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Daily news - 13th June 2025 |
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UK news
Local councils on the frontline: tackling nitazenes and drug-related deaths in England
In response to the nitazene threat, many councils have ramped up efforts to distribute naloxone kits to at-risk populations, including people who use drugs, their families, and frontline workers | LGA, UK
Big tobacco should pay their share for NHS spending uplift
ASH CEO Hazel Cheeseman responded to the Government’s Spending Review announcement today (11/06/2025) saying: "The Spending Review rightly acknowledges the importance of tobacco cessation for the sustainability of the NHS and prevention of disease with at least £80million being invested in cessation and enforcement annually. However, this is less than current spending. The Government should ensure that all current spending commitments are maintained - including swap to stop, financial incentives for pregnant women and mass media campaigns... | ASH, UK
South London council to ban adverts for unhealthy food, vaping and gambling
The ban would apply to all council-owned sites and services it commissions | My London, UK
Anyone’s Child: Families for Safer Drug Control - 10th Anniversary Lobby Of Parliament
24th June, 2025. Church House, Westminster SW1P 3NZ. 11am. To mark our 10 year anniversary, we’re not only organizing a mass lobby of Parliament, calling for an urgent review of the Misuse of Drugs Act and to end the drug war, we are also hosting an event to showcase the best of drug policy reform | Anyone's Child, UK
Street Drugs Discussions: Drugs in Prison
Fri, 11 Jul 2025 12:00 - 14:00 BST. This webinar features a panel discussion discussing the use of drugs in UK prisons. Topics covered include - The drug landscape in prisons / Drug related deaths in prisons / Drug treatment in prisons. Speakers: Prof Susanne MacGregor, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Dr Tim Kerr, Kings College London and Prof Adam Winstock, University College London | Drug Science, UK
International news
Care Not Criminalization - Support. Don't Punish 2025
Thu, Jun 26, 2025 9:00 PM - 10:30 PM GMT+1. In collaboration with harm reduction groups and allied organizations from across the country, the Harm Reduction Action Collective (HRAC) and HIV Legal Network are co-hosting a national virtual event on June 26th, 2025 – marking the Global Day of Action as part of the international Support. Don’t Punish campaign. The Global Day of Action is a moment of transnational solidarity – bringing us together to oppose stigma and injustice, while fostering change in laws, policies, and practices that undermine our communities’ wellbeing | Harm Reduction Action Collective, UK et al
Freely available nicotine replacement therapy raises rate of people who quit smoking
Higher rates of people quitting smoking in Ireland have been found following the introduction of universal access to free nicotine replacement therapy in February 2023, according to the findings of new research | Irish Examiner, Ireland
Illicit tobacco trade surges in France, Netherlands: industry report
While member states remain divided on how to reform the bloc’s tobacco laws, EU-wide illicit cigarette consumption reached record levels in 2024 | Euractiv, Belgium
Decline in US Drug Overdose Deaths by Region, Substance, and Demographics
In this cross-sectional study of 800 645 DODs, beginning August 2023, DODs declined for 15 consecutive months, with the largest decreases in the final 9 months of decline, although adults aged 55 years or older and American Indian or Alaska Native, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, and multiracial individuals had year-over-year increases. Opioid-related deaths decelerated faster than stimulant-related deaths | JAMA Network Open, USA
The Overlooked Benefits of Nicotine for Mental and Cognitive Health
With the rise of tobacco harm reduction (THR) products—including vapes, heated tobacco and pouches—nicotine has increasingly come under attack. Nicotine is dependence-forming, but not the primary cause of harm in traditional combustible tobacco. THR products now offer adults a safer way to consume this naturally occurring, non-intoxicating stimulant | Filter Magazine, USA
Co-design of the ‘OurFutures Vaping’ programme: a school-based eHealth intervention to prevent e-cigarette use
[Open access] A new interactive program, developed with students and teachers, could transform how schools tackle the rising tide of teen vaping, blending digital innovation with real-world classroom impact | HPI, USA
People who received specialist Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services in their last year of life
Alcohol and other drug (AOD) use is associated with a higher risk of dying (by any cause) and premature death compared with the general population (Abdul-Rahman et al. 2018; Havard et al. 2023). Among clients of Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services (AODTS), studies have found an increased risk of dying following treatment (Lloyd et al. 2017; Havard et al. 2023). Increased risk of death following the end of an AOD treatment service (specialist or otherwise) may be due to a reduction in drug tolerance following a period of abstinence and returning to pre-treatment drug use habits, underlying health problems or insufficient post-treatment support | AIHW, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Adolescents who smoke or vape may believe tobacco’s perceived coping benefits outweigh accepted health risks
Tobacco use in a variety of forms is common in adolescent life today, with over 2.25 million youth using. Huge progress has been made over the past few decades in reducing cigarette use among young people. But tobacco use – primarily through e-cigarettes, also known as vapes – remains a complex problem for public health and policy. In 2024, just over 8% of U.S. middle and high school students reported having used a tobacco product. Among tobacco users, nearly 6% used e-cigarettes, more than a quarter of whom used an e-cigarette product daily. We are behavioral health researchers. Our team’s ongoing research examines the factors associated with adolescent tobacco product use in the U.S | Conversation, USA