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Daily news - 6th November 2025 |
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UK news
Ketamine use is increasing, and so are its harms - Information and advice for educational settings (PDF) [Corrected]
Ketamine use has increased in recent years and so have the related health harms. People now use ketamine in many different contexts, from party settings to self-medication. There are eight times more people going into drug treatment for ketamine use than there were a decade ago. People aged 18-24 have the highest rates of use. Sustained ketamine use can cause painful bladder problems and damage to the urinary tract, leading to incontinence and other complications, some of which can be irreversible. This is an increasing cause for concern among urologists | OHID, UK
‘I started taking ketamine at 16 – now I don’t have a bladder’
A former ketamine addict has said the drug ‘should be up there with crack and heroin’ after he had to have surgery to remove his bladder due to damage from his habit | Metro, UK
Introducing the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Addictions: Research That Shapes Policy - video
Discover the work of the Policy Research Unit in Addictions as we explore how our research informs policy, advances understanding, and improves approaches to tackling addiction | NIHR, UK
Nicotine pouches: What are they and why are they a problem? - video
A few months ago, the government banned the sale of disposable vapes in the UK. One of the reasons this was done was to try and limit the number of children being able to access and use them. But lots of people are worried about another addictive product that kids are becoming more aware of – nicotine pouches, sometimes called snus | CBBC, UK
Charity highlights resources available to Glasgow mothers
A public health charity is encouraging expectant mothers in Glasgow to access new free ‘smoking and vaping during pregnancy’ resources. Developed by Action on Smoking and Health Scotland (ASH), the resources aim to increase awareness of the risk these habits pose to unborn babies | Glasgow Times, UK
Unmasking Influence
Unmasking Influence brings the commercial influences that are shaping our world out of the shadows through the expertise and experiences of people who work to expose and counter these forces. It aims to show, using examples from the tobacco, food, alcohol, pesticides, and other industries, why addressing these harmful commercial determinants of health is the major public health issue of our time and why policymakers must act | LSHTM, UK
Psilocybin
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has recently received representations from the (a) Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, (b) Royal College of Psychiatrists and (c) Department of Health on the potential clinical use of psilocybin under controlled conditions to treat serious psychiatric illness | They work for you, UK
Alcoholic Drinks: Labelling
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September to Question 75570 on Alcoholic Drinks: Labelling, when he plans to consult with stakeholders on the best ways to communicate the necessary information on the health risks to consumers through alcohol label | They work for you, UK
SARG to present latest research on alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks at SSA Annual Conference 2025
Researchers from the Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG) are set to present their latest research on alcohol-free and low-alcohol (no/lo) drinks at the Society for the Study of Addiction (SSA) Annual Conference in Newcastle on 6 and 7 November 2025 | SARG, UK
Smoking
To ask the Chancellor of the exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of tobacco excise duty on smoking prevalence | They work for you, UK
Webinar 1: The Blue Light Approach – origins and lessons learned
Dec 1 from 12pm to 1:30pm GMT. Online. It’s been ten years since the launch of the Blue Light Approach - Alcohol Change UK’s pioneering response to people with severe alcohol dependence who are often seen as 'treatment resistant'. In this first of three anniversary webinars, Mike Ward and Mark Holmes, co-authors of the original Blue Light manual, explore how the project began, why it was needed, and what’s been learned over a decade of practice | Alcohol Change UK, UK
Webinar 2: The Blue Light Approach in action – learning from local projects
Dec 8 from 12pm to 1:30pm GMT. Online. Across the UK, local areas are using the Blue Light Approach to change lives, and to change systems. In this second webinar, Mike Ward will be joined by practitioners delivering Blue Light projects on the ground. Together, they’ll share real-world examples of how areas have turned principles into practice - improving outcomes for individuals while reducing pressure on emergency services | Alcohol Change UK, UK
Drugs: Organised Crime
To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports that crime groups based in Birmingham, Liverpool and London have county lines operations in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, how they are working with the Scottish Government to combat county lines gang activity | They work for you, UK
Criminal network behind UK mini-marts enables migrants to work illegally - BBC investigation
Two undercover reporters, themselves Kurdish, posed as asylum seekers and were told how easy it would be for them to take over and run a shop and make big profits selling illegal vapes and cigarettes | BBC, UK
International news
Activities, projects and ongoing work on drug-related violence in Europe
Drug-related violence manifests itself in various and increasingly complex forms, often fuelled by organised crime that operates in and exploits fragile social environments, affecting communities at multiple levels and perpetuating cycles of harm. This page provides information on the EUDA's ongoing work and projects in the area of drug-related violence | EUDA, Portugal
Afghanistan opium cultivation falls in 2025, shifting regional production and trafficking patterns, says new UNODC survey
Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan in 2025 decreased by 20 per cent compared to the previous year, according to a new survey from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The sharp contraction, together with market indicators, suggest that opium production and trafficking are undergoing major shifts in the region | UNODC, Austria
Post-discharge use of opioids, psychostimulants, and treatment medications following residential opioid discontinuation with NET Device™ monotherapy
[Open access] Although it mitigated opioid withdrawal symptoms, delivering “neurostimulation” electrical pulses to the head was not found better than a fake procedure at preventing relapse to drug use after discharge from residential care | Frontiers in Psychiatry, USA
Relief or reward: Do women and men drink for different reasons?
Alcohol problems have long been more common in men, but rates in women are rising, and women tend to develop complications faster than men. It has been suggested also that women and men may drink for different reasons, with women more likely to drink to relieve negative emotional states and men for pleasurable, rewarding effects. The researchers used a well-controlled laboratory paradigm to explore these potential differences | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Effects of alcohol policy interventions on alcohol consumption
Alcohol use is associated with increased risks for cancer and other diseases, as well as mental health conditions and social harms. Policy interventions can help reduce consumption and thereby address associated public health harms. This article summarized key findings | Recovery Research Institute, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Rehab in Scotland – what’s going on?
Scotland, for all its beauty and positives, has an unwelcome first ranking in Europe in the domain of drug deaths. In 2021, the Scottish Government announced the National Mission as a response. A significant financial resource was realised to do this, spread over a variety of interventions. One of these was residential rehabilitation – a long-established treatment type, though its provision appeared to be lower than in other European countries | Recovery Review blog, UK
Vaping might seem safer than smoking but your heart could tell a different story
Several studies have now linked vaping to arterial damage in both the brain and heart, even among people who have never smoked traditional cigarettes. The cells that line our blood vessels, known as the endothelium, keep arteries supple, regulate blood pressure and stop fatty deposits from sticking to the walls. When these cells are damaged, arteries lose elasticity and blood flow becomes less efficient, raising the risk of cardiovascular problems | Conversation, UK
A generation of children is addicted to nicotine pouches – why didn’t anyone notice until now?
The use of nicotine pouches has doubled in four years and, among teenagers, their use is rampant. As a ban for under-18s is finally proposed, Charlotte Cripps looks at why we were selling nicotine products to children as young as 11 for so long | Independent, UK
Taking prescription opioids for too long can be harmful. Here’s how to cut back and stop
Opioids, such as oxycodone, morphine, codeine, tramadol and fentanyl, are commonly prescribed to manage pain. You might be given a prescription when experiencing pain, or after surgery or an injury | Conversation, Australia