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Daily news - 8th December 2025

UK news

DDN December/January 2025

It’s been a reactive year for the sector. Drugs – familiar, new, hard to identify – have brought treatment challenges that demand our attention. Escalating drug death figures continue to shame us. Alcohol policy still treads water. The prison system is stuck in a cycle of addiction, violence and reoffending. When an MP says the drug sector needs to speak with a clear and unified voice to policymakers, it feels frustrating. But exploring some key initiatives – throughout this issue – reminds us that we have much of the evidence of what works | DDN, UK

Open call for evidence - Drug use in LGBT+ communities and chemsex

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is reviewing the evidence of drug use in LGBT+ communities and in the context of chemsex in the UK. This call for evidence closes at 11:59pm on 30 January 2026 | ACMD, UK

'Dental charity gives me new hope after years of addiction'

A charity that provides free dental care for people experiencing homelessness and hardship has returned to the site of its first-ever clinic to mark its 10-year anniversary | BBC, UK

Drugs minister hails landmark work of recovery houses in helping new mums

Scotland’s drugs minister has warned new mums are likely to be at greater risk of alcohol and drug harm because stigma stops them from seeking life-changing support | Sunday Post, UK

Below Deck star, 33, suffers heart attack brought on by ‘vape poisoning’

The 33-year-old reality star shared an update with his followers on Instagram Friday, sharing a carousel of photos showing him in hospital | Independent, UK

Ketamine and rural crime prevention sees East Division officers recognised at Lancashire Constabulary’s Problem-Solving Awards

Police initiatives to divert young people from rural crime by offering them a positive pastime, and another to tackle ketamine supply in Burnley, have won top awards | Burnley Express, UK

Essex County Council launches kits to tackle youth vaping

The resources, unveiled by Essex County Council, are aimed at supporting parents, carers, schools, and professionals working with young people and have been designed with input from both education settings and families | Daily Gazette, UK

NHS APA Annual - Conference 2025, Breaking Barriers: How stigma undermines support and connection - and what we can do about it - videos

Watch the presentations from this recent conference online | NHS APA, UK

Ketamine and Nitazenes: Sales

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the availability in the UK of (a) ketamine and (b) nitazenes through online purchase | They work for you, UK

Turning Point Scotland (Glasgow Services)

The First Minister will be aware of Turning Point Scotland, which is a major voluntary sector provider of drug and alcohol services. The charity is facing an existential funding crisis after being billed £800,000 by City Property Glasgow (Investments), an arm’s-length organisation of Glasgow City Council. The bill for repairs, following the closure of the outstanding 218 women’s justice service, is £600,000 higher than the estimate by an independent surveyor, and it poses a very real risk to all Turning Point services in Glasgow | They work for you, UK

Driving under Influence: Drugs

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 89631 on Driving under Influence: Testing, whether her Department will begin collecting and publishing data on tests conducted by police for drug driving | They work for you, UK

Dangerous Driving: Surrey Heath

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of dangerous driving offences in Surrey Heath Constituency | They work for you, UK

FIFA Men’s Football World Cup 2026: Licensing Hours

I am pleased to launch a consultation on extending licensing hours in England and Wales for the semi-finals and final of the FIFA Men’s Football World Cup next summer, contingent on any of the home nations teams (England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland) reaching those stages of the tournament | They work for you, UK

Extracting hangovers from beer: inside the world’s biggest ‘nolo’ brewery in south Wales

AB InBev unveils its ‘de-alcoholisation’ annex at Magor site as demand for once ‘lousy’ low- or no-alcohol beer rises | Guardian, UK

Where to get a free Christmas dinner in your community this year

Charities, grassroots groups and restaurants around the UK are offering free food and festive cheer for vulnerable people on Christmas Day | Big Issue, UK

Spurs investigate Bissouma nitrous oxide claim

Tottenham say they are looking into claims that midfielder Yves Bissouma was filmed inhaling nitrous oxide | BBC, UK

International news

How and why consensus fractured at the 2024 session of the UN Commission on narcotic drugs: an exploratory study of international drug policy constellations using social network analysis and qualitative comparative analysis

[Open access] This exploratory study develops and tests theory and methods for describing and explaining constellations of policy actors and positions in international drug policy | DEPP, UK

International Drug Users Day 2025 - report

International Drug Users Day 2025 (IDUD2025) brought together drug user-led organisations worldwide, each using the day to promote dignity, rights and visibility. From street actions and festivals to political advocacy and wellness gatherings, the campaign showed the strength of a global movement grounded in lived experience. This year, INPUD received 69 applications for IDUD2025 mini-grants from drug user-led organisations across the globe, and 10 organisations received USD 500 mini-grants to implement IDUD2025 activities | INPUD, UK

'Ketamine Queen' spiralled before Matthew Perry death, friends tell BBC

Jasveen Sangha had a dark secret that some of her closest friends say she concealed even from them. The dual British-American national was a dealer to Hollywood's rich and famous, who ran a "stash house" of drugs including cocaine, Xanax, fake Adderall pills and ketamine | BBC, UK

Playwright Jeremy O Harris arrested in Japan for alleged drug smuggling

The writer of the Tony award-nominated Slave Play remains in custody after authorities say they found MDMA in his bag | Guardian, UK

‘Not approved for human use’: the online frenzy for injectable peptides sweeping Australia

Social media is driving a boom in the use of peptides to improve appearance and physical performance. Many are experimental and come with risk of serious side effects | Guardian, UK

International cooperation bursaries offered for European Drugs Winter and Summer Schools

The EUDA and Iscte — University Institute of Lisbon are delighted to announce the availability of bursaries for the 2026 European Drugs Winter and Summer Schools (EDWS, EDSS). The bursaries are offered via the EUDA technical cooperation projects, funded by the European Union | EUDA, Portugal

Central Asia has a drug problem and it's getting worse

Not long after late 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan became independent, illegal narcotics trafficking started through the region, mainly coming from drug-producing countries in South Asia, particularly Afghanistan, and being smuggled through Central Asian territory to Russia and from there to Europe. For the most part, Central Asia was simply a transit area for narcotics trafficking but that is changing | FPRI, USA

Effects of cannabidiol in alcohol use disorder patients with and without co-occurring post-traumatic stress disorder: Tolerability but no evidence for efficacy in two randomized proof-of-concept trials

[Open access] The cannabis derivative cannabidiol (CBD) has attracted interest as a potential treatment for psychological and substance use disorders, but two randomised trials failed to find it effective with problem drinkers either in reducing their drinking or improving psychological health | ACER, USA