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Daily news - 17th November 2025 |
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UK news
The legacy of Leah Betts 30 years after her drug death
On the night of her 18th birthday party, Leah Betts put on her best outfit, gathered with friends and prepared to celebrate. She also took an ecstasy pill that would ultimately lead to her death. The image of the teenager clinging to life in hospital would become one of the most harrowing to be shown in the British media in the 1990s. Thirty years on from her death, what is the legacy of the tragedy and her parents' campaigning that followed? | BBC, UK
‘I’d run down the road thinking I was God’: a day at the cannabis psychosis clinic
Katie hears voices and has been sectioned 50 times. Isiah became paranoid and tried to kill himself. Both link their illness to cannabis – and the drug is getting more and more potent. Is a tiny London clinic showing the way forward? | Guardian, UK
Ending the cycle of reoffending – part one: rehabilitation in prisons (PDF)
Following growing concerns about persistently high reoffending rates and the ability of HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) to meet its rehabilitative duties, this report sets out the Justice Committee’s initial findings on rehabilitation within prisons, The inquiry has taken place against the backdrop of a prison capacity crisis, with overcrowding, staffing shortages, and deteriorating infrastructure undermining efforts to reduce reoffending | House of Commons, UK
Participant Experiences of a Collegiate Recovery Program on a UK University Campus
[Open access] How Britain’s first (and at the time, only) university-led recovery programme for addicted students was seen by participants in its third year of operation. Key to the group-based resource was “a feeling of instant connection and belonging which kept them coming back even if they were uncertain about the process” | Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, UK
Whistleblower claims stopping drug Scots deaths is impossible with staffing crisis
Drug worker walked out of key job, claiming many addicted Scots get "less than minimum" help | Daily Record, UK
Disposable vapes ban: a lot of hot air or a slow-burn success?
The sale and supply of single-use e-cigarettes has been illegal since June, with the government hoping it would reduce environmental damage and cut rates of nicotine addiction. We spoke to young people in Hull, who started vaping as teenagers, to find out whether the disposable vapes ban is changing their habits | BBC, UK
Do alcohol industry-funded organisations act to correct misinformation? A qualitative study of pregnancy and infant health content following independent analysis
[Open access] Access to reliable, accurate, and up-to-date health information is a crucial component of global population health. Like other health-harming industries, the alcohol industry is known to provide misinformation to the public, including on alcohol, pregnancy, and infant health. It is unknown whether industry information changes following independent public health analysis | Globalisation and Health, UK
Rachel Reeves mulls second booze tax hike
Reeves could hike duties by the retail prices index (RPI) inflation rate in a bid to raise more cash to fill an estimated £30bn fiscal hole and build a larger headroom, LBC has reported | City AM, UK
Anxiety drug contributed to paddling pool death
A man who accidentally drowned while emptying a paddling pool was under the influence of a non-prescribed medication, a coroner has said. Roan Bloore, 24, was found face down in around six inches (15cm) of water in his family's garden in Doncaster on 25 June. Doncaster Coroner's Court heard prior to his death, Mr Bloore had taken several pregabalin tablets, which are widely used to treat anxiety and epilepsy, and had been prescribed to his father | BBC, UK
He takes medical cannabis every day - but worries people think he's a lazy stoner
Every morning Jon Leeder wakes up, has some breakfast, then takes cannabis before heading to his office job. The 41-year-old, from Caerphilly in south Wales, uses medical cannabis to help with his anxiety, but until agreeing to speak to the BBC, nobody Jon worked with realised he took it | BBC, UK
Cannabis: Young People
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the health implications for young people of smoking high-strength cannabis, including psychotic episodes; and what steps they are taking to raise awareness of those implications | They work for you, UK
Ilkeston woman's inspiring story of recovery from self-confessed alcoholism
Selina Baylis, 44, said she is now the woman she was always meant to be | Derby Telegraph, UK
Blue Light Approach: Webinar series
To celebrate ten years of the Blue Light Approach, we’re hosting a special series of three webinars reflecting on its development, impact, and future. All three webinars are free to attend | Alcohol Change UK, UK
Collective Voice Women's Treatment Working Group Webinar
Tue, 25 Nov, 14:00 - 15:30 GMT. Join us on 25th November for a webinar marking the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the launch of the 16 Days of Activism | Collective Voice, UK
Webinar: Smoking Cessation Services for People with Serious Mental Illness: A rapid evaluation
Tuesday 9th December 2025 (12:30-1:30pm). Speaker: Dr Jennifer Newbould, Senior Research Leader at RAND Europe and member of the Executive and Co-PPIE Lead for BRACE (The Birmingham, RAND and Cambridge Evaluation Centre). In this webinar, Jennifer will introduce the BRACE study, a rapid evaluation of NHS England’s stop smoking services for people with severe mental illness | SCAH, UK
140. Which therapy works best for psychedelics? with Prof Sara Tai - podcast
We talk to Prof Sara Tai, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Manchester and an NHS consultant clinical psychologist. Sara’s research is grounded in biopsychosocial frameworks, with a focus on understanding the mechanisms of change that underpin effective psychological therapies. She has extensive experience delivering therapy, and training other clinicians to deliver interventions with individuals, families, and young people across diverse settings, including acute in-patient units, community mental health services, and schools | Drug Science, UK
'Tough love': Can council drugs squad tackle antisocial behaviour?
