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Daily news - 27th May 2025

UK news

Thousands could unknowingly have alcohol brain damage

Thousands of people with alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) could be going undiagnosed, an expert says. Research suggests consuming 35 units of alcohol per week for five years or more can cause ARBD, which affects a person's ability to carry out basic daily tasks | BBC, UK

Schools warn after pupils ill on Spice-laced vapes

Parents are being warned after a number of children were taken to hospital using vapes laced with the so-called zombie drug Spice | BBC, UK

'I don't know what we'll do' - Vapers panic-buy ahead of disposables ban

Cara Hallinan says she and many of her friends are feeling very nervous about the looming disposable vape ban | BBC, UK

Alcohol brands under fire for irresponsible social media ads

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has reprimanded three major drinks companies for breaching alcohol advertising codes on social media. Each ruling highlights the growing tension between digital marketing strategies and the ethical boundaries of responsible alcohol promotion | The Drinks Business, UK

Motivation, self-efficacy, and identity—double-edged swords for relapse prevention in patients with alcohol related cirrhosis

[Open access] Despite the critical importance of alcohol abstinence for patients with advanced liver disease, rates of returning to alcohol remain high and engagement with relapse prevention interventions is low. This study explores the potential barriers to relapse prevention in these patients | Alcohol and Alcoholism, UK

Patient satisfaction with long-acting injectable buprenorphine: What needs to be measured from the patient’s perspective?

[Open access] Long-acting injectable buprenorphine is an effective treatment for opioid use disorder. This paper asks: 1. How satisfied are people with long-acting injectable buprenorphine during their first year of treatment? 2. How do people receiving long-acting injectable buprenorphine assess treatment satisfaction/dissatisfaction? 3. Does long-acting injectable buprenorphine require its own specific satisfaction measure? | DEPP, UK

How can we support meaningful engagement with community stakeholders in substance use research? (PDF)

On 29th January 2025 we organised an event around meaningful engagement in research. The aim was to explore experiences and practices of Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) in research in Scotland. This report is a summary of discussions among 37 people representing lived/living experience, academia, public and third sector who attended the event | DRNS, UK

Drugs: Mental Illness and Misuse

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the report by the Royal College of Psychiatrists entitled Co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders, published on 13 May 2025 | They work for you, UK

Northern Reunion – The Magic of Recovery reveals itself in Hull – 24 May 2025

An inspiring, moving and heartwarming daytime event bringing The Forward Trust’s recovery community together for its annual event in the north | Forward Trust, UK

My cultural awakening: a punk band told me quit drinking. So I did

As a teen, I was surrounded by binge culture. But then a band called Minor Threat taught me it was radical to be sober – and it changed my life | Guardian, UK

From teenage Arsenal prodigy to convicted drug smuggler

As a footballer, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas seemed destined for greatness. But a drug-smuggling conviction has left his career and reputation in tatters. How did things unravel so dramatically for a player once tipped for the top? | BBC, UK

International news

Naomi Burke-Shyne

It is with heavy hearts that the staff of Harm Reduction International relay the news that our former Executive Director, Naomi Burke-Shyne, has passed away | Remembr.com, UK

The huge increase in Brits caught smuggling cannabis out of Thailand

The UK said there was a dramatic increase in the amount of cannabis sent to the UK from Thailand by post | Independent, UK

British woman held in Sri Lanka on drug offences

A British woman has been arrested in Sri Lanka after police allegedly found 101lbs (46kg) of the synthetic drug kush in her suitcases | BBC, UK

US alcohol research funding cuts itemised

The Trump administration has stopped funding to at least 34 alcohol research projects awarded $31m, with 58% still to be paid out, according to statistics collated by Alcohol Review (table below). Around three-quarters involve studies of sexual and gender minorities, or SGMs | Alcohol Review, UK

Thailand may soon require doctor’s note for buying cannabis to curb recreational use

Health minister vows to improve regulations on marijuana use | Independent, UK

Australian accused of smuggling cocaine into Bali faces ‘death penalty or life in jail’

The 43-year-old from Sydney appears in prison jumpsuit after allegedly being in possession of 1.7kg of drugs | Guardian, UK

Efficacy of non-invasive brain stimulation in reducing craving in patients with alcohol use disorder: systematic review and meta-analysis

[Open access] Electrical and/or magnetic stimulation of brain circuits from the surface of the skull is less invasive and cheaper than inserting electrodes. Done in a certain way and over multiple sessions, problem-drinking patients have experienced less craving for alcohol, though these positive results came from trials of low or unclear quality | BMC Psychiatry, UK

