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Daily news - 5th December 2025 |
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UK news
Adult substance misuse treatment statistics 2024 to 2025: report
There were 329,646 adults aged 18 and over in contact with drug and alcohol treatment services between April 2024 and March 2025. This is a 6% rise compared to the previous year and the highest number of adults in treatment since reporting began. The number of adults entering treatment in 2024 to 2025 was 169,542, which is higher than the previous 2 years’ figures | OHID, UK
Children's substance misuse treatment statistics 2024 to 2025: report
There were 16,212 children (aged 17 and under) in alcohol and drug treatment between April 2024 and March 2025. This is a 13% increase from the previous year (14,352). However, the number in treatment is 34% lower than the peak of 24,494 in 2008 to 2009. Cannabis remained the most common substance (86%) that children came to treatment for. Around 2 in 5 children in treatment (38%) said they had problems with alcohol use, 8% had problems with ecstasy and 6% reported problems with powder cocaine use | OHID, UK
Joint call for ban on unethical ‘patient brokering’ in addiction treatment services
The Local Government Association and campaigners are calling for urgent action to tackle the exploitation of vulnerable people through ‘patient brokering’ in England’s drug and alcohol treatment sector. Patient brokering involves individuals or organisations receiving financial incentives for referring patients to specific private addiction rehabilitation centres, regardless of whether it is in the best interest of the needs of the patient | LGA, UK
Making Hope a Reality: Our Impact in 2025-2026
As Chief Executive of Phoenix Futures, I am proud to share our latest Impact Report. This is a reflection of the incredible work our teams, partners, and communities have achieved together. This year, we supported more than 17,000 people directly, and countless more through advocacy and outreach. Every number represents a life touched, a family supported, and a community strengthened | Phoenix Futures, UK
Minimum Unit Pricing in the UK: Who’s backing it and who’s blocking it?
Divided stakeholder opinions, opposition from key alcohol industry voices, cost implications for consumers, and wider public unpopularity are arguments often cited when UK governments have decided against MUP in England. This report collated publicly available stakeholder positions on MUP in the UK to build a clearer picture of support and opposition, major reasons why, and whether MUP is as polarising as portrayed | IAS, UK
Training the police on legalized medical cannabis: lessons in building public trust, reducing harm, and avoiding reputational damage
New regulations in 2018 legalized cannabis prescribing, but have not been consistently implemented, nor adequately communicated to the public and public bodies, including the police. This paper reports on a police knowledge exchange and training pilot, delivered to two cohorts of UK Police Constable Degree Apprentices (n = 94) in response to an identified knowledge gap on cannabis-based medicines | Policing, UK
Cannabis: Medical Treatments
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs review of cannabis-based products for medicinal use is expected to be completed and published | They work for you, UK
When I met Craig he was 13 and homeless. I still thought his life might turn around. I was tragically wrong – podcast
[Audio version of an article published in November] I knew he was running away from something. It wasn’t until many years later that I discovered the truth | Guardian, UK
Prey - Inside today's groomin gangs
Scarlett is among the thousands of vulnerable young girls who police, social services and successive governments have failed to protect from gangs of predators. These failures have recently attracted a new wave of outrage, with a national inquiry into grooming gangs being thrown into chaos after victims and potential chairs withdrew | Sky News, UK
'Industrial scale' drug labs found on Merseyside
Eight people have been arrested in early morning raids after police uncovered drugs laboratories on an industrial scale believed to be one of the biggest operations the UK has ever seen | BBC, UK
International news
Americans appear to be drinking less. Here’s why that could be
Americans say they are drinking less alcohol than ever before, but new data shows habits have, in fact, not changed by much. Data from drinks market research firm IWSR shows that the number of weekly drinks per U.S. adult has hovered between 10 and 12 since 1975 | Independent, UK
Pentagon announces it has killed four men in another boat strike in Pacific
Strike comes amid congressional turmoil over legality of US attacks on suspected drug smugglers | Guardian, UK
Commission presents new EU Drugs Strategy and Action Plan against drug trafficking
On 4 December, the Commission presented a new EU Drugs Strategy and an Action Plan against drug trafficking, as well as updated rules for monitoring and controlling drug precursors. Announced by President von der Leyen in the political guidelines and a key deliverable under the ProtectEU - European Internal Security Strategy, they set out a comprehensive EU response to the security, health, social and environmental challenges linked to the trafficking and use of illicit drugs | European Commission, Belgium
Efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy for stimulant use disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Compare to no or usual treatment, patients randomly allocated to cognitive-behavioural therapy were more likely to achieve abstinence from cocaine or (meth)amphetamine, and there was some evidence that the effects lasted beyond the initial treatment period | Frontiers in Psychiatry, USA
Brain enzyme that drives nicotine addiction and smoking dependence identified
Nicotine addiction remains one of the most persistent public health challenges worldwide, driven by changes in the brain that reinforce repeated use and make quitting extremely difficult. For decades, scientists have focused primarily on neurons to explain how these changes occur. But growing evidence suggests that other brain cells may play a far more active role in shaping addictive behavior than previously thought | Medical Xpress, USA
BC Human Rights Commissioner Slams Overdose Inaction as “Violation”
Government inaction on the overdose crisis is a human rights violation, according to a recent position statement released by British Columbia’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner. It makes clear that the ongoing inaction and misdirection of policies aimed at handling the crisis are largely rooted in stigma, politics and systemic oppression—and run contrary to scientific evidence | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Collective Voice responds to the latest statistics on treatment for alcohol and other drug issues
Dr Will Haydock, Chief Executive of Collective Voice, the national alliance of drug and alcohol treatment and recovery charities, released the following statement: Charities have delivered a prompt return on investment. Treatment saves lives | Collective Voice, UK
Small drop in alcohol deaths in England
The latest figures show that the rate of deaths caused entirely by alcohol in England fell by 8% in 2024. There has also been a 4% reduction in the rate of deaths in which alcohol was a factor | Alcohol Change UK blog, UK