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Daily news - 21st May 2025

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UK news

Knowledge and Skills Framework & Learning Directory

The Scottish Government has published the Drugs and Alcohol Workforce Knowledge and Skills Framework. This guide is for practitioners, commissioners, managers and service providers to understand the knowledge and skills required, in addition to any professional or clinical standards. The Framework is not mandatory, does not affect the rights and duties of employees and employers and does not replace existing standards. This is complemented by the Drugs and Alcohol Learning Directory. This gives staff access to resources to help develop knowledge and skills and support personal and professional growth. The directory is based on the Framework and is divided into five themes: family-inclusive practice / tackling stigma / harm-reduction / human rights-based approach and trauma-informed care | Scottish Government, UK

The price is right: Minimum unit pricing for alcohol and the case for a windfall tax

Evidence shows that minimum unit pricing reduces alcohol harm. However, a key objection to the policy of setting a floor price for alcohol is that it unfairly creates a financial windfall for retailers, who benefit financially from being able to charge higher prices without competition. This report explores ways of taxing this windfall, examining potential changes to the alcohol duty system and the case for a new additional tax | SMF, UK

Nicotine pouches helped me quit vaping – but now I'm addicted

At one stage he was using 15 pouches a day, although the 16-year-old has now cut back to five | BBC, UK

Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs member biographies

Biographies updated: Professor Guirguis and Professor Henderson | ACMD, UK

Exploitation: Surrey Heath

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help protect children from criminal exploitation in Surrey Heath constituency | They work for you, UK

Mayor aims to end rough sleeping in London by 2030

The mayor of London has said he will end the "trauma" of people who have to be sleeping on the streets before they can access support | BBC, UK

Illegal immigrant jailed for cannabis farm

An illegal immigrant has been jailed for three years after an "industrial" cannabis growing operation was found in an extension attached to a Brighouse hotel and wedding venue | BBC, UK

Man jailed for using teenagers to transport drugs

A man who used teenagers to transport drugs on the rail network has been jailed for 10 years, following a county lines investigation | BBC, UK

 

International news

183 civil society groups urge UN Secretary-General to lead historic global drug policy review with a bold, inclusive and transformative vision

Read our advocacy note for key recommendations on making the panel effective, inclusive, and truly independent: Repairing the “machinery”: Recommendations and expectations for the independent review of international drug policy commitments | IDPC, UK

The role of prejudice and prior contact in support for evidence-based interventions to reduce drug-related deaths: A mixed methods study

Stigmatised attitudes, opinions on opioid use, and prior contact with People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) contribute to what policies are publicly supported and implemented to reduce drug-related deaths. This study examined how these variables relate to policy support for the implementation of supervised injection sites, laws protecting bystanders at the scene of an overdose, and over-the-counter naloxone | Drug Science, UK

Deaths among people who were homeless at time of death in Ireland, 2021

Almost nine-in-ten people who died while homeless had a history of problem substance use, according to the latest annual figures published by the Health Research Board | HRB, UK

History of injection drug use in the month preceding incarceration in Iranian prisons

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and pattern of injecting drug use (IDU) in Iranian incarcerated people one month before their imprisonment. This cross-sectional study used data from the national Bio-Behavioral Surveillance Surveys conducted from a random sample of people incarcerated in 33 prisons covering the major geographical areas of Iran in 2017 | Nature, UK

New Australian free-to-air TV rules could allow alcohol ads from 10am, even on weekends and school holidays

Media authority mulls Free TV Australia’s proposed revised code of practice to expand daytime hours when M programming is permitted | Guardian, UK

New ESPAD survey results: Teen substance use down, but new risks emerging

While substance use among 15–16-year-old students in Europe continues its long-term decline, new behavioural and health risks are on the rise. The latest findings from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), flag growing concerns over increasing e-cigarette use, the non-medical use of pharmaceutical drugs, and a sharp uptick in online gaming and gambling among teenagers. The findings also reveal a noticeable increase in risky behaviours among girls across several areas | EUDA, Portugal

