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Daily news - 14th October 2025 |
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UK news
Why giving up smoking may still help those with advanced cancer
Published in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, the study found that people with cancer who quit smoking had a 97 per cent lower risk of dying within two years compared to those who kept smoking | Independent, UK
Dementia risk for people who quit smoking in middle age ‘same as someone who never smoked’
Research finds kicking the habit halves rate of decline in verbal fluency and slows memory loss by 20% | Guardian, UK
Council set to expand drug and alcohol treatment
A local authority is set to award a multimillion-pound contract for drug and alcohol treatment that would expand its services. Peterborough City Council has worked with Change Grow Live Services Limited (CGL) for the past 10 years, but the current agreement is due to end in March 2026. Cabinet members will meet on Tuesday to consider authorising a new five-year contract worth £13.4m with CGL, which emerged as the preferred bidder after a competitive procurement process | BBC, UK
'Drug Consumption Rooms: Helpful or Harmful?' - new audio episode
The Forward Trust's CEO, Mike Trace, provides a deep-dive into the world of drug consumption rooms. Fresh from a recent visit to the UK's first legal drug consumption centre in Glasgow. As former deputy drug Czar to Tony Blair in the Labour Government, Mike's reflective podcast explores the complexity of this new approach - outlining the pros and cons of how these might evolve across the UK | Forward Trust, UK
Nicotine and medical research – a background
Nicotine has been widely accepted as a smoking cessation aid in the form of Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRT) since the 1980s, and has been included in the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines to treat ‘nicotine dependence’ since 2009.[1] But the therapeutic use of nicotine in medicine has a history – and potentially a future – that extends beyond its most common application. Research has indicated that nicotine could be a promising drug in managing and treating certain conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, neurodivergences, and psychosis | GSTHR, UK
Southend boxing gym opened by friends battling addiction
Two friends battling mental health struggles and addiction came together and opened a boxing gym to turn their lives around and help keep the next generation on the right path | Basildon, Canvey and Southend Echo, UK
The Manifesto Sessions -Trauma-Informed Practice
Mon, 20 Oct, 10:00 - 11:00 BST. Our 5th webinar within our Manifesto Sessions webinar series will focus on trauma informed practice. As part of our ‘Setting the blueprint for a more equal and prosperous Wales for people who use substances’, we want all substance use services in Wales to be underpinned by a trauma-informed approach | Barod, UK
Navy ship stops boat carrying £35m of illegal drugs
A Plymouth-based ship has intercepted three small boats travelling across the Gulf of Oman carrying £35m worth of illegal narcotics, the Royal Navy has said | BBC, UK
Drug seller's messages discussed £400k of deals
A drug dealer who helped arrange the supply of £400,000 worth of cocaine and cannabis in the north-east of England has been jailed for seven years and three months | BBC, UK
International news
Drugs, Overdose, Hope, North Carolina - audio
Drug overdose has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. Fentanyl – a synthetic opioid mass produced in Mexico and smuggled across the border – drove the increasing number of fatalities ever higher. But there’s a good news story that hasn’t been widely reported… Drug-related deaths fell year on year from 2023 to 2024 by around 25%. In some states, the decline was even more dramatic - North Carolina was one of them. For Assignment, Linda Pressly visits the state capital of Raleigh to report on some of the reasons why fewer people are dying from illicit narcotics | BBC Sounds, UK
Shamans openly using psychedelic drugs for treatment in South Africa
Although psychedelic drugs are illegal in South Africa, many self-appointed healers and shamans based in Cape Town are openly advertising that they incorporate them in their therapies | BBC, UK
Elon Musk demands Trump send US troops to San Francisco for war on drugs: ‘It’s the only solution’
Musk said downtown San Francisco is ‘a drug zombie apocalypse’ as he called for the deployment of federal troops | Independent, UK
Inside the alcohol industry’s global campaign to delay Ireland’s world-first health labels
New documents reveal an organised effort by alcohol giants to pressure the Irish government into delaying landmark cancer warnings | Journal, Ireland
New primary care centre to contain methadone clinic despite residents' concerns
Plans for a new primary care centre in part of the former Baggot Street Hospital complex in Dublin have been approved by An Coimisiún Pleanála, despite concerns by residents who fear the facility could be used as a methadone clinic | Breaking News, Ireland
Drugreporter Visits CheckIt! – Vienna’s Pioneering Drug Checking Service
A harm reduction service that empowers young people to make healthy decisions and reduce the risks of drug use – watch Drugreporter’s new video on CheckIt! | Drug Reporter, Hungary
Large Genetic Study Links Cannabis Use to Psychiatric, Cognitive and Physical Health
Genetic associations between cannabis use and many different traits could inform the development of prevention and treatment strategies for cannabis use disorders | UC San Diego, USA
Teens who start drinking as early as 12 at higher risk of alcohol-related harms
The earlier teenagers begin drinking before the minimum legal age for purchasing alcohol, the higher the risk of heavy drinking and alcohol-related harms in early adulthood. This is the key finding to emerge from a long-term study, published in Addiction, on patterns of alcohol use among more than 900 Australian adolescents who were followed up annually for 10 years | NDARC, Australia
Blogs, comment and opinion
Is marijuana legalisation driving a rise in psychosis?
A study published last week in JAMA Psychiatry found that marijuana use by people with psychosis increased nearly 10% after marijuana legalisation. This is a striking finding at the intersection of public health and public safety, linking legalisation to increased use among those most at risk. It reinforces more than a decade of evidence showing that legalisation lowers risk perception and drives higher consumption. Put simply: marijuana can cause psychosis — and psychosis endangers us all | UnHerd, UK