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Daily news - 13th October 2025 |
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UK news
Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programme 2025 to 2026: updated funding allocations
The government recognises that homelessness and rough sleeping numbers remain high and that many people experiencing rough sleeping have substance misuse needs and can struggle to access the support they need. To tackle the continued pressures local authorities are facing, the government has provided an additional £3 million for the year 2025, to enable the local authorities currently receiving this funding to continue to support the most vulnerable in society | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, UK
Right to Addiction Recovery (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Transcript of the debate on the Right to Recovery Bill, held in the Scottish Parliament on October 9th | Scottish Parliament, UK
Pulse Report: Alcohol Advertising
This report presents the findings of a major ASA trial exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can strengthen the regulation of online advertising. Using our in-house Active Ad Monitoring system, we analysed nearly 6,000 paid-for alcohol-related ads served to UK audiences in early 2025, across social media, search and display. Overall compliance was very strong. Around 96% of ads were likely to meet the rules, with just 1–3% appearing to break them and a small proportion requiring further review | ASA, UK
Thousands of essential frontline workers could be funded by alcohol duty, new analysis shows
The government could generate £3.4 billion over the next five years by increasing duty on non-draught alcohol in line with inflation and reintroducing a 2% annual escalator above inflation, our new analysis has found | AHA, UK
Shops to require licence to sell vapes under proposed crackdown on rogue traders
A licensing system would ‘root out’ rogue operators and give enforcement officers stronger powers to shut them down, the Government said | Independent, UK
Illicit tobacco: facts, trends and industry tactics
Illicit/illegal tobacco refers to any tobacco products sold illegally in the UK, including smuggled genuine products, duty-free cigarettes sold on the black market, and counterfeit or fake tobacco. Illicit tobacco undermines the impact of lifesaving public health measures and sellers often have links with organised crime. This page explains what illicit tobacco is, what the UK is doing to tackle it, and how tobacco companies exploit concerns about illicit trade to undermine tobacco control | ASH, UK
Foetal alcohol disorder 'wasn't my fault'
When Maggie May McHugh was told she had Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) by her social worker, at the age of 15, everything started to make sense | BBC, UK
Stop smoking service 'may need to change'
A stop smoking service may need to offer new initiatives to reach some communities, a director of public health has said | BBC, UK
Midwives lead the way for Stoptober with smoke-free pregnancy support
Wirral University Teaching Hospital (WUTH) is backing this year’s national Stoptober campaign by highlighting the work of its maternity team in supporting pregnant people and their families to stop smoking | Birkenhead News, UK
'Record drug seizures only scratch the surface'
A "record-breaking summer" of cocaine seizures by Border Force "only scratches the surface", according to the head of a Kent drug rehabilitation charity | BBC, UK
Ketamine: current challenges, successes and next steps for treatment
Tue, 14 Oct, 14:00 - 15:30 BST, Online. Ketamine has been in the news and there are lots of discussions in the substance use field about how we can best support people who are experiencing harm related to this drug...That’s why we’re working with a range of organisations, including the NHS Addictions Provider Alliance and the English Substance Use Commissioners Group, to establish a network of people looking to improve identification, access and support for people who use ketamine | Collective Voice, UK
Kinship Care Week 2025
Last week (6-12 October) is #KinshipCareWeek, a campaign to celebrate the incredible role that kinship carers play in children’s lives and raise awareness of what life is like for kinship families | DDN, UK
Drug Education Forum Autumn 2025
Thurs 16 October. Online. In this event you can hear from our keynote speaker Jane Keyworth, Founder of Face Family Advice, answering the question What can we do for parents and carers? How can professionals best support parents and carers of adolescents in relation to drugs and decisions? What difference does neurodiversity add to the mix? We will also hear from Shannon Robbie from The Loop on life on the frontline of festivals and from Jane Mackenzie, founder of Share Shrewsbury, speaking with lived experience as the mother of a daughter who died as a result of alcohol addiction | DEF, UK
Lunch & Learn webinar #1: Neurodiversity, young people, drugs and decisions
Mon 10 Nov 2025 12:00 - 13:30 GMT. Online. The first in this series of webinars will explore issues relating to neurodiversity, young people and substance use. Jane Keyworth, Founder of Face Family Advice, will talk about understanding neurodiversity, adolescent brain development and risk, and how to support parents and carers of neurodivergent children. Jodie Lynes, We Are With You Team Leader, will explore how those of us working in an education, treatment or early intervention capacity can adapt our approaches to engage with neurodivergent young people. Joe Elliott, Founder of Elevate Up will share his lived experience of adolescent substance use, addiction and a late-diagnosis of ADHD | DEF, UK