Standardizing disposable vape devices may curb young people's desire to try them

Standardizing the color and branding of disposable vaping devices may deter young people who have never smoked or vaped from trying them in the first place, suggests a comparative study, published online in the journal Tobacco Control | Medical Xpress, USA

Alcohol use during recovery: A 10-year follow-up of people treated for alcohol or other drug problems

[Open access] Understanding challenges in alcohol consumption is crucial when considering recovery approaches beyond abstinence. This study investigates the narratives that people with former alcohol or other drug (AOD) problems use to describe their alcohol use during recovery, focusing on abstinence, relapse, craving, problematic and unproblematic consumption | DEPP, USA

BTMPS has been detected in all regions across the United States, demonstrating vast prevalence. BTMPS has appeared in more than 600 drug materials tested by our laboratory. Tetramethyl-4-piperidinol (TMP) was first detected in August 2024 and since has appeared in more than 20 drug materials. Tetramethyl-4-AP (TM-4-AP) and tetramethylnorfentanyl (TMNF) were first detected in April 2025 and since have appeared in more than ten drug materials, often together | CFSRE, USA

Researchers identify promising treatment for fentanyl-xylazine overdoses

Researchers at Marshall University have developed a promising treatment strategy to address overdoses involving fentanyl and the veterinary sedative xylazine, a combination increasingly linked to severe health complications and reduced effectiveness of standard overdose reversal agents | Medical Xpress, USA

Overdose Deaths Fell in 2024: What’s Driving This, and Will It Last?

The latest national overdose figures from the CDC, released May 14, show that deaths fell by almost 27 percent in 2024—the third straight year of decline from a horrific peak. Yet there were 80,391 preventable overdose deaths in the United States in 2024—a scale of tragedy that seemed unthinkable a decade ago. And the national decline is not spread evenly, with some demographic groups and areas continuing to suffer increases | Filter Magazine, USA

Press Release | Victorian Budget will not reduce wait times for alcohol and other drug treatment

The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) notes that the 2025/26 State Budget will not address the growing wait times for alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment that Victorians face. The budget allocation of $380.8M for 2025/26, amounts to a 1.2% increase in grant funding from a budget figure of $376.3M in 2024/25. With actual expenditure for this financial year reaching $391.3M, the budgeted amount for the next financial year represents a cut of $10.5M at this stage | VAADA, Australia

 

 

Blogs, comment and opinion

Health Foundation drug-related deaths warning: LGA response

“Every death to drug misuse is a tragedy and councils are absolutely determined to ensure vulnerable people have the right support and treatment. | LGA, UK

Protecting communities means protecting safer consumption facilities

This week I visited The Thistle and what I saw wasn’t failure - it was care, professionalism, and people doing everything they can to keep others alive | Transform blog, UK

Why reclassification won’t solve the ketamine crisis

Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic used recreationally by people who enjoy the wide range of effects that can be experienced through its use. Within the UK ketamine is currently classified as a Class B drug under the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act. With increasing concerns about ketamine related harms and associated media coverage, in January 2025 the government announced that it was seeking advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) about reclassifying the drug as Class A, placing it alongside drugs such as MDMA, heroin, Cocaine & LSD | Anyone's Child blog, UK

Debunking the Popcorn Lung Myth: Setting the Record Straight on Vaping and Respiratory Risk

A recent Independent article has reignited fears over “popcorn lung” and vaping, citing a rare US case involving a teenager diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans. While these headlines attract attention, they often mislead. It's time to separate myth from evidence and bring clarity to this discussion using robust, peer-reviewed science and UK-based policy guidance | Tony D'Agostino, UK

Teens of any age who drink alcohol with their parents’ permission drink more as young adults, new research shows

Children and teenagers of any age who sip or taste alcohol with their parents’ permission are more likely to engage in risky drinking in young adulthood. That was the finding of a new study my colleagues and I published in the journal Addictive Behaviors | Conversation, USA