It's seven o'clock in the morning in Whitechapel, east London, and even before the market stalls are open, council enforcement officer John Fish is searching the streets for people taking drugs | BBC, UK
International news
Should a smoke-free generation also be vape-free?
The UK is set to make global history with a bill promising a “smoke-free” generation. What the legislation says on vaping calls into question its role in smoking cessation, as well as its impact on young people and those who have never smoked | BMJ, UK
Searches for lorazepam surged after release of The White Lotus, data shows
Third series of TV drama spiked interest in anti-anxiety drug amid warnings over illicit production of ‘benzos’ | Guardian, UK
Second brother of French anti-drugs campaigner shot dead in Marseill
A young French campaigner, who set up an association to help victims of drugs violence and took their cause to President Emmanuel Macron, has lost a second brother to suspected criminal gangs in Marseille | BBC, UK
Leader of notorious Ecuador drugs gang captured in Spain
The leader of one of Ecuador's biggest drug-trafficking gangs has been captured in an operation involving Spanish police, Ecuador's president Daniel Noboa has said | BBC, UK
YouTuber Jack Doherty arrested in Miami on drug possession charges
The influencer was filming video content while attempting to engage with police officers in the middle of the road, blocking traffic in the process, according to arrest documents published by US media | BBC, UK
Former heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker tests positive for cocaine
Details of the failed test, taken on the day the New Zealander lost to Briton Fabio Wardley, only emerged on Friday and cast serious doubt over the boxer’s future in the sport | Sky News, UK
Is Belgium becoming Europe's first 'narco state'?
Belgium wasn’t always Europe’s drug hub. Today, its ports – Antwerp, Zeebrugge, and their sprawling container terminals – move millions of tonnes of cargo, concealing tonnes of cocaine, heroin, and synthetic drugs. Their deep-water access, nonstop container traffic, and Schengen freedoms make the country a dream for traffickers – and a nightmare for law enforcement | Euractiv, Belgium
Policing Nightlife: Hungary’s Drug War Turns Into a Cultural Battle
Hungary’s war on drugs has entered a new and troubling phase. In recent months, the government has deployed police powers not only in nightclubs, but also against some opposition politicians and some of the country’s most popular musicians—accusing them of promoting a “drug lifestyle.” | Drug Reporter, Hungary
Hospital emergency departments count nicotine-related cases
Dutch hospitals started a one-day drive on Thursday to count the number of people needing emergency care as a result of smoking, vaping or taking snus | Dutch News, The Netherlands
New study finds hidden diabetes danger in vaping
Smoking, vaping, or using both products significantly increases the likelihood of developing prediabetes and diabetes, and the risk is even higher among Hispanic, Black, and low-income groups. Researchers found that vaping alone raises prediabetes risk, while combining cigarettes and e-cigarettes drives those odds up dramatically | Science Daily, USA
The shocking cost of inaction on alcohol in Australia
Alcohol-related diseases and injuries have the potential to cost the Australian health care system a staggering $68 billion over 60 years if nothing is done to stop the impact | Medical Xpress, USA
Stigma by Association Is Driving Workers Out of Harm Reduction
Everyone knows about the stigma faced by people who use drugs. What’s far less visible is the stigma experienced by the people who support them: the harm reduction workers, counselors, outreach staff, nurses and peer workers who show up every day in a landscape still steeped in social judgment | Filter Magazine, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
‘Dire’ prison conditions putting rehabilitation at risk
The Committee stated it was shocked by the dire living conditions that many prisoners are living in and that it was deeply concerning to hear that prisons may be in violation of human rights legislation. Dilapidated buildings and broken infrastructure limit access to rehabilitative spaces and contribute to poor mental health | Russell Webster, UK
Global alcohol consumption: why the world is failing to meet the WHO’s reduction target
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has set a target for countries to reduce consumption of alcohol by 20% by no later than 2030. This gives us an indication of how concerned WHO is about not only the amount of alcohol consumed but the harms and risks this drug poses to human health. So, it is timely and helpful to have a study by Shield and colleagues (2025) that explores the progress being made to achieving this goal set by WHO | Mental Elf blog, UK
Detection is not prevention: will drug testing drivers really make NZ roads safer?
The government’s new mandate to carry out random oral-fluid roadside drug testing marks a milestone in New Zealand’s road safety policy. Under recently passed laws, police can now stop any driver, at any time, to screen with an oral swab for four illicit substances: THC (cannabis), cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA (ecstasy). Police will begin the rollout in Wellington in December, with nationwide coverage expected by mid next year | Conversation, New Zealand