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Daily news - 22nd July 2025 |
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UK news
High on snus in school: The hidden nicotine pouches shredding teens' gums
Finn picks up a small, white, teabag-like pouch from a round, brightly coloured tin and places it between his upper lip and gum | BBC, UK
Enhancing opportunities to reduce escalation to substance use disorders through early engagement: a retrospective observational data linkage study of primary and secondary care in Wales
Tracking of people identified with a substance use problem in Wales reveals that when non-specialist health services were the identifying agency, “only a small proportion” of these incidents “resulted in a referral or subsequent presentation” to a substance misuse service | BMJ Public Health, UK
Mid-life Women: Alcohol-free and low alcohol Views and Experiences
Tuesday, July 22 · 10 - 11am GMT+1. Alcohol-free and low alcohol products have gained popularity in recent years - but opinions are divided about whether they help or hinder reductions in alcohol consumption. We're taking a detailed look at what mid-life women think about 'NoLo' drinks | Oxford Brookes University, UK
International news
Evaluation of the National Drug Strategy “Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery 2017-2025 (PDF)
The National Drug Strategy 2017–2025 is Ireland’s national framework for addressing substance use through a whole-of-government, person-centred, and health-led approach, framing substance use as primarily, a public health issue. The implementation of the strategy has been guided by five overarching goals: promoting health and wellbeing; minimising harms and supporting recovery; addressing drug market impacts; fostering community participation; and developing evidence-informed policies | DoH, Ireland
Government delays introduction of alcohol warning labels until 2028
Labels which warn of links between alcohol and cancer had been due to come into effect in May 2026 | Irish Examiner, Ireland
‘I am somebody now’—exploring meanings and experiences of gaining employment among people in substance use disorder treatment
[Open access] Many individuals with severe Substance Use Disorders (SUD) want to work. This study explores the experiences of what gaining employment represents for patients receiving Individual Placement and Support early in their SUD treatment | DEPP, USA
Cannabis Withdrawal and Psychiatric Intensive Care
[Open access] In psychiatric inpatients, cannabis use prior to admission was associated with an increased risk of admission to intensive care. This risk was particularly elevated 3 to 5 days after presentation to hospital, a period associated with the peak severity of cannabis withdrawal syndrome | JAMA Psychiatry, USA
Cannabis use disorder may up risk of benign salivary gland tumors
Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is associated with increased risk of benign salivary gland tumors, according to a research letter published online July 17 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery | Medical Xpress, USA
Regular opioid use may increase dementia risk
In a study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia, a team led by Dr. Sha Feng from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences—collaborating with Dr. Jed A. Barash from the Massachusetts Veterans Home at Chelsea and Prof. W. Andrew Kofke from the University of Pennsylvania—has found that regular opioid use is associated with an increased risk of dementia, particularly vascular dementia | Medical Xpress, USA
The association between mental disorders and treatment retention among people with opioid use disorder receiving opioid agonist treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis
[Open access] Mental disorders are common among people with opioid use disorder. This review synthesised evidence of the association of comorbid mental disorders on retention with buprenorphine and methadone treatment | DAD, USA
Prompting change: The promise of an AI chatbot for alcohol counseling in young adults
Young adults drink more heavily than any other age group but are the least likely to seek treatment. Large language model (LLM) chatbots, such as ChatGPT, may make knowledge and support more accessible. This study pilot tested an LLM-based chatbot trained to deliver motivational interviewing for alcohol-related behavior change among young adults, evaluating its safety, acceptability, and fidelity to motivational interviewing principles | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Reflecting on opportunities to change after having an infection from injecting drugs
Little is known about how major drug use consequences such as serious infections affect a patient’s substance use and willingness to engage with addiction services. This study characterized patients’ perspectives on substance use, harm reduction, and medication treatments for opioid use disorder after hospitalization for an injection-related infection | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Swapping Cigarettes for Vapes or HTP Rapidly Boosts Fitness, Study Finds
People who switch from smoking to vapes or heated tobacco products can improve their fitness levels in as little as four weeks, a new study has found. Besides being beneficial in itself, the researchers say this could be a persuasive motivation for younger people, especially, to swap cigarettes for safer nicotine options | Filter Magazine, USA
NIDA Says It Halted Research-Cannabis Orders Due to DOGE Directive
Officials at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) say the federal agency’s recent decision to halt its longstanding orders of research marijuana supplied by the University of Mississippi is the result of a cost-cutting directive from the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) | Filter Magazine, USA
Illicit tobacco is 'out in the open' but what is the best way to deal with it?
Consumption of illicit tobacco is growing as more tobacconists pop up and revenue is lost from the legal excise. Experts say Australia needs to manage the supply of tobacco products and limit the number of outlets that can sell them | abc.net.au, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
After London’s Drugs Commission, What Is Labour Waiting For?
When London Mayor, Sadiq Khan announced in 2021 that he would commission a report exploring the effectiveness of cannabis legislation and policing in the capital, there were ripples of cautious optimism among drug policy reform advocates | Talking Drugs, UK
And finally...
Sylvanian Families' legal battle over TikTok drama
Sylvanian Families has become embroiled in a legal battle with a TikTok creator who makes comedic videos of the children's toys in dark and debauched storylines | BBC, UK