Drugs gang hid guns in towel behind secret wall
A gang leader who enjoyed holidays in Turkey and Tenerife while controlling a cocaine supply worth about £900,000 has been jailed for 20 years | BBC, UK
International news
Dangerous ‘nitazene’ opioids are on the rise: researchers are worried
Researchers who study trends in illicit drug use are concerned that sales of a potent class of synthetic opioids called nitazenes are on the rise globally | Nature, UK
High youth death rates are an ‘emerging crisis’, global health study warns
Alcohol, suicide and injuries driving rises among teenagers and young adults despite overall rates falling, authors say | Guardian, UK
Highly potent synthetic opioids found in teddy bear-shaped pills linked to a death in Queensland
Public health warning issued after drugs known as nitazenes detected amid move to ban pill testing | Guardian, UK
‘It’s really good for the staff’: how restaurants adapt to customers drinking less
Alcohol is an important source of revenue for many restaurants. With consumption on the decline, venues could be left in a precarious position | Guardian, UK
TikTok influencers fuelling parallel market for unlicensed weight-loss drug
Guardian finds a thriving trade on Telegram for retatrutide, which is still in clinical trials and illegal to sell | Guardian, UK
Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy announces funding for drugs and Inclusion Health for 2026
The Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy Jennifer Murnane O’Connor TD has today announced additional €11 million in recurring funding for drugs and inclusion health services in Budget 2026 | DoH, Ireland
Webinar – Growing up in Ireland: Cocaine use in adolescence and early adulthood
30th October, London. This event will feature presentations from: Dr Deirdre Mongan, HRB Research Officer, will give an overview of cocaine prevalence and related trends in Ireland over the last 20 years, based on findings from the recently published paper, Trends in cocaine use and cocaine-related harms in Ireland: a retrospective, multi-source database study. Dr Margaret Brennan, TCD, will discuss findings from recently published paper,Factors Associated with Cocaine Use at 17 and 20 Years Old: A Longitudinal Analysis of a Nationally Representative Cohort | HRB, Ireland
First official visit of the EUDA to Egypt: focus on shared preparedness for drug-related challenges
Alexis Goosdeel, Executive Director of the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA), has just concluded his first official visit to Egypt. The two-day visit focused on the mutual benefits of strengthening preparedness to address drug-related challenges. The visit also paved the way for closer collaboration between the EUDA and Egypt within the EU4Monitoring Drugs II project, funded by the European Union | EUDA, Portugal
EUDA webinar: Tech-based health and social responses to drug problems
29 Oct 2025. Online. This webinar will explore how digital innovations are enhancing health and social support for people who use drugs. Participants will gain insights into how technology can bridge gaps in access, provide timely interventions and support vulnerable populations | EUDA, Portugal
Senate debates bill to require cancer warning labels on alcohol packaging
Sen. Brazeau says his personal experience with alcohol is part of what is driving him | CBS News, USA
Regular cannabis use poses risks to those over 65, experts caution
As more people explore marijuana for medical use, Stanford Medicine scientists warn that older adults should be particularly mindful of potential health concerns | Medical Xpress, USA
Adults 65 years and older not immune to the opioid epidemic, study finds
Overdose deaths in adults age 65 and older from fentanyl mixed with stimulants, such as cocaine and methamphetamines, have surged 9,000% in the past eight years, matching rates found among younger adults | Medical Xpress, USA
Family relationships with someone who uses methamphetamine: interviews with various family members
[Open access] Research on the perspectives of various family members of people who use methamphetamine is limited. We draw from Family Systems Theory to examine how families navigate these relationships | DEPP, USA
Qualitative evaluation of a physical activity motivation intervention at a residential substance use disorder treatment facility
[Open access] Research on physical activity (PA) interventions for individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) has yielded mixed findings. Low motivation, a common barrier in this population, can limit intervention effectiveness. This study evaluated the perceived effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of a motivational group intervention designed to enhance PA motivation among residents of a SUD treatment facility in Western Australia | DEPP, USA
Blogs, comment and opinion
Everyone Deserves Access to Residential Care
Too many people living with substance use problems alongside complex mental health problems struggle to get the support they need. For World Mental Health Day, Lori Parker explores how we can improve access to residential care in England | Phoenix Futures blog, UK
Can you really be addicted to food? Researchers are uncovering convincing similarities to drug addiction
People often joke that their favorite snack is “like crack” or call themselves “chocoholics” in jest. But can someone really be addicted to food in the same way they could be hooked on substances such as alcohol or nicotine? | Conversation, USA