted by a diverse panel, including a best-selling author, a former detective, a general practitioner, and a bereaved family member, all highlighting that the Misuse of Drugs Act is not only a policy failure but the driving force behind an avoidable public health crisis | Anyone's Child, UK
The Guardian view on men’s health: the needs of different groups can only be addressed in a functioning system
The specific health issues faced by boys and men deserve attention. But waiting lists stand in the way of improvement | Guardian opinion, UK
Why the World Health Organization’s anti-nicotine policy could keep millions smoking
If these recommendations are put in place, they could discourage millions of smokers from switching to safer alternatives | Reason Foundation, USA
Reforming Australia’s Opioid Dependence Treatment Program - From red tape to person-centred care
In a contributing opinion piece, three of Australia’s most respected leaders in harm reduction and drug policy, Annie Madden AO, Dr Jake Rance, and Dr Richard Di Natale, former Senator, Greens leader and practising ODTP prescriber, argue that despite some positive reforms, Australia is running out of time to fix one of its most neglected areas of public health | BioPharmaDispatch, Australia