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Daily news - 29th May 2025 |
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UK news
A whole-system response to drug prevention in the UK
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) was commissioned in July 2023 to provide advice on drug prevention for young people, supporting the 10-year national drugs strategy (‘From harm to hope’). This report includes recommendations on: a whole-system response to prevention of drug use and related harms, including actions for younger age groups / effective labelled interventions on prevention / the structural components of a robust drug prevention system | ACMD, UK
Councillors' guide to local authority public health responsibilities
This publication has been developed by the LGA for elected members as overarching guidance to help clarify the current public health grant conditions and mandated public health functions in local government. The guide includes information on the provision of drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services | LGA, UK
Tracking low-level cannabis use wastes police time, former London chief says
Brian Paddick, who led decriminalisation pilot scheme in 2001-02, says it diverts ‘scarce resources’ from other issues | Guardian, UK
Fewer people will die from drugs under Right to Recovery Bill, MSP Ross says
Fewer people will die from drugs in Scotland if legislation to give addicts the legal right to treatment is passed, the MSP spearheading the proposals has said | Inverness Courier, UK
Why are disposable vapes being banned and how harmful is vaping?
From Sunday, it will be illegal for businesses to sell or supply disposable vapes. The government hopes the ban will reduce environmental damage caused by the devices and help cut the number of children and young people vaping | BBC, UK
'People are bulk-buying vapes to beat the ban'
Vape users are bulk-buying disposable items ahead of the incoming ban, shops in Nottingham have said | BBC, UK
Drug-related Deaths: East Antrim
In conjunction with the Business Committee, the Speaker has given leave to Danny Donnelly to raise the matter of drug-related deaths in East Antrim. Danny, you have 15 minutes | They work for you, UK
Living beside the UK's first drug consumption room
Sky News witnessed a makeshift drug den with hundreds of freshly used needles - it was like a minefield. One needle was stabbed into a large tree and there was even a wooden seat covered in drug-taking equipment | SkyNews, UK
Anyone’s Child: Families for Safer Drug Control - 10th Anniversary Lobby Of Parliament
The Anyone’s Child lobby is part of the Support. Don't Punish Global Day of Action, which takes part across the world. On this day, 1000s of people in over 85 countries come together to call for drug policies that are centred on health and human rights. We will be taking action in Parliament on 24th June, 2025, to show the public and politicians that we stand for better drug laws | Anyone's Child, UK
Build on Belief is recruiting a trustee with health care experience
Build on Belief, a London based charity & LERO, led by people with experience and histories of drug and alcohol problems, is looking to appoint an experienced health care practitioner to join its Board as a voluntary trustee to help take the organisation forward | Build on Belief, UK
International news
How 'laughing gas' became a deadly - but legal - American addiction
Nitrous oxide – known colloquially as "laughing gas" – has many uses, from a painkiller during dental procedures to a whipping agent for canned whipped cream. While its euphoric side effects have long been known, the rise of vaping has helped create a perfect delivery vehicle for the gas - and a perfect recipe for an addiction, experts warn | BBC, UK
Long-term alcohol consumption and incident health risk conditions related to cardiometabolic risk markers: A 20-year prospective cohort study
[Open access] Amid questions about a perceived association between low-to-moderate alcohol consumption and reduced cardiovascular risk from recent studies, research examining the impact of alcohol consumption on cardiometabolic risk markers has reported inconsistent results. We measured the association between long-term alcohol consumption and incident health risk conditions related to cardiometabolic risk markers | Addiction, UK
The Funding Crisis of Harm Reduction – An Interview with Catherine Cook
At the 28th Harm Reduction International Conference, we spoke with Catherine Cook from Harm Reduction International about the state of harm reduction funding and the global impact of U.S. foreign aid cuts under Trump | Drug Reporter, Hungary
Commission looks to revise tax on tobacco and alternatives
‘The rules for tobacco taxation are no longer fit for purpose,’ a source told Euractiv. | Euractiv, Belgium
Launch event: European Drug Report 2025
Join us for the launch of the European Drug Report 2025: Trends and Developments on 5 June 2025. Now in its 30th edition, this flagship report examines long-term trends and emerging threats | EUDA, Portugal
Study finds regular cannabis use, smoked or eaten, harms cardiovascular health
A new study led by UC San Francisco researchers finds that chronic cannabis use—whether it's smoked or consumed in edible form—is associated with significant cardiovascular risks | Medical Xpress, USA
Rise in production and trafficking of synthetic drugs from the Golden Triangle, new report shows
The illicit manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs from the Golden Triangle have grown exponentially, according to a report released today by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The explosive growth has led to a record amount of methamphetamine seizures in East and Southeast Asia, totaling 236 tons, marking a 24 per cent increase compared to 2023 | UNODC, USA
NDARC Webinar: The Tina Trial: A living experience of trialling mirtazapine for methamphetamine use - video
The Tina Trial is a world-first phase 3 trial of mirtazapine for methamphetamine use disorder. The trial involved recruiting participants from across six sites in Australia using a centralised trial platform and electronic data capture. 344 participants were randomised to the study intervention. Follow-up over the 12-week intervention period was 89%. The trial captured a broad cohort of people who use methamphetamine, with around half not having previously received specialist drug treatment for their methamphetamine use. This presentation reflects on the process of conducting the trial, and the experiences of the research team | NDARC, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Why it’s high time we changed the law on cannabis
Making it no longer illegal to possess small quantities of the drug will focus the criminal justice system on those who produce and supply it – and enable the police to rebuild relations with the Black community, says Lord Falconer | Independent voices, UK
Landmark Cannabis Inquiries
Today, May 28th 2025, the London Drug Commission’s report on cannabis law and policy has finally been published. It has been an extremely interesting project to be involved in, as co-lead with my UCL colleague Ben Bradford on the reviewing of the international evidence base (although we had no direct involvement in the writing of the report itself). Charlie Falconer and his team have done an admirably thorough job in navigating the difficult terrain they describe as the ‘cannabis conundrum’ and it is likely to become a landmark report and a key reference point | Toby Seddon, UK
Young People, Alcohol and Risk: A Culture of Caution
Since the early 2000s, alcohol use among young people – particularly teenagers – has declined significantly in many high-income countries. Over the last two decades in countries such as Australia, Sweden and the UK, rates of ever having consumed alcohol, and rates of risky drinking, have more than halved for teenagers. This means that not drinking alcohol is now majority behaviour for young people in these countries. This is a trend unique to young people, with rates of alcohol use in older populations remaining stable or increasing in some cases. In response, researchers around the world have been studying this phenomenon | IAS blog, UK
STIGMA SERIES: See The Individual & Give More Acceptance
In our latest blog, Irene candidly recounts her son Graeme's experiences of stigma when receiving care as he struggled with alcohol addiction | SHAAP blog, UK
The Acid Queen by Susannah Cahalan review – Timothy Leary’s right hand woman
A key a protagonist of the psychedelic counterculture, Rosemary Woodruff lived a life every bit as fascinating as her husband’s | Guardian, UK