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Daily news - 13th November 2025 |
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UK news
Experts concerned over health effects of high-dose nicotine pouches as sales soar in UK
Teenagers reported nicotine rushes, sickness and fainting in recent research amid claims of ‘targeting younger age groups’ | Guardian, UK
Primary school children in Wales are vaping, new study shows
More than 50,000 children aged seven to 11 from every council area in Wales took part in the research. One in 10 reported clinically significant behavioural difficulties, half own a smartphone and seven in 10 have trouble sleeping | Wales Online, UK
Drug Deaths
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported comments by Professor Catriona Matheson, former chair of the drug deaths task force, that the national mission on drug deaths has failed to deliver robust, evidence-based clinical care for people affected by drug use, due to clinical and practitioner expertise being sidelined | They work for you, UK
Heineken UK cuts Foster's alcohol strength to 3.4%
Heineken UK, which brews Foster's, said cutting the alcohol strength from the current 3.7% would make the lager eligible for lower rates of alcohol duty | BBC, UK
Statistics on smoking cessation services in Northern Ireland 2024/25
Information on smoking cessation services between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 on clients who set a quit date and the outcome at 4 weeks | Department of Health (Northern Ireland) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, UK
Fewer than 1% of UK doctors trained to prescribe medical cannabis
Seven years since medical cannabis was legalised in the UK, fewer than 1% of the country’s approximately 100,000 doctors on the General Medical Council (GMC) Specialist Register have the training required to prescribe medical cannabis | Leafie, UK
ONS to cut reports on health and crime to improve quality of core data
UK’s statistics agency announces ‘recovery’ plan after concerns raised over reliability of its data | Guardian, UK
Billions to be redirected back into patient care with NHS reform
Health Secretary announces plans to redirect billions of pounds from NHS reform back into patient care | DHSC, UK
Scottish Government alcohol company financial interests: FOI release
You asked us to confirm whether the Scottish Government (either directly or through any affiliated public investment body or fund) holds or has held shares, bonds, or other financial interests in companies whose primary business is the manufacture or sale (including wholesalers and distributors) of alcohol products (e.g. whisky, beer, spirits, wine)... | Scottish Government, UK
Jail for ex-footballer 'wealthy' from drugs trade
Gordon Finlayson became a "wealthy man" from trafficking large quantities of cocaine and other drugs, the High Court in Glasgow heard | BBC, UK
Shop shut after 'cannabis and illegal vapes' found
A shop in Bradford has been ordered to close for three months after "illegal vapes and cannabis" were discovered, Bradford Council said | BBC, UK
Cannabis parcels worth £315k seized by police
Staff at Trafalgar Road post office in Kettering, Northamptonshire noticed a strong smell coming from one of the parcels on 30 October | BBC, UK
Operation Venetic: ‘Teflon’ drugs boss ordered to pay back £1.1m
A drugs boss jailed for 20 years following a National Crime Agency investigation has been ordered to hand over more than £1m | NCA, UK
International news
Thailand has changed its alcohol rules. What you need to know
Thailand is implementing new legislation, effective 8 November 2025, that shifts responsibility for adhering to alcohol consumption restrictions to both premises and individuals, including tourists| | Independent, UK
Drugs disguised as tea keep washing up on this S Korean holiday island
Since September, residents on South Korea's Jeju island have been spotting small packs of what appear to be bags of Chinese tea washed ashore. Upon closer inspection, however, they were found to contain ketamine | BBC, UK
New €1,800 tobacco sales licencing fee figures ‘plucked out of the air’, retailers claim in High Court
Under the new licensing system retailers will have to pay a total fee of €1,800 to sell tobacco or nicotine inhaling products | Irish Times, Ireland
EUDA hosts Futures Week in Lisbon
How can foresight help Europe stay ahead of tomorrow’s challenges? This question is at the heart of Futures Week, currently under way at the EU Drugs Agency (EUDA) in Lisbon. Meanwhile, in Brussels, the European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS) is holding its annual European Foresight Days, co-hosted by the European Commission and the European Parliament | EUDA, Portugal
Foresight activities within the EU Agencies Network on Scientific Advice (EU-ANSA)
This report reviews foresight activities by the EU-ANSA Futures Cluster from 2019 to 2024, highlighting a growing commitment to long-term thinking across EU agencies. It shows increased engagement, expertise and strategic use of futures methods, with agencies adopting diverse organisational approaches despite resource challenges. Foresight is increasingly valued for enhancing stakeholder engagement and informing policy, and collaboration within the network is seen as beneficial. The report calls for better integration of foresight into core agency functions to strengthen its impact | EUDA, Portugal
Why there may be a link to ADHD and substance use among young sexual minority men
Young sexual minority men—a term used to describe gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men—with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are more likely to begin using substances such as cigarettes, alcohol, cannabis, stimulants and illicit drugs at an earlier age, according to Rutgers Health researchers | Medical Xpress, USA
Nearly one in four adult Arkansans used tobacco in last 30 days
New findings from the Arkansas Health Survey, the largest and most comprehensive health survey in the state's history, reveal that 24.1% of Arkansas adults who used tobacco was well above the national average of 18%, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control | Medical Xpress, USA
Inside One Hospital, a Discreet Project Fights Doctors’ Nicotine Bias
Medical professionals are badly misinformed about nicotine, with severe and tragic consequences for patients’ health. There are people working hard to change this—though not all are able to do so publicly | Filter Magazine, USA
Are We Sure We’re Using Fentanyl Test Strips the Right Way?
Every couple of weeks a local media outlet does some coverage of fentanyl test strips (FTS) that tells basically the same story: These are simple, life-saving tools that can prevent overdose, but because some states still criminalize them as “drug paraphernalia,” coupled with the myth that they enable drug use, we can’t get them into the hands of the people who need them | Filter Magazine, USA
NDARC Webinar: Community action to reduce AOD harms: Where are we now and lessons learnt - video
Community action is recognised to be a priority area by global and national strategic documents that aim to prevent or reduce alcohol or other drug (AOD) use or harms. However, these guiding documents do not present a clear picture of what sorts of activities are relevant to community action. In this seminar, Dr Peter Gates explores three decades of research on community action and describe what community action is, what evidence there is to support community action, and what is associated with impact | NDARC, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
How e-cigarettes compromise children’s human rights
Children are now using e-cigarettes at higher rates than adults. Tom Gatehouse and colleagues argue for an approach to regulation that prioritises children’s rights | BMJ, UK
Recreational Cannabis Reform in Malta and Prospects for a Cannabis Humanitarian Bank — A Utopian Dream?
In this opinion piece, Maltese harm reduction activist Karen Mamo argues that Malta’s cannabis reform must go a step further — by establishing a Cannabis Humanitarian Bank to ensure that vulnerable consumers are not left behind in the country’s decriminalisation efforts | Drug Reporter, Hungary