Understanding the impact of the Taliban drug ban: situational analysis of Afghanistan to inform EU policymakers

This paper analyses how drug production in Afghanistan has evolved under the current Taliban drug ban, with a particular focus on heroin and methamphetamine. Using satellite imagery, economic data, and other indicators, it documents shifts in the trade and processing of key substances like ephedra, ephedrine, methamphetamine, opium, morphine and heroin | EUDA, Portugal

Too cheap to ignore – WHO helps countries reduce alcohol harm through taxation and pricing policies

To support countries in designing more effective alcohol pricing policies, WHO/Europe has released 2 new resources. The first is a comprehensive report on alcohol taxation in the WHO European Region, offering a deep dive into how countries are, or are not, using taxes to reduce harm. The second is a practical toolkit for ministries of health and other policy-makers, designed to demystify alcohol tax policy and provide clear, actionable guidance for implementation | WHO, Switzerland

Alcohol-related cancer deaths in the US nearly double over 30 years

Alcohol-fueled cancer deaths nearly doubled in the United States during the past three decades, with cases among men driving this surge, a new study says | Medical Xpress, USA

Alcohol intake and pancreatic cancer risk: An analysis from 30 prospective studies across Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America

[Open access] Alcohol is a known carcinogen, yet the evidence for an association with pancreatic cancer risk is considered as limited or inconclusive by international expert panels. We examined the association between alcohol intake and pancreatic cancer risk in a large consortium of prospective studies | PLOS Medicine, USA

Have you used Psychedelics for Chronic Headaches? - call for participants

We are seeking individuals who meet the following criteria: Are at least 18 years old AND Experience chronic headaches (15 or more headache days per month for a minimum of 3 months) AND Have used Psychedelics during the period when they have experienced these headaches | Microdosing Collective, USA

[Open access] How did Canadians’ views on cannabis change after legalisation of recreational use in 2018? At the same time as social acceptability ratings and experimentation with cannabis increased, so too did awareness of the possible downsides of regular use, including dependence – “largely positive from a public health perspective,” argued researchers | IJDP, USA

Identification of the Novel Synthetic Opioid N-Pyrrolidino Isotonitazene at an Australian Drug Checking Service

Emerging in Europe in 2019, the nitazene group of drugs is a recent addition to the novel synthetic opioid class and has been associated with adverse effects in drug users, overdose clusters and mortality. The high potency of many nitazene derivatives, which can exceed that of fentanyl, poses a significant challenge to the public health and early warning systems used to detect the emergence of new high-risk substances. This report describes close collaboration between an Australian drug checking service and a nearby university laboratory to identify and characterise the novel synthetic opioid N-pyrrolidino isotonitazene in an expected oxycodone sample presented by a member of the public | Drug Testing and Analysis, Australia

Study reveals high rates of opioid use in NZ pregnancies

Aotearoa New Zealand has the third highest prevalence of prescribed opioid use during pregnancy in a new multi-national study of 13 high-income countries. Co-author of the research Dr Sarah Donald, of the University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, says the findings were unexpected and the risks of opioid use need to be better considered | University of Otago, New Zealand

Blogs, comment and opinion

Tackling alcohol harm needs to be top of Keir Starmer’s to-do list

What links arsenic, asbestos, tobacco – and alcohol? They’re all classified as Group 1 carcinogens, meaning they cause cancer. Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer Melissa Dando sets out why the UK government urgently needs to implement a National Alcohol Strategy for England, and what it must contain | WCRFI, UK

Gun trafficking from the US to Mexico: The drug connection

Illegal firearm trafficking is inseparable from the illegal drug trade: Weapons are often bought with drug money, can strengthen cartels and can be traded for drugs | Conversation, USA

Korean pear juice, IV drips, vitamin patches: do these trendy hangover cures actually work?

We’ve all been there. The pounding headache, relentless nausea, and the kind of tired no amount of coffee can fix. Hangovers are a reminder that last night’s fun comes at a cost | Conversation, Australia

Providing safe smoking kits could reduce harm from meth use – but NZ law won’t allow it

Methamphetamine was recently ranked New Zealand’s second-most harmful drug behind alcohol, and is the country’s most injected drug. Safer smoking kits – including high quality glass pipes, pipe tips and lip balm – would be a useful addition to extend the programme’s harm-reduction efforts to people who smoke methamphetamine. But when it comes to assisting people who smoke methamphetamine, New Zealand offers very little | Conversation, New Zealand

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